My wife and I tried out Traditions this afternoon and were delighted to find a local restaurant with a great vibe and food to match! Cindy our server was extremely knowledgeable and attentive, she made sure we were taken care of and even gave us recommendations for the rest of our trip in Maine. 10/10 I would definitely recommend read more

Traditions Italian Ristorante - Top: Pollo Parmigana Bottom: Pollo Limone - Italian Near Me - Saco, Maine

A hole in the wall, cozy Italian restaurant that I didn't know existed in Saco! We had dinner with friends and traditions and had such a blast. The staff was incredible -- we were running late and arrived right before they closed, and they didn't turn us away. We enjoyed our meal and were the last ones dining; they didn't make us feel rushed. The staff really was incredible. The food was great! Their American-Italian menu had it all: baked ziti, lemon pasta, meats and fish, pretty much everything. We ate family-style and shared the food, and everything was absolutely delicious. The lemon pasta with grilled chicken was hands down my favorite! Also, they had plenty of affordable wines. We got a good Chianti bottle for a little over $30. Traditions is a no-frills Italian joint, and that's precisely what we loved about it. read more

Traditions Italian Ristorante - Italian Near Me - Saco, Maine

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We have been meaning to eat at Traditions for a while and took a chance on a recent Friday night and were able to get right in. The staff is amazingly friendly, which took this review from 3 stars to 4! The dining room is neat and tidy, albeit a little tired. But we enjoyed seeing the old photos of Saco on the wall and the old tin ceiling. Our meals were pretty good, all in all. I was hoping for a little more flavor in the meatball and the lasagna, however. My partner enjoyed the eggplant parmesan and told me it was perfectly cooked. The bar looked pretty well appointed, too. I'd say it's a good place, but maybe not a great place. read more

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This is a perfect cozy local Italian restaurant. I always get the Vitello Marsalini and it is delicious! The space is relatively small and it is popular, so there can be wait times, recommend going at less popular times. read more

The restaurant may be small in seating capacity, but the service and quality of food are outstanding. The server was slammed from the get go as there was a line out the door before they even opened. She was very attentive to our needs and handled it very well. We had Marsala, veal parm and fried scallops. Everything was very delicious and filling. read more

Traditions Italian Ristorante - Pollo Marsalini - Italian Near Me - Saco, Maine

Sensational. The place is packed with what appears to be many local people on a Tuesday Come early so you won't have to wait. My wife had the lemon vitale; a lemon, caper veal dish. My wife raved about her dish. I agreed it was sensational. My dish of eggplant Parmesan was huge. I had enough left over for a full dinner on Wednesday night.. Thank you Traditions for being so close to home. I had eggplant Parmesan with a side of sausage. By far the best ever eggplant Parmesan & homemade sausage. Let me repeat myself the best ever eggplant Parmesan & homemade sausages I've ever had in 72 years. read more

Visited Traditions in the area we were vacationing in for the summer. We went to two other restaurants in the area, but neither of them had anyone in them eating, so we decided to keep looking. A couple had just come out of the restaurant, so I asked how it was and they said excellent. When we walked in to Traditions, the place was FULL! We were seated in the last booth available. And it was close to 8 p.m. Our waitress, Angie came over immediately to let us know she would be right with us. She came over and asked about drinks. We both got the Punch. She came over with the drinks and brought some bread. We ordered the Bruschetta $9.95 which was on the special appetizer menu. Bruschetta was very good with loads of balsamic glaze. She then took our orders. There is a great variety of Italian options, something for everyone. I opted for the Chicken Limone $22.95 and my daughter the Chicken Parmesan $22.95. The kids had spaghetti and sauce $6.95. The meals were very generous in size. My daughter mentioned that the chicken was very tender and mine was as well. The only thing I would say is it had a very strong thyme seasoning. I am not a fan of thyme. I tasted her Chicken Parmesan and it was very good. The sauce has chunks of tomato in it and had a great flavor. All in all, it was a fair price for the meals and we will definitely be going back. read more

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Best Italian restaurant around. Super busy though so be prepared for a wait if you going around typical dinner hours. Veal parm my personal favorite read more

One word on this joint - mid. Always busy and a good location but the food really is mid.

I am ashamed to say I have lived near Tradition's but did not find myself going until last summer - I don't know why I waited so long to try this local favorite spot! The place is small and feels like walking into your Great Aunts house for family dinner - smells great and comfy/casual. If there is a wait, it will be worth it. The busy times that we have been there service has been a bit slow, but that's because they are putting out a LOT of dishes so be patient. Winning Dishes our family has had and that we get again and again: Chicken parm (portion is huge, enough to split), Chicken marsala (we all love this) and my personal favorite, Chicken Limone! You have to try the "Italilan Meat Pie" appetizer, really good stuff - so cheesy and perfect for the meatlovers in your group. Note: Only open evenings and closed on Monday. read more

How is it that I didn't not know about this gem of a restaurant! First, love that it has that homey old Italian feel!! They were crazy busy on a Friday night! We were there around 5:30 but didn't wait long for a table! I ordered the special, eggplant and chicken parmigiana! I ordered it with ziti! They also had a Brussel sprout appetizer on special! All the food was delicious! My only criticism, I prefer my pasta a bit more al dente other than that it was all great! I can't wait to go back! read more

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Really cool spot for really good Italian food. It's a definite local favorite. The service was great and the ambiance was comfortable and friendly. I would say this restaurant is not good for groups more than 4 as there's limited tables. read more

Traditions Italian Ristorante - Baked mussels - Italian Near Me - Saco, Maine

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Food was absolutely terrific. The service -- not so much. Our server literally forgot about us and apologized that we were forgotten... pretty unreal. But the food was yummy. Great Italian fare. read more

Food was not good - nothing to write home about especially at those prices. Tasted like sauce in a jar and the meat they gave us was 90% fat and hardly anything for us to eat. The staff there were pretty unprofessional. Bartender/Waiter picking his teeth in front of a mirror in the dining room. Waitress in booty shorts. I would have gotten a more professional dining experience at Applebees read more

I love the Veal Piccata! I ask for extra capers & lemon because I love the extra tang. They always do it my way . Love it! I usually take 1/2 home for another great meal! read more

I've called for take out starting at 4:30 pm on three different occasions and each time they claimed they were to busy to provide take out! The seating is limited, the bar is overcrowded and noisy! Very disappointing and unacceptable! read more

Excellent eggplant palm although my wife didn't like the clams. Definitely going back read more

Traditions Italian Ristorante - Bar - Italian Near Me - Saco, Maine

Food is very good. Service is excellent. It's a small venue and somewhat noisy but do not let that deter you. You will enjoy the experience.

Typically Italian cuisine is not my 1st choice for going out to a restaurant but some friends highly recommended that my wife and I try it out. Well we are very happy that we took their advice. We shared a cup of clam chowder for an appetizer & it rates right up there with some of the best we've had anywhere. The food menu choices are somewhat limited but all of them sound great & looked great as we watched them come out of the kitchen. I ordered the Pollo con Scampi Diavola...chic & shrimp with mushrooms over spaghetti in a spicy marinara sauce, delicious!...but warning they aren't lying @ the spicy part which I like. My wife ordered the Pollo Marsalini...chic Marsala over angle hair pasta, also delicious! For drinks I ordered a Woodford Bourbon Manhattan & the wife had a Chianti. Ample pour on both drinks. Finally, the bar atmosphere is comfortable & cozy with an adjacent small dining area. The bartender was prompt & friendly. Seems like a local favorite to me & it will be on our list of restaurants to keep going to. I highly recommend Traditions for an after work app & drink with friends or a full blown delicious Italian meal. Enjoy!! read more

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Great Italian in a quaint location Service is always good and the food never misses the bar is also great if you can find a seat read more

Started off with warm fresh bread, my favorite! Had the baked ziti and added homemade sausage, fantastic! Was going to pass on dessert until they said chocolate mousse, glad we treated ourselves, it did not disappoint! read more

Traditions Italian Ristorante - Baked Ziti (added sausage) - Italian Near Me - Saco, Maine

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We thoroughly enjoy this restaurant. The food was excellent and the service was wonderful. I ordered the eggplant parmigiana and it was so light, not heavily coated in breading. The sauce was excellent as were the meatball. I didn't want mine over pasta and requested a side salad, they accommodated all our requests. We enjoyed all our dinners. So glad we found this place. read more

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First time last night. Our server Cindy was excellent. Food was delicious. Enjoyed the bread and oil while waiting for our food. Will definitely go back to try some of the other dishes we saw on the menu . Gets busy quick! read more

I almost don't want to rave about this restaurant because I am selfish and don't want to share! For easily over 2 years I have regularly had dinner at Traditions bringing family and friends. Every one wants to return. The food and staff are excellent and we describe it as an Italian Cheers. This is a menu that works for everyone and their specials are outstanding and original. Thank you to the chef and staff! read more

Never disappoints!!!! My husband had the clam chowder as an appetizer and I had the Bastilla. Then he had the veal Marsala and I had a special of salmon Limone!!! Dessert was tirimasu with an espresso martini for the hubs. Everything was AMAZING!!! We come here often and will be back! read more

Traditions Italian Ristorante - Special of salmon lemons with linguine and fresh spinach - Italian Near Me - Saco, Maine

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I dined here for the first time recently. I ordered chicken and eggplant parmesan. It was quite tasty but the portion was ridiculously small. For $26 I thought I would be getting a bigger portion than what I got. I received three or four very small pieces of eggplant, a piece of chicken that about the size of a McDonald's burger and mostly pasta. I had to fill up on bread. After the first basket of bread I was asked how many pieces of bread I wanted, so I feel they really must be watching every dollar here. Although the food tasted good, I'm not sure I'll return. read more

Nice atmosphere and great food! Always a great experience at Traditions! Chicken ParmigianaBologneseBaked Haddock read more

Waited outside this local spot for 40 minutes for a table. While they have stools, and a counter as well as a roped area on the sidewalk indicating you can have drinks here, we were "not allowed" to order from the bar and the waitress who "will come out if she has time" never turned up; the lively discussion outside with the two other families waiting included, "should we go get Rapid Rays?"And; "we live down the street, should I go home and get a bottle of wine?" But seriously, as a business owner or manager, you never want to send people away hungry or annoyed, especially loyal locals who will turn up year round. Sending out some bread or a cocktail would have gone a long way. ANYHOW, we patiently waited, got a cozy booth as expected (if you're unvaccinated and looking for social distancing this is not the place for you) had an engaging, efficient and friendly waitress, and each one of us raved about our dishes and finished every morsel, we each had different entrees, though I regret I didn't order vegetables or a salad since their fairly pricey entrees come with neither. Maybe that's the key, you'll order more if you stand outside for a while smelling garlic and tomatoes? Anyhow, was a wonderful night; so yummy. read more

Nice lil place in Saco. It's very hard to find decent food in OOB , so we ventured out and found this place. Authentic Italian food that was really good. Strolled in on a Sat nite ... Looks like a small Italian place that you'd find hidden away in a North End side street. The Italian bread was super fresh. So good we got a second basket. Mussels as an app were delish.the waitress was a joy ...sorry I can't remember her name. Local brewery Lone Pine beers add a nice touch. I got a shrimp and scallop Marsala special that was awesome. Not a bit left on plate. Spaghetti and meatballs dish I'm told was good. Chicken broccoli dish also very tasty. Shrimp Caesar salad was unique and enjoyable . Chicken Marsala did not disappoint. Deserts were an chocolate fudge cake and a lemon mascarpone cake. Needless to say we were all quite full and would definitely come back here again ! read more

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First time visiting this place .. the atmosphere was comfortable and traditional. The staff friendly and polite The food was amazing.. I had the lasagna with meat sauce .. I ate every bit .. Amazing I will definitely be back on my next visit to Portland, ME read more

Traditions is a small but nice little Italian restaurant right on the fringe of downtown Saco. They are always very busy, but always friendly and service is solid. If you like a little heat, the spicy margarita is very good. They also have a few beers on tap and a selection of wines by the glass or bottle. Everything I've had for food has been fresh and tasty. Not much Italian around, but this place has you covered! read more

Traditions Italian Ristorante - Linguine and meatballs - Italian Near Me - Saco, Maine

I went here for dinner, was treating myself to a night out.. Needed it... Got it and more.. Loved the sauce.

This was our first time there and it lived up to all our friends' recommendations. The food was outstanding, reasonable prices, and service (Cindy) was fantastic! We will definitely be back! read more

We went to traditions in Saco main. It was so good It was the best spaghetti I have ever had It is a Italian restaurant.the service was great and the ambiance I give it a... 5 star rating read more

Traditions Italian Ristorante - Italian Near Me - Saco, Maine

Was charged $25 for a lasagna to go. It was very bland with no taste. They forgot the bread so I was disappointed and can not recommend

This place is amazing! Old school restaurant with old school Italian dishes. Isabella was our server and was excellent! This is definitely our new romantic Italian Restaurant! Parking take road on side on on restaurant park on the right behind building read more

Great food!!!! Good quality ingredients. I got a seafood dish and you could tell its local seafood

It's like walking into an old school Italian place. Super fast service and our waitress was the best! We can't wait to go back.

Excellent excellent excellent!!! We had a party of 8. 2 adults and 6 teenagers. Yes, we know? What we're thinking . 45 min. Wait but so worth it. Everyone took care of us from bartenders to our waitress. Spot on guys. The food was exceptional! Had the lasagna. Red sauce was spot on as well as well the homemade sausage. The service didn't skip a beat. She handled everything with out thinking about it. Deserts as well. Cheers to you for an outstanding job! Dinner on 8/17. Kids all wanted to go back the next night. Very reasonably priced. Thank you for that. read more

A busy little restaurant on Main Street in Saco. We waited for about 30 minutes for a table but it was worth the wait. Good Italian style food with plenty of options on the menu. If you go be prepared to wait but if you can find a place at the bar, do so. Otherwise, you can go next door to the Unwind Cicktail Lounge for a drink and they will either call you or come get you when your table is ready. I had the eggplant parmigiano which was very good. Waitress forgot my salad but in fairness, it was very busy. read more