We try to go at least once a season to The Well for a gazebo tasting menu with family or friends. One of a kind experience, always delicious and friendly knowledgeable service . They are extremely accommodating if you have an allergy or aversion to certain ingredients.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
jackey b
Excellent dinner with friends in a gazebo. What a lovely experience and quite good food. Service was top notch. We will be back again.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Cinnamon Sugar Donut Holes
B.R. Turgeon
The atmosphere is great, but the food and the service was less than impressive. We arrived on time for our reservation and we actually were the first group in the restaurant. Others who arrived later than us, received their meals before we did and when it was brought to the staffs attention we were informed they were behind in the kitchen. In addition to this, one of our meals was not cooked. Although they took the meal back and apologized for the uncooked meal I was less then impressed how all of these things were just pushed under the rug when they were brought up to staff. Hopefully this was a one time incident, but honestly I would not be rushing back.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 2
Ryan N.
Ambiance is incredible. Private gazebos by candle light in the middle of a farm field. O la la!! Farm-to-table dining. Truly is a magical atmosphere. We chose family style dining and the food quantities are astounding. Enough to feed many, many hungry people. The payment is made at time of reservation including gratuities. Be sure to reserve early the entire summer was booked except for one slot when we called in April. Staff is friendly but offer no wine pairings, no explanations of the food being served and are only present to deliver food and leave. Strange and also doesn't add to the experience. Also doesn't make you feel great about prepaying a gratuity of 18% for every diner in your party. The food was ok. I appreciate that they use all fresh quality and you could definitely detect that in the flavors. But the wow factor was not there. The food was something I can cook myself. Everything is smoked and has a monotone flavor of smoke. The only highlight was the fresh donuts with blueberries served as dessert. Go for the atmosphere because it is lovely, you will be full, but don't expect to be amazed by the culinary experience.
Alina Lopez
The food was delicious!!! The farm is beautiful and cozy. Definitely recommend this experience!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Dr. Julia Tortolani DAOM
Logan was a great server. Food was plated beautifully and everything tasted amazing. We had a great gathering of 10 close friends in the large gazebo last night. A truly memorable experience.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Molly F.
Came here and was so underwhelmed, it is absolutely NOT worth the hype. There are so many better restaurants in the Portland area, don't waste your time here when you can have a much better experience at Twelve, Central Provisions or Street & Co. No idea how this place has the ratings it does, I think they're riding their reputation they once perhaps had. We made our reservation in February for a June dinner and had to prepay at $85/per person for sad food, lame service and tiny portions. We were seated indoors at the 'chefs table' which is just a shack with a screen, with a glaring kitchen light shining in our eyes the entire time they couldn't turn off. We had to turn ourselves away from the table to block the light the entire night. I get that it's rustic Maine, I'm a Mainer, but this was really bad in terms of ambiance. You can't see the kitchen and the chefs cooking, what is the point of the chefs table? Perhaps the gazebos would've been better but with how bad the food was and the underwhelming service I don't think that would've helped. We are huge foodies, grow our own food, very interested in how it's made and where it comes from, which is why we initially were so excited to go. My boyfriend is a professional chef and I've worked in restaurants in NYC for years. There wasn't even a menu! We get it was a pre fixe... but some kind of description would've been nice. Our server gave us no information or warm welcome to the farm, we had to ask where the food was from/what's in season, etc. She gave no info other than they cook what's in season (obviously). The portions were comically small. Undercooked pasta, 2 oz piece of halibut served with a single cauliflower floret and frozen peas. Peas! Duck with barbecue sauce. Barbecue sauce?! Paying $85 dollars for one of the most common sauces, and one I could've made at home. They also had cold hollandaise with asparagus as a starter/salad course, another sauce you can get anywhere. There was no creativity in the dishes whatsoever. The dessert were the doughnuts which was the only highlight. And the fact that we got a loaf of bread in the beginning which - thank god - we did as otherwise we would've left more hungry than we already did. Our cocktails were too sweet and it was quite difficult to choose a wine since there was no menu or mention of the courses served. I suppose that's how they force you to purchase the wine pairings since the patrons are left clueless. Lastly, it felt wrong that we had to prepay back in February for a very disappointing meal. Where is the incentive for the servers to do a nice job when you prepay? The auto gratuity on the meal was the kicker. Overall extremely disappointing, poor food and weak service.
Kelly F.
We were a party of four celebrating our daughter's birthday last week and had the chef's tasting menu on the porch. It was very chilly and I asked if they could lower the flaps on the screens because we were cold and it took them over half an hour to do that. We also asked if they could adjust the glaring spotlight from the kitchen since it was shining directly into half of our party's eyes and they said they couldn't do that because the kitchen needed it set that way. We suggested installing a shade! We ordered drinks and before they came out our first course was served. Proportions are tiny...we weren't overly impressed given all the reviews we've read and we all thought the best course was dessert. At $85/person we would have expected a bit more food and there really wasn't anything special about the preparation of any of the courses and our pasta was underdone. We've had better meals at some of our other favorite places in Portland and lastly, a server can always make or break a meal and our's certainly didn't add any extra points. She wasn't overly friendly and didn't seem very happy to be there or promote the farm.
Jeff Slaton
The food was well thought out. The pan seared Halibut was fabulous.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Dr. Julia Tortolani MS, DAOM
Logan was a great server. Food was plated beautifully and everything tasted amazing. We had a great gathering of 10 close friends in the large gazebo last night. A truly memorable experience.
It doesn’t get any more farm to table than this! You are surrounded by the farm. Delicious fresh ingredients.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Susan Abplanalp
I’ll echo what most others have said and say the food is fabulous. Inventive without being too out there, fresh as you would expect from the venue, delicious and artfully plated. The service was also top notch. Friendly, engaging, fast and eager to answer questions. We sat on the Chef’s porch, I guess it is called. Other reviews mentioned a counter and being uncomfortable with the seating or the view. Evidently the set up has now changed, as there is no counter, just a row of tables set for your party size. Comfy chairs and it looks out on to the garden. Nothing to complain about here.
Julie B.
I had high hopes and mixed feelings. I love the concept of this place and was excited to try it. We expected to be facing a kitchen and watching the Chef at a "Chef's Table" dinner, but that wasn't the case - that was disappointing.Also, I reached out way ahead of time when reserving a table to mention my fairly numerous dietary restriction (gluten, dairy, soy. and nightshades) ahead of time and was told it wouldn't be a problem, so I was excited. Overall, I think the chef did a nice job of pivoting to accommodate my restrictions but I felt like I was eating and experiencing way less than neighboring guests - the advance notice didn't seem to matter at all - he was adjusting on the fly instead of having planned out or prepped anything different in advance. At this price point, I guess I had expected more of that? Having some more interesting substantial gluten free substitutions to offer would be great. I couldn't enjoy the fresh bread basket and no substitution was offered. The salad/pole bean starter was tasty. The little dish of cauliflower "risotto" swapped for others' pasta course was ok, but very light - a gf pasta cooked in a separate little pot of water would have been much appreciated. The monkfish with corn and bacon was delicious - my favorite. Now I'm not a meat eater and I certainly wasn't going to mention that because I already have so many dietary restrictions for chefs to contend with, but the smell and texture of the beef course actually turned my stomach - tough and raw and gamey smelling, and my husband, who IS a meat eater, found his to be the same. Others had homemade delicious looking donuts for dessert - I had a delicious thimble full of berries with chocolate. (Get a few great gf desserts and put them in your freezer to offer a guest like me?!) I paid for the wine pairing which was tasty and helped take the edge off of feeling otherwise kind of hungry and like I had paid a lot of $$ to leave that way.... I'm a serious home chef who adapts recipes all the time to omit dairy, gluten, etc. I serve meals to groups in my home who have no idea they're eating a gluten free dish or a dairy free dish - I wish that expert chefs would broaden their repertoires of ingredients that work for everyone so they don't just do a tiny mini version of a regular dish missing half its ingredients!
Brian Mitchell
This place is fantastic! I reserved 2 of the gazebos for my wedding dinner and we had such an amazing time. The service was excellent, the food incredibly delicious, and the atmosphere is so cozy and private. Highly recommend!
Ashlee Weyandt
They never fail to make an amazing meal and experience. We always look forward to coming back!
We try to go at least once a season to The Well for a gazebo tasting menu with family or friends. One of a kind experience, always delicious and friendly knowledgeable service . They are extremely accommodating if you have an allergy or aversion to certain ingredients.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Excellent dinner with friends in a gazebo. What a lovely experience and quite good food. Service was top notch. We will be back again.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Cinnamon Sugar Donut Holes
The atmosphere is great, but the food and the service was less than impressive. We arrived on time for our reservation and we actually were the first group in the restaurant. Others who arrived later than us, received their meals before we did and when it was brought to the staffs attention we were informed they were behind in the kitchen. In addition to this, one of our meals was not cooked. Although they took the meal back and apologized for the uncooked meal I was less then impressed how all of these things were just pushed under the rug when they were brought up to staff. Hopefully this was a one time incident, but honestly I would not be rushing back.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 2
Ambiance is incredible. Private gazebos by candle light in the middle of a farm field. O la la!! Farm-to-table dining. Truly is a magical atmosphere. We chose family style dining and the food quantities are astounding. Enough to feed many, many hungry people. The payment is made at time of reservation including gratuities. Be sure to reserve early the entire summer was booked except for one slot when we called in April. Staff is friendly but offer no wine pairings, no explanations of the food being served and are only present to deliver food and leave. Strange and also doesn't add to the experience. Also doesn't make you feel great about prepaying a gratuity of 18% for every diner in your party. The food was ok. I appreciate that they use all fresh quality and you could definitely detect that in the flavors. But the wow factor was not there. The food was something I can cook myself. Everything is smoked and has a monotone flavor of smoke. The only highlight was the fresh donuts with blueberries served as dessert. Go for the atmosphere because it is lovely, you will be full, but don't expect to be amazed by the culinary experience.
The food was delicious!!! The farm is beautiful and cozy. Definitely recommend this experience!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Logan was a great server. Food was plated beautifully and everything tasted amazing. We had a great gathering of 10 close friends in the large gazebo last night. A truly memorable experience.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Came here and was so underwhelmed, it is absolutely NOT worth the hype. There are so many better restaurants in the Portland area, don't waste your time here when you can have a much better experience at Twelve, Central Provisions or Street & Co. No idea how this place has the ratings it does, I think they're riding their reputation they once perhaps had. We made our reservation in February for a June dinner and had to prepay at $85/per person for sad food, lame service and tiny portions. We were seated indoors at the 'chefs table' which is just a shack with a screen, with a glaring kitchen light shining in our eyes the entire time they couldn't turn off. We had to turn ourselves away from the table to block the light the entire night. I get that it's rustic Maine, I'm a Mainer, but this was really bad in terms of ambiance. You can't see the kitchen and the chefs cooking, what is the point of the chefs table? Perhaps the gazebos would've been better but with how bad the food was and the underwhelming service I don't think that would've helped. We are huge foodies, grow our own food, very interested in how it's made and where it comes from, which is why we initially were so excited to go. My boyfriend is a professional chef and I've worked in restaurants in NYC for years. There wasn't even a menu! We get it was a pre fixe... but some kind of description would've been nice. Our server gave us no information or warm welcome to the farm, we had to ask where the food was from/what's in season, etc. She gave no info other than they cook what's in season (obviously). The portions were comically small. Undercooked pasta, 2 oz piece of halibut served with a single cauliflower floret and frozen peas. Peas! Duck with barbecue sauce. Barbecue sauce?! Paying $85 dollars for one of the most common sauces, and one I could've made at home. They also had cold hollandaise with asparagus as a starter/salad course, another sauce you can get anywhere. There was no creativity in the dishes whatsoever. The dessert were the doughnuts which was the only highlight. And the fact that we got a loaf of bread in the beginning which - thank god - we did as otherwise we would've left more hungry than we already did. Our cocktails were too sweet and it was quite difficult to choose a wine since there was no menu or mention of the courses served. I suppose that's how they force you to purchase the wine pairings since the patrons are left clueless. Lastly, it felt wrong that we had to prepay back in February for a very disappointing meal. Where is the incentive for the servers to do a nice job when you prepay? The auto gratuity on the meal was the kicker. Overall extremely disappointing, poor food and weak service.
We were a party of four celebrating our daughter's birthday last week and had the chef's tasting menu on the porch. It was very chilly and I asked if they could lower the flaps on the screens because we were cold and it took them over half an hour to do that. We also asked if they could adjust the glaring spotlight from the kitchen since it was shining directly into half of our party's eyes and they said they couldn't do that because the kitchen needed it set that way. We suggested installing a shade! We ordered drinks and before they came out our first course was served. Proportions are tiny...we weren't overly impressed given all the reviews we've read and we all thought the best course was dessert. At $85/person we would have expected a bit more food and there really wasn't anything special about the preparation of any of the courses and our pasta was underdone. We've had better meals at some of our other favorite places in Portland and lastly, a server can always make or break a meal and our's certainly didn't add any extra points. She wasn't overly friendly and didn't seem very happy to be there or promote the farm.
The food was well thought out. The pan seared Halibut was fabulous.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Logan was a great server. Food was plated beautifully and everything tasted amazing. We had a great gathering of 10 close friends in the large gazebo last night. A truly memorable experience.
Restaurantji Recommends
It doesn’t get any more farm to table than this! You are surrounded by the farm. Delicious fresh ingredients.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I’ll echo what most others have said and say the food is fabulous. Inventive without being too out there, fresh as you would expect from the venue, delicious and artfully plated. The service was also top notch. Friendly, engaging, fast and eager to answer questions. We sat on the Chef’s porch, I guess it is called. Other reviews mentioned a counter and being uncomfortable with the seating or the view. Evidently the set up has now changed, as there is no counter, just a row of tables set for your party size. Comfy chairs and it looks out on to the garden. Nothing to complain about here.
I had high hopes and mixed feelings. I love the concept of this place and was excited to try it. We expected to be facing a kitchen and watching the Chef at a "Chef's Table" dinner, but that wasn't the case - that was disappointing.Also, I reached out way ahead of time when reserving a table to mention my fairly numerous dietary restriction (gluten, dairy, soy. and nightshades) ahead of time and was told it wouldn't be a problem, so I was excited. Overall, I think the chef did a nice job of pivoting to accommodate my restrictions but I felt like I was eating and experiencing way less than neighboring guests - the advance notice didn't seem to matter at all - he was adjusting on the fly instead of having planned out or prepped anything different in advance. At this price point, I guess I had expected more of that? Having some more interesting substantial gluten free substitutions to offer would be great. I couldn't enjoy the fresh bread basket and no substitution was offered. The salad/pole bean starter was tasty. The little dish of cauliflower "risotto" swapped for others' pasta course was ok, but very light - a gf pasta cooked in a separate little pot of water would have been much appreciated. The monkfish with corn and bacon was delicious - my favorite. Now I'm not a meat eater and I certainly wasn't going to mention that because I already have so many dietary restrictions for chefs to contend with, but the smell and texture of the beef course actually turned my stomach - tough and raw and gamey smelling, and my husband, who IS a meat eater, found his to be the same. Others had homemade delicious looking donuts for dessert - I had a delicious thimble full of berries with chocolate. (Get a few great gf desserts and put them in your freezer to offer a guest like me?!) I paid for the wine pairing which was tasty and helped take the edge off of feeling otherwise kind of hungry and like I had paid a lot of $$ to leave that way.... I'm a serious home chef who adapts recipes all the time to omit dairy, gluten, etc. I serve meals to groups in my home who have no idea they're eating a gluten free dish or a dairy free dish - I wish that expert chefs would broaden their repertoires of ingredients that work for everyone so they don't just do a tiny mini version of a regular dish missing half its ingredients!
This place is fantastic! I reserved 2 of the gazebos for my wedding dinner and we had such an amazing time. The service was excellent, the food incredibly delicious, and the atmosphere is so cozy and private. Highly recommend!
They never fail to make an amazing meal and experience. We always look forward to coming back!