Amato’s

Let me preface this review with the fact that I don’t live in Portland, ME. I’m actually just a day trip from Portland, OR, so this is coming from a non-​local who was in town to visit family.
This place is an institution. My Dad grew up eating Amato’s Italian sandwiches and now when we go to Portland (which isn’t often), we HAVE to swing by at least once for lunch. My husband, a native Coloradan and adopted Northwesterner was an Italian sandwich virgin – he loved them so much we went back three times in the course of six days. I think that’s called an obsession. The pickles are amazing – like no other pickle I’ve ever had (and I love all types of pickles). My grandmother’s husband is an Italian from Boston and he prefers Amato’s sandwiches over what he can get in Boston.
Thanks for never changing Amato’s and giving me all of the nostalgia of a little girl eating Italian sandwiches with her native «Maine-​iac» Dad.

While in town visiting I had time to kill and was walking around downtown. I came across the postman and figuring he would be in the know as to where to get a good sandwich he pointed me to Amato’s. Loved the atmosphere and the lady at the counter helping me. I can see how this place is a landmark in the community. CONTINUE DOING WHAT YOU’RE DOING!

My Italian tasted good, but the idiot who made it just placed everything on top of a flat piece of bread. There was no way to even attempt to close it, and therefore no halfway decent way to eat it. You had one job guy. Way to go.

MLK Jr had a dream, but so do I. Mine is about an italian sandwich from Amato’s and I have it at least twice a week. Nothing tops it. That I live in California and can’t eat here all the time is perhaps a blessing, because I would definitely have an italian if not every day, probably 5 – 6 times a week. And I’d be obese. Blissfully happy, but obese.

Amato’s is a quick, tasty and inexpensive place for take-​out. When you step inside, it feels like a gas station with the snack food items and drink fridges, but they have large commercial grade ovens cranking out pizzas, calzones and hot sandwiches. The food certainly doesn’t taste like gas station quality, which is great.
The staff is friendly and they have specials everyday, which are basically items on the menu that are cheaper by like $ 3-​$ 4. This will definitely be a go to place when I can’t think of anything to eat as they are fast and good.

I stopped in here on a whim and found myself pleasantly surprised. The Classic Italian combo was the three important things I look for: it tasted amazing, it was filling and it Elias reasonably priced. I will definitely be a repeat customer when I am in town!

This is another ok place to go. With decent things and bad things. Good food and bad food. This is an ok place to be for food.
Before you enter the area. You see a nice LCD board with all the announcements! It’s attractive! But the exterior is a bit unappealing. With the same brick walls on all sides.
The inside is a bit minimalist. But that’s kind of a good thing! Making for easy systems for all. And the staff is a bit nice. Being very supportive. But the food is kind of off. With not exactly good salads.
Overall. This is an ok place for Italian food. If you want a solid experience. Go here!

Salad was wilted. Could not eat

An above average local chain that caters to all of your pizza, pasta, hot sandwiches, and best of all eye-​taal-​en (Italian) sandwich. Are there better local places scattered about Maine that make a better sandwich. Duh! But in a pinch this place provides you with the basics quickly. They are also part convenience store selling beer, liquor, and wine. If you are in the in Southern Maine there is a good chance that you might bump into one of these places scattered about. Amato’s Italian is a good baseline to judge others Italian’s throughout.
And if you have not had one of them you missing out on a Maine staple!

Normally I am a big fan but the past few times have been lackluster. Pizza taste and quality has gone down hill and I just ordered and waited 35 minutes for a small pizza with no other customers present

We were looking for good sandwiches and these guys did the job! My only recommendation is if you know what you want order in advance. It’s not the fastest place around.

There is something about planning a trip to Amato’s that gets me pumped. I think it’s knowing the fact that I will consistently get a fresh and tasty meal. There is so much variety to their menu (pastas, salads, Italian dishes, calzones, sandwiches etc), but I never stray from my usual veggie cold sandwich. It’s really just veggies, cheese and bread, but damn their bread is so moist and their veggies are so crisp! I also sometimes get the pazo bread and that just brings me pure joy. It’s a carb lover’s BFF. Man, I’m a fatty! Only negative is that if you want double of any topping, they charge too much (in my opinion).

Can’t beat their italians! Quick friendly service too, not to mention their great chip /​snack selection!

Like another reviewer, I too am not originally from Maine; I moved here 6 months ago from Philadelphia. It occurs to me that Amato’s has been around for many decades and that it is something that many locals were brought up eating.
The sandwiches at Amato’s are surprising good and moderately priced. There is a considerable amount of variety on their food menu, in addition to the alcohol and sides that they have for sale.
I do however want to note that their famed «Real Italian» is by no means an Italian Sandwich… processed, boiled ham and American cheeses are not Italian deli items. You need to put Prosciutto, capicola, pepperoni and provolone on your «Real Italian»
The other day someone told me that Subway had stolen the idea for their Italian BMT from Amato’s…I find this notion laughable. That is like saying that Papa John’s stole the pizza invention from Domino’s…WTF? Who cares if you were the first person in this region to dupe an entire state into thinking that your sandwiches are the «real» kind that Italians eat.
If you want really Italian food, go down to Micucci’s right next to the Old Port area, they actually have Italian ingredients… and use them to make Italian food. (Though the teenagers working there can’t even pronounce the name of the store… it’s Me-chew-cheese…not Me-​coochies — sounds slang for lady parts). Gosh!
As far as American subs on over sized hot dog rolls go… Amato’s makes a darn good one. They give you plenty of veggies to top your sub and the olives are actually pretty darn good. I would suggest them anytime if you wanted a quick and moderately priced sandwich, I however would send you elsewhere for Italian fare.

They really need to have these throughout new england.
Whenever on a trip through Maine, i always make sure to stop at one of these. Whether in a gas station or as a stand alone restaurant this local sub and pizza place has a little something extra.
First off, the sauce that they use in alot of their dishes is just amazing. Luckily they bottle and sell the shit, so garb one on your way out the door if your just passing through.
My favorite is the meat calzone. Nothing special in the ingredients, just ham, pepperoni, sausage and hamburger, but the way they make it and then add in the marinara dipping sauce and its just one of the best calzones i ever had.
Of all the times i’ve been there though, i’ve never eaten the pizza. There are so many better looking things on the menu, so if it sucks i have no idea. Nothing too bizarre or special on the menu, in fact it might be lacking a few local pizza staples like buffalo chicken. This is suppose to be a more Italian style pizza place so the menu reflects that with chicken spinaci and cheese pazzo instead.
If you’re gonna get a sub, make sure to spend the extra cash and get the extra meat and cheese. If you don’t, instead of having a great sandwich, your gonna fell like you walked away from a slightly better than subway experience.
Just writing about this place, makes me consider driving the 150 miles up there to grab two calzones and two jars of sauce.

The best argument for renouncing my vegetarianism is (perhaps somewhat sadly) Amato’s’ turkey Italian. There are few things in life I enjoy that much. Turns out, though, that taking the turkey out doesn’t ruin it.
Best subs I’ve ever encountered (with a close second being Al’s State Street/​South Street Café in Boston).
The only reason I’m not giving five stars is that there is about a one in two chance that if you order from this place something will be wrong. The food makes up for most of that, but come on now — just because «olive» and «onion» start with the same letter is no excuse for replacing my onions with a ton of olives.
Anyway, the pazzo bread is also incredibly delicious. Get that. And eat it.

ITALIAN? WHERE?
This place is a glorified Subway, at best. Perhaps it’s because I’m not a true Mainer, only a recent transplant from the NY/​CT area, but Amato’s is a far cry from Italian-​inspired sandwiches. I think people here have been drinking too much Moxie, or perhaps it’s just because they don’t know to go anywhere else. I’ve had better sandwiches at convenience stores.
The classic «Italian» that everyone raves about is nothing more than a ham and cheese (American!!) sandwich, on enriched, white bread (basically a large hotdog bun). This place is a JOKE. I really can’t understand why people think this is a good place for a sandwich, other than the price.
Don’t waste your time!

So, I can’t say I understand what it is that people like about this place. I just tried it for the first time and I walked away thinking, «really, this passes for a good sandwich?» It wasn’t BAD, just… uninspired.
I tried the Italian sandwich since that’s what most people seem to recommend. What I got was: a small amount of ham, a smaller amount of cheese, tomatoes, pickles, diced onions and peppers. Why this sandwich is called Italian is beyond me. I call it a typical ham and cheese sandwich. Boring. However, they do carry pepsi products so they’ve at least got that going for them.

I always get a Real Double Italian, Salt Pepper, Oil.
My wife loves the meat stuffers but they tend to take a while. It is better to order ahead for those.

Amato’s is brilliant. They provide good food made with quality ingredients but with the same business model and pricing as a fast-​food /​late night restaurant. In fact it’s still pretty much the only place you can get real food in the Portland area up until midnight. Not only that, the portions are large, so you’re getting a lot of high quality food at a low price. It’s almost suspicious. Take a look at their locations on the map and you start to get the feeling there’s something scientific going on. They sell beer too!
My only complaint would be that one time a tipsy Mr. Reali tried to convert me and my friends to Catholicism when we walked by the newly restored church on Middle Street during the Italian Festival.