Anjon’s Italian Restaurant

I just had the worst $ 85 meal I have ever not enjoyed. My broiled scallops $ 28 were just ok. The seafood stuffing tasted like seasoned breadcrumbs mixed with wine and butter then smeared over the scallops. It wasn’t browned under the broiler. The side salad $ 7 was at most restaurants a $ 3.50 offering. My wife’s broiled haddock in white wine and butter sauce $ 25 was limpid and tasteless appeared to be poached not broiled. The best part was the baked potato. The crème brûlée while tasty was likewise over priced. We wanted a sit down meal served by wait staff and were surprised at the dearth of sit down restaurants in this area. Our meals were overpriced and lacked quality. This is not a restaurant that we will revisit.

Went here for dinner. Server was very friendly and attentive.
The garlic bread they serve you is delicious and buttery!
I got the chicken Alfredo and loved it. My fiancé got the pasta bake. Only complaint is that the red pasta sauce isn’t as flavorful as the kind I make at home. Needs more seasoning, but I find a lot of places are like this. Needs more authentic Italian seasoning with the sauce! They love their flavor :)
But all in all I would go back and will

Mediocre food. The marinara sauce is oily, the bread is glorified white sandwich bread, and overall this place is great if you’re an elderly person who likes bland food.

I’ve been eating here for at least six years. I was thrilled when they added a gluten free pasta option. It’s delicious, as is their sauce which is made in-​house. I normally order a pasta dish or the prime rib when available. I have tried their steak but did not like it; it’s very pricey and didn’t taste like a very good cut of meat. I also do not recommend the baked potato as a side– it has consistently been dried out. I love the view of the marsh, and it’s a nice, unpretentious place to eat.

Went there while on vacation and loved it. there were 6 of us and everyone was happy. The prices were not too crazy for being in a beach area, and the portions were fair. i usually complain about not getting warm bread but not this time, because it was that good. Everyone loved the tomato sauce and we even purchased 3 jars to take home. The waitress was very friendly and accommodating. I only wish they were closer to my home town.

Very disappointing and extremely over priced! We have been to Anjon’s 3 or 4 times and everyone usually loves it and we make it a point to go here when we come to Maine for vacation. However this time it was not good.
First off the prices are way too high for the quality of food. One person in our party ordered the haddock marinara for $ 26. The whole meal was just a plate covered in marinara and a small/​medium sized haddock filet sitting in the middle and it came with a baked potato on the side. No other sides or any vegetables with it. It was good, but you will be starving 20 minutes later.
Another person had the sirloin surf and turf. The steak however had no seasoning or flavor. It tasted like it was just put on the grill without even salt and pepper on it. For a $ 30 dish you expect it to taste good.
One person had the Sicilian sirloin steak which on the menu reads «finest beef cut to order». The steak was ordered medium and was well done when brought to the table. The steak had a lot of fat and it was very tough. It was not a good quality cut of meat.
I had the antipasto salad which was not bad other than the fact it was drowned out in dressing. There was probably a quarter of an inch of dressing just sitting on the whole bottom of my dish. The lettuce got soggy and some of the dressing had to be drained off some of the lettuce that was on the bottom before you ate it as it was soaked in oil and vinegar. The salad itself wasn’t bad, but for $ 17 it should be good.
The shrimp prosciutto appetizer is great and I do recommend this. We order this every time we come here. The shrimp cocktail is absolutely insane to pay $ 5 per shrimp. It is not worth it. It is no bigger or fresher than any other place. You can get shrimp that are just as big if not bigger and fresh at other places nearby for $ 1.50 each.
The service was not great either as we were rushed through dinner and rushed out. For a party of 8 people we were out of there within 45 minutes to an hour. The waitress kept coming to the table clearing dishes, asking if we were done with dishes and glasses etc. as some people were still eating and trying to enjoy their dinner.
Overall we were extremely disappointed with the visit and after coming here for several years we probably won’t be coming here anymore as it is not good quality and very overpriced and we found some other much better places in the area. For the prices of the meals you expect to have good service and quality meals. I don’t know if there have been changes in ownership or management, but overall this was a huge disappointment.

Food was great. I had the baked stuffed haddock, hubby had the lobster pie. Both were very good.
FYI. They do not accept the Unilocal coupon.

There are things about this place I absolutely love, and others that just throw everything off center. It would be a 3−½ star place if that rating were possible. So I have to round down for a few reasons.
First, the good — this place has some of the best tomato sauce I’ve had in a restaurant outside of South Philly and Little Italy in NYC. They jar it for retail, and for good reason. Very worthy. Their Sicilian gravy, marinara and basic tomato sauce are all super flavorful, and it’s my choice of sauce to use at home when not making my own.
Their pasta is delicious too — notably the traditional spaghetti and angel hair, and the lasagna. The only pasta of theirs I have not enjoyed is the gnocchi, which I found way too dense. I prefer a lighter, pillow-​like gnocchi over a dense, chewy gnocchi. As for meats, the meatballs and sausage are also incredible. Tender and full of flavor. I have also enjoyed some of the veal dishes, including the Veal Calabrese, which brings together tender pieces of veal with pasta, vegetables, lots of cheese, and a marsala-​flavored sauce. Just delicious.
There are just so many weird things about this place, which kind of hit you on entering the front door. First, it just seems so damn outdated. I bet this place looked awesome in 1985. (Personally, I prefer to sit in the bar area over the dining rooms. Much cozier, far better ambience.) One look at the menu kind of has that all hit home — it’s all about history, old photos, etc. Someone needs to freshen up their message — a nod to history is cool, but it just feels like the restaurant’s message is about living in the past.
Similarly, update your menu. Overall, it’s not very creative — again, probably cutting edge for the late 70s/​early 80s. The Stuffed Bread menu is pretty cool, but you have to special order most of the varieties in advance; the one that was available (pepperoni) was seriously underwhelming. A lot of this has to do with the bread, which I do not like. Before each meal, the server plops a basket of cold, flavorless bread on the table in a 1980s-​style basket. That’s the same underwhelming bread they used for the Stuffed Bread, as far as I can tell. Also, every time I’ve been there the special has been «twin lobster tails.» Dude, no offense but I didn’t come to an Italian restaurant in Southern Maine for frickin’ lobsters, which I can get fresh out of the water at endless lobster pounds and specialty seafood restaurants.
Finally, the service here has always been great — no complaints whatsoever. But, prices are WAY too high. Easily north of $ 100 if ordering two apps, two dinners and a beer or two. Want a salad? It sure is nice to have a salad with an Italian meal, right? Prepare to shell out more dough, because they are too frickin’ cheap here to give you a small helping of lettuce, tomato, onion and cucumber on a plate with your $ 25 plate. Given all the photos on their menu, they should add one of the owner grinning at the camera and sticking up his middle finger just above the salad menu.
This place is good and we continue to patron it occasionally (our kids like it — they go nuts over the angel hair). But, it sure as hell could be better, and Anjon’s owes it to their customers to put in a little more effort to modernizing their approach.

Mouse running around dining room and food was just ok, but the highlight of our visit was the mouse that visited every table. When I called the manager over to our table she immediately asked if we had a new friend in our area!!! She apologized to each table and said it must have come in that day when they had the doors open for a liquor delivery! Please, she knew without me saying anything that there was a visitor and it just came in today??? Our waiter said they had been fighting the problem for at least 3 days. To make it worse no one tried to catch the rodent or offer any discount. They asked if we wanted to talk to the owner who was right around the corner. Wouldn’t a decent owner come out and try to put his customers at ease??? We paid our $ 95.00 bill, which was for 3 entrees, one appetizer and an iced tea and sparking water! DEFINITELY WILL NOT BE BACK HERE EVER!!!

Anjon’s is a nice destination restaurant located on Route 1 in Scarborough Maine, with picture window seating views, overlooking the natural attraction of marshes where birds and wildlife visit with regularity. All menu entrees are ample servings. The offerings are both Italian and seafood entrees I especially enjoyed the pinot grigio house wine. I ordered a fabulous Italian appetizer salad for my entrée and there was plenty to share with our dinner guests, who joined us to celebrate my granddaughter’s birthday. My husband’s shrimp and steak special was nicely priced. Service is pleasant and prompt. I look forward to a return dining experience.

The first time we tried this the food was really good. But it was on a weekend when it was busy. Went again on a thursday and this time i tried the shore dinner, lobster, steamers, corn on the cob and baked potatoe. My fault for ordering this at an italian place i guess. The minute our server set my plate in front of me the seafood smelled awful. The lobster claws had a coating of white stuff? All over it. Steamers were dirty and smelled also. My husband ordered pasta, meatballs, and sausage. It was awful. He loved it the first visit too. This time the sauce was old, sausages were old also. Way overcooked. And just looked like they had been sitting in sauce for weeks. Very disappointed this trip. Service was great though.

Every meal here is a winner. Pasta, seafood, dessert — all have been amazing every time. Wicked huge portions. Some reserve it for special occasions, but they run specials all the time. One if the best Italian meals in the Portland area.

We took our kids here and the meal was pretty good. But it was enormously expensive for what you get. I liked my scampi with clams, scallops, and lobster on linguini. But it was $ 35, with no greens, no sides, and the place just sort of feels like you’re in some Little Italy and it’s 1978 or so.

Oddly and distinctively situated along US1 in an enormous salt marsh, Anjon’s has stood out for decades. Too bad it’s not a standout for dinner.
The majority of entrees are about $ 24, yet the ones I saw were plain, simple meals. No vegetable, salad, or sprig of parsley accompanied any pasta dish. Why would a scallop and baked potato dinner have no green on the side?
The pasta is good, the marinara tasty, the meatballs tender and flavorful.
Oh, server, a table of 6 should have more than 5 waters.
Cut the prices in half and this is an okay deal, but still not the answer to «where tonight?»

My husband made a reservation for 6:00 last Saturday. We came in and were told there was no reservation. The hostess asked us several times if it would be under a different name? Then she got exasperated… rather than saying there was some sort of a mistake. Finally, I asked if there were a table. Yes, there was.
Waitress was pleasant– took our order– we wanted to split a Caesar salad, along with entres. Asked if we wanted anchovies– Big salad comes– waitress does not bring separate plates for us to separate portions… never brought bread/​butter (as other tables had), never filled our empty water glass. Then bill comes– anchovies extra, white pasta sauce on side dish, extra. Entrees were pricey, we really felt «nickled and dimed». Service was awful. Dinner was okay but not worth the prices… Many other better options around

Overpriced and not that great (I may just be snobby, but I’ve had my fair share of pasta!).
We started with a round of drinks — house wine wasn’t too bad. After ordering our meals we got a basket of bread, which was just like regular cold bread with very cold butter. I was somewhat expecting a nice, toasty basket of bread (especially for the price), but this was a sign of what was to come.
When we got our meals, two of the four of us approved (and those two had the same meal — so maybe 1 against 2?). Chicken parm with linguine was great. The chicken picatta with a side of pasta was just OK (chicken was bland, pasta sauce was great). And my artichoke hearts over linguine dish was a bit sour (the sauce was, not the artichokes or the capers) — would say it was only so-​so.
When the bill came, it was somewhat startling to see $ 110 considering half of us were left with unhappy stomachs (not full because we didn’t want to eat it). I probably wouldn’t recommend coming here based on the prices alone. I should’ve went for something different on the menu.

Ate here while on vacation in Maine and we were not disappointed. The menu was a little pricy, but the food was very good and the service was quick.
I ordered stuffed mushrooms and those were a bit mediocre (which is why not 5 stars), but the entrée was Lobster Scampi, and I have to say it was the best scampi I’ve ever had that wasn’t homemade. I would go there again just to order the same thing.
The décor inside is cute, 2 – 3 steps up from an Olive Garden, and there is a pretty fountain outside that is good for taking pictures in front of. I would definitely recommend this place.

We went out to Old Orchard Beach for the day and planned on going to the Saco Drive-​In at night. I stumbled upon Anjon’s because there didn’t seem to be a whole lot in that area and I was in the mood for Italian. We had a brief wait when we arrived and I felt a little embarrassed wearing a tank top and bathing suit because it was a fairly nice restaurant, but I’m sure they are used to that kind of thing being a tourist area, not far from the beach. I noticed that they sell their own sauce in jars so I figured it must be pretty good and had to try the Chicken Parm. The sauce really was quite noteworthy. The Italian dressing on the salad was excellent as well.
Service was good and we were able to make it to the Drive-​In with plenty of time. The prices are normally a little high but they had a check in offer on Unilocal for $ 10 off which made it a great deal. If you are in that area you have to stop in. You won’t regret it.

Oh my god, we ordered soo much food! meatballs, stuffed bread and stuffed mushrooms for our appetizers. the meatballs were huge and just liike an Italien Nonna would make. the stuffed bread was cooked to perfection, filled with sausage, cheese and sauce. the stuffed mushrooms were snapped up so fast, i only got one! Then came dinner! large maine shrimp scampi for me, it was seasoned perfectly and the shrimp cooked just right. its easy to over cook shrimp, but this was perfect. They have really good dinner specials for $ 20, like 2 steamed lobsters, steak and lobster, and steak. you cant beat the price. the wine menu has a lot of good options. we ate in the bar and we really liked the atmosphere there. Check in on Unilocal and get a $ 10 off two meals coupon!

Fountains
statues
and
seafood
There are lots of good seafood restaurants in Southern Maine. Definitely not difficult to find lobster or other sea bugs in this part of the world.
Anjon’s is an attractive and pleasantly bizarre type of restaurant. A huge fountain greets you and grabs your attention as you walk in the door. Actually the wind was blowing pretty hard so we got a refreshing shower trying to get by the fountain and in the restaurant. Kind of cool.
The inside has strange little statues and murals on the wall. I guess it was kind of a pseudo Italian type of décor but it was fun to look at and trying to figure out exactly what they meant to represent.
The food tended to be pricey but then seafood usually is, even in Maine. Our perky waitress said that Anjon’s had the best seafood in all of Maine. A bit of an exaggeration perhaps but it was decent and filling.
The service was pleasant and quick and our water glasses were filled promptly. The lobster was tender and tasty but not pre cracked like in some other restaurants. If you wanted to eat that big red bug you had to work for it.
Definitely a nice restaurant for seafood if you don’t mind paying a bit more than in the take out joints. I would to enjoy going back and try some of the pasta and more traditional things the next time we are in Scarborough.