Utopia - Bangor, Maine

Lisa S. L. F. E. D.

Updated: Dropped my rating from a 4 to a 2 after the owner tracked me down on Instagram AFTER arguing with me here after I left what I thought was a very fair review. Definitely won't go back nor recommend to friends.

Original review: Cozy restaurant offering a limited menu of Mediterranean/Greek options. I really wanted to give Utopia 5 stars. I love Greek food, and the atmosphere is really nice inside.

Pros: the spinach pie was excellent, topped with crispy phyllo.

Neutral: The Utopia appetizer plate was okay. Nice housemade hummus accompanied by warm naan. Uninspired tomatoes and cucumbers adorned the plate, along with some pickled cucumbers and peppers, which we enjoyed. The falafel was dry. I would have enjoyed some stuffed grape leaves and other traditional Greek appetizers on the plate. Maybe some nice olives?

I was thoroughly confused by the chicken parmesan on the menu. Although my husband ordered it and enjoyed it. The portion was HUGE! Easily enough for 2 or even 3 people. But that definitely isn't Greek and isn't even Mediterranean. It's American, but for lack of souakibor gyros on the menu, that's what he settled on.

The portions were large enough that we didn't have room for dessert, but did ask to see the menu. Pumpkin cheesecake, chocolate cake, baklava and cannoli? Again, I was confused by the cannoli, cheesecake, etc.

I would have liked to see more traditional Greek dishes. There was a duck entree that looked interesting, as well as mushroom pasta and butternut squash ravioli. Again, not anything expected from a Greek restaurant.

We had a nice meal, but I felt it was overpriced. 2 glasses of house wine, the appetizer plate, chicken parmesan and spanikopita came to $124 before the tip. I'm not sure we'll go back. Bangor doesn't have a ton of choices when it comes to fine dining, but sadly Utopia won't be added to our rotation. Opa in Waterville isn't too far, has a much more varied menu of Greek food, and we've enjoyed meals there far more.

Lisa Steele
Author of The Fresh Eggs Daily Cookbook

Pearl P.

I got take out. I got the shawarma with steak and the steak had to have been microwaved. The steak was chewy, tough, and flavorless. The hummus made the pita soggy in the 6 minutes it took for me to get to the hotel. I spent $37 for this meal and a canoli. It was shockingly bad.

Izzy S.

For the location, I was impressed with the range of vegan options and I was very happy to see clear labelling! The options were inventive and not just your typical burger chips!

Kesa K.

Absolutely delicious! Definitely recommend the duck, it was divine. Loved the atmosphere and staff was very friendly. Would love to dine there again.

D F.

First time dining here recently. Half full on a weekend night. Service was fair and pleasant. Atmosphere was ok. But the food was sub par for the price point. One of us added steak to a pasta dish for 18 dollars and it took a small group of people to find any steak in the dish. Other dishes were average at best with the whole party commenting it wasn't anything great, especially at the 40-60 dollar per person costs. Truth is there are a dozen better places in Bangor to eat at these prices. Oh and the salt in the shaker was a rock salt that was bigger than the holes in the shaker would allow to come out. Small issue, I know, but it's another sign of the lack of passion at this restaurant.

In reply to ownerships response: we aren't dining at your restaurant to massage our experience for you. We leave it up to you and your staff to put on the show. After reading other reviews and your replies our experience seems to be the norm. Some of your dishes are organic and local but they're still poorly done. And some are absolutely brought in by food service companies. You've been combative and full of excuses with every poor review you've earned. To be told by you that it's our duty to complain to your staff directly for poor leadership is well, poor leadership. We came, we tried, it wasn't well done.

Linda G.

We visited at quarter till six on a Saturday in mid November. They were out of two of the house wines, which was disappointing. They were out of one of the entrees, and then we were told they were out of burgers. They later came back and corrected that, but we had to spend our time scouting for a third option. Burger was good. Cooked correctly and very lean. Winter salad was good. Would have liked our original entree choice option. I guess we were expecting a little better. But food was solid if not inspired. Nice conversation with the people who were placed at a table three feet away instead of at the many other other empty tables. Hope they weren't looking for a romantic evening!

Lisa M.

Wonderful little Mediterranean spot in downtown Bangor. Close enough to the airport to stop by on your way for a nice lunch. The bisque was so good, as was the hummus appetizer. They are gluten free friendly if you just ask for a substitute for dippers or what's on your plate. The falafel is delicious and so were the fried olives!

Holly S.

Trying to find amazing food in Bangor on a Monday is impossible, was so thankful to find Utopia for our date night. The food was amazing and such unique choices it was tough to decide what to have. I can't wait to go back the atmosphere was the perfect place for a rare night out.