Tuscan Brick Oven Bistro

Very cozy place and good service. I would like them to have a bigger menu… I’ve been there many times…

Had lunch there yesterday and really enjoyed it. The food across the board was fresh and very flavorful. Our wait staff was so nice and helpful. Only drawback was we arrived at the tail end of lunch and the kitchen was slow getting the food out. We didn’t mind too much as we were settled in for a leisurely lunch. But it did take almost an hour. Will definitely go back.

Love this place! Great atmosphere… Amazing food! Pizza is delicious. Had the Cornish game hen on roasted veggies the other day and it was to die for. Have also tried the lobster Mac n cheese and it’s so yummy! Can’t wait to go back!!!

This is a solid 4 stars. They make their pizzas in the old brick oven and have an open kitchen so you know they keep things clean. The ambiance here is really nice and relaxing too. The food was good, but I wouldn’t say spectacular. The portions are really huge though, which make the high prices a little more reasonable. I split a soup and pizza with my wife and that was more than enough for us too. They also have parking which is really convenient over here!

I went here on 12÷30÷15 for lunch with a group of six and I really liked the atmosphere. Our waiter was friendly and helpful. However, I had to wait for my glass to be refilled with water longer than normal from whosoever walked around with the pitcher of water.
The lemonade was ok and tasted more like water. Our food finally arrived and the burger was good I didn’t get value for money because it was a bit expensive.
Our waiter arrived slower than normal once food was on our table. My French fries were overcooked. It was burnt and still served to me and another friend. The others on our table had decent fries. Our waiter was kind enough to get me another set of fries. I had to wait around 10 mins for him to come by to check on us but once I told him about the fries he promptly came back with a new batch.
Overall, I would go back to give here another shot but the expense didn’t pair up with the quality of food. Next time I may try another plate on the menu.

Very consistent and good food.
Pleasant staff and atmosphere.
My 9 year old craves their home made French fries with good reason, they are really good.
If they pay attention to the little things like fries, they care about all the food.
Salads are outstanding.

So, previously I said that everything but the service was 5 stars. After being served by Maddie, I definitely need to update. She is everything a server should be. She was not robotic in the least; she was genuine and happy to be there. She joked with us and made awesome suggestions. When my sister ordered the cannelloni, she seemed excited for us. She totally roped us in for dessert by sharing a story about the Chefs having a tiramisu competition. This girl is 5 stars alone.

I have been here numerous times and each time it’s delicious. I love the homey and comfortable décor and the lighting very soothing. The smells are intoxicating and serve as an appetizer them-​self. We typically get wings, or caprese salad dish for an appetizer and let me say I could eat their walnut pesto with balsamic glaze all on its own. The large crostinis they serve with it are delicious, however a bit clumsy to manage. But I’d suffer through it again and again. The field green salad with balsamic dressing and pickled onion is delicious, I would eat salad every day if someone put this in front of me. I have had all of the pizzas and thoroughly enjoy them all. I have also tried some of the other entrees and have never been disappointed. Their specials seem to be the icing on the cake. Every time I have had one it’s been a «wow» factor. The most recent was an asparagus risotto with roasted tomatoes and spinach with a cod filet wrapped in prosciutto. It was to be topped with black olive tampanade which I omitted (not an olive fan). This will go down in infamy was one of my favorite 5 dishes. This was the best piece of fish u have ever tasted. The combination of flavor a on point and seasoned to perfection!!! I forced myself to clean my plate even though I was full. I ate out of sheer pleasure. Lol. Wishing not it would become a permanent menu item, but then I’d never order anything else. Having just blubbered all over the food … The only reason I did not give this a five star is because the service is a bit slow, albeit friendly and pleasant. Also each time we need to send back a glass of water or a piece of dishware because it’s not clean.

Had a great meal here. Cocktails, chicken wings, lobster rolls and burger were all top notch, definitely recommended and not a tourist trap.

I’ve had the pasta, a burger, wings, and the brick oven pizza here and everything so far has been very good. This place is right down the street from all the stores and shops with a large parking lot in the back.

Wait staff was very nice I had a Chop Salad and the crabmeat and mussels pizza which was fantastic. This is my go to place in Freeport Maine.

As a Freeport local I try to patronize as many of our local eateries as possible. I have never had a bad meal here — every thing from the apps (the mussels are very good) to the entrees are succulent. I have always had very good service (we typically sit & dine at the bar) — Nikki does a great job taking care of our libationary needs. The ambiance is warm & interesting — a great place to go during a snowstorm. The only negative would be that the wait times can be long on Fri or Sat evenings (but what else would you expect from a popular place?) — Make a reservation or enjoy a cocktail on the couches! Great place — will be back!

My husband and I were driving through the outlets at Freeport and were in desperate need of some food. I got on Unilocal and I saw the Tuscan Brick Oven Bistro and the menu looked good so we headed that way.
It was a cold dreary day and I feel like I instantly warmed up walking into their space. The vibes were cozy as could be with distressed wood every where and a mix of big upholstered chairs. I could see their wood burning oven in the open kitchen and knew then I would be getting one of their pizzas.
Service: It must have been a little slow because they seemed a little under staffed. It was never truly a problem we just had to wait a little to be greeted but our server was really on the ball.
Food: I had the Black & Blue pizza and my husband had the sausage sub. Everything was absolutely delicious. The pizza had the best crust, crunch with the perfect amount of chew. The cheese on the pizza all melted together so it was insanely creamy. The onion jam was an ideal accompaniment to the steak. The sausage sub was definitely home made and was jam packed with flavor. Even the fries were crispy and seasoned well.
I was honestly surprised by how absolutely delicious every portion of the meal was. I would definitely come back again if I happened to be in the area.

Would have given 4 stars for the freshness and quality of the food preparation… BUT when the server has to tell us that SIX dishes on the menu are «not available today», it’s pretty disappointing. I understand running out of things here and there but that was just poor supply management.
Now to the good part, the food was great and carefully prepared. Tasted very fresh and even looked nice on the plate.

Went in for lunch this summer and had burgers — excellent!
Went back just recently for a couple of pizzas to take home. Pepperoni was fine, but bland (and rather small) considering the $ 13 price.
«Local Harvest» pizza was even smaller than the pepperoni (alhough it cost more) and was not on a crust, but some kind of flat cracker that was not risen and not cooked through. This different «crust» was not mentioned on the menu. It had no taste and was so dense and gummy that we just scraped the toppings off and ate them with a fork, throwing the crust away.
Four to five stars for the burgers, two stars for the pizzas.

I’ve been thinking about this review for weeks now. I am not sure how to break it to everyone, but this place is pretending to be something that it’s not. It looks to be an «upscale» restaurant with nice décor, funky couch/​benches and a good wine menu and entrée selection. Look at all the great reviews, too!
But what is it really? A tourist trap.
Ok, I get it that it’s in Freeport. I understand that retail and tourism is a massive draw to the area. However, when I make a reservation I expect it to be treated as a reservation and not rushed through my meal with substandard service and food quality.
Ok let’s break this down.
Service:
Horrendous. Again, I don’t want the tourist trap excuse. Just because I am traveling with a 7 year old doesn’t mean I need my food served to me like Applebys. It should have been obvious from the get go when we ordered several courses — wine, apps, salads, mains, and coffee that we weren’t in a hurry. So why then did you serve my soup with the table app with my child’s main all at the same time? Oh and I barely had time to scarf all that down before my entrée was thrown in front of me (there was barely room on the table). If you don’t know what order we want things in, ask, but it’s pretty standard that it’s apps-​clear table-​salads-​clear table-​mains. It’s ok to ask when to bring the child’s meal if you do not know. Again, we had reservations!
Wine:
The wine menu was adequate. We both ordered glasses of different wines. Just a note here, many places now let you taste even for a glass. They do not. No biggie, that’s new even in the city, and generally only at the high end places.
Food:
We decided to try the lobster stew for the appetizer course (which I made clear). So when you think stew do you think bisque? Well they do and that’s what you get. You get a lukewarm very watery cream lobster bisque with very few pieces of lobster in it (in fact just two small scraps). Sorry, not a stew. I noted that to the waitress, and mentioned that there wasn’t really any significant lobster in it or anything else even remotely resembling what would be in a stew. She mumbled something about that’s how they make it in Maine. Whatever.
We both had salads for the next course, but as I mentioned I was too busy searching for lobster leavings to notice that my salad was dropped off literally 45 seconds after my soup arrived. I ordered the Caesar, and my wife selected the goat cheese and citrus. Easily the best part of the meal as both were adequate. Although my wife mentioned something about the apple/​orange combo being off.
Sometime during my salad course, dinner was served. Um…
For a main, I jumped at the rabbit, as I do not see it often. A huge downer! When you serve something like rabbit there is no need to overrun the flavor with things like zucchini, an over abundance of mushrooms and a very thick alfredo sauce. It’s as if they do not want you to taste the rabbit. Um, it’s rabbit — I ordered it because I like the gaminess of the dish. Instead what I got was a zucchini dish with corn, a rather large amount of crimini mushrooms, alfredo sauce and perhaps a tablespoon of actual meat, served over three sheets of pasta. Dreadful.
Sometime during dinner the waitress dropped off the check. Um…
Well, I wanted a coffee as we were driving back to MA that night. Ended up getting a cappuccino, which was huge! That’s fine. Too bad it doesn’t count as food or I would give it a higher grade. Too bad it took 20 minutes to make it. I guess they aren’t in a hurry after all.
After a re-​do of the check, she did mention that they took off the «stew» or lobster water. Whatever.
Well anyway, I am giving this one a solid «drive on by». Maybe I am expecting too much from Freeport, ME and spoiled by city food? But if you are going to charge city prices, the food better be as good. It’s just not worth it.

Had and awesome lunch for a number of reasons…
First: we were traveling with the dog. I’d assumed we’d be getting take out and trading off leash duty in between awkward bites of an ersatz meal. Then I was reading other Unilocalers’ comments, and they tipped me off to the patio here being pup-​friendly. Score!
Second: food was on point. Excellent calamari, great «personal» field greens salad (which they split into two plates before it left the kitchen), big enough to share. For main course we split the funghi pizza… delicious if a bit on the heavy side… Had to nap after.
No dessert as we were too full to even entertain that thought, but we each had a local beer on tap, also solid and well-​suited for our pizza meal.

I’ve had lunch and dinner here now, and both experiences left me wanting more (in a good way).
Freeport is a bit of a haul for us — maybe 35, 40 minutes north. We typically go two or three times a year to hit the shops. We’ve had some decent meals up there (Jameson Tavern comes to mind), but this will probably become our new regular stop for lunch when shopping with the kids. Both the pizzas and the sandwiches are excellent. Our lunch visit was over the summer, so I recall the outstanding cheese pizza for the kids and the generous Buratta Cheese Appetizer, but I don’t really remember what paninis my wife and I ordered, other than that they were delicious.
Last night, my wife and I had a babysitter and decided to bypass Portland and head the extra 15 minutes north to check out the dinner experience at Tuscan. We were not disappointed in the least. Beginning with a Crostini appetizer with pesto-​based and eggplant/​white bean spreads — as well as two strong cocktails (spiced rum for her, espresso martini for me) — we were immediately under the spell of the place. The interior is very inviting, with an open space and comfortable seating along with exceptional lighting that adds to the overall pleasing ambience.
We followed with a special soup for her (green pea lentil) and a personal Caeser salad for me. For $ 5 and $ 7 apiece, these were very generous helpings. Her soup was an experience on the palate, with a pleasing texture and chock full of fresh vegetables. My Caesar was exceptional, with a creamy but not overbearing dressing and anchovies that added plenty of flavor.
For dinner, I was tempted by the duck confit gnocchi but didn’t want to feel like a stuffed pig. I semi-​reluctantly ordered the salmon, but WOW was that that a stellar choice. The well-​seasoned salmon — subtle, yet noticeable, exactly how salmon should be seasoned — was fork-​tender, falling apart into bite sized morsels with each prod. The salmon was overlaid atop a bed of flavorful spinach, garbanzo beans, lentil and a light oil-​based marinade. Really, really great.
My wife got the short rib special and was not disappointed. She made it halfway through, offering me the rest (what a great gal) but I declined as I didn’t want to drop into a food coma. But her special was also obviously fork-​tender, served above mashed potatoes and topped with a horseradish mousse.
Also, the service was top-​notch. not much to say really except she was pleasant, present (but not overbearing), and we were very happy.
We will be back many, many times moving forward.

I haven’t lived in Maine for a long time but when I did, from 2002 – 2008, I never would have thought it possible to have a «nice» dinner in Freeport. Now that I’m back, I’m happy to say that Tuscan Brick Oven Bistro has changed my mind completely! It’s an absolute delight and a welcome respite after a long day of shopping, mountain biking on Bradbury Mtn. or adventuring on one of L.L. Bean’s Discovery School outings.
When my friend and I decided to spend the day in Freeport, I did what all smart people do, I consulted Unilocal in hopes of finding a good spot for dinner. Tuscan Brick Oven Bistro popped up with high ratings from Unilocalers that I know and whose opinions I trust, so it was an easy decision to add TBOB to our agenda for the day.
We arrived early, around 5:45pm, on a Saturday night and it was already packed. Luckily we scored two seats at the bar after a short wait. I tried a nice Chilean Cabernet ($ 8 for a generous pour) and ordered a field greens salad and Prosciutto Pizza. The pizza was amazing — red sauce + salty, heavenly Prosciutto di Parma+ black truffle and sautéed arugula. I enjoyed every bite and there was more than enough to take home.
As other reviewers have mentioned, the look and feel of TBOB is warm and chic with a bit of rustic charm. This is a polished establishment — if I didn’t know otherwise, I might think that it was part of an upscale chain, but that’s not in any way meant to be an insult to TBOB — instead, it’s meant to indicate that this place really seems to have its s**t together. Drinks were quick but food was a little slow. Our bartender was friendly and funny and prices were reasonable for the quality and experience.
And, if by any chance, you’re the woman on the date who was sitting next to us at the bar that night — RUN! The guy you were with was an absolute idiot. You can do better.

I can only imagine the crowds here in the summer. My friend and I stopped in at 5pm after an afternoon of shopping in Freeport. We chose the high tops at the bar as it was just appetizers for us. Jenna at the bar took great care of us! Pear Sangria and white wine accompanied fabulous wings and caprese salad. These are not your ordinary wings… fabulous.
Can’t wait to come back for dinner — menu looked fabulous.