Vignola Cinque Terre

Great service, great food. A little pricey, but all around awesome. Loved the atmosphere.

Great meal. Amazing cheese selection. Pasta, salads and entrees are delicious. No wait. Compared to some over priced joints across the street. This was the beat

Not sure why this place only gets 3 & ½ stars, we’ve eaten here two years in a row each time on our yearly trip to Portland. The food has always been delicious, waitress very polite, inside is cozy and quiet (both times they seated us at the corner table by the window with a lovely view of the street — and the pleasure being here during Christmas/​New Years season). Both times ordered the cheese plate, if you like cheese there is someone for everyone to choose from. Ravioli for entrée — finished minutes after it was served. Maybe a bit pricey for some people, buy we’ll definitely come back again.

I’ve been anxious to try Cinque Terre for a while as it looks so inviting from the street. The atmosphere is fabulous, service also great. Food, not so much. We went for lunch and I got the special of the day which was a pizzaette & salad. The pizza was pretty good, thin crust w San Marzano tomatoes & mozzarella. The mista salad was nothing special, the dressing was the best part. My lunch date got the mussles & cod cakes & was very disappointed. The presentation was stunning, it’s too bad the food did not hold up to the expectation. We were so disappointed that we chose to skip dessert & walk the streets to find a bakery! I will not be back.

Had a wonderful birthday celebration dinner at Vignolas last night.
We had the swordfish, pork loin and absolutely fall off the bone braised beef short rib.
Everything was amazing and so creatively cooked and presented. And did I mention delicious!
To add to the experience, Liz our server, kept bringing out interestlngly prepared vignettes of food; cheeses, meats, cornichons and a birthday cake plate with little pastries!
As always this restaurant never fails to please; the servers, the food, the beautiful ambiance.
It is truly a place for a memorable and special occasion.

Wow…
Great table near the window, nice and warm-​well lit and tables are well spaced.
We started with an amazing cheese plate, picking 4 randoms… omg yum
I got the scallops, the BF got the duck.
The scallops were good, a bit salty and undercookEd for my taste but decent-​huge.
The duck was fabulous and those Brussel sprouts are A MUST try!
Bread pudding at the end was a perfect finish.
Our waiter Niko was so knowledgeable, charming and pleasant! This was a great place to eat and we will definitely be coming back.

Visited Vignola last night with my wife for the 1^st time and it definitely will not be the last. Lee and his wife Sara made our night a memorable one. Lee chose everything for us starting with the salads all the way up to the wine for dinner. The food was fresh and had amazing flavor and the service was impeccable. We look forward to coming back thank you so much.

Had high expectations with the food but everything was just average. Scallops in starters and Tuscan wine were the only exceptions. I ordered Venison (2 – 3 starts max). Not only that it was without much taste but also it was just 4 small pieces which I was done with in less than 5 minutes. My other colleagues on the table who got lamb shoulder were also ‘just fine’ with their choice. We all kept wishing we had gotten something else!

Constantly changing menu based on what is fresh today. Great beer selection but leave the food choice up to the chef. Outstanding

I only went here for brunch, so I can’t speak for dinner, but It was a very pleasant dining experience. Unfortunately, I was not really prepared for such a heavy meal. I had gone to sleep on a full stomach, so I would only suggest being hungry.
I would love to see the atmosphere in the evening because I sense it is cozy and comforting with mood lighting.
It was minimally crowded at 11am on a Sunday, but all the more reason to indulge in an extended hour of girl talk. There was no rush, the coffee refills were timely, and the attitudes were friendly. Our server was also training another young lady, so the attentiveness was paramount. I will be back to try dinner.

Truly a lovely lunch. The high price was all our fault (not the restaurant’s) as we totally gorged.
Drinks-​hard to decide. Lots of delicious cocktails as well as Belgians in bottles and on draft. Not expected from an Italian restaurant but very much appreciated! Loved the fresh strawberry flavor of my fragola fresca. Strawberry punch without being overly sweet.
We started with 9 oysters in all and they were worth every inflated penny at $ 3.50 each. I ate my first oyster here. I hate seafood of any kind. I am told I had a glimmer in my eye like I would do it all again. Kudos to the chef and the delicious prosecco mignonette.
The homemade Salumi bruschetta is also not to be missed. We had a generous portion all for $ 6.
My vignola pizza was simple (fresh cherry tomatoes, mozzarella, pesto) but delicious from the concentrated tomato flavor to the charcoal brick oven crust. Definite must for anyone in search of real thin crust in this city.
I also appreciated the attentive service we experienced at vignola which highly contrasted the «I can’t be bothered with you attitude» at central provisions 15 minutes earlier.
Word to the wise: a wait doesn’t always mean the best you gotta have. It could mean well marketed and overhyped. Do yourself a favor and come here to get treated well with great food and great service.

We stopped in for a quick bite on our drive to central Maine. They were able to accommodate us quickly which is not easy in this hopping town.
We had several appetizers which were nicely prepared and presented. Their version of Caesar salad was very tasty with a hint of anchovies. They have a variety of interesting bruschettas, and other typical but not necessarily typically prepared, Italian style appetizers. There were a variety of pizzas and entrees which we didn’t try. The wine list and local tap beer list was pretty extensive. A nice place for a bite though a little pricey.

The ambience and smell here is phenomenal. Wine list is extensive. We didn’t try the food, but it looked and smelled unreal. The bartender was knowledgeable and friendly. We also went during happy hour from 5 – 7 with half price wine glasses. I’d come back for dinner.

We don’t do «date night» often, because given my druthers I’d rather play video games in my sweatpants at home while drinking a bottle of cheap red wine. But every once in a while a girl needs to, instead, play dress up and drink a nicer glass of valpolicella in public with actual people.
So at our most recent date night, we headed out to Vignola Cinque Terre…
+/​-​Atmosphere:
Part of our hope for our evening out was to sit in the front of the restaurant — where it’s got that woodsy, rustic décor — by the enormous windows that are draped with green ivy overlooking the Old Port’s cobblestone streets and old time-​y lamp posts. It’s so European feeling! However, when we arrived (even though there were plenty of seats in that section) we were ushered to the back of the restaurant where it’s much more sterile and modern. Such a huge disappointment this was, especially when an enormous party of very, very loud middle-​aged women showed up for a birthday party. We couldn’t even hear each other speaking at that point — so much for a romantic night out. So, if you’re coming here you REALLY want to get that front area (maybe this is something you can request in your reservation?). I promise you, it’s two entirely different worlds.
+ Service:
Impeccable. The end.
+/​-​Drinks:
I loved my glasses of wine; they were delicious, priced appropriately, and the tiny decanter they came in was adorable. On the opposite hand, my partner had two cocktails and he thought they tasted too much alike (one was the «Vegroni» and the other was unmemorable enough that we can’t remember what it’s called).
+/​-​Food:
— We never got bread for our table like everyone else around us did.
— The Zuppa ($ 7) made from spring pea purée, fresh cream, smoked ham roulade, lemon, and stracciatella cheese was just bland (the waiter said this was because we asked for ours without the smoked ham). I don’t know that there was any lemon or cheese, either. I wouldn’t order this or recommend it.
+ The Burrata Salad ($ 10?) made with radishes, pea shoots, etc. was DELICIOUS. If you like gooey cheese, if you like green vegetables, if you like light and refreshing courses… this is for you!
+ The Cheese Plate ($ 15) was AWESOME. I think it was perfectly priced for what the quality and quantity of which we got, which was three cheeses, baguette, mustarda, and honey. One of the better cheese plates in Portland, ME.
+ The Vignola Pizza ($ 12) with roasted cherry tomatoes, aged provolone, fresh mozzarella, San Marzano tomato, and basil pesto… THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST PIZZAS I’VE EVER EATEN IN TOWN. Who knew?! Who knew that Vignola Cinque Terre was hiding this gem! We thought for sure it wouldn’t be enough food for the two of us at that $ 12 tag, but that pizza was plenty big and even more flavorful than you could imagine. Trashy as it sounds, I just wish I could have had something… like a bleu cheese dressing… to dunk my crusts in.
— We skipped dessert because nothing really stood out to us.
So…
TL;DR?
+ Sit in the FRONT of the restaurant with the windows.
+ Skip the cocktails entirely.
+ ORDER THE PIZZA.
+ PRO TIP: did you know that on Friday and Saturday nights they’ve got a special late night menu from 10p to 12a? It’s true!

The food here is… okay. When anyone was discussing the food in my party almost everyone gave the same shrug and «meh» that is typical for mediocre dining. I had the duo of pork which was a little over-​cooked, pretty bland. The accompanying asparagus was cut off too low on the stem so there were stringy bits attached and the grilled leek wasn’t cooked enough so it was also very stringy and tough. My wife had the rigatoni which was fine. Nothing particularly bad about it but nothing stand-​out either although it was probably our favorite savory dish. For dessert I had the chocolate bread pudding which wasn’t your typical bread pudding, it seemed more like someone had made a chocolate cake and then poured the egg/​custard typical of bread pudding over that. It was again fine, nothing bad but nothing fantastic. The crème brûlée was your typical version, nothing to write home about.
What kills me here are the prices. I’m a big fan of fine dining and I have absolutely no problem shelling out over $ 30 for an entrée IF it is delicious or something truly special. This place is completely average and often less than that and although the service was prompt and friendly and I certainly finished most of my food, I simply cannot rationalize paying their very high prices for very mediocre (at best) food.

It was a solid dinner. The menu was one I needed time with. Nothing screamed out to me but everything we ordered hit the mark. We had an excellent bottle of wine. We got a few of the small plates, including the tuna belly stuffed peppers, fried quail legs and the balsamic tasting. They were all so awesome. The peppers were so spicy but so yum. I could’ve eaten 10 quail legs. The balsamic tasting was so good and they are all aged to perfection but such small tastings that probably not worth the price. My boyfriend got a pizza and I got the scallops for my entrée. We decided they were some of the best scallop/​scallop dish prepared and the pizza totally held its on. I would definitely want to come back. The space is pretty neat and quite large when you go further back. Intimate and Nice bar too. The service was ok. Really just ok and seemed slightly pretentious in a not helpful way.

We went to Vignola about two weeks ago for a very late Valentine’s Day (and late review. Sorry!) we ordered the meatballs as an appetizer and they were delicious! Moist, flavorful, well plated.
We. Got two salads, mine with beets and his was deconstructed. Again well plated and presented. Our entrees were a little disappointing. The menu promised pasta dishes with porcetta and buratta. We got neither, and the portions were paltry.
My boyfriend got a $ 33 plate of ravioli with duck confit broth over top. He got five piece of cheese filled ravioli (cheese was not good buratta), and the portion was embarrassing for the price. We both cook very well and could make a better product for pennies. Essentially, we were paying for overhead at this point.
Although we were disappointed with our entrees, the service and atmosphere were still great. 4stars for effort. You could have ben five, Vignola!

Even a chance Olympia Snowe sighting wasn’t enough to save our decidedly mediocre, rather overpriced meal here, which is a shame since the ambiance was swanky and rustic cool.
But will filament lightbulbs fill your tummy? I didn’t think so. After getting seated, we waited an inordinately long time for our appetizer (duck confit) — so long that they threw in a complimentary oyster shooter thing — both of which were OK, but not worth a wait time of approximately half an eternity.
No matter, I thought our dinner meals would make up for it. But my bf’s monkfish looked (and tasted) like chicken nugget pieces and my gnocchi was reminiscent of a certain chef’s food — you may know him, too: a chef whose name rhymes with Royalfee, which is what we paid for something we could have got at Stop & Shop for two bucks.
At least my wine (white blend) and his beer (blueberry ale) were good.

We went here with 10 other people for dinner on a Saturday night, I love the atmosphere and the lighting, but I feel that the food is extremely overpriced for what it is.
I ordered the blueberry cosmo to start off, it was sooooo strong that I hardly noticed the blueberry purée that was in it. I had to keep stirring so it didn’t feel like I was just drinking vodka straight up. I ordered the fettuccine for my meal, I was pleasantly surprised at the portion size because everyone else’s plates looked microscopic, but overall I wouldn’t say I’d ever spend $ 24 on a plate of pasta with meat sauce. Don’t get me wrong, it was a very savory hand-​made pasta dish, but not worth $ 24.
One of our friends ordered the ravioli, also made in-​house, our waitress told her it came with 8 pieces. Her plate had a mere 5 pieces of ravioli on it and it was the same price as my dish. She ended up eating everyone’s bread and a slice of pizza because she was still hungry. Our waitress was super nice (other than getting our hopes up about the ravioli), and their focaccia bread is very good, I just wouldn’t ever go here if I was starving. Or unless I had lots and lots of money.

Stopped in for dinner at the bar. Loved the wine and the cheese board. Manchego cheese, honey, fig jam, and compote. Served with toasted baguette slices. I had the smaller portion of bolognese fettuccine. I should have ordered the larger portion. I was still hungry. Service was top notch, just wasn’t thrilled with the entrees. I will definently be back to try other entrees.