DiMillo's
4.3
3993 reviews
4.3
3993 reviews
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    Yelp
    S K. Via Yelp - DiMillo's Portland
    5 years ago
    My fiancee's parents are visiting from Europe and wanted to take us out for a nice lobster dinner. We cook better than most people we know, so when we eat out, it's with purpose. It's the holiday season, and Portland is lit up beautifully, so my fiancee decided we'd go to a restaurant in town that serves lobster. We called ahead and were told the place we wanted doesn't take reservations. Our visitors are in their late 70s and waiting in a crowded standing-room-only area is not an option, so we made sure to get there by 5:15, thinking we'd surely be able to get a table. But the place was packed already. So we went to DiMillo's. Huge mistake.<br>I've lived in Portland since 2010, worked in the restaurant industry for 12 years, was a professional cook, and I do private catering. I know food and I know the business, and I knew we were heading into a tourist trap in which the location would far surpass the food. But we were all having lobster--it's pretty hard to mess that up. And I didn't expect a level of gross incompetence that could have cost an older man his life. <br>The place was warm, inviting, and nicely decorated for the holidays, I'll give them that. Our guests were pleased with the atmosphere and lack of noise. But our troubles started with our server. She had a distinct lack of affect, which was off-putting. I was interested in the drink entitled something like "A Tale of Two Locals," which contains rum and some sort of tequila cream, topped with cayenne. I asked our server if the drink was sweet at all, and explained I don't like sweet drinks. She took the menu from me and spent a couple of moments reading exactly what I had just read, then she came back to the table, recited what'd we'd both read, then asserted it wouldn't be sweet. I was immediately suspicious of the knowledge base of a woman who'd assumed I can't read and had nothing further to offer than the menu description. Me: What is tequila cream? Her: It's kind of like Rum Chata. Me: Isn't Rum Chata kind of sweet? She just shrugged her shoulders and half nodded an acknowledgment. I realized I wasn't going to be able to get quality information from this person, so I ordered a martini. <br>Our server seemed new at her job and not comfortable in the role. She had trouble carrying three martinis and a beer to the table, and she spilled a lot of gin before we finally had them in front of us. When we ordered lobster, she didn't tell us what our options were with them (as I overheard other servers doing), nor did she point to where the list was located on the menu and ask what we'd like. Instead, she said to the first person who ordered, "Ok, lazy lobster. With a baked potato?" as if there were no other options. <br>We ordered steamed clams, and we asked about the size of the order. She made a shape motion with her hands and said the bucket was about that big. We asked if she could approximate how many clams we'd get or the weight b/c we were splitting among 4 ppl. She said no and made no move to find out. So we ordered one bucket and we each had a few clams. My fiancee was aggravated, but she was obviously trying, and I felt bad for her. <br>Then came the dinner disaster. We'd ordered 1 lazy lobster, and 3 in the shell. Steamed. Period. We all got the baked potato. The easiest, most expensive order. The kind every server loves. But when our lobsters arrived, they were cold. Ok, the tails were warm-ish. The claws and legs were actually chilly to the touch. The only thing hot about the meal was the plates. My fiancee's claw meat was a little tough, but we gave the benefit of the doubt the rest of it would be ok. However, we wanted a hot dinner. <br>The server took the plates and while my fiancee's mother ate her lazy lobster, we waited. Eventually, we received the same lobsters (with a piece of my fiancee's lobster on his father's plate), which were barely warmer. The meat was tougher than before, bordering on inedible. When the server checked back, my fiancee said they weren't much warmer, but they'd already been nuked to death with no saving them at this point. The server's tone was snarky when she responded, "They weren't microwaved. They were re-steamed." Then she walked away. She didn't offer to make anything right. We wanted his parents to have a nice night, so we weighed the negative effects of a disgusting meal against the effects of taking our complaints up the chain of command. Had we been alone, we'd have refused to eat it or pay. Given that my fiancee's mother was enjoying her dish, and our server was clearly reluctant to ensure we had a good experience, we choked down our lobster. In the middle of the night, my fiancee's father spent three hours vomiting his dinner, his mom was nauseous, and my stomach has been churning. Given what we ate, the time of year, and the course of the illness, this is a clear case of food mishandling by DiMillo's, which can KILL an older person. Terrible service, inexcusable food.
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    Lisa Johnson Via Google My Business - DiMillo's Portland
    5 years ago
    Where else can you fine dine on a floating restaurant? Nice eatery.
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    Joanna Baez Via Google My Business - DiMillo's Portland
    5 years ago
    Coming from NY, it was told that I must try this place. By far amazing. Will go again
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    autumn Hackett Via Google My Business - DiMillo's Portland
    5 years ago
    Waiter was really nice and funny. Our food was amazing and you could definitely tell everything was fresh. For a Friday night we got in pretty quick and our food came quick as well. Will definitely be returning.
    Yelp
    Bud L. Via Yelp - DiMillo's Portland
    5 years ago
    Very interesting location and venue. Food was unique and amazing. Ate at the bar and enjoyed ourselves a great deal. Don't go by the fact you cannot see this place from the street , head on down the ramp to this ship of fun.
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    http://www.dimillos.com/restaurant/
    +1(207) 772-2216