No idea why this place rates so high. Food is plated well, but head chef has no idea what he's doing. Basically just putting a bunch of random, exotic sounding ingredients together. No discernable flavor palate whatsoever. The amateurish dining experience is further reduced by a wait staff that is forced to tell you what the ingredients are in the thing you just ordered...that were all written on the menu that you just read. I think somebody saw it in a movie or something and thought it was classy. You only do that for a tasting menu, when you don't know what you're being served. This is that same uncomfortably unnecessary experience like a person giving a power point presentation and is just reading off their slides.Also, it's in a dank basement, and the whole place smells of mildew.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 3
Camille Mann
Every time we go I am in awe of his talent and flavors and textures that he executes flawlessly. Rhubarb brown butter cake with Parmesan blew my mind. The perfect bite of sweet, salty, savory and nutty. How does he come up with this. One of the, if not in my opinion the best pastry chef in Maine! By the way he owns the place and works in his own business a rare things to come across nowadays in Maine. How has this guy not been nominated for a James beard???? Hammer it Queen.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Shannon Dickinson
London Smog was delicious, as was the PB hot chocolate! Super comfortable atmosphere!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Kayal Ravi
Best place to desserts with excellent flavours. They have changing menu so it is great to try something new everytime. Creme brulee, Alanda blondie and sticky toffee rice pudding.Only con is they are open only 4 days a week.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Crumb Brulee
Bethany
Each dessert is like a piece of art!! I love coming here and seeing the creations the chef prepares! Always a good time!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Gross Confection Mess
Steve M
Skip the dessert menu with your dinner and enjoy a very nice spot for a cocktail and dessert on your night out! We particularly enjoyed the specialty ice cream!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
John McGovern
Awesome desserts!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
C Shape
Overall, a very disappointing experience. The staff is okay, not friendly at all but maybe it was a bad night.My dessert was below average. The cake had a consistency that suggested it was not made fresh, and if it was it was overcooked. My cocktail was fairly good, but lacking in alcohol i.e. tasted like a plain sugary drink.Definitely won't be coming back as there's tons of other bars here, as well as some amazing bakeries.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 3
J. Cé
Stopped here on a whim after passing by and it was a great choice! The bartender was so sweet and attentive. All of us got wildly different items, and each one was so special and thought out.I loved the “London Smog” cocktail, kind of has me brainstorming how to infuse vodka with earl grey tea just so I can replicate it at home!This may be more of a me thing, but the playlist was also sick. so whoever made that happen on January 13 2024 keep it up!
We had such an incredible experience at Gross! We got to sit at the chef's table in the working kitchen, meet the owner, and try many of the delicious desserts! We will definitely be back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Brown Butter Panna Cotta, Affogato, Gross Confection Mess
Lisa Johnson
I can't even with how disgustingly good this place is. Everything was delicious?
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
BETTY Rodriguez
First time at Gross - Excellent Coffee, delicious deserts made from scratch. Gorgeous brick rooms with high ceilings. Our server was wonderful!!
I didn't think I'd ever find a place to compete with Dessert Bar in Denver, but this place kicks major butt. Dessert Bar, which used to be one of my favorite places to go for dessert, is a lot more of a flashy and high class sort of spectacle, while Gross Confection Bar is more subtle and quality focused. What really truly blew my mind was the sharp aged parmesean cheese on caramel and vanilla ice cream. I have to say that at the time I considered the idea of parmesean cheese on dessert to be ridiculous, but after having this brilliant confection conception I can confidently say that I will be adding aged parmesean to every caramel inclusive desert I can. What a cool flex. The staff was super nice and helpful, and the place had all of the quiet comfort and chill of an underground basement speakeasy. If you're looking for a sweet treat in Portland, hit up Gross, or you will be sorry you missed it. Every other dessert option in Portland is gross by comparison. ;)
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
wendy n.
This is a must stop in Portland, ME. Desserts, cocktails, coffee - what else could you want?! Brilliant idea.Comfortable, good vibes, nice, LGBTQ+ friendly environment, warm and cozy. Shout out to our server Shannon O. for being a damn delight. We had 3 items: Chocolate Peppermint Cremeux (the gingerbread micro cake was freaking amazing on it), peanut butter cup profiterole (the pb mousse was outstanding) and the maple crème brûlée. The first two were spectacular, liked the maple crème but wasn't as smooth as a typical vanilla custard. These are top notch desserts!
No idea why this place rates so high. Food is plated well, but head chef has no idea what he's doing. Basically just putting a bunch of random, exotic sounding ingredients together. No discernable flavor palate whatsoever. The amateurish dining experience is further reduced by a wait staff that is forced to tell you what the ingredients are in the thing you just ordered...that were all written on the menu that you just read. I think somebody saw it in a movie or something and thought it was classy. You only do that for a tasting menu, when you don't know what you're being served. This is that same uncomfortably unnecessary experience like a person giving a power point presentation and is just reading off their slides.Also, it's in a dank basement, and the whole place smells of mildew.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 3
Every time we go I am in awe of his talent and flavors and textures that he executes flawlessly. Rhubarb brown butter cake with Parmesan blew my mind. The perfect bite of sweet, salty, savory and nutty. How does he come up with this. One of the, if not in my opinion the best pastry chef in Maine! By the way he owns the place and works in his own business a rare things to come across nowadays in Maine. How has this guy not been nominated for a James beard???? Hammer it Queen.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
London Smog was delicious, as was the PB hot chocolate! Super comfortable atmosphere!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Best place to desserts with excellent flavours. They have changing menu so it is great to try something new everytime. Creme brulee, Alanda blondie and sticky toffee rice pudding.Only con is they are open only 4 days a week.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Crumb Brulee
Each dessert is like a piece of art!! I love coming here and seeing the creations the chef prepares! Always a good time!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Gross Confection Mess
Skip the dessert menu with your dinner and enjoy a very nice spot for a cocktail and dessert on your night out! We particularly enjoyed the specialty ice cream!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Awesome desserts!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Overall, a very disappointing experience. The staff is okay, not friendly at all but maybe it was a bad night.My dessert was below average. The cake had a consistency that suggested it was not made fresh, and if it was it was overcooked. My cocktail was fairly good, but lacking in alcohol i.e. tasted like a plain sugary drink.Definitely won't be coming back as there's tons of other bars here, as well as some amazing bakeries.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 3
Stopped here on a whim after passing by and it was a great choice! The bartender was so sweet and attentive. All of us got wildly different items, and each one was so special and thought out.I loved the “London Smog” cocktail, kind of has me brainstorming how to infuse vodka with earl grey tea just so I can replicate it at home!This may be more of a me thing, but the playlist was also sick. so whoever made that happen on January 13 2024 keep it up!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Delicious sorbet!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
We had such an incredible experience at Gross! We got to sit at the chef's table in the working kitchen, meet the owner, and try many of the delicious desserts! We will definitely be back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Brown Butter Panna Cotta, Affogato, Gross Confection Mess
I can't even with how disgustingly good this place is. Everything was delicious?
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
First time at Gross - Excellent Coffee, delicious deserts made from scratch. Gorgeous brick rooms with high ceilings. Our server was wonderful!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Goat Cheese Cheese Cake, Bakery
I didn't think I'd ever find a place to compete with Dessert Bar in Denver, but this place kicks major butt. Dessert Bar, which used to be one of my favorite places to go for dessert, is a lot more of a flashy and high class sort of spectacle, while Gross Confection Bar is more subtle and quality focused. What really truly blew my mind was the sharp aged parmesean cheese on caramel and vanilla ice cream. I have to say that at the time I considered the idea of parmesean cheese on dessert to be ridiculous, but after having this brilliant confection conception I can confidently say that I will be adding aged parmesean to every caramel inclusive desert I can. What a cool flex. The staff was super nice and helpful, and the place had all of the quiet comfort and chill of an underground basement speakeasy. If you're looking for a sweet treat in Portland, hit up Gross, or you will be sorry you missed it. Every other dessert option in Portland is gross by comparison. ;)
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
This is a must stop in Portland, ME. Desserts, cocktails, coffee - what else could you want?! Brilliant idea.Comfortable, good vibes, nice, LGBTQ+ friendly environment, warm and cozy. Shout out to our server Shannon O. for being a damn delight. We had 3 items: Chocolate Peppermint Cremeux (the gingerbread micro cake was freaking amazing on it), peanut butter cup profiterole (the pb mousse was outstanding) and the maple crème brûlée. The first two were spectacular, liked the maple crème but wasn't as smooth as a typical vanilla custard. These are top notch desserts!