La Bella Vita - Samoset Resort

Love a big open space to walk through and dine!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Creme Brulee

I'll start by saying as a local this is a place I've gone many times. Last night I brought some friends there to eat outside and enjoy the view. We asked the waiter and day at an empty unclean table. We waited for 15 minutes before anyone talked to us all the while other people were being seated and served right next to us. Finally someone came to clear the table ( not clean it). Then another 10 minutes went by. I finally went to talk to somebody as it was getting embarrassing. They assured me that someone would be right with us. Another 8 minutes went by. Then someone came and wiped our table with a very wet wipe and left puddles on it! Literally!! A waiter came and wouldn't even put down the menus because it was so wet. Then walked away. After another 8 minutes or so I left. I couldn't even believe what was happening. They weren't overly busy.
I'll never go back for their overprice mediocre food and weak drinks again. In fact if ever asked I'll tell people to steal clear of it altogether!! I've never been treated so badly at a restaurant anywhere. The one star is just because you have to. Complete and utter lack of competent management.
Don't go here to eat. Any other place is better.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 1

Dinner was excellent! A spacious restaurant serving Italian dishes and pizza. Lovely ambience, lots of seating. Seating with heaters outside. We had late meal so House salad and Puzza Umbria with mushrooms and pizza Margherita were perfect!
Waitstaff very kind and attentive. We had a perfect meal!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Umbria

Very much better than some of the reviews. The mussels were of the smaller sweeter variety with sliced garlic hints of Pernod and a slightly thicker than watery sauce which clung to the mussels nicely. The Umbria pizza was very nice with mushrooms truffle oil and fresh arugula. The crust tasty but could have been a bit crisper. We had the special lobster carbonara very nice pasta 30 seconds past a perfect al dente. The chocolate budino is a must if you’re a chocolate lover. The mousse part good but the flourless cake part was over the top excellent not overly sugary like many are. And sit at Paul’s table a professional friendly great guy.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

We had high hopes for this restaurant and were truly disappointed by the experience. My boyfriend and I visited on a Thursday evening around 7:30. We ended up leaving after 40 minutes due to the poor service (at which point we still had not even placed a drink order). After we sat down, it took 20 minutes for our server to even bring us the drink menu, after which he was gone for another 20 minutes. The server was rude and patronizing when he did finally show up, and did not acknowledge the long wait. When we tried to place a food order, the server told us he had accidentally given us the wrong menus and disappeared again, at which point we decided to leave. We were looking to treat ourselves here for a nice date night, but we felt this experience was just unacceptable. We went to another restaurant in Rockland and had a wonderful time.

Atmosphere: 1

Service: 1

We ate several meals here while staying at the samoset. The staff were GREAT! Folks were pleasant and approachable. There is a bit of a lag with service, so don’t be in a rush if you eat here. We ate lobster, cuz when in Maine, eat lobster. Way over cooked, didn’t taste fresh. I would equate this restaurant to an Applebee’s or Olive Garden. It’s fine. Won’t knock your socks off. Cocktails great. Drinks on the deck, amazing. Breakfasts are also available and also just fine.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 3

Service: 5

The atmosphere at the Samoset was quite nice. I would not reccomend the food. I had the Saltibocca Chicken. It was a plain chicken breast with cheese melted on top. The wafers you get at church have more flavor. Definitely not worth 32 dollars. The bruschetta was just sad.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 1

Service: 2

We went for the Ice Bar thing they had going on. It was a good time despite the disastrous weather. The staff really pulled things together to make nit a fun experience.

Parking: There was plenty enough parking to park my large off-road pickup.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Lobster & Crab Ravioli, Flourless Chocolate Cake

Delicious breakfasts and incredible pizzas.

Kid-friendliness: Good breakfast options

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 4

Ate here quite a few times over Thanksgiving holiday. As a celiac I often struggle to find places I can eat. They have an extensive menu and understand issues like cross contamination. Everything I had was delicious. Highly recommend.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Love the Samoset. Usually the food is good. This was my first time trying their wood fired pizza. We were told by the hostess to find seats and a server would find us. When that eventually happened, you could see the light go out of her eyes when she asked if we wanted anything to drink besides water and we said no. I ordered the Margarita pizza and my husband had the burger and fries. We watched as the pizza was made right away and then sat under a heat lamp for 10 minutes until the server came with the burger. Burger was great, pizza was soggy, tepid in temp and had no fresh basil...just some pesto oil. Terrible, We were beset by flies the whole time we were there....disgusting..i kept wondering how many had landed on the pizza under the heat lamp. couldn't wait to pay the bill and leave, but we sat at the pizza counter with dirty dishes in front of us for over 10 minutes after asking for the check. Im a pretty good tipper...50-100% depending on service...too bad our server just decided were weren't worth her time...she got a standard tip.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 2

Service: 2

While in Camden, Maine, we booked reservations for dinner here. Absolutely Beautiful restaurant!! The food was OUTSTANDING!!! One of the BEST blueberry martini's I've ever had, too. We will definitely make plans to dine here again when in Maine!

The restaurant serves three meals a day, mostly to guests of the Samoset resort. The resort is spectacular, and the restaurant is capable. An Italian restaurant at a seaside getaway seems like an odd marketing choice, but the staff does a fine job. If the resort hosted a seafood restaurant, I think the place would be jammed. In any event, breakfast here is outstanding, and lunch is quite good. We didn't try dinner. If the weather is good, sit outside for the best views of any restaurant in the area.

Resort restaurant overlooking the golf course and then Penobscot Bay. Well-prepared dishes served by excellent staff. These are resort-priced meals, but worth the little extra cost. I need gluten free meals and they accommodated with a GF pasta that was very good. My wife's fish sandwich was superb. If you are in the Rockland area it is worth the drive out here for lunch.

Excellent spot to go have lunch and enjoy the views.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5