Rustica Cucina Italiana offers a superb balance of traditional and eclectic Italian foods. Chef Stowe believes in using only the freshest ingredients, and insists on making as much from scratch as humanly possible. On any given day, the highly trained kitchen staff will produce house made-sausage, delicate pastas, handmade breads and sumptuous desserts and a myriad of stocks and sauces.
The wine list is well thought out and playful featuring all of your Italian favorites, as well as wines from around the globe. A great selection of beers on tap, as well as a fully stocked bar, is also available. Rustica has been chosen "The Best of the Best" for Italian cuisine and pasta by the community every year since opening their doors in 2006.
The wine list is well thought out and playful featuring all of your Italian favorites, as well as wines from around the globe. A great selection of beers on tap, as well as a fully stocked bar, is also available. Rustica has been chosen "The Best of the Best" for Italian cuisine and pasta by the community every year since opening their doors in 2006.
Services
We started Rustica in 2006 to offer the best Italian and Mediterranean food in Midcoast Maine. We do pizza, pasta and a variety of meat and vegetable dishes, all prepared to order from the freshest ingredients. John Stowe is a self-taught chef with a world of experience in the restaurant business. He grew up in Connecticut and at sixteen began his restaurant career bussing tables at a local inn.
Chianti Classico, Checchi, Italy - What could be better than Chianti and great Italian cuisine? Mojo, Cantina Ripani, Italy - High in the mountains overlooking the Adriatic resides this longhaired cousin of Chianti with a twinkle in his eye and a song in his heart. Barbera, Tre Vingne, Vietti - This world-renowned producer has created the perfect drinking wine.
Reviews (28)
Shane Mitchell
Jan 13, 2022
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Justin Griffin
Oct 20, 2021
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Gary Lee
Oct 19, 2021
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Rustica, in downtown Rockland has become our "go-to" restaurant for fine Italian dining. Right on Main St, this is an old school Italian restaurant with spectacular food. Tonight for our 26th anniversary my wife had melt in your mouth sliced bistro steak and I just can't get enough of their spaghetti with homemade meatballs. ...I know.. Anniversary, should have had a steak or something, but this selection is just too good. Everything on the menu is fabulous and prices are reasonable. Tracy our server gets mention here as she is the type of quintessential professional that often gets overlooked
Dawn Rocco
Oct 04, 2021
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Well, first we waited an hour to be seated after being told it would only be 15 minutes. Then we waited some more for our waitress to take our beverage order. We waited more to order our meal, then waited for bread, and yet some more for our meal to arrive. From the time we arrived until the time we departed, we spent about 2.5 hours there. Most of that time was spent waiting! The waitress never bothered to see if we needed refills nor did she bother to see how our meal was.
The ONLY reason I rated this place a 3 was due to the fact that our meals were very good. Sorry, no pics as by time the
The ONLY reason I rated this place a 3 was due to the fact that our meals were very good. Sorry, no pics as by time the
Lynn Johnson
Sep 30, 2021
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Terry Mumford
Sep 18, 2021
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Curious Virus
Sep 02, 2021
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Joan Frame
Sep 01, 2021
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Nice meal for 4 of us. Server gave us very good recommendations. We all had a nice meal including the beet salad, mussels, steak and spaghetti and meatballs. Chef had done a haddock a few years ago that was amazing. Hopefully at some point he will bring that back. Prices are very reasonable. Cannolis are amazing. Save room for that.
Madison Moore
Aug 28, 2021
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I gave 3 stars because I was a bit disappointed coming here. I kind of had higher expectations because it looked cute and has good reviews, but the second I saw how small the menu was, I was kind of shocked. The wine list was longer than the food list. Our waitress was sweet, but hardly checked in with us. I would've done 2 stars but our food was decent so that saved it a bit, although they forgot to put the chicken in my boyfriend's Alfredo. They did bring us some chicken for it later though. I don't know, I just wasn't impressed with Rustica, but I didn't hate it, so I chose a middle ground.
Annette Lorraine Young
Aug 11, 2021
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Pam Pearson
Aug 07, 2021
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Ceci Marquez
Jul 15, 2021
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This restaurant was AMAZING.
Riley , our waitress was so kind and a sweat heart.
My family and I ordered the tomato soup and it was the best one I’ve ever had. Definitely recommend this dish.
The Steak and Polenta pasta were extremely delicious too.
I’m definitely coming back here when I come back to Maine.
Riley , our waitress was so kind and a sweat heart.
My family and I ordered the tomato soup and it was the best one I’ve ever had. Definitely recommend this dish.
The Steak and Polenta pasta were extremely delicious too.
I’m definitely coming back here when I come back to Maine.
Jennifer Perry
Jul 07, 2021
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Richard Ruggiero
Jun 20, 2021
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Ceara P.
Nov 16, 2020
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Delicious food! My girlfriend and I got takeout from here. We got the Beet Napoleon and Calamari as an appetizer. Both good, the lemon aioli with the Calamari was very good! As a meal we got the Chicken Parmesan and the dish with sausage, fried eggplant and fettuccini. Both were delicious. The pick up process was very easy. I have not eaten indoors during the pandemic, but when picking up I noticed the restaurant was pretty full and some tables were close together making people closer than 6 feet.
Shelley B.
Aug 30, 2020
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Diane D.
Aug 21, 2020
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Emily D.
Jul 29, 2020
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I thought I would leave a review for this quite little Italian Restaurant. I'm from NY and have eaten lots of pasta, but Rustica's Penne Bolognese was the best dish I've ever had. The meat sauce was AMAZING, loved the texture and the flavor. The added spoonful of pesto to top the dish off was a great addition to the dish. 10/10, best ever!!! My family and I loved every single item we ordered
Vanessa E.
Jul 12, 2020
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Love this place! I have come here a few times and it is always great. They have a great menu that is small but plentiful. Vegetarian options are available, and taste fantastic. Last time I visited, I had the pizza. Open a little bit later than the other places in town. They are also really great about covid cleanliness, masks and sanitizer available. Bathrooms and clean and private!
Catherine Briggs Riley
Jul 10, 2020
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Heather Spencer
Jan 31, 2020
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Kai Pickerodt
Oct 16, 2019
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Kenneth H.
Aug 30, 2019
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Lovely little place on Main St in Rockland with a very pleasant and attentive staff. Had to eat alone because my wife was ill. I love veal saltimboca so jumped on their "chicken saltimboca". Oh, it is nothing like the normal dish I have been used to for decades. As you can see, it is rather a bowl of spaghetti c chicken cubes, cheese and bits of guanciale in a light cream sauce. I ate it, it was good but it was NOT saltimboca. Sorry.
Ryan Huffman
Aug 23, 2019
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Bill M.
Jul 04, 2019
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Pleasantly surprised by this place. Old converted store front in charming downtown Rockland, ME. Dinners between $18-$24. Nice portions. Lovely and attentive waitress (Kianne). Had the Fettuccine Alfredo w/ jumbo shrimp. Delicious. Many tempting items on their not overly-extensive menu (which is nice) that I am keen to return to try. Highly recommended.
Nicky G.
May 19, 2019
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Abigail S.
Jun 08, 2016
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If you are dining at Rustica, come with your expandable trousers--as others have noted, the portions are huge, and you can easily make another meal out of your leftovers. There's nothing like a plate of steaming pasta on a cold foggy Maine night. I know that substitutions can be irksome for the kitchen staff, but I appreciated the ability to substitute a tomato sauce in place of a cream sauce on the housemade cavatelli with spinach and chicken. The kitchen had run out of the complimentary table bread, and was instead doling out portions of a tasty seasoned flatbread--an upgrade, in my view
Jessica F.
Oct 13, 2015
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This place was excellent! Walked in without reservation, was seated immediately by nice hostess (it's a Tuesday evening, an hour before close).
Atmosphere was very cozy and clean. Looks like a restaurant you could dress up to, but everyone was casual.
The waitress was prompt in serving us our drinks, food, and bill. She was present without lingering. Was very professional!
I ordered the mussels ($10) from anti-pasta menu. My husband ordered the chicken Parmesan ($18). The portions were huge! The mussels are perfect for sharing with two or as a meal for one. They were incredibly flavorful
Atmosphere was very cozy and clean. Looks like a restaurant you could dress up to, but everyone was casual.
The waitress was prompt in serving us our drinks, food, and bill. She was present without lingering. Was very professional!
I ordered the mussels ($10) from anti-pasta menu. My husband ordered the chicken Parmesan ($18). The portions were huge! The mussels are perfect for sharing with two or as a meal for one. They were incredibly flavorful
