Bandaloop

Great service & meal! I had the scallops and pumpkin ravioli and it was absolutely delicious! This is a must stop if you’re in the area!

I asked the server to tell the chef to surprise me and the food was fantastic! I had braised tofu with rice balls and lots of wonderful veggies. Great sauce as well. Also had VG/​GF apple crisp and it was perfect!
Visited October 2014

I love farm-​to-​table restaurants, and considering that there’s maybe two «upscale» restaurants in all of Kennenbunkport (say that fast three times), we gladly made a reservation. It’s a bit hard to find as it’s tucked away in the back, but you can either find it on Cross Lane, or if you walk up the stairs next to the olive oil shop.
Loved the rustic setting and ambiance as soon as we were seated, but the table they put us at was so small we were literally bumping elbows. They were very accommodating when we asked to switch, so kudos to that. Unfortunately, the noise level was very high and made it difficult to have a conversation easily. It wasn’t really the patrons; something about the way the ceiling is designed seemed to just amplify noise. The adjoining dining room was actually pretty cool because they had a communal table set in the middle, so they can easily accommodate larger groups.
Settings aside, the food was quite good. We ordered the egg rolls, which were as good as everyone else described (but you have to love bleu cheese), and split a Kale salad and the ribeye. Everything was cooked to perfection, and even my vegetable-​hating boyfriend had to admit the kale salad was good. Drinks were plenty strong, and our waitress was very friendly, which made it for a much cooler dining experience.

Love all the seafood in town but sometimes you need a break. This place fits the bill. Nice, fresh ingredients, good variety on menu, chill bar. Very adult. Also very accommodating staff even though we had no reservations, we got a nice table. Timely pleasant service. Quesadillas were great as were their version of mac n cheese.

After reading the other reviews of this place we felt this was a good choice for dinner tonight… and boy were we right! Made the reservation for 8, showed up a bit before and tried one of the signature cocktails (goose rock gimlet which was the nectar of the gods) and took in the ambiance!
The bar was very small but it was well placed in the middle of the two seating areas. We got seated on the left side of the restaurant where the kitchen is. It was a cozy corner booth that was very comfortable and secluded. The kitchen was open and ran like clockwork.
The wait staff was excellent. They did not rush us, they gave food advice when needed, and were very very friendly. Top notch.
We started with the mussel which were out if this world good. I got the special halibut which was the best thing I have eaten all week (and that’s saying something). My girlfriend got the Mac and cheese with chicken and loved every bite.
We will be coming back and highly recommend this restaurant!

Here are the two things we heard about Bandaloop before coming to Bandaloop (which is incredibly fun to say… Bandaloop):
1. Local 18 year old scooping at ice cream shop: «You should definitely make a reservation. It’s pretty much always busy.»
2. Russian woman who owned a local beauty parlor: «Why you go there? Skeep theese restaurant. Get bloodies and tirameesu at other place.»
Anyway, we popped in around 5 and made a reservation for 7 (glad we did, because, yes they really were that busy). When we came back at 6:40, we told them we knew we were early, but they graciously seated us anyway. The warm décor and rustic atmosphere is very… cool meets sexy meets sophisticated meets accommodating. There were girl’s night out groups, dates, families. All felt like they belonged there. My one gripe is that halfway through our meal, two servers came over and without really asking us, moved our table to make room for people sitting to the right of us. It felt a little invasive and amateur hour-​y. And because they did that, the people to the left of us, when seated, hit our drinks/​me in the face with their enormous purse. Yikes!
Drinks:
Okay, I genuinely cannot remember what we had… I believe my friend had the Bada Bing (gin, cherries, and prosecco) and could only drink one because it was so strong. I had some lovely, garden-​y summer drink with cucumbers, limoncello, and prosecco; then chased it with a really well-​balanced red sangria.
Food:
+Bandaloop Egg Rolls ($ 9), caramelized red onions, walnuts, spinach, danish blue cheese, and a sweet & sour port wine/​balsamic reduction: you REALLY need to like blue cheese to like this, which I do, so YUM. It’s one of those dishes that what you think you’re going to get, you do. A crispy deep-​fried to golden perfection egg roll, filled with melted blue cheese, crunchy walnuts, and fresh spinach.
+ Avocado Mash ($ 8), lime-​wasabi vinaigrette, tempura nori, and a wonton: an Asian-​inspired guacamole, essentially. AND SO DELISH. If you like Asian flavors, guacamole, and aren’t a guac purist, you’ll appreciate this (and if you ask for more wontons — which you’re probably gonna need — they’ll give them to you free of charge). The tempura nori was a nice touch, not ocean-​y tasting at all, and definitely could be more prominently featured.
+ Vermont Cheddar Quesadilla ($ 11), salsa fresco, herbed sour cream, sugar cured jalapeños: it’s just a cheese quesadilla, honestly. It’s safe, it’s simple, but it’s still delicious. The salsa fresco and herbed sour cream were delicious, and definitely made it feel much more classy. The ONLY thing my partner and I wanted MORE of was the sugar cured jalapeños — they didn’t seem sugar cured at all, and we wanted that juxtaposition of flavors/​textures it would provide.
— Oyster Mushroom Ceviche ($ 11), sauteed Italian oyster mushrooms, marinated red onion, lime, cilantro, basil, tomato, jalapeños, and crunchy corn tortilla disks: think hearty mushrooms and lots of onions in fresh, cold Mexican flavors wrapped in a zucchini strip. Not necessarily my kind of dish, it was a little too one-​note for me, but I can imagine people really liking it!
+ Mango Ginger Carrot Cake ($ 8), served warm with lime cream cheese frosting and a mango coulis: what a fun take on carrot cake. The Indian-​esque spices were different and flavorful.
+ Sea Salt Créme Caramel ($ 8), served with a brown butter-​pretzel-​butter cookie: how can you not love a sea salt crème caramel that ACTUALLY features chunks of sea salt… delicious and silky!
Service:
Impeccable. The server was patient, thoughtful, accommodating, had fabulous suggestions, knew the menu inside and out, and genuinely loved working there (as she told us she had been there since almost the beginning and loved working for the owners). Just. Fab.
I can’t wait to come back here to show this place off to my friends. Maybe next time we’ll reserve a high top though!

As I write more and more reviews, I’ve realized that the things that sell me on a place (well, beside the obvious — yummmmay food!) are great service and never feeling as though I have overstayed my welcome. This place wins on both those AND had yummmay food!
My friend and I were playing tourist in Kennebunkport on a hot Sunday in August. While popping in and out of stores, we ran into a «local» who recommended we make a reservation when we said we were planning to have dinner here. So, we wondered over and made one.
When we returned just before our 7 PM res, we were promptly seated and our waitress greeted us. She was great right out of the gate! She knew the menu well and was prepared to answer all our questions, as well as share her candid opinions. She knew her stuff! Helps that she has been working there for a very long time (I can’t remember how many years, but it was a lot). We each ordered drinks while we continued to peruse the menu. Special hometown shout out: This place has a drink called the «Millinocket Mule»!! I still feel guilty for ordering the Prosecco drink instead… well, not too guilty. It was so good.
My friend and I agreed to share some dishes as that affords one the opportunity to try so much more! Always a good move. This night, we managed to share 4 «snacks» and 2 desserts. My kind of dinner! What we had:
Bandaloop Egg Rolls — stuffed with blue cheese, caramelized onions, walnuts with a port wine reduction. Umm — why can’t all egg rolls be this flavorful?
Avocado Mash — a fun Asian twist on guacamole. Why don’t we experiment more with those avocado based dips? Inspirational?
Quesadilla — Vermont cheddar with salsa, sour cream, and sugared jalapenos. This was good — but I wish the sugared jalapenos were a little more sugary and were inside the quesadilla, not on the side.
Oyster Mushroom Ceviche — mushrooms with herbs and tomatoes, onion, and jalapenos. This was a solid B+.
While I really wanted to try the scallops, I was feeling a bit full and really, I’m all about dessert. Thankfully, my friend humored me and we skipped a main course and went straight for the sinful. We shared a Mango Ginger Carrot Cake and a Sea Salt Crème Caramel. I loved both and wouldn’t be able to choose just one when I return. And return I will! Who wants to go with me?

The food was good, nothing wrong at all. It just wasn’t outstanding. But the noise level was so high that my wife and I couldn’t have a conversation. Would come back.

I look forward to eating at Bandaloop every time I visit Kennebunkport. Definitely my favorite restaurant in the area. The food and drinks are always very interesting (but nothing too strange) and perfectly prepared with special attention to my annoying dietary restrictions, though there is certainly plenty for the omnivores. It’s a sign of a great meal when even the rice and vegetables that come with most entrees are incredibly good. Go here. Eat all the food. Send me your leftovers.
Very friendly and attentive service too.

Bandaloop is kind of designed like that beach cottage you wish you had… rustic, exposed beams, intimate. It is a good date spot in my mind. Looking back, I think the bar is actually the coolest part of the restaurant and would be my choice if we came back.
The menu is intriguing and there were lots of things I wanted to try. I think the only thing that actually delivered on expectations was the mac ‘n cheese… definitely worth an order. The avocado smash tasted overwhelmingly like peanut/​cashew sauce and the dipping instruments were lacking. The lemon tahini in the kale salad overwhelmed it (almost like ranch dressing). My swordfish presentation was mediocre with a huge glob of sweet potato hash (looked like poo) and a ginger/​soy/​teriyaki sauce that lacked any spice and was overly sweet. It sounded delicious, but it fell flat.
The service is friendly but a little slow (it wasn’t overly busy). Overall I think that I would go back as it is charming inside, but I would just eat the mac and drink beers (good beer list).

I’ve tried to call and order take out twice during my week here in Kennebunkport and both times was told that the restaurant was too busy to serve me. I find that very disappointing and somewhat oxymoronic.
I’d love to try it, but with a small child take out is our best option. I probably won’t keep trying to get service here.

Get the wilted spinach salad, the egg rolls, and the mac n’ cheese. For drinks, get the mojitos with ginger beer. You won’t regret it.

Really can’t go wrong with a place labeled as farm-​to-​table. Food was both adventurous and delicious. Waitress, great. Hostess, not great. We got seated at the bar in a close-​to-​empty restaurant while the couple that came in afterwards got a nice table.
Was it something I said?
Good food, but call ahead. I don’t think the hostess likes walk-​ins on a rainy, slow, Sunday night.

I am a foodie and I have sought out and eaten in many fine restaurants. Bandaloop is among the best I have encountered in my relatively long life. My brother gets credit for introducing us to this restaurant with its exceedingly fresh farm to table ingredients and its remarkably imaginative menu. We began with their eggrolls that, as it turns out, were based on caramelized red onion, walnuts, spinach, Danish bleu cheese and a sweet and sour port wine balsamic reduction. As a born-​again carnivore, I was a bit dubious about this dish, but ended wishing I had placed an order just for me. We also shared an additional dish of oyster mushroom ceviche that was at least as delicious as the eggrolls. My brother and I had the sesame-​seared scallops with lemongrass aioli and tamari caramel accompanied by pickled julienne vegetables and perhaps the most delicious Basmati rice I have ever encountered. I could go on in detail about the various dishes but, trust me, it would only make you envious. I will add that the dessert was a special cake whipped up for my wife’s birthday that turned out to be based on fresh peaches, toasted almonds, ginger, and the wonderfully moist spice cake base. This was an exceptional creation and a remarkable conclusion to a remarkable meal.
I strongly recommend this restaurant to anyone who appreciates excellent food prepared in an imaginative fashion. The owner is also the chef and that gives you some sense of the investment made in the offerings. It is not an inexpensive eatery, but you’ll be dining off the memory of your meal for weeks to come.

Very nice and rustic modern ambience. Coming from Houston, we are spoiled with many different flavors and level of service. This place ranks pretty high in all the places we have been. I ordered the Creole Tomato Bisque and my wife ordered the avacado appetizer. Both were outstanding. I asked for some hot sauce and what came was a truly delightful, yet hot (habanero), sauce. My wife and I were loving it.
For the main course my wife got the the kale salad and I had the Mac&cheese since it was a strong recommendation from the hostess and our server. I was not disappointed and neither was my wife. Though just get the half portion as it is a filing meal.
Overall, Babaloo was a great experience and the food was awesome as well.

My husband, my in-​laws, and I had the best meal of our entire trip at this restaurant. Great wine list, cool ambiance, fantastic food. I ordered the swordfish entrée and hubby ordered the pork chop. Both were cooked perfectly, and the side dishes complimented them well. Wait staff was very nice. I originally ordered a glass of Chenin blanc, but it wasn’t to my liking (too sweet). I asked if I could exchange it for a glass of Sauvignon blanc, and our waitress said it was absolutely no problem! For dessert, we ordered the crème caramel and the brownie. Both were delish. Only complaint is that coffee was a little weak. Would definitely dine here again!

Perfect atmosphere, perfect drinks, perfect meals with perfect portions and entrees. Highly recommend the sesame seared swordfish special, the mussels small plate, and the crab cakes appetizers. They also have many other local eats and options. Five stars for sure.

Great food, drink and atmosphere! What more could you ask for? We had the kale salad, chilled carrot habanero soup special, salmon entrée and soft shell crab special… all were fantastic! The kale salad was standout! A must visit in Kennebunkport.

Very tasty option. We were here for dinner and had crab cakes, tri-​steak tips, kale salad with salmon. The crab cake appetizer ($ 13) was delicious, sauce was very flavorful and cake was full of crab without much filler (we had other crab cake elsewhere and it was tasteless froze pre-​made patties). My wife’s kale salad with salmon ($ 20) was cooked perfectly, fresh and tender. Lastly, the steak ($ 30) was also very good, seared perfectly, juicy and flavorful. Plus the nice atmosphere and friendly service, this is worth a return trip.

This place was recommended to us by one of the local shopkeepers. We were not disappointed at all! This place has great and cozy atmosphere, and amazing food. We started with tomato soup with sage and Brussel sprouts. For the main dish we ordered duck special and grilled chicken with goat cheese and sundries tomato pesto. Everything was delicious! Our server and host was kind and gracious and quick to serve us. I would definitely recommend this place.