Marco’s Restaurant

This was our first visit to Marco’s. My fist impression was sitting in a booth. The seat springs were worn and I sank way down and the front of the booth seat cut into my legs. I’m not a big guy so this shouldn’t happen. The second impression was that the finish on the table top was worn, kind of shabby.
We both had a side Caesar to start. It was okay, nothing good or bad. We also both had an eggplant and pasta special. The sauce I suspect came from can. It was too smooth to be made at the restaurant and we quite sweet, but otherwise no real flavor. The serving size as large and you won’t walk away hungry.
Overall, Marco’s is sub-​par on Italian food which kind of amazes me because basic Italian food can be done well with a minimum of effort.
If you’re thinking of Italian in Lewiston — Auburn area you should pass on Marco’s

Blehh! Lunch buffet was sorely lacking. Tasteless frozen meatballs, congealed Alfredo and frozen popcorn shrimp were among the more appealing entrees. Salad section was gross. Lots of crossover of ingredients and containers were topped off instead of replaced. Needed a good cleaning! No signage or tags indicating what the entrees or soups were, which would have been helpful since several were not recognizable.

This was my first visit to Marco’s and I was a little nervous, due to the mixture of both over-​the-​top reviews and those that were scathing. After circling the very large parking lot several times to find a space and then encountering crowds of people inside. I immediately discounted the most negative reviews. You don’t get crowds like that, without providing the public something it likes.
This is a big 275 seat restaurant, serving classic American-​Italian dishes. The space was purpose built after the original location was lost to a fire. It’s size and design make it a good choice for functions as well as dining as part of a large group.
I liked my meal, a combination of veal parmesan and shrimp primavera served on a large platter. The parmesan had lots of cheese and a crispy crust which I like. The primavera had plenty of shrimp and the interesting twist of diced pepperoni which added a lot of flavor to the dish.
So why did I give it 3 stars instead of 4? The food was good, everyone in my group enjoyed their meals and the staff were welcoming. Despite this, the service seemed disorganized. There were plenty of employees, they just didn’t seem to have particular assignments or the usual sense of urgency you find in a such a busy place. It took forever to get a drink in the bar not because of the crowd but because the staff were often off to the side chatting or milling about. During our dinner I was never asked if I wanted another beer or water. I would have liked both.
Overall, I enjoyed my experience. I wouldn’t hesitate to go back. However, if given the choice there is a similar restaurant in the area that I like better. Maybe it’s a Coke/​Pepsi thing.

Well I guess I have to give at least 1 star on here, though I’d like to leave ZERO STARS. The food was not horrible, but it also wasn’t great. However, the service was so disappointing and unprofessional (to say the least) that you can forget about the food completely. (My medium steak came well done)
We made a reservation and upon being brought to our table had to wait about 15 minutes for not a single staff member to come over and greet or check on us. Waiters kept walking by and not acknowledging us. I was the one who had to walk up to a random waitress to ask if there was someone assigned to our table. She did not apologize at all and simply said «yupp, there is.»
Every step of the dinner was a struggle. She told us there was bread in the oven for us but never brought it until we asked. The food came out right after our salads and the waitress decided to put the hot plates on the table even though there was no room.
In our waitress’s defense, she was trying to be friendly and seemed kind, but it just wasn’t cutting it.
I should also mention that our family was very cooperative for the 2.5 hours we were there and did not make any complaints.
As we were leaving, the hostess, as difficult as her job may be, failed to say goodbye or anything at all as we walked by and out. (The hostesses were also dressed for clubbing, and not for family style dining)
EVERY JOB IS IMPORTANT, EVERYONE SHOULD DO THEIRS WELL!
There was also some sort of drama going on between the host and wait staff, which should have been performed out of customers’ site (instead of in the center of the dining room).
In closing, I’m not sure whether to blame extremely poor management or the careless staff, but the service at this «restaurant» is simply abysmal.

This is probably one of the fanciest restaurants in Lewiston. Very upscale environment and amazing food. Best of all, despite being an extremely elegant restaurant, the prices are not outrageously high (my entire meal cost about $ 15).

Marcos is a great place to go for lunch or dinner. They have a nice little buffet that is usually well stocked but when they have large gatherings they seem to fall behind when ensuring the buffet area is well stocked.

Please note that this review is for the lunch buffet only. I hear that the menu offerings are pretty good; the buffet, not so much!
Marco’s is a Lewiston institution that has been open since the 70s. Their new location at the fairgrounds offers a bit more room but much less atmosphere than the old place on Lisbon st.
I went to Marco’s with a group of about 40 folks for lunch. We all dined on the buffet. It really wasn’t that great. Frozen meatballs, frozen shrimp, and a frighteningly colored Asian chicken dish were among the offerings. All were consistently bland and boring. They also had a crab soup that could have been pretty good had they not used imitation crab meat in it. I mean really? Imitation crab meat in a soup? You are located less than 45 minutes from the coast! Geesh…
I might be back for dinner some day but, won’t subject myself to the buffet again.