Nikanos Mediterranean Bar & Grille

Recently had brunch at Nikanos Mediterranean in Ogunquit & was thoroughly impressed, so I had to come back for dinner ASAP. I'm obsessed with Greek cuisine. The cocktails were stunning & delicious. We were served soft bread, & we also ordered calamari, flaming saganaki, & the trio of dips. Everyone raved about their entrees; I personally loved the lamb shank with feta mashed potatoes, pasta, & flatbread. Everything was seasoned to perfection. Can't wait to come back to try something new.

Nice area for dining during warm weather. At the time, we had a very skilled musician play guitar. It was relaxing and you felt you are on vacation. Food was OK. Not bad. Overall pleasant dining experience.

Amazing place with live music. The craft cocktails from Nick are outstanding. We just sat at the bar and had flatbreads. We will definitely be back to try more dishes.

We had a beautiful seat outside in the evening up at the highest table. With the strung lights overhead, this made for a very romantic atmosphere at night. I was really surprised at the reasonable price of the food and I thought it was good quality at that price point. We finished our meals and still had half of each meal to bring home. I would definitely stop here again.

Highly recommend!!! Best lamb shank I’ve had in years! Still thinking about it weeks later. Will certainly be back!! Everything was wonderful!

As a family of 6 we made a reservation and they were ready for us with a nice table, great atmosphere with a fireplace nearby. Our grandson loved his seafood pasta, my wife had the Pastisio which she loved. My special of the day, shrimp & lobster stuffed haddock with Asparagus seemed a bit dry and our daughter and her wife ordered salads as they are very vegetarian. The salads were fine it's just that there were not many vegetarian options. Service was excellent and we very much enjoyed our meal.

We discovered Nikanos this summer, and we’ve already been back three times! It’s the perfect spot for dinner before catching a show at the Ogunquit Playhouse. I’m usually all about trying new restaurants, but in a town filled with tourist traps, it’s tough to find a locally owned place that serves quality food at fair prices. Nikanos doesn’t disappoint! From the spanakopita and lamb meatballs to their famous pastitsio (think Greek lasagna) and moussaka, everything has been delicious. The drinks are a bit of a hit or miss — sometimes inconsistent — but I do love the fact that their cocktail menu is quite extensive. The service is fantastic, even when they’re packed. We like to give ourselves about 1.5 to 2 hours before a show to relax and enjoy our meal, and that’s always worked well. The servers are incredibly attentive. The vibe is totally Ogunquit! The outdoor seating is awesome during the summer and fall (they have heaters for cooler nights), and they often have a live band. It’s the perfect background music because you can still hear each other talk. I love sitting outside, soaking in the energy of the city. Pro tip: definitely call ahead for reservations since they get busy!

My second time visiting, and was not at all happy with the meal. The egg lemon soup was nothing like I’ve ever had. It was watery. There are a few pieces of orzo in it, and quite a disappointment. Yia’s Yia’s chicken was dry with little taste, the huge hunks of potatoes barely had any flavor, and the greens that came with a meal were inedible. The glass of Prosecco was good, but they were way too many flies for any kind of enjoyment. I barely ate the dinner, anyway, not sure what can be done about the flies, but definitely a disappointing experience.

We just had a large party dinner, and our server, Brady, absolutely killed it. The staff here was incredible, food was delightful and the space is perfect. Would recommend again and again.

I absolutely love this place! The food is authentic and delicious, the staff is friendly even in their busiest times and the ambiance is killer! Some of the best martinis in town

We showed up at 12, several tables were open. We were given one, but told we had to be out by 1 PM. We ordered immediately, food took a while, but we managed to get out in time. It was very loud, and the food was so-so. Had the avocado toast "vegan" by dropping the cheese, and the salt must have been in the cheese, as it was very bland. A bit surprising the chef didn't catch this detail. Overall, it is fine but nothing special.

I enjoyed the ambiance here a lot, the service was friendly and the atmosphere was relaxing where this is a mostly outdoors restaurant. The food is American Greek, it didn't seem traditional, where I'm used to Greek hole-in-the-walls. The food was good nonetheless. The portion sizes were small though, especially the amount of vegetables they serve with the skewers.

Great service. Good food. I was expecting a different kind of "salad" but loved the fresh cheese on the salad. I wish they would offer bread, we had to ask the server. Go for the mousuka and olives.

A not-bad Greek restaurant in Ogunquit and a welcome addition to the other fine dining places in town with some hits and some misses, so it certainly depends on what dishes you have. It was certainly hopping on the night we visited, so we were glad we made reservations, but even so, we had to wait 15 minutes before our table opened up (reminded me of the Seinfeld rental car scene "You know how to TAKE a reservation but you don't know how to HOLD a reservation"). At any rate, once we were seated, it was still a little bit tough to relax fully with the loud music blaring and difficulty hearing each other. We shared appetizers of: Oysters Onassis (excellent, will double up on these next time), saganaki (also good, with a nice crusty and savory bottom), crispy Ikari fried zucchini wheels (rather limp and disappointing), and warm mixed olives (very good and flavorful). I had their lamb souvlaki and found it to be a bit tough and bland - the accompanying sauces (tzatziki and tahini) didn't improve it. One of my daughters had the moussaka (also surprisingly bland); another daughter had the lamb shank (meaty but under-seasoned); my oldest daughter had the best entree, the lemon roasted chicken, which was flavorful and nicely crisped skin; and my wife had their Greek Village salad which she said was very fresh and tasty. We shared desserts of the galaktoboureko, Nikanos-style Greek donuts, and the seasonal fruit crisp - all of these were quite good, especially the donuts. I just wish their coffee stood up to their fine desserts ...

Great ambiance, lovely servers, and the food is just as good! Can't go wrong with their hummus plate, and for mains any fish dish is divine! I also loved the Pastitisio - yummy but VERY filling! Our server also recommended some great Greek wines which I've never had before. A must-visit if you're in Ogunquit!

Nikanos is a nice Greek restaurant with great outdoor setting and live music playing. We went during their happy hour time around 3pm with a group of 8. The menu selection was limited to happy hour specials but they were delightful and tasty. Spanakopita was a standard offering, but we have tasted better. Dolmades was good, dips & spread were excellent and the salad was delicious. Our server Michelle was friendly and prompt with our drinks and food. Loved her... a place we can surely visit again

Good food with nice portions. Our waiter was attentive during a busy lunch service even though he seemed to be the lone server. Easy going ambiance on a busy street where you can people watch or monitor the traffic! We will come back !

i'm a professional chef with two culinary credentials, and I sat at a table and waited till 5 o'clock to order food when people all around me had food. per waitress. Everyone had bread not me everyone had prompt attention, not me I feel discriminated against and will never go back. why treat me differently? no excuse Chef Mary Lawton Johnson, ccc, cepc

We eat here often. The food is authentic, prepared with care and the service is exceptional; and this is consistent. It is why we keep coming back. Some fabulous dishes that we love include: Grilled Octopus, Greek Village Salad, Mussels, Lamb Flatbread, Pork Souvlaki, Spanakopita!

Great food especially the lamb Schank and lamb Souvlaki. For appetizers try the mussels or the lamb meatballs both were great. The drinks are very good especially their special cocktails. Can't comment about dessert as we were too full from dinner. Service is a little slow, but you're on vacation, what's the rush. If you want a change from seafood, this is the place to go.

Amazing place Perfect hosts Perfect server Lovely authentic food Spectacular night and thank you all so much Great value too Michelle the server was great. Well Done it's great to have someone with the knowledge and zeal for working in a restaurant BTW the place was packed.

We had a reservation I made 6 weeks prior by phone, however when we arrived they didn't have it. Fortunately we did not have to wait more than 5 minutes for a table outside. We started with the traditional dips and the baked oysters Onassis, both delicious. We also had the grilled octopus, it was very good, however the portion was minuscule. Valerie's shrimp was very tasty as the Pastitsio. Ended with a complimentary dessert. We would definitely come back.

Concord, New Hampshire This is not authentic Greek by any means! I'm not understanding the great reviews of this restaurant it's definitely not a reflection of great food when we had takeout there! The lemon soup came with a big hunk of chicken, the length of the container, hardly a spec of rice and usually you carefully smooth in egg into the soup to give the lemon soup a creamy consistency, and you shred the chicken, this was a watery chicken soup mess! The baklava a soggy inedible mess not edible had to throw that away as well! Let's talk about the Spanakopita in which I make all the time! It was unpalatable, I don't know any Greek who uses Tarragon in Spanakopita it was very bitter, the herb they should be using is dill, Just gross! We called to complain got the wife on the phone I started going done the list of inedible food she was not having it put husband/chef on the phone who was so arrogant and hostile how dare you criticize the food arrogant! My husband tried to explain he is 100% Greek and this was not good Greek food and the chef/ Husband lost it shouting I'm 50% Greek and know Greek food! We hung up you can't put a food pallet where there is none! The positive reviews do not match up with the horrible food experience we had! They need to hire a trained Greek chef!! This by no means a great authentic Greek food restaurant.

Opa! Yassou! What more can be said. The Galaktoboureko is to die for. Best Greek food I've had in a while. Paul P

Amazing food. Great atmosphere. Clueless waiter. With "wait" being the operative word

We had take out priced at around $80. It was not worth it. The food was clearly reheated and not fresh. Overall without taste, the lamb was tough as old boots. Sides were not as listed. Just a very disappointing experience. Clearly the place is busy so the food can't be this bad all the time. Or did they just send out old food for takeout? Either ways. I'd avoid this place.

Cutest little happy hour spot, great drink deals and tasty little apps on special. They had live music until 5 and she was amazing. Loved the octopus, so tender and flavorful. Spanakopita was everything it should be, flakey, savory, buttery & stuffed with feta and spinach, yummy. Stuffed Dolmas were also a highlight. Can't wait to go back!

Like being in Greece and Maine at the same time. Specialty cocktails, amazing food, attentive service and live music. A perfect evening. I can't wait to go back!

We had a great Birthday dinner for my father here. The food was excellent and our server ( cute guy with long hair) was exceptional! Seemed like a locals spot.. Fun scene at the bar and a constant stream of folks coming and going. I would hit this place up again when we come back through town!

Our new favorite place to eat in Ogunquit! Food, environment, and staff - amazing, warming, and so welcoming. We'll be sure to eat here every time we're in Ogunquit. The food is so fresh and out of this world. Would highly recommend the Greek Village Salad, Steamed Maine Mussels, Grilled Octopus, Pasta Nikanos, and Braised Lamb Shank.

Delicious Greek food in Ogunquit with great outdoor dining options . The service was excellent and our waitress Andrea gave us the best menu recommendations. She was extremely attentive and helpful. We had the assorted appetizer plates and Brazzino which was amazing . They use the most amazing seasonings of any Greek restaurant I have been to and it was a fun variation on an off night from lobster!!

Mixed Bag: Pros: Good Service & Ambiance. Generous pours ( Angel's Envy & Woodford Reserve). Chicken Dish & Salmon Dish were both excellent. Cons: tricky & limited parking. had to back out on to Rt 1 after dinner. Any lamb dish is "market price" (huh?) Expect that for lobster dishes but lamb?Its a Greek Restaurant! Anyway we ordered two "market price" Souvlaki (lamb) dishes. Lamb was not top quality cut (gristle) and under spiced. Frankly I've had tastier & more tender lamb from any street meat souvlaki vendor in NYC. Vegetable spear was sparse & over cooked. Rice also had a weird taste. For $37 each, we expected the lamb souvlaki dishes to be much better. If you go to Greek restaurants for the lamb dishes, I'd definitely pass on this one

Best dinner in Ogunquit. Great ambiance, live music and food was on point. The service was amazing!

We have been to Nikanos three times now and the meals have all been fabulous! Last weekend we had the Sunday Brunch. The French Toast was especially good and we both thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Our waiter, Uros, was friendly and attentive and helped make our meal enjoyable.

For Greek and Mediterranean food, Nikanos continues to be my favorite place in the Ogunquit area. Every time I have dined here I feel like I am enjoying a nice meal with family. You become a part of the family when you are here and you can sense that in the friendly/personable service provided. Nikanos does a great job from a menu perspective in offering traditional Greek dishes while respecting the local Maine seafood and incorporating that into dishes. If you haven't experienced Greek food before, don't be intimidated there is something on the menu for everyone. As someone who grew up eating Greek food in my local community and extended family, these traditional offerings bring me back to my younger years. I would recommend some specific dishes, but after being here several times there are so many to try my list keeps getting longer -- Avgolemono Soup, the Greek Village Salad, Warm Olives, Spanakopita, Traditional Dips & Spreads (get all three dips!), Yiayia's Lemon Chicken, Pastitsio, Pasta Nikanos, and Lobster Athenian are all my favorites! Pick from any of these and you will not be disappointed. Nikanos has added their permanently covered deck that adds seating even on inclement weather days. They also offer live entertainment. Lastly -- try out the Sunday Brunch. Loukaniko sausage is on that menu which is something you will not be able to find on most breakfast menus! Be sure to choose the Greek Sweet Bread if your brunch item comes with toast. This is a place I can and do go to over and over again.

A little oasis in Ogunquit with great food and entertainment. Great Sunday brunch. Excellent service.

The place itself is a very nice venue. The hostess was extremely pleasant and clearly wanted to make everyone feel welcomed. Our main waitress (2nd waitress in training), couldn't have been worse! She more or less ignored us. I would've chalked it up to being busy but kept checking on the table next to us. We had to flag her down for our drink order then after giving us the one drink - she disappeared- she came back once to ask If we wanted dessert or the check- my husband wanted a second drink! We both ordered the pastitsio. It was a not made the way we're used to- they had spaghetti in it with a ton of cheese on top- no bechamel to be found. The rice pudding tasted like hard rice. It's really too bad because we really liked the venue and the hostess was super nice. The waitress in training was also very nice.

I'm writing this not to deter others from giving this restaurant a chance but in hopes of pointing out some failures that can easily be addressed. After a wonderful lunch experience some time ago, we returned for dinner service and were extremely disappointed. It's a great space run by a wonderful family but on this particular evening the service was absolutely horrific. After being seated we waited for what seemed like a lifetime before anyone came by the table to say hi before they quickly left. And we waited again for a ridiculously long time before someone returned to take a drink order and then again for another long wait for the drinks to arrive as we saw them sitting on the bar. By that time, we were ready to walk out but decided to stay given the good food reviews and the lunch we so fondly remembered. The problem was there were only 2 servers covering the entire inside and outside table. Therefore, the service was terrible which made for a very disappointing night out. It's all in the details and the difference between good and bad service has a great impact on any overall dining experience. Unfortunately, even the food lacked luster with a pasta seafood dish sloppily plated with overcooked pasta sticking together. Maybe it was just an off night... will give it another try and hopefully next time will be noticeably improved.

Service was great - our server was so friendly and attentive. We loved the open air restaurant and the fire pit. The portions are ridiculously small and not worth the money. My husband got the lamb kebab, and for $37 it came with one skewer of lamb, and a skewer of the tiniest veggies I've ever seen - they were literally cut into 1" pieces - and some rice. The same is true for my chicken kebab/veggies. We left hungry!

This new place is serving Mediterranean food with flare. Traditional dishes are fresh clean and have a lightness. Seasoned and cooked perfectly lamb souvlaki , w delicious rice and skewer of veggies great taziki, I would serve a smidge more. I tried my partners shrimp souvlaki, cooked perfect. Wines list includes Greece regional picks. We loved our dining experience here and delicious food. Cake special was great a light honey flavored cake ingredients included w olive oil and thyme, w Greek yogurt on the side and fresh raspberries, very delicious. Everything we had was very good. On this Saturday night a 3 piece instrumental played mellow tunes under their own tent making eating and drinking delightful.

Excellent Greek food good service very clean and organized. Greek salad with veggies and Gyro with lamb. Yum.

The food here was to die for, but truthfully I'm a sucker for Greek cuisine. Pace yourself wisely when eating so you can enjoy multiple dishes. It was so worth it. Make sure to save room for the dessert!

Great meal, service and entertainment tonight at Nikanos in Ogunquit. Started with the fried calamari and three dip platter. The bread and oil were amazing too! Our server was spot on and very professional. I will be back!

Love the food, nice cocktails and ambiance was really nice. Especially liked the Musician Bill Gearing (spelling?)

Absolutely fantastic! Great service, good food, awesome ambiance, and the live music was just fantastic! We went there for lunch yesterday and I ordered a custom wrap, which they were nice enough to make. However, I didn't end up liking it, so they let me order a different sandwich, which was delicious! Definitely got added to our list of favorite places to eat in ogunquit.

Great atmosphere. The calamari was excellent. Servings are generous. The waitress was friendly and attentive. I love the shady patio and the blue and white color scheme. Highly recommend.

This was the most overpriced dinner we've had all summer in Ogunquit. The service was horrible and the food left a lot to be desired. Six of us went for dinner, five of us didn't like our meal. I would have rather gone to a convenient store for dinner.

Cute, clean, no-fuss restaurant and absolutely amazing food that speaks for itself. Wish we lived closer, it would most definitely be a place we go very often!

We went to this restaurant with our family which included a toddler with severe food allergies and a 5 year old who was tired from a day at the beach. Our server, Andrea, went above and beyond to make sure our experience was wonderful. The food was delicious as well! Highly recommended

Not looking forward to going back here anytime soon. Very rude. Too busy to care about returning customers.

Stopped by for lunch after a long bike ride. The drinks were delicious as was our food. The service was outstanding.

Fantastic service person lead is to a wonderful experience. Quality food and good value. Lovely wines. Don't worry about sitting outside, the heaters keep you toasty.

Stop in for dinner, the food and drinks were amazing. They had entertainment which was nice. The band played the whole time and the dancer came out too. Had a great time

Arrived without a reservation but luckily the very friendly hostess was able to seat us. I would recommend making a reservation because this is a fabulous restaurant. The service was outstanding and the food delicious! There was entertainment the night we were there, Greek music and dancers. Our waitress was knowledgeable about the menu and wine. Try Nikanos!

Outstanding. The three dips were great. I had a scallop special with spinach risotto that was awesome ! Great outside dining.

It is 5/19/21 and we decided to come to Nikanos on a whim for dinner. Best decision! We arrived at around 5:45 this evening without a reservation. We were seated immediately inside as requested. The service was INCREDIBLE! Our waitress, Nina was so sweet and attentive. The atmosphere was casual and lovely. Very cute place. We ordered our drinks, appetizers, and entrees at the same time. We got our drinks immediately and our appetizer quite soon after. We had the Saganaki for our app. It was so good! The perfect sharing size for the two of us. Scrape off the bottom of the baked cheese - it's the best part! Right around when we finished our appetizer our entrees came! I had the Lobster Athenian which was absolutely fantastic. The pasta tasted homemade and there was a TON of fresh lobster meat. It was sweet and tender - cooked perfectly. My Nana had the Scottish Salmon and loved it! The salmon was cooked beautifully and the lemon tahini sauce was delicious! This place overall was fantastic. Definitely the place to go.

Where do I start? How about a blanket statement of how incredible the food was from start to finish. Every single appetizer and entree dish that was ordered was spectacular, the cocktails were both flavorfully created and strong, and service perhaps even better (hot tip: ask to sit in Michael's section, he gave us fantastic recommendations and had us laughing all night). We started with calamari, octopus, Greek salad, oysters Onassis and keftedes. Every dish was excellent and prepared to perfection. Then we got our main courses and the table was silent for a solid 5 minutes with everyone overly enjoying their meals. This restaurant may have been our best meal of the week in Ogunquit. Do yourself a favor and make a reservation!!!

Great atmosphere and location. Pleasant staff. Just beware to ask the price of MKT menu items. I was charged $50 for a lamb shank. I guess I should have asked, but common courtesy is to tell diner up front.