The Rusty Lantern
2282 Congress St, Portland, ME
Crema's Take
“The Rusty Lantern aims for the convenient grab-and-go vibe with drive-thru service and parking, but struggles with execution across both coffee and food offerings. While staff enthusiasm earns praise, customers consistently report disappointing value—overpriced, poorly constructed sandwiches, stale baked goods, and quality control issues that have included serious safety concerns. If you're in Portland seeking specialty coffee with reliable craft and care, this spot reads more as a convenient pit stop than a destination worth seeking out.”
What to expect
Google Reviews
While I am typically a regular customer at this location, I had a dangerous experience this morning. I ordered a breakfast sandwich and, upon taking a bite, discovered a piece of glass inside the food. The impact was hard enough that I nearly broke a tooth and sustained a cut to my cheek. I am unsure if this was caused by a broken fixture or an issue during assembly, but I wanted to bring this serious safety hazard to maybe look out for when you are eating their food.
I don't believe lobster rolls should be made and then set out to sell with an expiration date of a day or two after being made. Kinda common sense. The lobster rolls become soggy and the meat dries out and just doesn't taste good. They should be made fresh not set out for day or two. Store owners should of figured that out. Won't get many repeat buyers.
Food is over priced and not good. I spent 10.99 on a small one topping pizza. I think it was supposed actually be a breakfast pizza. It was hard as a rock. I was able to eat some of it but not all. Needless to say I won’t be stopping here for lunch ever again
Employees are awesome. I paid $26.00 for a 16-inch Hawiian pizza. Got a 19-inch Hawiian pizza for $12.50 at Market Basket. A very pricey place to eat.
I came in to get a sandwich and I paid almost $8 for 6 pickles 2 slices of lettuce and 4 pieces of meat. I don't know who taught the people at the deli to make a sandwich but they need to be properly retrained. This is the 2nd time I have come in and it wasn't make correctly. There was a woman there that was very nice and offer to try again card I politely declined because I don't plan on coming in to try you again. I pulled over and fixed my own sandwich. Also some of the attitudes of the employees really need to get checked. I shouldn't have to come in and made to feel like me buying gas is a bother in their day or night. I've had this experience more than once so it's safe to say that I won't be coming back the store. You can have a pretty new structure and have a wonderful pretty environment to come in and shop but if the employees or the management is acting as if it's a problem that customers are coming in then why would anyone wanna go there in the 1st place
Crema Reviews
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