Portofino Ristorante Italiano

Was the best Italian restaurant in the Whittier area. The owner made you feel like family always hugs and kisses.

Does anyone know where Portofinos moved to?

So sad that this place has closed, but I had to share our wonderful experience.
My boyfriend took me here for my 25^th birthday not too long ago, and it was spectacular! From the table, to the ambiance, to the over the moon and back amazing service it was a night to remember. My linguine with clams was cooked to perfection as was my boyfriends chicken parmesan. The wine selection was perfect (they carry my fav wine) and despite having a party of 50 in the other room and every table full, they still managed to make us feel like we were the only ones there. Service was impeccable! And the crème brûlée was a wonderful final note to the meal. I am truly sad this location has closed because although I only went once in their last month of business, I would have come back over And over again!

I have been coming here for years. The food is delicious, the staff is extremely friendly and the ambiance keeps me coming back. I was just there the other night the waiter brought bread and water right when we sat down and said it might be a minute, but wanted to make sure we had something. This impressed me so much and made up for the wait to be seated. I can’t get enough of this place, it was sad to hear that they will be closing the end of February 2015.

We went to Portofino on February 13 to celebrate the 9-​month dating anniversary for my daughter and her boyfriend, and to celebrate Valentine’s Day a day early. My daughter’s first words were, «I love the environment! If the food is just as good this dinner is going to be awesome.»
She was right. The food was amazing. We ordered bruschetta and fried mozzarella which were out of this world. My daughter doesn’t even like cheese (she ordered it for her boyfriend) and she loved it. Our entrees were huge portions and the price is right. Very affordable, great ambiance, delicious food, and OUTSTANDING service.
Our server was so attentive and sweet. Checked on us often but was not annoying, and got us excited about our meal. We want to go back before they close their doors. They are closing soon because the rent went up and they are being asked to pay an astronomical amount and sign a 25-​year lease… so they are relocating. I am so sad! We gave them our contact information so they can tell us where they relocate.
We will drive to them wherever they go. Now my new favorite Italian restaurant.

I give this place 0 negative stars… I could not even get in… the blonde young woman who took my name so that we can be seated was very rude. She needs to learn people skills… and if she did that to me and my husband I’m sure she does that to all who enter the restaurant. I will never attempt to go to this place ever again.

This review is long overdue, I’ve been coming here for many years and most recently the day after New Year’s. I’d been here last summer and twice the year before. I hadn’t been here for several years and what I noticed immediately was that the place was practically empty. Since my most recent visits were at lunch time I thought maybe they’re just a victim of the economy. Well it was just as empty when we came for dinner on the 2^nd. I’m a creature of habit, I always order the same dishes here, LOVE the polenta, their yummy crusty bread, the salmon in champagne sauce, their home made fettucine… how many restaurants do you know that make their own pasta? Oh so good!

Been coming here for years.
Love the restaurant, servers, & of course the food.
I know they’re closing.
Hopefully they’ll find a new location soon.

This is one of my favorite restaurants! The atmosphere is inviting, with soft music in the background.
The food choices are abundant and very tasty! I especially like the homemade soups!
There are both budget conscious prices and options to choose an «extravaganza» for special occasions available!

The service was terrible. The old man who served us would not let us have what we want as a vegan i just wanted noodles with sauce but the one they offered only had chicken on it. I had to tell the old guy i didnt want the chicken on it and he kept saying he is just gonna put it on top and i can take it off. I had to tell him 3 times no chicken he just didnt get it. My friend wanted the sauce on the side and and he had to argue with the old waiter about that to. What ever happened to the customer is always right.

We drive by this place all the time and decided to give it a try.
Service was great. Ambiance was good except for the smell of some kind of cheese and old musty smell.
I had the chicken marsala and my wife had the seafood linguini. They were just okay for the price that is charged.
The chicken was dry and I needed to put pressure on the knife to cut it. The Marsala sauce was not marinated into the chicken but poured on top. The mash potatoes and broccoli were very good.
The seafood linguini was bland, hardly any flavor. It seemed as though the seafood was frozen and not fresh. My wife took a few bites and stopped eating it.
We will not be retuning back to Portafino. I don’t like giving bad reviews but these dishes are hard to get so wrong.

Amazing food, great atmosphere, the inside of the restaurant makes you feel like your in Italy. Server Jose is very knowledgeable and very nice, his service was 5 stars!!!

Baked shells were perfectly cooked. Bruschetta bread was yummy. Spumoni ice cream was missing the green flavor. Good service. They have lunch specials for $ 10 and comes with bread, soup/​salad, entrée, and ice cream. But you have to order a drink.
Good décor. It’s like sitting outside but indoors.

Awesome! Hidden authentic Italian gem. Went on A Sunday night. Wasn’t packed, but there’s plenty of off street parking. Atmosphere/​ambience was romantic and quaint, but lovely. Be prepared for large food portions. Girlfriend had Linguini Frutta di Mare and I had Tortellone in gorgonzola sauce. Even side salad and house Chianti was amazing. Highly recommended. Check their website in advance for a 20% off coupon.

Waiters were top notch, very friendly and attentive. The décor here is just so nice as well! Gives off a nice fancy feel.
On a Wednesday night they even had a band playing some old jams and people were dancing. Though there was a band it wasn’t obnoxiously loud so our party could still talk amongst ourselves.
Food was delicious! Ordered 3 appetizers, calamari a mixed seafood calamari like dish and shrimp in marinara sauce? All three were delicious and I don’t usually like calamari or seafood in general. I ordered the lasagna and that was just so good. I Love cheese and they sure but the cheese in that! Though I barely ate half because I was so full from the appetizers and bread.
For dessert we shared a soufflé and were surprised how fast it came out, apparently they have them ready to go so it only takes about 10 minutes. That was one of the better souffles I’ve had, not too sweet just right!
Now if only this place weren’t so far from me, I’d be a more frequent visitor!

On such a short notice, I had to arrange a family luncheon on a Saturday afternoon. I needed space that can hold about 50 people, and a lot of noise (I have quite a lively family… See what I did there? I called it «lively» to be nice, hehe) I started calling restaurants around the area and most were willing to work with the short notice, but none as accommodating and outright welcoming as Portofino Ristorante. In a week’s time, we sorted out a 3-​course sit down for 47 people, with a loose plan for table arrangement.
When I first inquired, I did have the intention of utilizing the private banquet room, but unfortunately it was previously booked by another party. The owner recommended the main dining room, which I hesitated to agree with due to it size, but ultimately accepted mainly because of it’s ambiance. The room is a bit more «classic» (see what I did there again? «Classic?» Heheh) in it’s décor but definitely nothing tacky. It retained it’s Italian theme without being gaudy.
As our luncheon began, the waiters, as busy as they were with two large parties, were more than helpful and accommodating; constantly in communication with me about how the lunch should proceed (when to start service, serve dessert, pour the champagne, etc).
Now onto the food: started with a house salad, which was ordinary. Nothing bad, but nothing great. It was served alongside bruschetta topped with tomatoes (very good). For the entrée, we selected their specialty lasagna for everyone, and cheese pizza for the kids. And let me just say, portion size: ENORMOUS. Each of my 3−5year old nephews had their own «personal» pizza, which is about the size of a medium thin crust. Needless to say, there was plenty. The lasagna was also a good portion and had great flavor. The best part was the dessert. The tiramisu was moist and flavorful, and was the perfect sweet bite to end the meal.
The best part of the entire experience was the affordability of it all. For a 3-​course meal (with 4 parts, and also includes soda, iced tea and coffee, I believe – not sure because most of our guests chose water), it was $ 16.99 + tax and 18% gratuity. Unbeatable! No hidden fees for the room, the extra cake and gift tables, and no minimum purchase. And what I found surprising was that, unlike other banquet facilities, our guests were allowed to take home their left overs just as they would in a normal restaurant.
Overall, Portofino was a great venue for the event we held. The owner and staff were easy to work with, and most definitely receptive of all our requests. I would highly recommend this place for a casual event, or even just for a nice sit-​down dinner around town.
(Ps. There is plenty of on-​site parking)

Was there again for a party, well organized, clean, good food, excellent service.
Bravo!!!

To be honest I was surprised at how good the food was.
The image I have had of Portofino’s was much lower, I know they have been there forever, but they are one of the restaurants that are in the «Entertainment Book» or other 2 for 1 coupon promotions. I have said before in several reviews, that those restaurants are in the book because that is the only way they can survive, they overcharge for their food, but then give 2 for 1 and it works out to the value the food should be anyway, or even still overpriced bad food.
Again, I am pleasantly surprised. I had fiorentina al pepe, it was delicious, I really enjoyed the peppercorn sauce. The bread is amazing. The only question is… is it a $ 28 entrée? Don’t get me wrong, the portion size was more than enough to share. In fact, most people leaving had to go containers to take half of it home. I have enjoyed much better steaks for around the same, or even less. Then again, coupon… take off the $ 7.50 and it is closer to where it should be. If I were to walk in not knowing about the coupons given freely, I would be seriously disappointed.
All in all, I guess if you have a coupon, it is worth going there, and if you need a coupon, they are on their own website for your convenience:
Unfortunately, the coupon is «Free Dinner of equal or lesser value UP TO $ 14.95» but the cheapest entrée is $ 15.95, so I don’t know where the free is. Same with the lunch, entrees start $ 1 above the «Free» coupon value.
They also offer coupons on their prix fixe specials here:

I think I may have came here on a off day.
Came on a Monday night.
Ordered a side house salad, chicken ravioli with creamy mushroom sauce and Magherita pizza.
Salad was average, a little too much dressing in my opinion, but I should have told them dressing on the side to begin with.
Chicken ravioli was a pretty big fail. The way the server described it made it sound of mouth watering. The dish came out with some generous portion of the ravioli. Usually they only give you like 5 – 6 pieces of big ravioli’s. I was so ready to dig in and I did. It was fairly disappointing to the bite. The pasta was obviously not handmade. It was store bough dough (or pre-​made ravioli). Both the stuffing in the ravioli and sauce were very bland. It was missing a kick to make the dish memorable.
Magherita pizza was pretty good. Hand made dough with fresh slices of tomatoes, still tender to the taste. Good portions of mozzarella cheese. Good price for what you get. The crust seemed like it could have been more fluffy (for the lack of a better word). Not the greatest I’ve had, but decent.
I probably wouldn’t be back unless I have a reason to.
Servers are nice.
Cute interior, very homey.

I just realized how sh! tty the pictures I took actually came out and was considering sparing the Unilocal world a review. But I figured a sh! tty pic is slightly better than no pic at all… maybe…so here’s my sh! tty review.
FIORENTNA AL PEPE
Just a New York steak with peppercorn sauce, actually pretty good, rich, peppery sauce and my meat was a nice medium rare…
sorry, the pic doesn’t do it justice but it was a nice cut of beef.
CANNOLI
I’m getting too old to write bad jokes about sucking cream out of tasty cylindrical tube like objects,. So I won’t. Let’s just say Paris Hilton would have been proud, that’s all.