Caffe Portofino

The atmosphere is lovely. The food is very good, though my chicken parmesan was a bit on the salty side. On the down side, we were a party of 6 and were given a very small bowl of very good bruschetta, which was never replenished. The side of pasta is very small, as was the portion of chicken parmesan, but that the waiter did not speak English made it difficult to understand specials and inquire about the menu items which lead to a less than satisfactory experience. I don’t expect this at a finer, more expensive restaurant in a nicer neighborhood.
Also, for others to be aware, this is not New York Italian, it’s Spanish Italian. We would go back if we had a server who understood us and that we could understand. It would make for a much more pleasant experience.

It’s been 7 years since I first reviewed this place and it is still our favorite restaurant. I’ve never had a bad meal here it is always a treat and the service is always wonderful! Love this place!

Excellent Italian cuisine with delicious appetizers, wonderful dishes and tasty desserts. A Neighborhood gem for sure.

I’ve been coming to this place for years and the food and service has always been top notch. Well I like it so much that I commissioned them to host my wife’s 50^th birthday celebration. An unforseen emergency that same day however made that impossible and management showed not only personal concerns but understanding and really left an even greater impression of this great establishment

Highly recommended restaurant. The food is amazing and the service is out of this world.

Never been here but I’ve read good things about it. Will update.

How on Earth this place has four and half stars is beyond me. Unilocal usually is on point, but obviously those who like this place have no idea what real Italian food is like.
First, the good. I want to say that the service was phenomenal. No complaints there. Actually, they have some of the best darn service I’ve received in a restaurant in a while. That’s about the best thing I have to say about this place though.
The ambiance is nice. It is a romantic setting, with dim lighting and linen tablecloths. The music was really low though, which was strange. I understand keeping music low so as to not disturb conversation, but it was so low it seemed pointless. The music should not be so low that I can clearly hear my neighbors conversation. Also confusing, was that they seemed to have a whole Celine Dion album on repeat. Seriously. That doesn’t affect my rating, but geez.
Now, the bad: the food. The food was bland. The quality of taste and authenticity could be compared to the Olive garden, AT BEST. Heck, I could have gotten tastier dishes at Olive Garden. All of our dishes were bland, plain, and obviously meant to cater to the masses. we started with the lobster bisque, which was watered down and too fishy. My spouse had the Champagne risotto with chorizo– it tasted like something from Chef Boyardee and it looked like it too. I had the Ravioli di Frutti; the sauce was the best part but wasn’t phenomenal, and I had a hard time telling what was actually in my ravioli, as it literally tasted like almost nothing. We were both extremely disappointed with our food.
The tastiest part of the food was actually the faux-​bruschetta served at the beginning of the meal. Though the bruschetta mix was good, it was served with regular dinner rolls instead of crostini – again, the Italian majorly lacked authenticity. It seemed like a poor American imitation of Italian food.
We skipped on having dessert. We were already too disappointed. And, then when I saw how much it came out to be for the poor quality of food, I was done. Mediocre food with an expensive price tag. We won’t be going back.

I was in the area and wanted to find an Italian restaurant. This place is amazing. Great décor and just the right size. The food is incredible. It rivals some of the best Italian restaurants I’ve been to in NY and DC. They also have a large selection of great wines from Argentina. If you are in the area, you should definitely go for dinner. You will love it!

I live a couple of blocks down from this restaurant and I’ve visited this plaza numerous times to either the Party City or the Ale House but I have never, ever seen this place until I found it randomly browsing for restaurants in the area with Unilocal.
When arriving you begin to wonder if the place will be too small, but as you walk in the door it feels as though you’re walking into the Tardis. Super spacious, great decoration, all throughout.
The food was pretty good for the area, the service was over the top. Some reviewer mentioned that it was too attentive for them and I could understand their point of view as it could be viewed as a bit excessive. I personally like the extra attention.
We had the Tuna Tostone and Fried Calamari as appetizers, Braised Shortrib and Quinoa Long Pasta a la Nonna as entrée. For the finishing touch we had a Dulce de Leche Crêpe.
The Tuna Tostone was six cuts of seared tuna on top of two squashed fried plantain and topped with lettuce and two different sauces. The Fried Calamari was fried to perfection and the marinara sauce that accompanied it was on point.
The Quinoa Long Pasta a la Nonna was a combination of pasta, cheese, mushrooms, tomatoes and some other stuff. The combination was good and tasted healthy (that’s a flavor nowadays, it stands for not overly salty or sweet) The Braised Short-​rib was cooked well and covered by gravy, it comes with a selection of either vegetables, risotto, or pasta. My wife thought it to be too salty for her taste but my dog loved it.
Our dessert was really sweet, but that’s expected of what we ordered. It tastes good if you’re into that stuff.
Overall, Caffe Portofino is definitely a hidden gem of the area. I would have never known about it without Unilocal. (Thanks Unilocal

First time, I ordered the Lasagna which is made with sirloin steak. It was delicious. The portion was plenty for one and okay for two. The staff was friendly and fast. The price was $ 23.00. We returned to eat in the restaurant several weeks later and our food experience was horrible. We ordered the crab cakes, lobster bisque soup and Risotto. The crab cakes were filled with rice and not much crab. The lobster bisque was definitely not homemade. The soup no lobster. It was thick and salty. I was not able to finish it. The Risotto was pretty bland.

Wow. So impressed by this place I’m tempted to not put anything up so no more ppl will know about it. What an amazing find! Dropped by for a quick Sunday afternoon dinner and it turned out to be by far one of the best Italian places we’ve been to. Had the carpaccio di Manzo as a starter and it was delicious, and as a main course I ordered the braised short ribs with champagne risotto and my wife ordered the chicken parmigiana, with linguini and a pink sauce instead of the spaghetti with marinara that is on the menu. Very nice and accommodating staff with the change we requested, and the we couldn’t be happier. The pasta and risotto were perfectly cooked, the sauces delicious, and the short rib well, you have to try it yourself. Dulce de leche flambé crêpe for desert was the perfect end to the meal. Now stop reading this and come eat here!

We have been here a few times and every time the food has been excellent! If you are not dinning early I do recommend reservations since they do get full fast. I must say this place is a hidden gem. They have the best ossobucco I have ever had. So good we have had to order it twice (we rarely order items twice since we love to try new ones). The blue cheese gnocchi is addicting as well. The hog snapper was on special and expertly cooked, if they happen to have it again you definitely must try it.
The service is ok but the amazing food more than makes up for it.

From the moment you sit down at Caffe Portofino, be ready to be transported to the era when restaurants provided 4– star service, and did so with pride and paid meticulous attention to detail. The wine list is excellent with an additional «Grand Cru» Captain’s list for those who prefer only the very best and brightest from vineyards around the world. The restaurant provides a classic European atmosphere for you to enjoy a leisurely 2 – 4 hour meal, according their scrumptious variety of scintillating culinary delights, the way dining out for an evening was meant to be. Caffe Portofino is a refreshing zephyr wind transporting you far away from the table-​turning competition sadly all too frequently the norm these days. I doubt there would be even a single mediocre offering to be found here. I can count on one hand the number of times I have had Veal Piccata anywhere close to the perfection that I enjoyed here. My partner Mike’s Champange Risotto was likewise enthusiastically enjoyed. Their unique flair was clearly evident in their astounding interpretation of Tiramisu. It easily ranks among my top five delights of all time. Everything we had was absolutely superior. The dining room service team was top notch and was a well-​oiled Dynamo.

I usually don’t review, but I was so offended by our recent experience at Caffe Portafino, that I felt like I needed to. My father wanted to treat me for Valentine’s Day, but in the Pinecrest area, so I chose this place because of the reviews. They only had the times of 5:30 or 10 was available, so I chose the early time. I arrived at 5:30 to an empty restaurant. We were there until 9: PM because service was slow, disengaged, and disorganized. There were many open tables even at 9: PM. What really upset me was they only offered a set menu. I had planned to take my parents someplace nice, but order moderately. We were not allowed to order a la carte, but instead were expected to take an appetizer, main course, and a dessert for $ 49. I would have been okay with it if the food offered and served was really good. We had the grouper and the lobster ravioli which were average. We had 4 different waiters that seemed dazed and they completely forgot to serve us dessert. My father and I both were sick to our stomachs all evening. I’m not sure if it was the food or the feeling of being royally ripped off on Valentine’s Day. I live in SOBE, so I’m no stranger to getting ripped off by restaurants, but I expected more from this one being in a residential area. The set menu was insulting, but could have been acceptable with higher quality options or a lower price.

This is the best restaurant in town.
Great service, great food, great wine, great ambiance.

Good service. Soup was delish. But food wss ok. I ordered ñoquis, the sauce was yummy but I was expecting the noquis to be homemade and they were not.

Good dinner. I had the special sea bass with a sweet potato purée and vegetables. The fish was cooked just right and the purée and vegetable were very good. Great wine selection as well. Service was normal.

If you’ve passed through and seen the sign and have wondered if you should try… I say go ahead! I was pleasantly surprised how delicious the food was and how consistent the service has been! Staff is extremely friendly and inviting! Must try if you are in the neighborhood!

Loved this hidden gem that a friend told me to try. From the moment we parked and saw the flickering lights outside, to walking in and being quickly seated to our quaint table, the service here is excellent and they are all about pleasing you and making sure your dining experience is top notch. I like how everyone is helping out, not just 1 waiter for your table. They bring you cold glass bottled water, fresh bread, and tomatoes soon after you settle in. I had the lobster bisque soup for an appetizer, and my husband had the portobello eggplant napolitano, both were very good. For dinner, I had the penne bolognese which was delicious, and he had the beef lasagna, which he loved. Everything here was perfect. I wish we would of had room left for dessert as it too looked really tasty. Next time!

I am writing my review as I am progressing with my meal.
The place is located in plaza.
Tables outside very nicely setup and welcoming.
Inside very cosy, nice bar, dark wood design, tables setup as in any very high class restaurant.
Staff VERY nice and professional.
Got my soup of the day. Sorry dont remember the name but it was a creamy potato soup. DELICIOUS!
Waiting for my chicken parm. My wife ordered Penne alla Venezia. Both looking good (look for photos). Delicious — nothing else to say.
⁵⁄₅ *