DiPrima Dolci Trattoria & Italian Bakery

Wow. I have a hard time believing anyone from the East Coast could eat here and say its not authentic.
I’m a second generation Sicilian whose grandmother cooked everything from scratch. And she excelled in it. I grew up in the Boston area and had relatives in New York (Manhattan).
Best cannolis on the West Coast that’s I’ve had and I search out Italian restaurants. Pastries that remind me of sitting in the kitchen with grandmama.
I’m heartbroken to hear they closed as now I can’t take friends to experience the «real deal».

Fresh, autentico baked goods, a consistently attentive and generous staff, and a décor that brings Sicily to Portland make DiPrima a Killingsworth gem. This place was behind the transformation of an industrial area into a center of dining and drinks (alongside neighboring Mextica, Hop and Vine, Old Gold) and stays true to its original standards of quality. Unfortunately, DiPrima could not sustain their incredible dinners (complete with homemade pasta) in this neighborhood, but they still bring very solid coffee, superb brunch items, and at least a dozen varieties of cookies not found elsewhere in the city. Easily one of my favorite spots.

I have had the pepperoni pizza and the canolli … these people know their stuff … especially the cannolli … I am 25 miles away right now and just writing this makes me want to get in the car and go there right now !!!

CLOSED! I had heard rumors that Pat might close shop but hoped it wouldn’t come to pass. Sadly, it’s a reality now. Amazing bakery goodies (ah cannoli how I’ll miss you), bread, pizza, dinner on the patio in the summer, and mostly the warm welcome whenever we went in. Best wishes to Pat and her crew — hope to see you again in Portland!

Closed. :-(Were it so that the New Year reviews started on a happier note, but I was sad to learn this morning that Pat DiPrima has closed her bakery. We were just in around the first of last month to buy (the best) cannoli and Italian cookies. We stopped in every time we were in Portland once we discovered DiPrima and my Brooklyn Italian American raised hubby always such a happy guy to come here because it was, he said, like being in the neighborhood again. Pat is just the nicest woman to boot. She says she may open this again in a smaller place where it is a little busier for foot traffic, say news articles. Let’s hope so! In the meantime, had I known that cannoli from DiPrima Dolci I ate last month could have been my last for a long time, maybe the last period, I would have been more mindful with every bite. A good lesson overall for 2014 I think.

The pastries were yummy. I never had a cannoli before and so my hubby & I each got one. The have a small one for $ 3 and a large on for $ 4.50. I had the large one and found that it was pretty tasty but the smaller one would have been a better choice. Their savory roll was absolutely delicious! And they had a deal: savory roll and large coffee for $ 5! It really was so so tasty! Their bugettas (I think that’s what it’s called) so had a good and pleasing flavor to it. Oh and the coffee is really good too– we both had a second cup. The owner was friendly and very pleasant to talk to. The staff was warm and inviting– they even gave my little girl a cookie to take home, now that’s taking care of your costumers! We will definitely come back next Saturday and try some different pastries!

The thin pizza available for slices LOOKS delicious.
It is leaden and tasteless. It is chewy. Not in the good chewy way; in the «I’m not sure if I’m going to be able to separate this piece in my mouth from the main mass» way. After a few bites you’re kinda okay one way or another with actually getting your bite.
It also takes forever to be served. At first I thought they forgot about me then I realized that the order ticket went into queue with all the other food orders so it took the kitchen a while to just throw mine into the oven.
This place looks so awesome. I must resist its siren charms

Disappointing experience to say the least. The bread did not taste homemade, nor were the meatballs flavorful. The cookie we chose was not only incredibly expensive it was also very bland. The restaurant did not smell Italian, but the walls are painted with delightful scenes. The staff is friendly but very slow. My Italian friend says the country’s motto is La dolce fare niente — the sweetness of doing nothing. These people could benefit from some energy toward quality!

Oh man. An Italian lady from back east. Solid pizza and pastries and great service. Yeah. It rules.

«Leave the gun. Take the cannoli.»
Seriously though, the cannoli’s are awesome.

Since my favorite Cannoli stand has permanently closed I had a craving for one again. Their Cannoli is pretty standard not bad and not above average. Filling was alright they didn’t have any special flavor ones only the toppings like pistachio, cherry or chocolate chips. Tried a few of their other dessert offerings:
Italian flag cookies: They are very soft in fact so soft it crumble when I bit into it. I didn’t enjoy it. It’s a butter shortbread cookie and I’m more of a chewy cookie person
Amaretti Cookies: They taste ok, no much flavor just crunch like it’s been there for awhile
Almond Biscotti: It tasted different. I expect the usual almond extract taste but they don’t use it at all. They use whole almonds in this biscotti. Very tasty, wish they had ones not dipped in chocolate.
Sesame Biscotti: Tasted ok
Brioche: All their brioches are fantastic, even the day old ones (I made french toast out of them) Love the mixed fruit one too. They excel in their bread baking I would come back for their brioche.

It’s good, but I am ver disappointed to hear they no longer make their own pasta. It’s difficult to truly respect an Italian restaurant that cannot manage making an ingredient that consists of flour, egg, and water.
Continued from my tip (Copied above).
Let me start by saying the service was excellent, and I really do not want this to review to reflect poorly upon the staff. They had an excellent sense of professionalism, while maintaining a casual dining setting, and I applaud them for keeping up with a packed house while only two employees were on staff.
So why the low stars? It really came down to what was being served. You could truly tell that the chef was doing the absolute best that any of us could do with the recipe /​ingredients on hand. However the food came out with flavor as layered as plain oatmeal. Heck, at least oatmeal absorbs the seasoning that it is provided. The food which was presented to me was bland simply due to poor quality ingredients.
As I mentioned before the pasta is not made in house, which is very disappointing for a venue that positions itself as an authentic Italian eatery. This could easily be alleviated by purchasing pasta from one of the many local grocers (Pastaworks, for example), who do make fresh pasta. Instead they source their pasta from a distributor in NE Portland, and consequently the flavor is akin to WINCO dried egg noodles.
Moving away from the pasta itself the sauces are instantly recognizable as having come from either canned, or frozen, rather than fresh made. The taste is bland, overly tomatoey, and it would take an almost ridiculous amount of seasoning to overcome this flavor profile.
While the food was bland, I am glad to say the service provided a level of redemption when I dined here. That having been said good service is not enough to make up for a lack of quality food, in any restaurant.

This is a lovely, welcoming neighborhood spot. Italian fare includes a selection of salads, sandwiches, soup and pasta, and an assortment of beer and wine. Breakfast, lunch and dinner and a deliciuos bakery! I mean seriously EVERYTHING is made onsite and amazing. Cannoli ~ check, brioche buns filled with deliciousness ~ check, many delectable desserts ~ check, Zepolle fresh and hot once a month ~ check. Is that even possible? Yes.
Go in see Pat who is the amazing woman behind the scene and get a little local nopo love and something delectable for your mouth.

Came for the Sicilian pizza (the pizza they advertise and have posted all over their website), only to find they didn’t have any. Seeing as it was Sunday afternoon, a popular time for most restaurants, I was surprised (as were other patrons who came in looking for pizza and found none). Disappointed, I decided to get the Margherita instead. For a place that boasts itself as authentic Italian, I don’t know why they would have marketed the basic cheese slice they served me as Margherita. Still tryin to make the best of it, I could not even enjoy this plain slice because it has absolutely NO flavor, no taste, nothing. My two dining companions tried it and thought the same (one of them had the chicken Parma which was equally as bland, though the other had the meatball sub and did like it).
Service was slow, though friendly. The dolci case was nearly empty. It felt like we were there at closing time, but it was he middle of the day on Sunday. I was disappointed with this place and wouldn’t recommend it or return.

They get 3 stars for customer service.
I came here specifically for some black and white cookies. I had been craving them FOREVER, and finally got around to hunting some down. I had cheked the site beforehand, and seen that the cookies were $ 2.50 each. I purchased 4, and they were about to charge me $ 3 each instead. I asked about the price, and the owner said they’d been that way for awhile. I politely let her know that the website is out of date (Still is at 1840 on 10÷15÷12), and she honored the price for me. That’s good customer service.
The cookies themselves? I wasn’t that crazy about them. Those aren’t the NY-​style that I know, but… meh. Next time I will just bake a batch of my own. This place is pretty far out of my way, so I don’t think I will return anytime soon.

Wow. It had been a long time since my last visit. Don’t know why. It really isn’t that far away. Anyway this is the best cannoli in Portland. I actually ate this one as soon as I got home. I still have another sitting in my refrigerator. The shell will probably be soggy tomorrow, but that is ok. The brioche bun with mushrooms and mozzarella inside was really good too. I need to come here more often.

By far the BEST place to have brunch in North Portland.
They’ve just renovated the place and it is just as great as it has always been. I love the cozy feel and the legit Italian food/​espresso. There is nothing like it in Portland.
You feel like you are at your cool Grandma’s house. Eat some brunch, get some PHENOMENAL bread/​pastries or even order cheesecake. They also serve a fantastic dinner. We’ve been coming here for years and just can not say enough nice things.
Did I mention it is locally and family owned? Yep.
Go get you some and feel good about it!

What a delightful success story this place is turning out to be! For the past 9 years («nine and a half», the mgt. might correct you), this place has made its mark and won over so many loyal customers as a bakery/​bread/​confectionary shoppe. That all changed at the end of 2011, when they revamped the menu and wove a full Italian dinner section seamlessly into the mix.
Yes, this is my old neighborhood (or kissing cousins, at least), so I’m a little biased. But go ahead and name even one Italian restaurant in all of No Po that’s as good or better — – probably can’t do it, can you? What can you do — - No Po is flush in liquor stores and hawk shops and cantinas and bars. Above all, nowadays, No Po serves as a refugee camp for relocated, disenfranchised Hipsters and Hipsters-​in-​training from all around the globe. The low-​brow appeal of the ‘hood is seemingly w/​o bounds nor end, as these refugees keep coming, wave after wave after wave, even w/​the rest of us screaming «Divert! Divert! Go to Seattle, or Vancouver BC! They are WAAAAAY cooler!» There’s an undeniable charm to No Po, and that is precisely its strength! But Italian food? Not so much— not really at all. Not ’till now…
[I have heard from a particularly reliable source that Enzo’s on Alberta is top notch as well, and am awaiting the opportunity to give ‘em a try]
I just loved everything I’ve tried on DiPrima’s menu and can’t wait to check out more! Finally someone gets it with calamari! Light breading is much better than heavy/​greasy breading, but NO breading is the best of all. The steamy, tomato-​ey broth the calamaris were bathed in was rich and delicious as a stand alone entrée item. The soups, molto delizioso! None of that Sysco cream of mushroom soup stock in these mixes, betcher bottom dollar… and the sausage they make for entrée items and on their spicy, thin-​crust pizzas, oh man. you better call for back-​up, I may just need a gurney to leave this place…
When DiPrima hits the spot, then you know what you’ve got, ‘ats Amore…
Calling out the Spaghetti Factories, Mac Grills, Olive Gardens, et al: A scuola!!!

Yummy yummy yummy I got their latte in my tummy!
Italian donuts once a month — $ 1 for three. I like to take mine home and eat with fresh fruit or preserves mmmm!
I also like the fig tart.
blueberry ricotta muffins — bomb
This place is extremely habit forming.

I’ve eaten a few lunch items from here (pizza and paninis which have always been good) but I really love their spinach-​Pinenut-​Feta Torta. Their description is: A savory pie baked with spinach, eggs, cream, feta cheese and pine nuts in a flaky crust.
You must like cream and butter in order to enjoy this dish. I don’t even want to know how much of each ingredient they use because it’s more than is needed in anyone’s daily dietary fat intake. Once you start eating though you probably won’t even care about such things. The crust is melt in your mouth flaky and buttery and the pine nuts were a nice touch for added texture. What I really liked was the fagioli salad. (FYI the owner rotates the salad so the last time I went there they didn’t have this as a side item). In any event, their version had fennel seed (which tastes nothing like fennel) and their addition of red onions and celery added a nice crunch to it.
They also have cannolis and they are the traditional variety (not too sweet w/​bits of orange in them). You must have them with pistachios on the end. Do yourself a favor and buy your own desserts and forget sharing with someone. Their desserts are great. I’ve had a few of them (cookies, alpine cake, fruit tarts) but the tiramisu and cannolis are fantastic and I buy one of each everytime I’m there.

I’ve got neighborhood envy.
(not really cause Sellwood rocks)
But I do wish we had a place like DiPrima Dolci.
Fresh baked cookies, homemade Cannoli (no shells shipped across the country), affordable pasta, cold and hot sandwiches, a jovial owner, and a community meeting space. I’m quickly becoming a fan.
I’ve driven to Overlook twice in the last two weeks to eat there. My schedule makes it difficult to visit. So both times I ended up walking in just before closing (Lame, I know. Plus I still haven’t made it for their Thursday — Saturday night dinners).
It was love when upon entering the first time I asked the owner Pat if it was too late to get a Cannolo and she said «If you don’t mind waiting a few minutes for them to cool down, I’m making some fresh shells right now.» Right now? Seriously, I was stoked. Asked how I wanted it topped, I deferred to their expertise resulting in a ricotta filled tube dipped with pistachio on one end and chocolate chips on the other. One bite and I’d been transportted back ten years to a cold thanksgiving weekend, standing outside of Mike’s Pastry
in Boston’s North End enjoying a similar treat. I owe Kevin (Twitter: @gardenstatechef) for tipping me off about this place.
I week later I returned with my better half. As it was about twenty minutes before closing many of the hot items weren’t available, meaning I’d have to make a return trip to try the much praised Papa D Hero (Coppacolla, Genoa and Soppresatta salami, Provolone, Red Onion, Romaine lettuce, Roasted Peppers and Balsamic Vinaigrette served warm on ciabatta). Twist my arm. Instead we got a Mamaletme (Coppacolla, Genoa Salami, Ham, Olive Tapenade, and Provolone with Red Wine Vinaigrette on a hero roll) cold sandwich, a reheated to-​go Lasagna, a Cannolo (ofcourse), and some sort of special Mocha.
I like the food here, simple, light, not over-​done. The sandwich while unspetacular really shined in it’s generous portions of tasty meats. The lasagna, cheese was soft and creamy, not crumbly and dry, the sauce not over-​seasoned. The mocha was suprisingly smoothe and not smotheringly sweet. I’m still a cappuccino dude, but I stole more than a few sips. Sure I tasted just a fraction of the menu, it was enough though that I’m looking forward to trying more.
Where visiting Taste Unique feels like a trip to a small kitchen in Roma, visiting DiPrima Dolci is what I’d imagine it’d be like to visit a neighborhood Italian joint in Brooklyn (sadly I never made it to NYC while traveling up and down the East Coast). It’s got a great community feel and enough space to be a true gathering place.
So yeah Overlook, I’m jealous (sort of).
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