Portofino's Italian Restaurant

Doesn't Recommend

sensato

Joined 2 years ago

The food was very bland! I ordered Chicken Marsala, and it was not served in a Marsala sauce. It was a reddish sauce, not what I have come to expect from Italian restaurants. The food is also very overpriced considering it doesn't come with a salad. We also ordered a Tiramisu to take home, and that too was a huge disappointment. The lady fingers tasted stale, the cream filling was tasteless, and you couldn't taste hardly any chocolate. All in all, the food tasted like it was made with cheap ingredients. We also went in with a Citi Pass coupon, and I grabbed it out of the book quickly when my husband said he wanted to try out this restaurant, and as was my mistake, I didn't read the fine print which stated that you could only use the coupon for take out! Many restaurants who put out coupons, will put that it is for dine in only because they will make more money off of kids meals, drinks, etc. We will not be making a return visit to this location!

Doesn't Recommend

JPinel

Joined 2 years ago

Portofino's needs to do better. Went there on Sunday for a good dinner this was our return to the restaurant after a long break because of poor service and the food was average at best. But we thought we would give them another try..Well, that was a mistake! Sadly to say the GREAT NY Style pizza has descended to cardboard and was far from its usual or expected quality, total disappointment. We advised the manager that we used to frequent this place often and told him of the poor experience......He laughed at us saying it is the same recipe he has used for 20 years. We wanted nothing in return just to advise what we felt so he can improve his service.

You can laugh at me but I will not be back for 20 Years! Sad, because this USED to be a good place for PIZZA and Italian food. Something is wrong...........don't waste your time and money.

Doesn't Recommend

chick28278

Joined 3 years ago

Not impressed. My husband and I went to Portofino this past Saturday and did not have the same five star experience others have. Our pasta was sopping in grease/butter and nothing special. Husband said shrimp tasted like frozen ones. Service was too fast, courses delivered on top of each other. And the atmosphere is more family than intimate, if that's what you're looking for. I don't plan on going back.

Recommends

Queen City Newbie

Joined 3 years ago

Nice Italian Night Out. This was the first night out for me and my fiance after moving to Charlotte, and it was lovely. The service was good and his suggestions were great. We order the stuffed eggplant special and alfredo dish with minestrone and salad with the tomato house dressing. The dressing was AWESOME!! I was even dipping my perfectly baked bread in it because it was so good. The soup also tasted homemade and was perfectly cooked. The dishes were fantastic, and large portions! Perfectly cooked noodles (al dente), the veggies were firm and not soggy, and nothing was too greasy or oily. The only downside was the shocking price of the

eggplant "special". With the items on the menu costing $11- $15, an eggplant dish being over $25 was a little unexpected. But it was a huge dish. I now know to ask the prices before ordering. With all things being said, I am planning to order one of their pizza tonight. I will tell you let you know how it goes!!

Recommends

officemom2

Joined 8 years ago

Best "real" Italian food in Charlotte!. The best in town is no joke. Everything I have had thre is wonderful - stuffed shells, meatballs, bread, Gorgonzola Chicken - to die for!! The service is great too. It is a little expensive for lunch or catering but in a pretty good range for dinner. When I move to a new town, the first thing I do is seek out a Good Italian Restaurant. You wouldn't believe how many people answer Olive Garden when asked that question. This is the place in Charlotte folks! Now coming back after answering the questions on the 2nd screen - It is a small place so unless your kids are very well behaved, I don't recommend taking them there. The parking is sufficient but be prepared to walk. Oh and large groups - again the place is pretty small so call ahead to see if they can accommodate you!

Recommends

tkat2008

Joined 5 years ago

Still good service, even without our server. I use to eat at Portofino's alot, but hadn't been able for a couple months until recently and I was really disappointed when I was told that our server for the past year and a half was no longer there. She was so friendly, and when she wasn't our server she was usually behind the bar or at times even a hostess. Regardless, we asked for her (Karrie) and was told she left in Oct. but were assured that the girl who would be taking care of her was just as good. Jaime did an excellent job, knew her wines told us the specials and was very friendly. The food was good as always and the restaraunt was clean as usual. Although we will miss karrie we have to admit that Jaime is just as thorough and still recommend going to Portofino's for the best service around.

Recommends

sweetiepie101

Joined 6 years ago

One of Charlotte's finest. My fiance and I were looking for some really good pizza and pasta and were told by some friends that Portofino's was the best in town. We went in on a Friday night and although we weren't greeted immediately by the host/hostess several other employees asked how we were and told us someone would be with us shortly. After being seated our server introduced herself and asked if we would care for something to drink. She immediately returned with drinks and some of the best baked bread I have ever tasted. Our food was just as good as we were told it would be and we never once had less than half a glass of coke on our table. After tempting us with some tirimisu....which was awesome, she promptly brought us our check, cashed us out and told us to have a great night. I would highly recommend this location to any one and would like to add to definately try the tirimisu.

Recommends

vegas04

Joined 6 years ago

Customer Service...thumbs down!. My hubby and i visit all the Portofino's in town. I have to admit i do love the food. Its great. Although recently bragging to a friend about how good the food was, we visited Portofino's on Ayrsley Town Blvd. The food was moderate but not fantastic like i had told my friend and the service was terrible. We sat for 20 min awaiting any service. We awaited another 10 mins for simple beverages. My friends dinner was not what she ordered and when she complained the waiter snapped at her, claiming she wasn't happy with the size of the pizza too begin with. ?????? Which i assure you was not the case. Plain and simple it just wasn't what she ordered. We spoke to the manager who brushed us off like he was condoning the waiters behaivor. My husband is in the fine dining restaurant business and i have to say that even for moderate dining the customer service was very poor and dissapointing. The next time i am to visit any Portofino's i will surely be reminding myself of this situation before i do.