Reviews of Portofino's Italian Restaurant (Restaurant)

Joyce Weaver

The food at Portofino’s never disappoints and it was delicious last night. But the service was - disrespectful and bizarre. The primary server was attentive but patronizing and made a really inappropriate comment regarding a disability of someone at the table. Then the bus person yanked dishes off the table, reached over guests without asking, demanded tableware. I’ve never been in any restaurant (as a diner or a server) where the busing of tables was so aggressive, intrusive and disruptive. There are other Portofino’s in town. I’ll be going to them.

On Fire For Christ Movement Of The Holy Spirit

Food was so so so good. Waiter was okay could habe been a little bit more friendly and inviting. My wife and I just relocated from Florida and we are originally from New York so we know good food when we see it. I ordered the Salmon with chicken w/ Penne Pasta. This is a must have! We will be coming back again for sure.

Matthew Bowman

Great service and amazing food!

T A

I was served an alfredo dish with cream that had turned bad and they forgot to add the cheese. The ingredients in alfreado are cream and cheese. So i was served noodles in rotten cream....

Joe brancatto

The food was delicious. Decent wine selection.

Whitney Byers

Great service and awesome food. Once again everything was wonderful.

Megan Johns

Usually the food here is pretty good but tonight must’ve been one of those off night my waiter brought my salad with his thumb in there and messed up our order which is understandable nobody is perfect but when my check came they rolled in 18% gratuity and we were only four people two adults and two children so I decided to tell the manager because my waiters service was not pristine when the manager got to our table his name was Andrew he had the most upsetting attitude and looked down upon me and my family One of the things that upset me the most was that I told him we’re here often and I never get charged 18% gratuity and then he said that he’s been working there for 15 years and never saw me once but I’ve met the owner several times and one of the other waiters Sam which I highly recommend knows me and my family Andrew needs to have his attitude checked i’m probably not going to go back because of him and his attitude It cost me $116 for four people two adults and two children

Greg Allen

Wonderfully authentic Italian cuisine with very attentive service.

Jesse Barros

great service and fantastic food! prices may seem a little over the top, but overall great experience.

Betsy Brisendine

This place has the best fried calamari & their house salad dressing is wonderful (tomato basil). Highly recommend the mussels, any of their pizzas & shrimp dishes. Great wait staff too. The downside is you do pay for the great food, etc. Plan a special occassion though, won't be disappointed.

Ryan Blalock

Good food, good service b

joe karpovitch

Best pizza in town.

Valarie Wyatt

Portofino is a great family owned, authentic Italian restaurant. Simply the best Italian food in Charlotte! I've been going there for years and consider them the gold standard for Italian cuisine in this area. The bar and wait staff is friendly and sincere in their efforts to provide a great dining experience for patrons, as well. All around a great value for the price.

Sandy Weaver

Food ok...service not so much. Server was rude. Made fun of hearing impaired people (and I am hearing impaired). Yikes

Darrell Thompson

Always a favorite place...foodbis great and service is perfect.

Andrea Eisert

I love this place!! Cant go wrong with anything on the menu!

J Medina

Great food, very fresh, staff wonderful.

Yu-Hsien Ho

Great italian food. Can't remember what my dish was called, but it's a spicy seafood pasta. The pasta was cooked perfectly and the sauce had great flavor. Tried a friend's vodka shrimp pasta and it was amazing. Service was great and food priced fairly. Would recommend.

Kent Sajack

Food was great friendly staff great prices

Brian Gott

I love the food at portofino's. Very consistent, very friendly staff.

Azim Uddin

The pizza was sub par, I ordered white with spinach and margarita pies. both were not prepared correctly.. no fresh basil or fresh mozzarella slices.. both pies were drowned in processed mozzarella. I was a pizza boy and owned pizzerias, so I know. I told my waitress that the pies are not authentic, she agreed, but said its what they served.. As a business owner, I would have comped this meal, bring that the whole pie was left uneaten.

Joe Naglosky

Great Place for both Food and Service. Really, really good Italian

Nancy Lou

recommended by the hotel and for good reason. excellent pasta. service was attentive and pleasant. nice sized portions. outdoor seating available but it was just too hot out. definitely will visit again.

Millard McCluney

Good food, Large portions, good service

Melinda Johnson

Excellent service by Mark and great food!

Russell Allen

Best Italian food in Charlotte, hands down. No comparison.

Iris Berkel

Great ambiance, large family style servings, and tasty food. Parking is available.

Robert Mackey

Amazing Italian food at a great price. I love all the pasta and the chicken parmigiana. The chicken marsala sauce is a little runny for my taste which is disappointing, but every other dish hits it on the mark. Delicious desserts too!

John hale

Probably one of the best Italian restaurant in Charlotte. They have the best sauce but it does give me stomach some issues. I don't know why. but the taste always brings me back. Never had a bad meal which is rare for me to say.

Brandon Lighter

Like many people, I am often overwhelmed by too many choices. Thus, when visiting a new Italian/Pizza place, I typically order a stromboli or clazone, as you don't usually have to choose toppings. There is a default... These items are fairly standardized at both upscale and downscale places throughout the U.S., and are thus a favorite of indecisive people. Well, I just ate my first cheese-only calzone. No sausage, no pepperoni, no peppers. Just cheese. Now, don't get me wrong, I love cheese, but when you fill 10-in calzone with nothing but mozzarella, it's a little excessive. I have never gagged on cheese prior to today. I re-read the menu after my all-cheese calzone arrived, and there was nothing to indicate that this was the case. In fact, my waiter, who was very helpful, pointed out several other inaccuracies in the menu.

Woody Franz

Waitress was very helpful and friendly. Food was good. I had the Italian Trio and the lasagna seemed like it had sat for a while, but food was over all good for the price.

Ps J

Excellent food and service.

Randy Healey

Worst meal and service I've ever had. First and last time there for me! I ordered shrimp scampi expecting some good buttery garlicky shrimp over some nice pasta and what I got was a can of stewed tomatoes over pasta with no flavor at all. If I wanted a plate full of pasta and bland tomatoes I would've ordered that. The only thing good was the 6 shrimp I got and if it wasn't for them the whole plate would have been tossed into the trash. After the meal was served the server never came back to check on us and see if we liked our meals. The only time she came back was with the check. I've had better food and service at Olive Garden! As I said before this was my first and LAST time I'll ever eat there again.

B M

Good food at good prices with wonderful service

Lauren Prescott

Good family style restaurant . Very good cannolis!

David Whaley

The most horrible experience ever...Not only was the food not good the service was just pathetic. I asked for the Veal Sorrento but I didnt want the wine sauce waitress explained that I would be better with that sauce and not to mix it...My wife ordered the manicotti. Well it took forever to come out and then I notice it was chicken and it was dry unflavored at that. I informed the waitress she was already aware she actually stopped at my table...she knew the meal was wrong...20mins later they bring out my dish and it was slipped together the lady next to me ordered the same dish she said I am do glad I switched the wine sauce or mine would look like his...When I tasted it...YUCK! OVER COOKED AND TOUGH LIKE CHEWING GUM! THEY THEN CHARGED US FULL PRICE which we paid but asked why did we not receive some compensation for the untimely manner in which we were served...they gave us 5 dollars off...WOW NEVER AGAIN!

Karen Kline

The only Italian restaurant I will go to, rather eat something else if not able to dine there.

Ashka Raval

Service was really bad. They brought our food and it was very plain as well as dry. There was no sauce in it, so we asked her for some extra sauce.Still not happy with our meal, we asked for the check and we were not happy with the extra charges that had been made. We called the manager and he was very rude and unapologetic. In short, I wouldn’t think about going there again...

Amanda Ice

The food is absolutely delicious! The portions are fantastic, the selection is very authentic, in regards to Italian cuisine. The wine menu is also fabulous. It’s a nice upscale restaurant, and very easy to locate. I had a clam pasta in white sauce, and my husband had a seafood pasta in red sauce. The bread is fresh and tasty, and so are the salads. The best of all was the tiramisu! I 100% recommend it. It was as good as any in Italy itself ! 10/10 food, drinks and desserts.

Robert Milton

I have to give portofino's on Park avenue of 1 * the food was very bland I just very disappointed with the flavor of the food

Rachel C.

I'm from New York, so I know good Italian food. We were blown away. Charlotte is pricey, so we had no idea we were going to get such great quality for the price. Everyone was raving about how delicious it was before we even finished dinner. It's not a stuffy place, no pretention, but clean and relatively quiet despite being quite busy. Staff was attentive and everyone was happy with what they ordered. I don't visit often, but my family does, and I know they'll be back.

Joseph Lanman

Some great authentic Italian pasta dishes mixed with quality New York style pizza served with a side of warm bread and good service.

Alonso Rodriguez

Delicious!

adam burkovich

Mediocre Italian food

Shawn Yocum

Fantastic local place. Food and service the best!

Solange Reyner

Everything here is delish. I’ve had the gnocchi, pizza, house salad, calamari and pasta with meat sauce and have never been disappointed. Service is also always spot on.

B. Pink

Very disappointed during my last visit this past weekend. Rude waitress and the service was very slow. I was served cold lasagna. I am giving 3 stars because my daughter enjoyed her meal. We went to the one on Park Rd. After this experience, we will always go to the one in the Arboretum.

tiajuana troutman

Cute atmosphere. Food was ok. Lunch portions were a good size.

JILL KURTZ

Always get a great meal...love it

Andrew Vane

Great pizza and authentic Italian food. Service is better than in the past. Lasagna is awesome!

James Dionne

Consistent foods and service that is always top of the line. I have never had a bad dish!

Max Buckeyez

I wasn't impressed with the food here.

Jenny Ferris

Great food and service. Love this restaurant!

Dalton Stephenson

I've never left here hungry and the food is always good. The service can be very hit or miss though unfortunately.

Scott Parks

If you like Italian in the least bit, you have to eat here!!!! Amazing food and wonderful family run staff. At least they feel like family. The shrimp bisque was out of this world. The Shrimp Fradiavolo was perfect. Nice large portion and quality was 5 star.

Kieandra Coleman

Delicious food and great customer service

Tricia Jordan

Food is so good! Grab a large cheese pizza. You won't regret it!!

Kasey

1st time visiting and will definitely go back. The serving sizes are huge... be prepared to leave with amazing leftovers. Everything we tried was on point! If you're looking for some great italian food then make sure to go there!

Karen Sacayanan

We were introduced to this restaurant by my boyfriend’s mom. She loves this place because she’s used to home-made Italian food so her standards are pretty high. We always get the cheese pizza and angel hair pasta with normal tomato sauce. It’s a great place to eat! We have always ordered to go but picking up the food, I’ve seen what it looks like on the inside and it is very homey.

David Stollmack

I eat lunch at Portofino’s every Thursday and eat dinner there fairly frequently. The pizza and pasta dishes are delicious and very reasonably priced!

Teresa Stewart

Shared a wonderful Birthday Dinner

Phil Williams

Well prepared food in a casual atmosphere. Friendly, attentive staff.

Daniel Speller

good, quiet place to do laundry. Open til 9:00 pm generally. Helpful attendants. #Shanda

Sheri S.

Went once with my sister. Pizza was ok but I ordered Tiramisu for dessert and it was saturated to the point of being soggy. Told the waiter & asked if I could exchange for cheesecake. Suddenly, a man from the kitchen came flying out & yelled at me in front of whole restaurant. He spoke broken English and loudly said I didn't know what was talking about. Wow! I will NEVER go back! Unbelievable!

Michael Proscia

Excellent service and food

carlos molina

It's not cooked by authentic Italian folks

Joli Moffitt

First time in this location and we had never ordered meatballs from there so we took a chance and wow was that a good choice! 7 orders of 2 meatballs...all fresh delicious and ready fast ( to-go order) and it came with fresh hot baked bread! The service was fast , friendly & helpful! Definitely recommend! We WILL be going back! The interior was very nice seems like a wonderful place for date night .

Dereka Gardner-Wolf

Not a big fan of the atmosphere but the food is hot, tasty and pretty fast

Josh Mandell

A real New York style pizza. The great variety of toppers were all delicious, even the cheese pizza was outstanding. If you are in the area i highly suggest making a trip out here, for dinner or carryout.

Levi Athan

Great Italian place. Love it every time I go

Devin Sallenger

The staff is kind and knowledgeable of the menu. Both times I’ve gone to this location with a friend and neither of us were dressed nice but we were still treated very well. The calamari appetizer is delicious, as well as the stuffed eggplant parm and pizzas! Love this place and Paul is a great waiter!

Jessi McCranie

Best Italian in Charlotte! The food and service is always excellent. Highly recommend

Brad Burns

Great food, good atmosphere, and a great all around experience.

Heather

Nice atmosphere, yummy food. The meats are tender and the dishes are flavorful.

Victoria Dashiell

Chef Geno catered a party for me. The food was abundant and delicious. This is my favorite neighborhood restaurant!

Nontas Georgoulias

Great atmosphere, servers were very kind and interactive with us

Larry Ramirez

Always a good meal. Specials never disappoint.

Ed

Excellent Italian, authentic.

Chris Schenker

Great food and service!

Paulo Roberto da Silva

I do not have adjective to express how good is this place. Fresh ingredients, delicious and very good service.

David Hocott

This was my first time at this restaurant chain and I chose the location on Park road. I was very disappointed. The waiter was rude. His facial expressions seemed like he was not happy with his job. We borrowed a chair from a nearby table and placed it at the end of our booth, to place our coats and purses on because the booth they seated us in was very tiny. The waiter had an issue with this and tried to give us some bull story about fire code, although he admittedly said he did not understand why it would be a problem when high chairs are allowed, but that he would not allow us to have a chair at the end of the booth. The whole encounter around this was awkward. The restaurant was not even busy, so there was no issue with being overcrowded or needing that chair for another table. The food was not terrible, but it was not out of the park either. It was very normal Italian cuisine. We asked for a small tiny container of extra dressing for a salad and the waiter mentioned that there would be a small fee for that. This was slightly irritating but we accepted that because we expected the fee to be small for a container that literally had maybe two tablespoons of dressing in it. When the bill came, we noticed they charged a $1.50 for that tiny container. I will not be returning to this restaurant chain, as I believe this is probably the case with all of the locations. When you charge your customers an enormous fee for additional condiment, then you either have a food cost problem, or you do not know how to budget your menu accordingly. That's just a slap in the face to your customers.

Arturo Montenora

Best Italian food in Charlotte.

Connor Clark

BEST Italian food in all of Charlotte! Reasonably priced, convienently located, great service, and authentic! What more can you ask for?!

samir patel

Very bogus service by waitress, mes up all orders, she never appolgise of her mistakes and even Manager came and he was most rude person I had ever seen in my life !

nicole 2015

Food was great.

Ann Russo

The best Italian food in Charlotte. Service is great too!!!!

Manal Mahmoud

I’ve been coming to this Portofino’s for years. Any time anyone asks me for a good pizza place this is my first and only suggestion. They make the absolute BEST pizza in Charlotte. Not only is the pizza great but the pasta is amazing too. You want great Italian food? This is definitely the place!

Tod Taylor

Awesome food and very friendly employees!

Kimberly Scarboro

Delicious! Pizza is huge, thin slices. Never greasy. Save room for dessert! Tiramisu is scrumptious!

Albert Lopez

Fantástic food and great customer service!

Eric Maust

Ugh. I just had the worst call-in order experience. Rude, snippy, not friendly in the least. Hung up before I even said thanks. I had never gotten food from Portofino's before. I definitely won't now.

Derek Eid

The place is great , they make delicious Italian food , my favorite is the Mediterranean Salmon , but everything else I tried was good , their prices are affordable and provide a great service, I highly recommend.

Joaquim Bojarczuk

One of those hidden gems we stumble upon here and there

Zachary Fizet

Absolutely incredible food and wonderful service. Would definitely recommend.

Zack Norris

Great food for the price. Service is quick and helpful with a comfortable atmosphere.

Jeff Abbood

Great little pizza and Italian place, casual atmosphere and friendly staff. Portions are huge, will serve two!

Glenda Maciejewski

Food was great service was great a nice place a little noisy and prices are 2 * not bad

John Coffey

Good food and service

Audrey Christen

Place was clean and nice, friendly staff and the price was okay. Calarami and bruschetta was really good. Portions were big for us and the bread they serve was good too.

Ken Hercenberg

Excellent eggplant parmesan and pizza.

David Amistadi

Absolutely wonderful stromboli. Great service!

Elsa Mata

Very good food. Staff is a bit slow though.

Jennifer Watson

Chicken Parmesan is AWESOME! Their homemade bread is also delicious -- hard not to eat a whole loaf :) Definitely one of the best italian restaurants in Charlotte.

Stephen Lucci

This restaurant is really great and the owner is super nice, goes out of his way to make things right if they do go wrong, which does not happen often. The food here is really good and the whole family can find something that they like because of the large Menu selection.

Matt Quinn

We split the chicken parmesan, buffalo wings, and pizza for lunch. Everything was great. The only slight downside was that the wings were more breaded than we had hoped.

Michael Todd

I don't live in Charlotte but when I visit I often come to eat here. A lot of flavor and a wide variety of dishes. A decent wine selection but nothing too expensive.

Jacquie T

Great fresh food !

Jeffrey Begeal

Great atmosphere, excellent service, wonderful food!

John Ackerman

Middle of the price range for common menu entrees of Italian cuisine. Not fancy but clean with adequate wait staff. Parking is available. Easy in and out. Carryout is available. Full, but limited bar selections. Price and quality make it a Good To Try Restaurant.

Megh Patel

Terrible service. We went to the restaurant with our friends thinking it was nice. The lady took our order and got our food. We had some restrictions, so we made it very clear about what we needed. We got our food and everything was messed up. She made everyone’s the same and it was very dry and plain. Then we asked for extra sauce. She brought the sauce, but then she charged us for it. We then talked to the manager who was very rude and said he is just trying to help us out by telling us that you were charged for extra sauce. We go to a lot of restaurants, but never has anyone charged us for a mistake they made. Actually, they take the charge off. All in all, terrible service. If you go there you are likely to have the same problem.

Alberto Andrade Rivaldo

Food is excellent. The server was terrible

Cathy Clark

The antipasto salad is really good especially with the house dressing. In warmer weather, the outdoor patio will be open - yay! You can't go wrong with the pizza or lasagna or Italian seafood or any of the specials. And the service at the Park Road location is pretty good too check it out! Quick menu for couples, singles, or families or groups

Ben Snyder

Friendly staff. Had the bolognese. They don't know how to make it. I wouldn't recommend. What you get is marinara sauce with meat. What a bolognese sauce is is a meat sauce with just a little tomato. It's a brown sauce, not a red one. I should've gotten a pizza instead.

Kim Taylor

We go to this location a lot and the last time we were there we had TERRIBLE customer service. Our waiter's name was Christian. We saw him maybe 4 times. To take our drink orders, to take our food order, to deliver our salads, and to give us the check. Wooowwww! The only ones helping us were the ppl tgat normally clear off the table. We wanted desserts, but at this point we were done. Clearly he didn't want to be there. I will make sure we don't have him as a server again. That's why you were lucky enough to get a 10% tip. He didn't even deserve a tip...

Tracie Boone

Food is always good but service was mediocre. Never had this issue. And the place was 3/4 empty

Asha Edmonds

The best fresh authentic Italian eatery in town. Must go and taste for yourself.

Vince Roche

The truck of food service delivery driver that the restaurant uses had my car and a bunch of other cars blocked in for 20 minutes. The driver was nowhere to be found. Even called the police until the driver eventually appeared like there was nothing wrong.

Riva Madden

The staff were very courteous and friendly. The food was delicious and the prices were reasonable

Shannon Lanise

Tasty and amazing service

Jon Bloom

Thank goodness for Google Maps or I never would have found this place it was clean the staff was attentive the food was really good at least since it's been forever since I had Italian. The place was moderately busy for a Friday night before a tropical storm / hurricane winds were expected to arrive. The staff did a good job of making sure I was taken care of and everything was good as well as help box my food up at the end when I left.

Brian Schweberger

Great pizza

Peter Hatheway

We waited over 10 minutes after being seated,at least 4 staff members walked by not even acknowledging us. My wife's menu had a top of butter container. Aftet not being served we walked out.VERY DISAPPOINTED

christina adkins

Excellent food and amazing service

Denise Cagan

I've eaten here before...food is ok, but doesn't wow. Their servers are attentive.

Paul Weigel

Service was great, food excellent. Had the fettuccini noodles and marinara sauce with mestballs, also a pizza amd both were done perfectly. Would reccomend Portofinos to everyone!

Kameelah Peaarson

The only place I buy my pizza ❤️❤️❤️

Deborah Phillips

I called in a takeout order for spaghetti with bolognese sauce -- it was perfection. And the side salad had plenty of vegetables along with home-made dressing. The price was more than reasonable.

Greg Loupis

I was in Charlotte taking a class and Portofino's was suggested to me by a local. I gave it a shot and was glad I did. This place seemed very busy so call ahead. Great Italian food.

Jessica R

We were in town for a graduation ceremony and made reservations for a large family lunch (13) on a Saturday afternoon. We were greeted & seated as soon as we walked in! They had coloring for the little ones and the menu was suited for ages 2 through ...well we won't go into that- but adults. (

Tracy Passaro

Chicken Gorgonzola was FANTASTIC!!!

juju edwards

Loved the food & service but had to sit outside in the heat

FRANK LIPPAY

Been here numerous times. Always good food, great service.

John Miller

Really good Italian restaurant! If your in the area try this place!

william monty

Great place for dinner and drinks best pizza in Charlotte. Their specials every night are enough for two people

Kathryn Pruitt

Always great food.

Brian Smothers

Good food little on the pricey side but good food

Elizabeth Goodwin

One of my favorite Italian places in Charlotte. An extensive menu with huge portions and delicious bread!

Deandra Alyse

I am disappointed tonight. I’ve been a customer for years and years but tonight was a big fail. I used to be able to switch out a side without any issues. Tonight I wanted to sub out the pasta for a veggie. I asked and he said I would have to charge you- and I said well I don’t want to pasta, so you would just not charge me for that then? And he said yes- and I said oh well does that mean the cost would be less? And he said no. So you were going to charge me. So anyway I ended up just having a bigger salad. My mother got the chef salad. Half of the lettuce had marks in it - that looked like fork marks, and no, not hers. There were also a lot of wilted pieces. When I let the server know, he did not try to rectify nor did he have a manager come over. When the bill came there was nothing taken off. What service is this? You’ve lost a customer.

Emmi Williamson

Everyone is so nice and the food is amazing and comes out fast and hot

Lauran Henderson

Great independent Italian restaurant. We eat here every time we travel to charlotte.

Melissa Denice

This is a good place to eat. I personally think their pasta sauce they use is a little bland. But staff is friendly and my family enjoys it.

Frida Loli

THE BEST PIZZA IN CHARLOTTE.

Brad Mattson

Shrimp parm and caeser salad were great, waiter was MIA quite a bit, $6 for a bottled beer is way too much for this casual place

Armando Assis

Great Food for a fair price. Plates are big, and on weekends for lunch it still includes a very nice break and salad. Two people can easily manage to have a nice lunch with one dish but they do charge an extra ($5 I believe) if you don't other a second dish. It is great food and worth visiting.

Robert Edwards

Great food, even better service.

James Morton

Best Italian in Charlotte. My favorite restaurant in charlotte. I've never had a bad meal here. The chicken parm, pastas, and even the pizzas are top notch. The staff is extremely friendly, and the prices are great. Portions are very generous.