Portobello Cafe
| Address: | 4221 Hylan Blvd, Staten Island, NY 10308, USA |
| Phone: | +1 718-356-2233 |
| Site: | portobellocafesi.com |
| Rating: | 3.7 |
| Working: | 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–12AM 11AM–12AM 2–10PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 7
A
A Private User
Let me start by saying that for years I felt this was a wonderful restaurant, the food is well prepared, hearty portions, and the ambience is casually elegant. However, there are so many rules & regulations governing the midweek special pricing, they now have a full page printout detailing them. And you better ask to see it before youre seated, or you may have an issue or two! I have been witness to several incidents where patrons are up in arms about one thing or another, related to this. It clearly spoils the evening for them, and for me as well, each time I have to sit through another "debate" between patron and wait person. It was explained to me that some patrons had begun to take unfair advantage of the special pricing, ordering adult meals (at 1/2 price) for toddler children, then wrapping them to go - and I can understand why this would be frowned upon. But I myself have been there to have dinner, (3 adults at our table) - and I was FORCED to order a full dinner even though I usually just pick on an appetizer due to a restricted diet and simply not desiring a full restaurant meal. I was told I could not share, which is fine. But that I also could not order just an appetizer as my meal. Let me repeat I was FORCED to order a full entree, at full price, even though I wasnt hungry enough to want one. Yes we could have just left, but it was awkward, so we stayed. The other 2 people I brought there were aghast as was I. And during our meal we watched at least 2 other tables voice their disdain (loudly) over some of the many rules which arent posted or disclosed until AFTER you have begun your meal. What a dark cloud something like this casts on an otherwise lovely dining experience. Its perplexing, and hurts their reputation for sure. The lesson here: ASK to SEE the midweek rules BEFORE you order.
TA
Taylor Restaino
Brought my mother in law here today for her birthday. Their were 5 of us so we were going to do the very convienent buy one get one free menu. We were sat at a table all the way in the corner kinda near the kitchen which was fine and quiet. We were there for about 20 minutes when all of a sudden we heard screaming and banging coming from the kitchen. We were confused but just brushed it off. This screaming carried on for about 5 minutes when all of a sudden a man from the back stormed out the kitchen cursing up a storm and walked out. We all were shocked and didnt really understand. The place was pretty quiet maybe about 5-6 tables. We sat there still waiting for our food after that for another 15-20 minutes with no word from anyone about what was happening. Finally after waiting all that time we were approached by our waiter, (the only reason why I gave another star) CJ, who was very upset and felt terrible and told us that they wouldnt be serving food the rest of the day and were closing. We found out that the person that stormed out was the chef. Needless to say, everything was so unprofessional and for a manager/owner to not approach any of the tables was absolutely disappointing. Being there were only 5-6 tables you would think they would come around apologize and offer a refund or gift certificate to everyone but no.. just a "sorry were closed". A lot of Italian places are closed on mondays so unfortunately after looking around we had to settle for ordering pizza to the house. So disappointing. Thanks for making my mother in laws birthday special Portobello Cafe !
A
A Private User
WE WILL NEVER BE ORDERING FROM THIS HORRIBLE PLACE EVER AGAIN. THEIR FOOD IS HORRIBLE AND ALWAYS UNDERCOOKED. IF YOU LIKE RAW FOOD THEN I WILL SUGGEST EATING THERE. I found the following on a website from the owner himself... My name is Adam Lener, I happen to be the owner and Executive Chef of Portobello Cafe...Im sorry you dont care for my restaraunt...Everyone is entitled to an opinion but to say we are over priced i would have to disagree...If you were comparing my Rest to Mikes place than i would have to agree...But in life i have learned you get what you for.......I use the best quality seasonal products that I could buy...My Concept in Buisness is Quality, Quantity and Affordability..I base my buisness success on Customer Satisfaction...Without The Support of My Clients My Buisness Would Hvae Failed....If you have any questions or comments feel free to email me WE, AND MANY OTHERS, DISAGREE WITH THE ABOVE. HE DOES NOT CARE FOR HIS CUSTOMERS.
BI
bigbat469
Never again ! Me and my wife ate there quite a few times and the food was pretty good. This time I went the food wasn`t good and when I asked for olive oil to dip my bread in the waitress gave me a song and a dance that they have special olive oil only used for cooking. What a crock ! I even offered to pay extra for it but she would n`t give it to me. Some people have cholesterol problems and shouldn`t spread butter on their bread such is the case with me and my wife. I didn`t order a cheap meal I ordered appetizers and drinks I can`t understand why they would treat their customers this way. I was so angry I went somewhere else and ordered desert not to give him and extra of my money. Well you lost a customer that spends freely I`ll patronize some other restaurant that knows how to treat their customers.
JO
Joseph Bocchiaro
I visited this restaurant at least twice a month and enjoyed myself , never had a issue that made me want to write a review. My family and I decided to go to portabello cafe this particular night and I had a party of 7 people one of which included a 5 year ago child. The red haired women manger was so rude and utterly anxious that because it was buy one entree get one free night , she would not let me sit with my family and I was seated across the room like a stranger with just my girlfriend and I, with out my family all because this women manger . She has people skills and no business sense and absolutely no heart to do that to a family. I ask you, who does that ? Well at this place they do , so for a little savings I dont need that , Ill take business else where, where its honored.
GE
Gerri Friscia
We booked Portobello Cafe for a bereavement luncheon and we were so pleased with the service, menu, price, cooperation, and consideration from the entire staff. Having a child in the family with severe peanut and nut allergies makes it very difficult to trust eating out anywhere but the manager Ashley was so knowledgeable and competent and willing to go the extra mile to make sure the environment was safe that we felt comfortable AND well-fed! Everyone enjoyed the atmosphere and the privacy we were given to allow us to remember and celebrate the life of our mother. It was a soothing end to a difficult time. I would recommend Portobello Cafe for its quality and value. Thank you.
GR
Gregory Pernicone
Brought my 3 kids here last week for there 2 for 1 dinners which is cash only, no big deal to me. Well we had 4 very nice dinners, a bottle of wine which wasnt bad and a dessert all for $82 plus tip. For the price you cant beat it. We didnt come home with left overs but we didnt leave hungry. The service was also top notch. If you get the same portions when its not 2 for 1 then I would say its not worth it. They also had menus on I pads which they gave us when ordering desserts. I just wish they would have given it to us when we ordered our meals because it had more choices for appetizers to choice form and was much easier to read.
