Girasole Restaurant and Bar
| Address: | 8438 N Lombard St, Portland, OR 97203, USA |
| Phone: | +1 503-954-1671 |
| Site: | sunflowerpizza.blogspot.com |
| Rating: | 3.7 |
| Working: | Closed 4–9PM 4–9PM 4–9PM 4–10PM 4–10PM 4–8PM |
Location
Photos 32
Reviews 9
A
A Private User
I have lived in two prominent pizza towns, Chicago and St. Louis, each with their own unique styles, and have worked at many many pizza places in my time making over five different styles of them, so I think I am a legitimate critic. I had this pizza for the first time tonight, "the Godfather." Some pluses and minuses were observed. The cheese, toppings and sauce seemed to be legit, of quality, and quite tasty together, but that part is fairly easy for any pizza restaurant to nail down. Somehow Portland has never never ever figured out that the crust is the most important part of the pizza, let alone that there are different styles than the boring New York/ Jersey / Italian ones we see everywhere around town. Hey Portland, did you know that Chicago, St. Louis and Boston each have their own styles too? Is there one place in this whole town that acknowledges them? Nope, so every new place just continues the same old limp crusted style. And dont you even dare try to tell me that Portland has its own style of pizza and Im just missing it. Anyways.....crust....Girasoles crust imparted some good flavor, but I suspect that they are either lacking the knowledge of how to make true pizza dough, or are trying to be creative hippies. They told me the dough only aged 6 hours (bad) and that they used a wood oven . They need to age the dough up to a day if they want those nice bubbles to from inside the dough when cooked on top of high heat, and if they are tossing their dough they need to stop that nonsense also, the best dough should be able to be pressed out and slightly stretched to get to size. pre-portioned, weighed out dough balls, oiled and put under plastic is the key. Tossing is for people that rely on show and not quality to sell pizzas, an so is the statement "fresh dough." Also, the meats should ALWAYS go on top of the cheese, veggies underneath. I like the sausage, I would normally use raw but this added some great flavor to the pie by being precooked. Hopefully they will take this into consideration because I live close and like great pizza!! Im just tired of seeing the same old thing in this town.....stand out!!! Id open my own place if I wasnt back in school so somebody better get it right!!
A
A Private User
Literally the worse pizza Ive ever looked at and tasted. First of all, I NEVER post reviews. I cant control myself after this waste of money. I ordered a pizza from Girasole for pickup last night, I live a block away. Thought I would try a new place. The owners pictures on Google look good, of course. So did the reviews (how??). Decided on the BBQ chicken pizza after looking up their menu on their website. Website said $17, girl on the phone said $18. The pizza I got was literally inedible. Paper thin crust, extremely light on the toppings. It honestly looked and tasted worse than any frozen pizza Ive ever seen. My girl looked at me and said order Dominos. I tried to eat the pizza but had to throw it out. How can a place like this stay in business? Of course I cant speak to the service since I picked it up, but the girl behind the counter was nice. This will be my only review likely ever because no experience will ever top it.
LG
lginpdx
Ive been here 4 or 5 times over the last several years and, overall, I dont think they are worth another visit mostly because of how inconsistent my experiences have been. I loved the bagels they used to sell, but they discontinued this and I lost interest despite their good coffee. Before they started making bagels, I ordered a pizza and thought it was no better than what I could get from the freezer section in Safeway for much less $$. The first time I had the tri-color pasta with pesto, sun dried tomatoes and olives, I really enjoyed it. The second time I tried it I was disappointed. There was too much pesto (which I never thought I would complain about, but it was just overwhelming) and the pasta was undercooked (it was beyond al dente). Last of all, its usually too noisy(child friendly) for my pleasure.
CA
campbekel
Sorry, I hate giving bad reviews for local places. Ive given Girasole several tries over the years, and it has mostly disappointed. The last time was the final straw. Family was in town and we needed a family friendly place (darn, should have gone to food carts). Read on their website that they had a play area, but evidently thats gone. We were literally the only customers there but our server was slow and rather rude and uninterested. As a former server I know we all have bad days, but we were your only customers, it wasnt cool feeling like a nuisance to your solitude. Food isnt very exciting, nothing to write home about. While i appreciate The live music, its often too loud for a sit down restaurant. The decor and ambience is cute tho.
RO
Robby Burney
Girasole Pizza has a great atmosphere #1. The colors, chalk drawings, and kids area are just amazing. They even have a table with Candy Land painted on it - talk about entertained while you eat! The waiters are well informed and intelligent. Best of all, the owners are frequently out and about talking to customers - really makes it feel like a home-environment. Food is good for sure. Pizzas are a little small sometimes, but their "Make Your Own" pizzas are a great way to pack in intense flavors into a small package. Price wise... a little on the steep end for pizza (like Pizzacato), but its a local place owned by local people. Im inclined to support it. Perfect for St. Johns.
TJ
Tj Johnson
Dear owner: You guys are so close.. I dont think you have an actual pizza chef and that kills you.. ingredients are great.. sauce is good..(could use a little more) but execution is lacking.. pizza is uneven not enough cheese spread evenly and pizza was a bit overdone leaving a denser, tougher outside crust and flimsy middle.. your pretzel aND jalapeno cheese is off the charts!! I will go back regularly for that and your staff is super friendly so you are going in the right direction you just need a chef.. thanks!!!
RO
Robin Wild
Came in for a beer and pizza, but after seeing the prices, we left after just the beers. Service was pretty meh, and we were the only customers. I appreciate that they utilize local grown meat and cheese in their pizza, but $18+ for a 13" pizza is a little too rich for my taste. And $19 for a Caesar salad made me choke. Suggestion, bring the prices closer in line to Kens Artisan and they might have people filling those empty tables.
GI
Gizmo Punk
Ok, this is tough for me because I firmly support fresh herb cocktails and locally sourced, wood-fired pizza..... But, with that said, holy cow does this spot need help. Servers are not trained on real-world sceneries, menu is priced at year 2020 price point and wow, there are just no words for how or why this business keeps on going. Succeed or let someone else come along to help is all I can say to management. God bless. -Wray
RI
Richie R
Our band played here the other evening for the first time and have to say we were really impressed with the place. The staff was super busy but still friendly and accommodating. They have a rustic homemade vibe going that fits St. Johns well and the pizzas and pretzel we had were done well in their wood fired oven. Only thing unfortunate was the crowd drank all the beer except for one tap by the end of the night!
