Portofino Restaurant
| Address: | 526 23rd St S, Arlington, VA 22202, USA |
| Phone: | +1 703-979-8200 |
| Site: | theportofinorestaurant.com |
| Rating: | 4.1 |
| Working: | 11AM–2PM 11AM–2PM 11AM–2PM 11AM–2PM 11AM–2PM 5–10PM 5–10PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 14
AM
Amanda
My husband and I enjoyed Portofino for the first time this weekend. It was romantic, great service, quiet, and food was top notch. My husband said this is the best alfredo hes ever had. We went around 7:30 PM on a Friday night. Random information about the restaurant: I am not sure if reservations are required but we made them via Open Table anyway. Parking and entrance are in the rear. Portofino has a clear and obvious sign in front of their building. For our meal - 3 glasses of merlot, Gelato dessert, shrimp alfredo, clams in white sauce, and mussels - it was ~$85. Attire - there was a mix. There were individuals who wore suits and business casual. Not sure if they went to dinner after work or they dressed up for the restaurant. Others wore jeans but still presentable. I dont recommend coming into this restaurant with holey jeans and flip flops.
BI
Bill Tanner
Disappointing for a number of reasons: We made reservations for 7:15 PM but we were seated closer to 8 PM --- and to make matters worse, we were with out-of-town guests who had just flown in from Texas --- and who were anxious to have dinner. We had to ask for bread for the table, not a big deal per se, more annoying than anything else. Two of the specials were sold out and the meals that we ordered off the menu were, frankly, just so-so. To be fair, perhaps this was just a bad day. Final thought: Although the wait staff was friendly and acknowledged the delay in seating and the "loss" of two specials -- just seemed like they felt it was no big deal. All-in-all, as this was the first visit to Portofinos…it will also be the last.
A
A Private User
Portofino was recommended by the front desk staff at the Embassy Suites tonight during very heavy snowfall. Because the hotel shuttle was no longer running due to the weather, Mike, the owner of the restaurant, picked up my family at the hotel in his own SUV to shuttle us to and from the restaurant. The service was excellent, My father enjoyed his chicken marsalla, my mother called her veal stew with risotto (osabuca (sp?)"outstanding," and my wife and I both chose and very much enjoyed the mixed seafood (clam, shrimp, scallop, squid, etc in white wine sauce). Truly, the best Italian food weve ever had, and Mike was great to shuttle us on this record-snow night.
JA
James Daubney
Most of my friends know Im not a big fan of Italian cooking. For the most part anyway. This place was exceptional! From the wait staff to the food. The only reason I gave 4 stars instead of 5 was because it was a cool evening and the room we were seated in had fans blowing cool air on my sore neck. Lisa and I started with a salad which was fresh and tasty. Lisa had a wonderful lasagna and I had a perfectly cooked medium rare Kobe steak. My steak had some Italian seasoning on it but it wasnt over the top. After dinner we shared a tiramisu for Lisas birthday, and the staff sang happy birthday to her! Highly recommended.. Jim & Lisa Daubney
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A Private User
My wife kids and I were driving though crystal city and we tried this place by accident. We couldnt really tell if the place was even open you have to go to the rear to get in. It was one of the best meals we ever ate, a little on the expensive side, but worth every penny. We werent exactly dresses for a nice night out but they sat us just the same. Service was attentive but not overbearing. At the end of the meal I asked them to send out the chef to thank him personally. One of the best kept secrets in Crystal City, wish I owned stock in the place.
BR
Brienne Tierney
I thought this restaurant was great! The servers were very responsive, they had a nice selection of wine, and the food was delicious! The interior is a little old, but I found that charming. I will agree with the other raters that the bread isnt that great, but I found everything else made up for it. I had rockfish with vegetables and my hubby had the veal ravioli. We were both very happy with our selections. I also had the chocolate cheesecake for dessert and it was delicious! We plan on going back and definitely recommend it to others.
A
A Private User
We picked up an order to go. Very disappointed in all of it. The salad was very plain and tasted like a ready made kit from the grocery store. The entrees were bland but not terrible. The sliced white bread was incredibly dry and nothing special whatsoever. We ordered a Carmel dessert and tossed it after 2 bites. Really hoped wed found a neat place to try but we were left very unhappy and out $50 for 2 meals. :( Check out the Legal Seafood down the block that we had last night for the same price and LOVED.
ST
Steve Davis
My wife and I checked in to our hotel and walked down to this restaurant. We had made reservations on Open Table. The block it is in is filled with restaurants. We were seated promptly, service during the whole evening was exceptional. I had lasagna a menu standard, it was very good. I had a soup that was a special and it was very good too. We really enjoyed our evening at Portofinos, and had a pleasant walk to burn a few of the calories afterwards.
A
A Private User
I work for Marriott Hotel near this restaurant and I wanted to try their food. First impression was really bad. It was our anniversary with my husband. we sat on a table and waited for a menu for long time. The server didn’t seem to care; he just wanted to take the order and leave. The food was not that great. I’ve had better Italian food. They were only focused on their regular guests.
ET
Et Td
I highly recommend this restaurant.! I brought my brother and sister in law to this restaurant not knowing they were vegans!! They.were served the best pasta dishes with vegetables and all kinds of assorted stuff in it . They enjoyed it.. My meal was a salmon dish that was perfect.. The wine choice was great, the waiter and the entire staff gave us all the attention we needed..
DA
Daniel Holcomb
I brought a foreign delegation here for dinner on just a few hours notice. The manager graciously prepared a list of favorite dishes, which made ordering for a large group very easy. The food was fantastic and the staff was very polite and helpful. I highly recommend Portofinos for either an upscale "business" meeting or for an intimate dinner. Great job.
NI
Nicholas Partee
Very friendly staff. Busy on a Friday night but good service. I thought the food was just ok, however. Id call it closer to a 3.5 because of the non food elements I just want blown away by my or my wifes meal (fettuccine quattro funghi and linguine with white clam sauce). Fantastic bread, though. Very crusty with perfect chewy inside )
AN
Andrew Glendening
Unique. Youre basically dining in someones living room. Food was excellent and authentic. Sommelier was spot on with the wine choice. Dont remember the price, but it seemed fair. The owners son dropped by the table to ask about our meal. The actual owner stopped us on our way out to ask again. Nice touch.
LA
Larry Catt
Service was extremely slow, they did not take all party members orders,. They forgot drink orders and we had to actually ask to place our order 30 minutes after being seat. The food was okay, but nothing to write home about. I would not recommend for the area there are too many other good choices.
