22 Best Italian Restaurants in Portland

“Food & atmosphere was amazing .“

“Delicious food and excellent service! The focaccia, onion tart, and tagliatelle were all amazing and came highly recommended!“

“Outstanding experience at Leeward for my husband’s birthday. Burrata, focaccia, pasta dishes, and gelato were all superb. We sat at the chef’s counter which was fun. Service was also exceptional. Our new favorite restaurant in Portland!“

“Good food, good service, lovely“

“The food was amazing, it's hard to find a good calzone, especially one with ricotta cheese. Loved it! All four of us enjoy our meals, great service as well!“

“Excellent! We had the house salad … like no house salad I’ve ever had! Lots of goodies, super tasty and the large was plenty for two! My hubby had rigatoni carbonara. I had the crab raviolini. We also ordered bread service ($7 was a bit high).Rigatoni carbonara was very tasty but extremely rich. He wished it would have been cut with an acid for balance. My ravolini was perfect in flavor and size.We sat at the bar (not our fave but we didn’t have a reso). Stools were NOT comfortable. Bar/waitress (Lora/Lori I’m pretty sure that’s her name) was friendly and solicitous to us.It was great to be in a neighborhood (and not in the Old Port). We’ve driven by the restaurant and never been inside … glad we did this time. We’ll be back!“

“Walked in with no reservation, had called prior, and was told it could be an hour to two wait. We had our heart set on the prime rib, so of course, we would wait. Just before we left to grab drinks elsewhere while we waited, I asked the lovely ladies if there still is prime rib, a gentleman jumped in and asked what size and he would be sure to not on the reservation and let the kitchen know. We walked out blown away by this customer service. Sat at a bar across the street for less than an hour before we were texted that our table was ready. Upon arrival, the lovely hostesses showed us our seat. Our waitress came over sweet and super attentive. She asked us if we were still interested in the prime rib... how did she know! Great customer service. Come to find out, the communication with the hostess and waitress was impeccable. Again, blown away with the customer service. We were super pleased with our calamari and prime rib dish. Everything was so full of flavor. Come to find out, the gentleman who was kind enough to hold a prime rib for us was Steve Dimillo himself. All around, great experience and huge kudos to that team and owner for a all around fabulous experience!!!“

“Amazing place, amazing food, and friendly service!!! Casual dining experience, we had the Italian wedding soup which was amazing! Cannolis better than anywhere. I’m definitely going back!“

“Let me start off by saying the food is amazing and the sourdough is perfect. The host was nice and welcoming. My only concern would be the time it took for us to be seated. Took about 40 minutes, but I do understand that they have very minimal seating to begin with. Take it to go if you are hungry, if not wait for a seat to open up.“

“Great atmosphere and great food.❤️“

“Excellent fries, good burgers!We had the cheeseburger combo (2 cheeseburgers with fries) and the Hilltop burger.The fries were world class. Top fried, crunchy, super seasoned!The taste of the Hilltop reminds me a lot of a McDonalds BigMac. I think he had around 180-200g of meat. Also very good.The cheeseburgers were also good, but they lacked sauce. I would recommend pickles, mustard and ketchup.“

“Small restaurant but really good food. Wait staff were excellent. Reservations needed most nights, I suspect. Some reviews suggested some dishes weren't good, but we enjoyed everything. Food was hot, flavorful, cooked properly, and a good value.“

“The food is awesome and for those that are not willing to wait if they are making it fresh you are going to miss out The best Italians ever“

“I am sure Councilman Dion and Mrs Dion were just having an off night - my wife and Granddaughter and I had dinner on Friday night and my veal parmigiana was awesome and my wife’s asparagus and Gorgonzola ravioli was as great ! Jim our waiter must have lit the table candle 50 times for my granddaughter to keep blowing it out ! Brunos rocks !“

“Walked in with no reservation, had called prior, and was told it could be an hour to two wait. We had our heart set on the prime rib, so of course, we would wait. Just before we left to grab drinks elsewhere while we waited, I asked the lovely ladies if there still is prime rib, a gentleman jumped in and asked what size and he would be sure to not on the reservation and let the kitchen know. We walked out blown away by this customer service. Sat at a bar across the street for less than an hour before we were texted that our table was ready. Upon arrival, the lovely hostesses showed us our seat. Our waitress came over sweet and super attentive. She asked us if we were still interested in the prime rib... how did she know! Great customer service. Come to find out, the communication with the hostess and waitress was impeccable. Again, blown away with the customer service. We were super pleased with our calamari and prime rib dish. Everything was so full of flavor. Come to find out, the gentleman who was kind enough to hold a prime rib for us was Steve Dimillo himself. All around, great experience and huge kudos to that team and owner for a all around fabulous experience!!!“

“Overall it was a good experience. Ambiance is fun. Service was good. Drink was great. Mozzarella salad was great. I got the carbonara dish and the noodles were quite undercooked. The ravioli my husband had was quite good. So I would recommend it.“

“We dined at the corner room during our first visit to Portland after getting the recommendation from a Portland resident we were speaking with. It was outside of the waterfront area so we wouldn't have noticed it. It was excellent!! It's a small restaurant so we were glad we made a reservation. The food is Italian- homemade pastas and delicious. We started with the arancini and each choose the orchichette with sausage. We chose the smaller size dish on the advice of our waitress Leanna as we were staying in a hotel. The portions were so generous we ended up with leftovers anyway which we made fit in the mini fridge it was too good to leave behind! Leanna was great, her smile and enthusiasm added to our wonderful experience. If you are visiting Portland area for a few days give yourself a break from all the seafood and eat here, you will be happy you did.“

“Absolutely delicious pizza! My husband and I ordered the Sicilian pepperoni pizza. The dough was thick and fluffy and so filling. I wish it just had a splash more tomato sauce on it. Other than that, so yummy! We also shared a thin crust cheese pizza that was perfectly cooked and so flavorful. The pricing was reasonable and our waiter was super cool. Definitely worth a visit!“

“Eight of us had dinner at Maria’s recently to celebrate my husband’s 80th birthday. We have eaten here numerous times starting when they were located in Portland. The food has always been delicious (no matter what we have ordered) and the portions are extremely generous. We love the atmosphere which is relaxing, warm and so inviting. We have never felt rushed. The young girl who waited on us the evening of my husband’s birthday celebration was absolutely the best. I wish I remembered her name. I am sure if she reads this post she will know who we are talking about. She never missed a beat even with the craziness of our group. This is one of our favorite restaurants in Portland and we are so grateful that even with the move to a new location after so many years on Cumberland Avenue they continue to be wonderful hosts and still serve the best Italian food. A great big warm thank you to the owner and all employees. We appreciate all of your hard work and dedication to making sure everyone has a positive dining experience. I would love to post a picture of all of us enjoying a wonderful evening at Maria’s but don’t see where I can do that here. If you have not eaten here before, do yourself a favor and go have a great evening and enjoy delicious Italian food. Try the six course meal!“

“My dad and I stopped in for some food and we both got steak bombs, which were great! The meat was actually cooked right, and tender and chewy. The bread smells fresh like they just baked it! It was quiet and they even cleaned up around us and left us to chit chat well beyond closing and even then they were super nice about prompting us to leave!I will say though that I am extremely unsatisfied with the "Cookie-Whoopies" as the filling is more of a gritty sugar frosting as opposed to a soft & smooth cream filling. But, I think that really comes down to preference.Kid-friendliness: Kid friendly!Wheelchair accessibility: First floor & ♿️ accessible.“

“Fantastic food, great service, good value. Why go elsewhere when Amato's offers pizza, pasta dishes, and hot or cold subs.Parking: 5; total of 8 slots shared with another business at this location.Wheelchair accessibility: Two handicap parking spaces on opposite ends of the entrance and located beside ramps.“

“We stayed at the Westin Hotel in Portland, ME. The pizza was amazing and the service was great! It was cooked perfectly and had a nice crunch to it! No fork/knife needed.“