Wife disliked it, I loved it. Her spaghetti bolognese wasn't as good as that from Wine Cellar in LG; my beef tortellini was absolutely delicious, had some kale to take the oil off; she thought it was salty; and 5 minutes after we left, I had a crazy thirst which was quenched with water from Bianchini Market next door. I love the location. It was just too crowded tonight; she complained about slow service. True they were short staffed but all restaurants are doing this now :(
Dietary restrictions: very salty :(
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Briana
I'll start with the good: it's very convenient for us and a nice place to sit, inside or outside even on a cold February night we were still warm enough. Our server was very nice and the food was good. Now the bad: our drinks took >30 minutes to come and that's the main reason we went there, we only ordered soup which came quickly afterwards but 30 mins for drinks is kind of ridiculous.
Their pastas are amazing. The drinks were lovely. The fried brussels great. My short ribs were way over salted and the veggies with them over salted and drowning in garlic. We will be back but for trusted basics of rigatoni vodka and pizza.
SueBee
This is an excellent restaurant. So many wonderful food options - pizza, house-made pasta, excellent salads and entrees. Fabulous bar and thorough wine list. Outside seating is well covered by overhead awnings with plenty of heaters. I've sat at the bar by myself and felt fine. This is a hidden neighborhood gem!
Food was fine. Nothing great but not bad either. Italian is quite competitive so it has to be great to earn 4 or 5 stars. Very kind service people but it was exceptionally slow. My guess is they were backed up in the kitchen so probably not our server's fault, but waited a very long time in between courses.
Lorcha
Unfortunately, the restaurant was super noisy the night we went, and it was almost impossible to hear each other. we were a party of six and we had to shout in order to be heard. Maybe rugs could be put down on the floor because it's super loud with the high ceilings. The menus is great. However, my food came cold. Skirt steak cooked perfectly just cold as well as cold mashed potatoes. My entree was supposed to come with onion rings and it didn't so I mentioned it and they told me they ran out and brought fries instead. That was very nice for them to do that, but I think they should have mentioned it when I ordered because that was part of why I ordered my entrée. The tuna appetizer was delicious and the Caesar salad was so so. Hope this helps.
Unfortunately, the restaurant was super noisy the night we went, and it was almost impossible to hear each other. we were a party of six and we had to shout in order to be heard. Maybe rugs could be put down on the floor because it's super loud with the high ceilings. The menus is great. However, my food came cold. Skirt steak cooked perfectly just cold as well as cold mashed potatoes. My entree was supposed to come with onion rings and it didn't so I mentioned it and they told me they ran out and brought fries instead. That was very nice for them to do that, but I think they should have mentioned it when I ordered because that was part of why I ordered my entrée. The tuna appetizer was delicious and the Caesar salad was so so. Hope this helps.
Aditi Telang
The food is always very tasty and well-made. Service is rather slow, which can be enjoyable if you're there for a long and leisurely dinner. This is a good place for a family dinner or catch up with friends. The cocktails are also great - recommend the passionfruit martini.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Linda Xu
Not the same chef since Jan 2023. Food is not good at all. Feel bad for the restaurant in such a good location but food is no longer
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 2
Walter Chen (Walter Chen)
It's a hidden gem in the area. There wasn't too many people around even it's weekends. However, the food here is just excellent. I didn't expect the dishes are that good!
Had an excellent dinner with family and friends. Started off with a perfectly made margarita, and then fried calamari and heirloom tomatoes with burrata. The calamari was delicious with a nicely seasoned crispy batter, but my only reservation was that the portion was pretty small. I didn't try the heirloom tomatoes, but the other folks at the table really enjoyed them. For my entree, I got the lumache with pesto and sausage, which was absolutely delicious. Great pesto sauce with a hint of fire from the chili flakes, and the sausage was excellent. Pasta was nicely done with the exception of a couple of shells that were a tiny bit undercooked. Whereas the appetizer portion of calamari was fairly small, the entree portion of lumache was generous, and really filled me up. For dessert, I had the olive oil cake (based on other recommendations in reviews), and it did not disappoint -- moist, sweet with just a hint of savory,Lots of outdoor seating in a very pleasant shopping plaza. Waiters were friendly and attentive. Parking is not a problem.Overall, the restaurant is pretty pricey, but I came away very satisfied. A nice place for a special occasion or a date.
Parking: Good sized lot, shouldn't have any problems finding parking.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Lumache with Pesto and Sausage
Beck Orion
Super delicious, but also can be a bit heavy on the wallet. Great for celebrations.
Mike B
Terrible food and service ! Will not come
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
alterkocker
Portola Kitchen is a generally very good neighborhood restaurant. There is a fairly creative menu, and the wine list is pretty good. My wife and I split a grilled peach salad with arugula and a very nice dressing. She had a very bland pork chop for the main course and I had eggplant Parmesan. The sauce on the eggplant was outstanding but the eggplant was a little undercooked and tough. The ambience here is nice, and it is generally a delight to eat outside where there are probably a dozen tables. Inside is always quite noisy, so we always tend to avoid sitting where it's difficult to hear each other talk. 
Noelle
I’ve been coming here for years since it first opened. The food used to be delicious, however it’s significantly declined over the last year or so and especially the last few months. The quality is not what it used to be. I would always get the Lumache which was absolutely delicious…the last few times I’ve ordered it, it’s been lacking flavor and seems to be missing some key ingredients.The menu has not changed at all and it could use a refresh.Every time we order pickup it’s either substantially late or something is left off our order.Disappointing as this used to be a favorite restaurant.
Wife disliked it, I loved it. Her spaghetti bolognese wasn't as good as that from Wine Cellar in LG; my beef tortellini was absolutely delicious, had some kale to take the oil off; she thought it was salty; and 5 minutes after we left, I had a crazy thirst which was quenched with water from Bianchini Market next door. I love the location. It was just too crowded tonight; she complained about slow service. True they were short staffed but all restaurants are doing this now :(
Dietary restrictions: very salty :(
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
I'll start with the good: it's very convenient for us and a nice place to sit, inside or outside even on a cold February night we were still warm enough. Our server was very nice and the food was good. Now the bad: our drinks took >30 minutes to come and that's the main reason we went there, we only ordered soup which came quickly afterwards but 30 mins for drinks is kind of ridiculous.
Their pastas are amazing. The drinks were lovely. The fried brussels great. My short ribs were way over salted and the veggies with them over salted and drowning in garlic. We will be back but for trusted basics of rigatoni vodka and pizza.
This is an excellent restaurant. So many wonderful food options - pizza, house-made pasta, excellent salads and entrees. Fabulous bar and thorough wine list. Outside seating is well covered by overhead awnings with plenty of heaters. I've sat at the bar by myself and felt fine. This is a hidden neighborhood gem!
Food was fine. Nothing great but not bad either. Italian is quite competitive so it has to be great to earn 4 or 5 stars. Very kind service people but it was exceptionally slow. My guess is they were backed up in the kitchen so probably not our server's fault, but waited a very long time in between courses.
Unfortunately, the restaurant was super noisy the night we went, and it was almost impossible to hear each other. we were a party of six and we had to shout in order to be heard. Maybe rugs could be put down on the floor because it's super loud with the high ceilings. The menus is great. However, my food came cold. Skirt steak cooked perfectly just cold as well as cold mashed potatoes. My entree was supposed to come with onion rings and it didn't so I mentioned it and they told me they ran out and brought fries instead. That was very nice for them to do that, but I think they should have mentioned it when I ordered because that was part of why I ordered my entrée. The tuna appetizer was delicious and the Caesar salad was so so. Hope this helps.
Unfortunately, the restaurant was super noisy the night we went, and it was almost impossible to hear each other. we were a party of six and we had to shout in order to be heard. Maybe rugs could be put down on the floor because it's super loud with the high ceilings. The menus is great. However, my food came cold. Skirt steak cooked perfectly just cold as well as cold mashed potatoes. My entree was supposed to come with onion rings and it didn't so I mentioned it and they told me they ran out and brought fries instead. That was very nice for them to do that, but I think they should have mentioned it when I ordered because that was part of why I ordered my entrée. The tuna appetizer was delicious and the Caesar salad was so so. Hope this helps.
The food is always very tasty and well-made. Service is rather slow, which can be enjoyable if you're there for a long and leisurely dinner. This is a good place for a family dinner or catch up with friends. The cocktails are also great - recommend the passionfruit martini.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Not the same chef since Jan 2023. Food is not good at all. Feel bad for the restaurant in such a good location but food is no longer
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 2
It's a hidden gem in the area. There wasn't too many people around even it's weekends. However, the food here is just excellent. I didn't expect the dishes are that good!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Had an excellent dinner with family and friends. Started off with a perfectly made margarita, and then fried calamari and heirloom tomatoes with burrata. The calamari was delicious with a nicely seasoned crispy batter, but my only reservation was that the portion was pretty small. I didn't try the heirloom tomatoes, but the other folks at the table really enjoyed them. For my entree, I got the lumache with pesto and sausage, which was absolutely delicious. Great pesto sauce with a hint of fire from the chili flakes, and the sausage was excellent. Pasta was nicely done with the exception of a couple of shells that were a tiny bit undercooked. Whereas the appetizer portion of calamari was fairly small, the entree portion of lumache was generous, and really filled me up. For dessert, I had the olive oil cake (based on other recommendations in reviews), and it did not disappoint -- moist, sweet with just a hint of savory,Lots of outdoor seating in a very pleasant shopping plaza. Waiters were friendly and attentive. Parking is not a problem.Overall, the restaurant is pretty pricey, but I came away very satisfied. A nice place for a special occasion or a date.
Parking: Good sized lot, shouldn't have any problems finding parking.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Lumache with Pesto and Sausage
Super delicious, but also can be a bit heavy on the wallet. Great for celebrations.
Terrible food and service ! Will not come
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Portola Kitchen is a generally very good neighborhood restaurant. There is a fairly creative menu, and the wine list is pretty good. My wife and I split a grilled peach salad with arugula and a very nice dressing. She had a very bland pork chop for the main course and I had eggplant Parmesan. The sauce on the eggplant was outstanding but the eggplant was a little undercooked and tough. The ambience here is nice, and it is generally a delight to eat outside where there are probably a dozen tables. Inside is always quite noisy, so we always tend to avoid sitting where it's difficult to hear each other talk. 
I’ve been coming here for years since it first opened. The food used to be delicious, however it’s significantly declined over the last year or so and especially the last few months. The quality is not what it used to be. I would always get the Lumache which was absolutely delicious…the last few times I’ve ordered it, it’s been lacking flavor and seems to be missing some key ingredients.The menu has not changed at all and it could use a refresh.Every time we order pickup it’s either substantially late or something is left off our order.Disappointing as this used to be a favorite restaurant.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 3
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