22 Best Italian Restaurants in Portland

“Food & atmosphere was amazing .“

“Walked in for a seat without a reservation around 5:15 and the bar & chef tables were almost full already!! I luckily got the last single seat on the bar. The food was delicious, the lobster bucatini fra diavolo was one of the best pasta dishes I’ve tasted in downtown Portland. The chicken liver mousse was creamy and not super rich so I was able to finish a big serving of it. The tuna crudo tasted great, not spicy at all with the Calabrian chili. Server forgot to include the dessert tart on my tab so I sat waiting for it for a while. It started getting really busy close to 7pm so I understand the mistake. When I brought it up the tart came quickly and she covered the cost of it for the mishap. I would come here again for dinner. If it was with a large party I’d definitely get a reservation ahead of time.“

“Good food, good service, lovely“

“Fabulous service and fabulous food“

“Thank you for providing pizzas for King Middle School’s Winter Dance last Friday! The students appreciated it so much!“

“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!“

“Five diners in our party--aged six to sixty-five--all left stuffed and happy! Fantastic pizza, playful and delicious garlic bread, wonderful pasta, fabulous service. Highly recommend!

Kid-friendliness: A pizza option and a spaghetti option... what more could a kiddo want?“

“Solid Neapolitan pizza with both traditional and more creative toppings. The location is a bit bland with no distinct feeling or character. Food is great though perhaps a bit over-hyped to say it's the best in Portland as some claim. Overall a worthy addition to Portland's pizza scene.“

“Went for dinner, our first time trying this establishment. We were impressed with the menu and freshly made pasta! Had fantastic meals (party of four) with apps and drinks and desserts. Cannot praise enough the quality and care taken by staff both front and back of the house. Thank you for a spectacular time!“

“My favorite go to in portland. Always consistent and delicious!“

“We had a wonderful dinner there tonight and the food was perfect! Everything about it- chicken Parmesan with spaghetti -fresh grated cheese was so tasty !!! We highly recommend!!!“

“This was the first time eating at Maria's and we unfortunately came during a time they had an abbreviated menu. Having said that we did enjoy our meals, my husband had the rigatoni with marinara and a side of broccoli and garlic. He said the pasta was cooked properly but the marinara was a bit bland. He enjoyed it nonetheless. I had the shrimp scampi and it was perfectly cooked! The shrimp were fresh and scampi sauce was delicious!

Lastly we had their house made cannoli which was outstanding and I highly recommend it. Perfectly sweet, creamy and with just a bit of crunch.“

“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!!!“

“Great atmosphere and great food.❤️“

“I stopped by Hilltop to pick up some tequila and scotch, and the experience was fantastic. Kenny, one of the staff members, was incredibly nice and helpful. His customer service was top-notch, making my visit even better. If you're looking for great deals on liquor, I highly recommend checking out Hilltop and asking for Kenny. They also have pizza and convenient grab-and-go options, which is a nice bonus! Definitely a great spot to shop.“

“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“

“Bittersweet to be writing this review as I will not be able to go here again due to them closing. Glad I was able to make one more stop here once we saw they announced the closure. Fond memories of slab from great beer events held during Maine Beer Week years ago. Along those lines, you could always count on a great taplist with beers from Maine and further. This was a favorite spot of my wife and I to grab some slab style pizza with a brew. Their thin crust pizzas were solid as well, but my favorite food option here has always been the meatball sandwich. It seems to be tough times for many Portland restaurants so if you have favorites spots go out and support them! Thanks for all the memories slab!“

“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!!!“

“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 !“

“Just had a Large BLT and it was great: everything was fresh tasting. Just had their Sesame noodle salad last evening and it was great as well - bought more for this evening, Butterscotch pudding just right - not overly sweet. Customer service very good. Thank you.

Parking: Lot is small, but adjust your arrival to slower times and you are fine. They share the lot with Republic Cash.

Wheelchair accessibility: Not an issue.“

“Give this place a shot! There are a lot of good spots for pizza in Portland... these guys make a great pie! I had the "Old World Pepperoni." It was awesome! Exactly what I was hoping for. Delivery was fast and friendly. Will definitely order from them again.

Update...
Just had delivery again. Fast & friendly! The food? Only the best calzone I've ever had! ("Meatza" + jalapeños)
Seriously... blown away!“

“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.“