The delicious spaghetti Ai Frutti do Mare came with a generous amount of seafood! Our waitress, Becca was delightful and gracious.
Jim Goulet
This is one of our favorite neighborhood restaurants. Great food & great service from very nice people. They do an exceptional job of serving my wife beautiful gluten-free Italian dishes with care to prevent cross contamination. She has celiac but has never had a negative reaction. Highly recommend!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Rob Wrenn
I spent 100... gotta tip 40. Coool spot.
Harriet Fasenfest
My friends and I were celebrating an art opening with friends who came into Portland specifically for the event and had made reservations to eat here. We were very happy to see each other and were in a clearly celebratory mood yet somehow the waiter decided we were drunk (though none of us had more than one glass of wine before or during our meal) and decided to refuse any more wine service to any of us. I was shocked. It was humiliating and by far the worst experience I have ever had which says a lot as I have lived in Portland since 1978 and was, myself, a restaurant owner and restaurant reviewer for the Willamette Week. NEVER have i witnessed such unprofessional behavior and a serious misjudge of a group that were trying to celebrate a lovely evening and opening. SHAME on them. I suggest they go into another line of business because there was nothing hospitable about this venue.
Atmosphere: 1
Service: 1
Laurel Barton
Gallo Nero truly reminds me of dining in Italy.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
J R
The Owner is very very rude. He remind me by the soup nazi of seinfeld . Server young girls has no knowledge of the menu they need to read it at least once to be able to explain it well. Plus they lake of any smile or welcoming. End up with stomach pain and vomiting. . And when I complain to the owner he got so angry and blamed my (over sensitive stomach) not his food. I never had worth experience than this place in my entire life.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Mark Fettman, MD
I went there tonight with a European friend. The waitress was very young. She apparently took offense about my friend's inquiry about substituting Brussel sprouts for potato and his mentioning his temperature request for the steak. The manager and owner came to us and told us not to be impolite to the waitress. We were not. My friend was insulted by the statement he was impolite (he was not) and the boldness of the manager berating him. We left, and I will never return there. This was an unimaginable, horrible experience. The manager insulted the customer in an attempt to assuage the feelings of his sensitive, inexperienced waitress. My previous review of Gallo Nero was positive. I removed that one and write this one.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Merry “Merrycyclist”
Our first visit and we were astonished. For all the publicity a close-by Italian trattoria gets, how does this (in our opinion) superior restaurant get overlooked? Our table of six ordered Verza and Caprese salads, Mushroom Bruschetta, Gnocchi, Ravioli, and Baked Cod. We also shared lemon desserts and Tiramisu. The service was excellent, food beautiful, refined, and delicious. Restaurant decor is restrained and the atmosphere a low buzz. This means we could hear one another which made our dinner together particularly enjoyable. We look forward to returning.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Isaac Elwood
We reserved for dinner, having never been and on vacation with our young daughter. Having been to other restaurants where kids are looked down upon, this was different. The food was excellent, the wine recommendations and service was amazing, but how they all said hi to our 1.5 year old welcoming her in, making sure she got full service, checking in on just her to make sure she was doing great, she was included every step if the way and she loved dining out.
PS - She loved the veal, please put that on regular rotation.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Wallis Bolz
Seated immediately. Excellent dinner, wine, service. Two rooms, intimate in furnishing and scale. We enjoyed a sophisticated, relaxed dining experience.
Legitimately one of the best Italian restaurants I have ever experienced in the US. I have lived in Italy and my husband is Italian and we thoroughly enjoyed everything about our dinner.
The wine selection is varied and thoughtfully curated. We enjoyed a bottle of Sardinian Carignano which is a rare find in the states.
The prices are more than reasonable. We had a lovely locally sourced steak that melted in the mouth for $32. Bread is homemade fresh TWICE daily and the meat and cheeses were top quality
If you’re looking for AUTHENTIC Italian in Portland, look no further. Nero Gallo has it all; great food, prices, staff, atmosphere and we will most definitely be back.
Meaghann Cobb
Legitimately one of the best Italian restaurants I have ever experienced in the US. I have lived in Italy and my husband is Italian and we thoroughly enjoyed everything about our dinner.
The wine selection is varied and thoughtfully curated. We enjoyed a bottle of Sardinian Carignano which is a rare find in the states.
The prices are more than reasonable. We had a lovely locally sourced steak that melted in the mouth for $32. Bread is homemade fresh TWICE daily and the meat and cheeses were top quality.
If you’re looking for AUTHENTIC Italian in Portland, look no further. Nero Gallo has it all; great food, prices, staff, atmosphere and we will most definitely be back.
*some photos I took after I already started eating!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Scott F
Delicious, comforting food in an unpretentious and comfortable setting. Service was on point--attentive and friendly, without being intrusive. The caprese salad was a surprise hit, and both the meat (beef and boar) and pasta (strozzapreti) dishes we had were very flavorful, yet well balanced. Portion sizes were appropriate for the price and not over the top, allowing us room to enjoy appetizers and dessert as well. This was my second time there, after a first visit a couple weeks ago (where the lasagna was the star). It won't be the last.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Kim
Delicious and authentic. Very personable crew. We'll be back for sure. We had a wonderful dinner with friends.
Very romantic atmosphere in the restaurant. Waiting staff speaks Italian, for those who may need. The food was very yummy. The wine recommendations/ pairing was spot on perfect. I enjoyed my meal here and speaking with the staff I look forward to visiting again with my husband ♥️ started the meal off right with an incredible caprese salad. The mozzarella and balsamic are top notch. Nice fresh tomatoes. Pasta tasted authentic. Tiramisu was good but the neighboring gelato looked really good too. I will have to come back. 🌻
The delicious spaghetti Ai Frutti do Mare came with a generous amount of seafood! Our waitress, Becca was delightful and gracious.
This is one of our favorite neighborhood restaurants. Great food & great service from very nice people. They do an exceptional job of serving my wife beautiful gluten-free Italian dishes with care to prevent cross contamination. She has celiac but has never had a negative reaction. Highly recommend!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I spent 100... gotta tip 40. Coool spot.
My friends and I were celebrating an art opening with friends who came into Portland specifically for the event and had made reservations to eat here. We were very happy to see each other and were in a clearly celebratory mood yet somehow the waiter decided we were drunk (though none of us had more than one glass of wine before or during our meal) and decided to refuse any more wine service to any of us. I was shocked. It was humiliating and by far the worst experience I have ever had which says a lot as I have lived in Portland since 1978 and was, myself, a restaurant owner and restaurant reviewer for the Willamette Week. NEVER have i witnessed such unprofessional behavior and a serious misjudge of a group that were trying to celebrate a lovely evening and opening. SHAME on them. I suggest they go into another line of business because there was nothing hospitable about this venue.
Atmosphere: 1
Service: 1
Gallo Nero truly reminds me of dining in Italy.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The Owner is very very rude. He remind me by the soup nazi of seinfeld . Server young girls has no knowledge of the menu they need to read it at least once to be able to explain it well. Plus they lake of any smile or welcoming. End up with stomach pain and vomiting. . And when I complain to the owner he got so angry and blamed my (over sensitive stomach) not his food. I never had worth experience than this place in my entire life.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
I went there tonight with a European friend. The waitress was very young. She apparently took offense about my friend's inquiry about substituting Brussel sprouts for potato and his mentioning his temperature request for the steak. The manager and owner came to us and told us not to be impolite to the waitress. We were not. My friend was insulted by the statement he was impolite (he was not) and the boldness of the manager berating him. We left, and I will never return there. This was an unimaginable, horrible experience. The manager insulted the customer in an attempt to assuage the feelings of his sensitive, inexperienced waitress. My previous review of Gallo Nero was positive. I removed that one and write this one.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Our first visit and we were astonished. For all the publicity a close-by Italian trattoria gets, how does this (in our opinion) superior restaurant get overlooked? Our table of six ordered Verza and Caprese salads, Mushroom Bruschetta, Gnocchi, Ravioli, and Baked Cod. We also shared lemon desserts and Tiramisu. The service was excellent, food beautiful, refined, and delicious. Restaurant decor is restrained and the atmosphere a low buzz. This means we could hear one another which made our dinner together particularly enjoyable. We look forward to returning.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We reserved for dinner, having never been and on vacation with our young daughter. Having been to other restaurants where kids are looked down upon, this was different. The food was excellent, the wine recommendations and service was amazing, but how they all said hi to our 1.5 year old welcoming her in, making sure she got full service, checking in on just her to make sure she was doing great, she was included every step if the way and she loved dining out.
PS - She loved the veal, please put that on regular rotation.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Seated immediately. Excellent dinner, wine, service. Two rooms, intimate in furnishing and scale. We enjoyed a sophisticated, relaxed dining experience.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Legitimately one of the best Italian restaurants I have ever experienced in the US. I have lived in Italy and my husband is Italian and we thoroughly enjoyed everything about our dinner. The wine selection is varied and thoughtfully curated. We enjoyed a bottle of Sardinian Carignano which is a rare find in the states. The prices are more than reasonable. We had a lovely locally sourced steak that melted in the mouth for $32. Bread is homemade fresh TWICE daily and the meat and cheeses were top quality If you’re looking for AUTHENTIC Italian in Portland, look no further. Nero Gallo has it all; great food, prices, staff, atmosphere and we will most definitely be back.
Legitimately one of the best Italian restaurants I have ever experienced in the US. I have lived in Italy and my husband is Italian and we thoroughly enjoyed everything about our dinner.
The wine selection is varied and thoughtfully curated. We enjoyed a bottle of Sardinian Carignano which is a rare find in the states.
The prices are more than reasonable. We had a lovely locally sourced steak that melted in the mouth for $32. Bread is homemade fresh TWICE daily and the meat and cheeses were top quality.
If you’re looking for AUTHENTIC Italian in Portland, look no further. Nero Gallo has it all; great food, prices, staff, atmosphere and we will most definitely be back.
*some photos I took after I already started eating!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Delicious, comforting food in an unpretentious and comfortable setting. Service was on point--attentive and friendly, without being intrusive. The caprese salad was a surprise hit, and both the meat (beef and boar) and pasta (strozzapreti) dishes we had were very flavorful, yet well balanced. Portion sizes were appropriate for the price and not over the top, allowing us room to enjoy appetizers and dessert as well. This was my second time there, after a first visit a couple weeks ago (where the lasagna was the star). It won't be the last.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Delicious and authentic. Very personable crew. We'll be back for sure. We had a wonderful dinner with friends.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Lasagna, Caprese Salad, Gelato, Torta Caprese
Very romantic atmosphere in the restaurant. Waiting staff speaks Italian, for those who may need. The food was very yummy. The wine recommendations/ pairing was spot on perfect. I enjoyed my meal here and speaking with the staff I look forward to visiting again with my husband ♥️ started the meal off right with an incredible caprese salad. The mozzarella and balsamic are top notch. Nice fresh tomatoes. Pasta tasted authentic. Tiramisu was good but the neighboring gelato looked really good too. I will have to come back. 🌻
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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