Portofino’s

One of my favorites. I love the Tortellini Gorgonzola, however the house dressing is gross. Service is hit or miss and manager seems like a jerk. The food is the only reason why I return. Period.

Tough critic here that can say this is hands down the best pizza in charlotte featuring high quality pepperoni. They also frequently have delicious specials. Highly recommend.

Great food and the staff was very attentive. The seating is a bit congested, but otherwise this place is awesome! We had the white pizza, eggplant parmesan, chicken parmesan, house salad, lasagna and a seafood pasta dish. All the meals were delicious and served hot from the oven. We had to wait a bit for the lasagna to finish cooking, but it was well worth the wait and the wine calmed our impatience.

I did not enjoy my dinner at the restaurant. I ordered the veal and shrimp. The veal was rubbery and tasteless the shrimp were covered in mozzarella cheese and had no flavor. The sauce tasted like water. If I hadn’t been at the restaurant with other people I would have given this place a one star, but the other couple I was with enjoyed their veal parmesan. just because you put a fancy name on a menu doesn’t mean you know how to cook it and this is true with this place. There is more flavor in a jar of ragu then there was on this food. I suggest you try a different restaurant if you want good Italian food.

The pizza sucks at this location the New York Pizza next to this place is 100 times better New York Pizza was closed on Sunday’s so decided to try because of all the rave and by far worst pizza I’ve tried in a long time. Food specials are always over priced and don’t always taste good. The Portofino’s at the other location may be better I hope so.

We went with the large Margarita pizza… delicious. Thin crust was crispy. Mozzarella cheese was fresh on the capresse appetizer but we missed the sweet balsamic glaze. Our waitress was very attentive and courteous with us. Definitely passing by again.

This is my first time at this Portofinos location and food is consistent at all the locations in my opinion. I am a big fan of their pepperoni pizza, it is always great ! I decided to try one of their pasta dishes this time. The shrimp scampi was amazing ! It was flavorful and the lemon was just enough, not over powering. The shrimp where huge and the portion size are big as well. Very well possible to share for 2 people. Nice atmosphere and good customer service.

Overpriced for what you get, a clear «southern American» style of Italian food – which is to say it is greasy, over salted, and (I suspect) frozen.
1) My date and I chose the «balsamic vinaigrette» dressing with our salad, but there was no vinaigrette to it – it was pure balsamic vinegar.
2) The chicken parmigiana was overly crusty along the edges and the breading did not flake off easily – indicative of pre-​pared and frozen before reheating in the kitchen. The capellini were good, al dente. However the breasts were EXTREMELY greasy from either excess oil or poor quality cheese on top (which by the way, was hard to discern).
3) The arrabbiate was over powered by the salt. I understand it contains proscuitto (which is usually thin-​sliced by the way, not chunky), but the salt dominates all competing flavor from the tomatoes, olives, garlic and basil. A sure sign of poor quality food!
Also, I requested broccoli with the arrabiate. The server replied «of course.» No broccoli.
4) The cappuccino needs to be removed from the restaurant. I understand Charlotteans are no Europeans, but the cappuccino is obviously made from instant mix. I asked the waitress if she made it with a cappuccino machine and she replied «yes, we have an espresso machine.» I doubt she has ever seen an espresso machine.
5) The only saving grace was the bread, which was warm and very soft which is my preference. One piece of bread is too small for two people, you have to ask for more which gives the impression they are pinching pennies.
I’ll go to Maggiano’s for future frozen Italian food, at least they have white table cloths to match the inflated menu prices.

Took an hour to make very bland chicken parmigiano and a seafood pasta on a slow Sunday afternoon. Bread was nice though. Very warm. Service slow.

Their pizza is SOOOO good! Love they way they make the sausage. And the service from top to bottom is A+.

Good spot, reasonably priced, casual atmosphere with really great food.
Woody at the bar is the best! I usually grab a table with a friend, but if you are dining solo don’t get take out, I mean I’m sure it’s great and everything, but just grab a bar stool and enjoy your meal with some really great company.
It’s like a little local spot with really friendly people a tv and a pretty extensive wine and cocktails selection.
Woody was great. Super sweet and super attentive. (He’s the bartender) I mean he even refilled my cannoli because I left some shell on the plate and it obviously needs filling to be eaten
I love their linguini with clams, their
Sorrento Pasta (pomodoro with mozzarella)
And the Arriabata? I think that’s what it’s called? It has red sauce and mushrooms
They have great house salads and really really good bread, like really really good. It’s made fresh and is always hot and delicious!
If you save room for dessert they have the best cannolis and my new friend Deb at the bar said their tiramisu is

The food was great. I ordered the shrimp scampi pasta other guest in my party ordered the shrimp parm, chicken portofino, chicken parm, and a pasta dish. Our service wasn’t really there I’ve had better but I’ll definitely return when I’m in the Charlotte area

Did not know about this restaurant and came here because of a colleague’s recommendation.
As we entered the restaurant, the hostess was figuring out where to seat the patron in front of us. Martino, the head server/​waiter came over and asked will that be two for dinner? Would you like the patio or inside? The hostess came back and wanted to seat us near the entrance and we said no. We ended up with the table after the one by the entrance area.
Here is my review for the food and the service at Portofino’s.
Ordered two appetizers
Fried Calamari– lightly breaded and fresh even the sauce was delicious. Not greasy or overly fried.
Roasted Peppers and Mozzarella– The mozzarella was fresh and roasted pepper were sweet.
Salad
Asked for a Cesar Salad with Anchovies and they made it to our specification. This is definitely impressive. Most places serve only what is listed on the menu.
Entrees
Rock Salt fish with Shrimp and Linguini– My friend enjoyed his meal.
Veal Saltinbocca Ala Romana– Prosciutto with melted mozzarella on top of veal which was so flavorful and tasty. Would have preferred the spinach to be on the side instead of on top of the veal.
Dessert
Homemade Tiramisu with a cup of cappuccino. Delicioso! Got my sugar fix for the rest of the evening.
This is definitely an authentic Italian restaurant.

I come here’s few times a month & normally have the same dish. It’s the Boscaiola (prosciutto, fresh peas in a creamy pink sauce) I like the garlic bread app as well. I order both with no parsley — every time. Until last night, the order was always right.
When I got home, I opened the lid to the pasta — parsley… not as much as what was on the garlic bread, but noticeable. The garlic bread was covered in it. I called today and spoke with the manager Geosh/​Josh. I explained what happened and he said come on in and they would take care of it.
I went in tonight, spoke to him & he said «oh yeah, I remember the garlic bread. It had a lot of parsley on it.»… Really? So you were still going to send it out? And he insisted he hadn’t put any parsley in the dish. It looked as though the dish had been made and whomever expedited the dish put some on it, saw the mistake, brushed what they could off, flipped the pasta upside down and added parm to cover it up.
If I was the owner, I would be embarrassed at what transpired. They charged me $ 7.59…& I got no garlic bread. REALLY? Last time I checked, when something, ESPECIALLY TO GO FOOD, is made incorrectly — you fix it. You don’t «kindly» charge them for the dish they screwed up in the first place!
It will be along time before I go back…

Our table had the Chicken Sorrento, Stuffed Eggplant, and Margherita Pizza. The chicken was super tender and delicious, the eggplant was a tasty way to get in some veggies, and the pizza was just the right amount of crispy and chewy. Our waiter, Gary, was fun, attentive and helpful. Thanks for a very enjoyable experience.
One note about parking: during busy times, parking can be tough because the small lot serves lots of businesses. It’s worth a little bit of frustration, though, so just wait for someone to leave the grocery store and take their spot!

My favorite Italian restaurant in Charlotte great for dine in as well as carryout.
I love this place everything here is amazing but my go to meal options are the chicken and veal parmigiana (I prefer the veal), great pizza, and I love the stromboli as well as the mozzarella sticks. The house dressing for the salads is also the way to go, delicious.
You truly get your money’s worth here the portions are HUGE.
The HIDDEN TREASURE here is the philly cheese steak the best one I have had in Charlotte. (picture coming soon as in the next time I go)

I never have had a bad experience here. I usually get my food to go.
I really enjoy the generous portions of cheese with any noodle based dish. This is also my favorite Americanized Italian food. I used to live in Buffalo and this food reminds me of that place. Robust flavors, robust portions, reasonable prices.
I don’t think you can go wrong here no matter what you order. I stick to the lasagna, Alfredo, and baked Ziti.

I heard coworkers say it’s such a great Italian restaurant but I’m not impressed, the flavor was lacking and the pasta was definitely not fresh. The service gave this Italian spot 2stars. My family wanted to ask for ketchup for their sauces :(. Well, maybe the pizza is good?

I’m so glad we picked this place for our monthly girl’s night out!
When we walked in we were greeted warmly and given some time to go over the menu. I appreciated that especially since it was my first time and they have tons of tasty dishes to pick from. We put in an order for some mozzarella sticks and after a quick recommendation from our waitress and some questions I finally opted for the Shrimp Scampi with linguini.
The Food:
Mozzarella Sticks: Classic. They arrived hot and crispy and the best part was that yummy homemade marinara sauce.
Salad and Bread: The salad was really good. It comes with topped with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and green olives. The bread loaves are tossed in the oven fresh every time before they come out to the table. Be warned those things are so addictive.
Shrimp Scampi: Huge shrimp sautéed in a delicious scampi sauce and a heaping portion of linguini. Who could ask for more? Mmmm… more please!
If I had room for dessert I would have tried to squeeze it down but that just wasn’t happening. But they trick you because they bring out a tray with all the selections on it and they all look sooooo good. Next time… one of them will be mine!!!
Three and a half hours later… Amy and I left stuffed and happy! I’m definitely looking forward to my next trip here!

I do not eat Italian cuisine often, but I like seafood. After seeing a picture of the Zuppa di Pesce I made plans to come here.
The Zuppa di Pesce is prepared with calamari, clams, mussels, shrimp and scungilli in a marinara sauce.
I thought it was great! Dinner is served with bread and a house salad.
I ordered a glass of Chardonnay, LaVis, Trentino-​Alto Adige. I do not drink Chardonnay often, but this one was recommended by my server and I liked it.
I would come here again!