Porta Via Italian Foods

One of my fave sandwich places! I always get the Artisan Salami because I am a salami lover!!! They have fresh everything. Their salads and pastas are great too. Great place to come for lunch

This place can be best described as the San Marino yuppie version of an Italian deli. It’s more upscale that your average deli, and I like that!
I never liked meatball sandwiches until I had theirs. The bread is soft, but not too soft. The meatballs, turkey or beef, are tender and seasoned just right. The marinara sauce has a bright, fresh flavor and it’s finished with melted provolone. All the ingredients are in perfect balance and that sandwich’s life on earth is very short.
I’ve also enjoyed several of their other sandwiches, turkey, Kobe beef and artisan salami are all worth the trip. Their imported food goodies, i.e., cheeses, peppers, olives, canned tomatoes, etc. are all very good and you won’t find most of them at your local grocery store.

Great sandwiches, coffee and people ! Everyone working are so patient to the customers and they are so helpful with answering all questions! To make it even better they have convenient free parking in the back.
I’ve only had their cold sandwiches. It comes on an Italian roll with dressed spring salad in your sandwich. The Roast Beef and Turkey Sandwiches I’ve had are light, refreshing and very satisfying. It’s a great place for those who love sandwiches!

Good fresh ingredients, great service, tasty sandwiches. Can’t go wrong. Solid go to sandwich joint.

I’ve had food from here a few times, but I’ve never actually been here. The service is amazing. Everyone who helped me was patient and kind and took their time.
Porta Via has a large selection of food and drinks. The Chicken Parmesan sandwich was good! It was warm and good to have on a rainy day.
I’d definitely come back again!

The sandwhich was very fresh and tasty. Presentation was excellent and the restaurant itself is very well maintained. The only negative was the price it’s a little expensive

Nice quiet little place for a quick breakfast. Love sitting outside with my dogs.
Good coffee, tea and daily breakfast items.
They also have a variety of salami, meatball, prosciutto.

The salad I ordered last time was incredible. Mixed greens, romaine lettuce, chicken, garbanzo beans, broccoli, cranberries, and a fantastic lemon vinaigrette dressing. Homemade I think. When I place my to-​go order I asked if the salad could be chopped, a reasonable request and one that the best salad places offer as an option. They indeed fulfilled my request, and the salad was certainly one of the best I’ve had in Pasadena.
When I attempted this same order recently, they said they would not chop the salad. No reason given, but they wouldn’t budge – even when I told them that they had done this the last time I ordered. While it may seem to some like not a big deal, to me it speaks directly to the type of customer service this restaurant has. I know they have a chef’s knife. I know they have a cutting board. It takes 20 seconds to do this, and the fact that they refuse to do so disappoints me greatly.
The other issue I had was the tone the guy was using. I’m not sure who took the order, but he was extremely short with me in terms of anything I asked. «Could you read off which pasta salads you’re serving today?» «Sure…» and he read 10 items off like he was an auction announcer, while I’m trying to write these down to show a co-​worker. «Sorry, could you slow down?» He audibly was like, ‘Ugh.” I asked if the menu online was updated and he said no, which was yet another annoyance.
Overall, it’s a shame that the food is so good here because the service leaves much, much to be desired. No food is worth being treated like you, as a customer, are inconveniencing the restaurant by asking simple questions/​requests.

Came here by accident and was not prepared for my taste buds to experience the phenomenal Kobe beef sandwich. The meat is perfect! The sandwich is a hair expensive for the size but the portion size is just right for me. I was content after half a sandwich. I am saving the second half for later but that will probably be in 15 minutes.

Service is always kind and accommodating, the food is delicious, and I love being able to call in advance and pick up lunch and a free iced tea with my check-​in. Honestly, that free iced tea brings me back here at least once a week. Porta Via should give their marketing guy a raise.
Would add a star if there were more selections on the menu/​and or some of the menu selections were avaliable in the San Marino store as well.

The food is 5 star and the service is 1 star. I come to Portia Via every now and then and always have the same experience — very good food and terrible service. This time around I was standing at the counter for several minutes while I counted no, less than four team members doing other tasks. They were not helping me or any of the other customers in the place, they were restocking or cutting veggies and one was breaking down cardboard boxes. HOW ABOUT SERVICING THE CUSTOMERS! I had to ask if someone could help me and the sweet gal that I asked told me that she was a trainee so might not know how but would try. She handled the task well, but I was put off that the only employee who has the good sense to actually help the customer is the trainee!
I hope a manager reads this review and cares enough to think about service. It is what separates well run restaurants from the bad ones.

What a great spot! True Italian deli with delicious sandwiches and salads! Lots of prepared fresh Italian dishes from lasagna to pasta salads ready to go. Great service and there is an outside patio to enjoy your meal!

Long wait to be acknowledged by staff – had to quite forcefully get someone’s attention. The coffee quickly made up for this fact.
Pedro prepared our drinks. My friend ordered a latte and it was exquisite! Milky and light in flavor but rich in the feel of steamed milk. I ordered a cappuccino with skim milk and my goodness! Just as I would hope for. Microfoam graced the top of my cup – glistening and pearlescent. The espresso is smooth, creamy in flavor. Who would have guessed this was non-​fat milk?
Bathroom available for patrons and ample seating – both inside and out. Perfect for shade on a warm summer day.
Overall I hope to return for speedier service, but I certainly look forward to more of Pedro’s hand-​crafted beverages!

Great food, service is great and the BLT is so flavorful with a side of potato salad. Coming back again for sure. I checked in and got my free iced tea drink offer as well. The outside patio is big and very cool especially in this Cali heat. Loved this place!

Porta via is such a solid lunch spot. $ 10 lunch specials, free iced tea when you check in on Unilocal,and they get me in and out of there in the time I need so I can go and teach my next class. Check out the soups. They’re awesome and made in house. And their Italian sub is to die for. Best within a 30 minute drive, for damn sure.
What’s more, they’ve started remembering my name! SO nice!

meh. I came in off the street one day just to try it out for lunch. I was looking at the big case of salads/​appetizer things and was trying to decide which one I wanted a little container of. I was starving so I was looking for some protein too. Saw a chicken skewer and thought «why not?» and got a little thing of pasta salad. As I was paying, I realized I could have gotten a three choice plate from stuff inside the case– would have been nice to know!
The pasta salad was just alright. A little too much mint and olive oil. The chicken skewer was equally alright. However, they were not worth the price! Over $ 10 for a little salad and a skewer. That’s insane.

After passing this place so many times I finally stopped in to take a sandwich to-​go. I’m on a mission to find decent food in the area for when we deliver at Huntington across the street later on this year.
I got a bacon panchetta BLT to go and was really pleased! The bacon was crispy, the bread was fresh and nicely toasted, and the arugula added a nice change from the usual iceberg lettuce. I also got a free iced tea through the Unilocal check-​in.
Plenty of patrons inside and out back which is a good sign. I had a tough time finding parking in the back so I parked on Fair Oaks and it was a quick walk down through the back of the store.
This one passed the test and will be on our food list when we’re holed up at the hospital! :)

Great place the pasta and sandwich great me encanta este lugar por qye come sabroso y relajante y sobre todo el sistema esta increible

This is the third time I have been to Porta Via. For the price that I have to pay, I expect mind-​blowing sandwiches and salads with fabulous service. The items I had were nothing spectacular. Overpriced sandwiches and salads, is what in feel whenever I leave this place. The bread is yummy and fresh but that is basically it. Salads are okay. The coffee needs more oomph. The service leaves me a lot to be desired for. I know people that I am short doesn’t mean I like to be ignored, especially when I am about to pay $ 20 for a panini, salad, and bottled water.
I have given this place multiple shots and I don’t think I will ever be back. I’m pretty sure I can find another Italian market to go do some of my fancy grocery shopping or to fix my Choctal ice cream cravings. I will drive a few blocks down and give Vince’s all of my hard earned money.
Parking is shared with a couple of other businesses so it can be a little tricky.

Found out about Porta Via as my Grandma was across the street at Huntington Memorial Hospital. Stopped by one night as my wife suggested we head here to grab a quick bite before visiting her. Arrived to find a pretty extensive sandwich and salad menu
. They sell anything from prepared foods to desserts
and wines.
Browsed the offerings inside the showcases and ended up ordering a few items. They offer portions in either ½ pint, pint and a quart. They charge customers by the weight of the items so be prepared as it can get pricey.
Ended up ordering their baked ziti
which they will gladly head up for you. Make sure to ask for some sauce as it was pretty dry.
Roasted cauliflower and chicken salad
. Both were tasty and I should’ve just ordered a chicken salad sandwich vs. ordering the baked ziti. Mozzarella and tomato salad and their potato salad
both of which were just so so in my opinion.
Would defintely head back at a later date to try their sandwiches and paninis as those looked really tasty.

Italian BLT with Crispy Pancetta, Arugula, Tomatoes & Basil Aioli on Brioche
This is kind of a special sandwich for me.
This place is walking distance from the hospital where my daughter was born.
I bought the sandwich about two hours before she was born because I was starving and the wife gave me permission to go eat even though she was kind of in labor…
I ate half and got there in time to see my daughter being born…
I held my new baby girl…
then ate the other half of my sandwich.
I love my daughter more than crispy pancetta btw.