8/15 Eight of us - four Sicilian Americans from Brooklyn-…read moreThe marinated chicken special- very light on mushrooms; shrimp scampi- too heavy on garlic and pepper; ravioli perfect; lasagna perfect; linguine- too heavy with butter; tiramisu wonderful; chocolate cake very fine; cannoli great; spumoni fine; Ambiance fine but not NYC Sicilian; Service- no complaints- Votes: seven 4's, one 3. Tab: $500 - - similar to Brooklyn with half as much food in Brooklyn.

Had dinner there last night with my mother, sister, and niece. The food was a 5-star experience,…read morebut unfortunately, the service was rushed, and we felt like we were being pushed out. Our reservation was at 5:15, and by 6:20, the server and host were already dropping off to-go containers. Two of the four of us were still eating, and we all still had full glasses of wine. When we ordered dessert, the disappointment was visible on our server's face, and the dessert was delivered along with the check. We had a similar experience the last time we visited, but we assumed it was just a fluke and that they were having an off night. Casa Novello has been a favorite destination for our family for over 10 years, which makes this especially disappointing. After feeling rushed and hurried on two separate occasions, we will probably not be returning. :(

The food was delicious, and the service was excellent. *…read moreGreat food and friendly service. * The food was very good, and the service was outstanding. * Delicious food with fast and courteous service. * Excellent food and amazing customer service.

Excellent, very friendly service, above and beyond in my opinion…read more The atmosphere is comfortable and the building itself is mucher bigger inside than it appears outside. There's also a full bar in the back. I had a small greek pizza, and a side of spanakopita, and it's all homemade. Very delicious, very satisfying, I'd definitely return again.

This restaurant is a must visit in Portland. From the ambiance to the service and the flavors…read more Absolutely worth it! Our waitress perfectly described the wine list so we could find the one that was best for us and she was spot on! The food was seriously delicious! The presentation on the pesto pasta left some to be desired, but the texture and flavors more than made up for it. The portion was small for the price on the pesto pasta. The ravioli with the truffles - holy yum! That was actually a big portion for ravioli. The only thing that wasn't incredible was the tiramisu because it tasted just a little dry. It's certainly not terrible, but compared to everything else it just didn't level up. Go here. It's incredibly delicious and the service is phenomenal. The only thing that bothered me was that the receipt listed the server as Pool H. I'm assuming that means the servers all pool their tips together which is not ok. Our waitress was so great and I would hate to not see her benefit. I also didn't love the surcharge for health insurance and bread service - it seemed like an odd combination.

I have walked past Solo Italiano many times over the years and just kept on walking. In a city…read morewith so many great restaurants, Solo Italiano "looked" too tourist-y, too mundane. But my spouse won last year's Oscar predictions and he picked so - Solo Italiano we went. You know what? This is a serious restaurant churning out some very good and inventive Italian dishes. I was 100% wrong when I wrote it off as tourist-y. There, I can admit it. We started off with appetizers of beet salad and Bangs Island Mussels. The beat salad was solid. The Mussels were a true reflection of great Italian cooking - simple ingredients, prepared perfectly and presented beautifully. The Mussel sauce was white wine and butter and delicious. Text book prepared and text book good. It hit the mark. My main course was the Za-atar rubbed lamb chops and they were out of this world. Medium rare and very flavorful. My spouse got the scallops. Beautifully done but the portion size was too small for the price. I felt the same way about my lamb chops. The dining room was just okay, nothing more. In fact, the atmosphere is a bit too casual for the prices of the food. There was mandatory charge on our bill for "health insurance and bread service." It is an odd combination, right? Those 2 things simply do not go together. Generally, I hate when restaurants add this sort of service charge to my bill and this one is no different. Just increase your prices to provide employee benefits. But this combination of health insurance for the workers with the bread service was really hard to swallow. For dessert, we got the cookie sampler and the shortbread is among the best I have ever had. This restaurant is a bit of a contradiction to me. Some really good points, some bad points. Will I go back - do I recommend it? Probably not. Solo Italiano just does not stack up well to the other great restaurants in Portland.

This was the perfect restaurant to start our Portland trip off with. We were seated at a lovely…read moretable in the corner. We had a reservation. The ambiance is very moody and sexy. Perfect for a date night! Our server, Hannah, was great. She suggested an excellent bottle of wine that complimented all of our dishes. Customer service was a solid 10/5! This is a place to definitely add to your Portland dining list! To start, all of the dishes were wonderful portions and could easily be shared between two people. Which I absolutely love because I enjoy trying as many things as I possibly can! Arancini: This was a great starter. Absolutely delicious. I have yet to meet an arancini that I don't love. 5/5. Caesar Salad: A perfect dish that is light and necessary before getting into a heavy entree. The salad was crisp, delicious, very fresh, and a must order. 5/5. Scallop Risotto: This was a large position that had scallops in every bite! It wasn't too heavy, was not too salty, and you could taste the freshness in the ingredients. Dessert is not pictured, but it is worth ordering! The entire dessert menu was excellent!

I don't typically write a lot of reviews but when I do, it is about an experience that was either…read morereally impressive or hugely disappointing. So here goes... My daughter had been wanting to go to Via Vecchia for a while but couldn't afford it on a college student's income. So we went during my visit. My hopes were high as we walked in--a beautiful glass enclosure at the entrance that was draped with ceiling to floor ivy; an intimate but lively atmosphere; and an offering of creative cocktails...my enthusiasm quickly vanished when our appetizers arrived. We ordered the focaccia, grilled octopus, and Caesar salad. The focaccia was soggy and flavorless. Even the olive oil that accompanied the bread was flavorless. The grilled octopus was another disappointment--there were more cloves of garlic than pieces of octopus. And what little octopus was there, a third of it was charred to black. Thankfully, the Caesar salad was fresh and fairly tasty. Ironically the focaccia croutons were the highlight of the salad. Then the entrees arrived--chicken Marsala and a spicy shrimp pasta in cream sauce (can't remember the name of the dish). My daughter liked the second dish enjoying the slight kick of whatever pepper/spice was used in the recipe. For me, it was just okay. The biggest disappointment however was the chicken Marsala--the gnocchi was overcooked, the entire dish itself was too salty, and the chicken--overcooked in some parts and fairly tender in others--tasted like it came out of a can. Quite honestly, I don't know what all the hype is about. This restaurant is mediocre at best. Perhaps the cocktails numb everyone's tastebuds to the overly salty but otherwise bland dishes. It was not worth the money and I would never go again. If this is the best that Portland has to offer by way of fine Italian dining, I'd say it's time Portland redefined the meaning of "fine".

Food was amazing and the server was attentive. We had dinner here the day before yesterday. We had…read morethe Italian Festival or something similar to that name for an appetizer. It came with delicious ravioli, cheese sticks and garlic bread. I had lasagna, my husband had something with chicken, and our son had baked ziti Parmesan with chicken. All of us had generous portions, the food was delicious the day we had it, and the leftovers were equally delicious. The chocolate bomb dessert was a great way to cap off the meal. We highly recommend and if we are ever near this area again, we will be sure to come back.

I love that this restaurant has a family feel! They were busy for a Wednesday evening. Menu has a…read moregreat variety of Italian dishes. The only thing that confused my husband and I was the salad that comes with the entree. We each ordered the chicken parmigiana and it comes with house salad. She asked if there was anything on my salad I did not want, I responded with no onion. She then looked at my husband and asked the same question, he responded with he was fine with all items. She asked if he wanted onions on the side. He said no, on his salad was fine She brought one Salad, two bowls. No onions. We did not get individual salads. We have been during lunch in the past and did not order anything that came with a salad so honestly we were a bit confused. Now portion sizes he and I could have ordered one chicken parmigiana and split it. Their sauce is fantastic! Food delicious! The day we went for lunch, I ordered a sausage and onion calzone and their roasted Brussel sprouts. Also both yummy!!!

The bread was amazing this day. Slightly crusty, with a warm soft center. Dipped in olive oil and…read morepepper, mmmm. Bummed about the wagyu crostini is our normal drooling goodness, but today it was different. Crostini was a bit soggy and the sauce didn't do it like it used to. The rest of meal was solid and delicious. Service impeccable as always.

Always delicious food! We typically sit at the bar, great service!…read more Chai Mai Tai Bolognese

Perfect anniversary dinner spot! We came here on a Friday night with reservations to sit inside. It…read morewas better than I imagined! First, the building is fabulous. Small outdoor area for summer nights. The indoors has a little bar area where you can see the chefs in the kitchen hard at work. Then there is a smaller and intimate room of tables with paintings and photographs on the wall. They had this delightful set of photographs of each employee and what they bring to the table. I thought it was a beautiful display of the team. Next, the food! Between the two of us we shared the tuna and mussels appetizers, the schnitzel and steak and frites for the main, and amazing cocktails. Each dish was unique and delicious! This place makes nearly everything from scratch. And I was informed that in the Winter they have a burger and fries special on Thursday nights. We are already excited to come back here and try more dishes! I highly recommend this place to bring guests and celebrate special occasions.

The staff were so rude that we didn't even stay. We may not…read morelive here and for the mold of regulars but we are still here for an enjoyable meal and to spend money. Sadly recommended by our hotel in old Port and drove out here for terrible service.

We were looking to pick up something quick to go and this was perfect! Wish I had been able to try…read moreone of everything! After tasting the lemon orzo soup I had to have a bowl! There is a whole case full of great looking salads. We settled on potato salad - so good and creamy - and a kale salad with dried cranberries - yummm! The pizza also looked good so we had a piece of chicken Parmesan pizza. They sell by the slice in addition to whole pizzas. There were two options for by the slice. The other was tomato basil. So many sandwiches to choose from! A frittata I wish I had had room for! And the cookie selection! We decided to try an oatmeal raisin and just wow!! They also have a section that is Italian groceries. Fresh pastas, gelato, sauces, balsamic vinegar,etc. this store also has wine and food tastings periodically. Wish I lived here - it would be a favorite!

When I moved to Portland 7 years ago, I fell in love with this place. Sadly, it has gone down hill…read morefrom there. I am not sure what has gone on especially in the past 18 months, but after the last four consecutive visits, the food has been just dreadful. Over cooked, under cooked, slimy/greasy, bland, over frozen, dry. So sad. Places like this shine for me and it is so sad when things fall apart. Today I got the Chicken Parmesan prepared meal from their reach in section. It really did look so yummy. I took it home and heated it up on the stove over low heat like I always do to ensure food that is cooked is not over cooked in the re-heating process. Little did I know that the chicken was already over cooked. When I took the first bite of chicken I was not sure what shocked me first: The total blandness of the chicken, the hardness and obviously over frozen-ness of it, or the over cooked of it. Over frozen has a very distinct taste. And this chicken had it. I think it was frozen, thawed too quickly, cooked (over), then re-frozen. This is just not what you do to food that is supposed to be as good as it is supposed to be here. I hope you guys figure things out. The last meal was the lasagna and it was so greasy omg. And it was similar with the spicy sausage pasta a few months ago - just so very grossly greasy I could not eat more than a few forkfuls. And the chocolate cake - i was totally bummed because on the lid you have a label that says "Our delicious moist chocolate cake". It was so dry, i had to toss it after two bites. You guys had a fantastic reputation. I cannot spend my money here anymore, but even more than that, I do not want to risk eating a bad meal.

So so so good! This spot feels exactly like my Italians grandma kitchen in the best way. They have…read morethe best focaccia bread I've ever had. The service was lovely, the people were amazing! Such a hidden great staple everyone in Portland so go to!

We really liked the vibe of Ribollita! The cozy ambiance made it feel like an authentic Italian…read morerestaurant, and everyone around us seemed to be having a good time. I would definitely recommend a reservation though due to its size! Our food was great. We loved all of the options and had a hard time choosing, but then a few of us got the specials because those were also appealing (sometimes specials can really throw you for a loop, but not here). The service was a *tad* slow, but we were told they were short someone- not sure if they meant in the kitchen or waitstaff, but either way it took a while for us to be seen once we were seated. Either way, though, this was a yummy pre-race meal in Portland, and I would definitely recommend for date nights, celebrations, or carbing up before a half marathon!

Went to dinner here the other night. We got the mozzarella app and it was good. I got the chicken…read moreparm and it was just okay. The scallops were decent as well. Overall the food is just meh for the price point which I feel is overpriced. We sat in the bar area and the service was quick but she wasn't overly friendly. Traditional Italian restaurant but I'm not sure I would pick it often.

Son wanted to treat me to dinner for my birthday and told me to pick, local and consistently…read moredelicious, Bruno's was my first choice. I've not had a good chicken piccata in a while nor have I had someone else cook chicken parmigiana for me. Italian for sure. We drove over and found a great spot up front. After entering you can choose between a more casual atmosphere in the lounge, or a classy more formal experience in the main dining room. Lounge for us! Plenty of seating on this Tuesday evening so we sat down and with in moments the bartender greeted us and handed us the drink menu as well as two dinner menus. Warm and inviting lighting but enough to be able to read the menu, the bartender greeted us felt comfortable and homey. People eating at the tables, circular booths in the back for more intimate dining and another added dining area. I ordered the Bellini with peach puree, very good light and refreshing, son had their espresso martini, looked light as well, with a foam top, yum! Dinner was Chicken piccata with rigatoni. Lemon flavor was great, not too over powering and the amount of capers balanced the flavors nicely. Son had the Mussels and Shrimp Fra Diavolo with a spinach fettuccini. Sadly they had run out of mussels so they offered to double the shrimp. Both were delicious. Bartender offered bread when our meal arrived, should have really come before our meal, not with, I was happy to have some. Mangia!! My son had a lovely conversation with another patron and soon the whole side of the bar was conversing. Dessert taken home and kindly gratuitously given for my birthday. Thank you! It was very nice to hear my guys sing happy birthday to me.