Hubby and I were in the mood for some pizza and decided to stop at Portino's in Valley Center on the way back from a day in Pauma Valley. We split a bottle of Chardonnay and ordered a pizza along with the chicken parmigiana. The food was fine, nothing particularly memorable, but it hit the spot. The atmosphere was friendly, and the staff was kind, though the service was noticeably slow. The place was quite crowded, and it seemed like the servers disappeared into the kitchen for long stretches, which left us waiting more than we would've liked. In fact, be prepared to wait during peak times. That said, it's a charming little spot, and I appreciate being able to support a local business. I wouldn't go out of my way to dine here, but if I'm in the area again, I'd give it another shot. read more

Portinos - Chicken parmesan and a bottle of Chardonnay - Italian Near Me - Valley Center, California

Such a cute place in Valley Center! The staff are super nice, and easy going which is great when there are SO many delicious options on the menu. I will probably always be ordering that chicken pot pie, though because it's amazing. The side choices are beautiful, too-garden salad, house made chicken noodle soup or minestrone. I should mention the prices: $15 for a huge pot pie, a larger than typical side salad AND 2 garlic bread sticks, and that one meal fed my husband and me. Can't wait to go back to Portino's!!!! read more

Came back and the food is still just as good. Prices are very fair for the amount of food. One room was a bit warm but the main entrance one was nice. Chicken piccata tasted great, a bit more heavy than other places but I'm ok with that! read more

Portinos - Deep dish pizza - Italian Near Me - Valley Center, California

We were on our way to Harrah's for an event and wanted to try a restaurant in the community. The reviews for this place were good do we decided to stop here. From the outside, it's not impressive, but the inside is nice. There's a small seating area and we were quickly attended to. We ordered the veggie pizza and the pesto gnocchi, which came with a side salad. The ranch dressing was good and the salad was fine, other than that the tomato was a slice ?!? They brought four breadsticks and marinara to the table, which was a nice surprise. The marinara was really good. The pesto gnocchi was better than gnocchi I've had at many other restaurants. The pesto cream sauce was too thick for my taste, although the flavor was good. The pizza was good, but again with the sliced (rather than diced) tomatoes. Overall the service was good, the good was good and the menu prices were fantastic! If I lived in the area I would definitely get pizza here! read more

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The gnocchi were really good, not dense like a lot of places, although I was not a big fan of the Pesto and Alfredo sauce mixture, I would prefer straight Pesto. The pizza was not bad, crust was crispy, tomatos were sliced, chopped is better on a pizza. The pumpkin tiramisu was good and not as sweet as I thought it would be. Servers were great, friendly and courteous. Place seemed clean but dated. read more

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Easy to get a table and service right away. Portions were large--enough for meals for each of the four of us. The marinara was delicious. The garlic bread was unexpectedly good. The salads were mixed greens, cucumbers, and tomatoes--not just the typical iceberg lettuce. Sausage hero was delicious. Chicken piccata was tasty. The chicken was cooked tender, just right, and the broccoli was al dente. The cappellini was a tad too soft. Eggplant parmigiana was just right. Crispy outside and soft and chewy inside. Marinara was plentiful. Spaghetti was a bonus. The frutti da mare with clams, mussels, and shrimp, and big pieces of red and green bell pepper and onion in a slightly spicy marinara sauce over al dente linguine was perfect. Yum. We will be back next week. read more

I found myself stranded on the side of the road and I found this place open late, it was 8pm I walked in and was greeted by a charming young lady named Kaylee she sold me on almost everything on the menu I really enjoyed my meal here I will share some pictures! Anyways I fell in love with Kaylee she's the best! read more

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First I like to say that this place is really good I've been here before every time my family and I come out to Harrah's casino this is where we go to eat all the time. We always have good service I've read some of the other reviews understandable when there's only one server working. But this is definitely a great place if you haven't tried it you should try it if you're staying at any of the hotels nearby you should come out cuz Harris really has no restaurants and they're always a long wait. Today we had the pizza with everything on it they're special we also had mozzarella sticks and cheese bread with ranch dressing and the marinara sauce which is always good and a nice cold 805 beer read more

Portinos - Italian Near Me - Valley Center, California

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I've never actually eaten inside the restaurant before, so I can't say anything about what it looks like inside. The outside looks "vintage," I suppose? We moved here a few years ago and at the time, it seemed like it was the only restaurant around. Still seems like the most solid restaurant here. My husband and son really like to get pizza here. When my husband calls in to order, they're really quick about it. read more

We really liked this place! Met friends out here for lunch in the middle of no where and Portinos did not disappoint! The Great - The Pizza was REALLY good The Good - Cute little spot The Bad - limited draft beer The Ugly - NA We really liked the pizza! The prices were really decent and although simple, the place was clean! I would totally go back here. read more

Portinos - Deep Dish Cheese & Pep (hold the sauce) - Italian Near Me - Valley Center, California

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The waitress who is young with a bit of a high pitch voice was SLLLOOOWWWW. She also worked the front. Restaurant is empty dang near 12:00 a saturday for lunch and it took her 30 mins to come take our order. Where I couldnt really understand what she said and I asked if we can order already and she responded"thats what I just said" We order, takes another 25-30 mins to get our food. Never got a refill. Im freakin thirstttty with a dry mouth mid lunch and never saw her again. Had to go to front and ask for to go boxes and that were ready to pay. read more

Ordered a medium calzone. It was huge, enough for 3 people, and it was absolutely delicious. Will definitely go back read more

Portinos - Calzone. And the marnira sauce was also delicious - Italian Near Me - Valley Center, California

If I could give more than five stars I would! What a great spot!! The pizza was unbelievable! So much toppings! One slice was enough to leave us stuffed, and even with ordering the smaller size it was still pretty large! Spaghetti was delicious and our grandparents ate every bite! Served was super friendly and food came out quick. We can't wait to go back again! A++++ read more

The pizzas and wings were delicious!!!! The customer service was great as well. We had to feed s crew of 15-18 people and they all loved it as well. Highly recommended read more

The food was great! Portions were big and the service was great! We were so surprised everything we ordered was so delicious! read more

Portinos - Margherita pizza - Italian Near Me - Valley Center, California

We came for a late lunch with just a few tables being used. The inside ambiance is cute, it looks to have been recently remodeled. it's a hole in the wall place on the side of the hwy that you will miss if you're not looking well. The waitress was very nice and efficient. She recommended the pizza and pastas. We tried the garlic cheese breadsticks and it was covered with ample mozzarella and minced garlic. If you want cheese and garlic this is for you. The cheese pizza and pepperoni pizza and lasagna were fine. We felt that the seasoning should have been more pronounced, there wasn't much flavor, but my picky eater loved it. I could recommend this for a group of kids after a soccer game. Also... be aware there is a charge for using a credit card. read more

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Great roadside Family restaurant on Valley Center Road. All homemade food with good portions and the sauces including the meat sauce which uses both pork and beef and the marinara sauce which is very flavorful we also had the small cheese pizza which is super good for the price! All the prices are very reasonable and our server Alejandra could not have been nicer! This is a little out of the way for us but we will be as regular here as we can! read more

Portinos - "Small" Pizza with lots of sauce and cheese very tasty! - Italian Near Me - Valley Center, California

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I just have to say...This is what AUTHENTIC, NOT PROCESSED, FLAVORFUL food tastes like. Pizza, beautifully seasoned, spiced, cooked to perfection, and doused with fresh tomatoes sauce. Staff was very polite and happy to work (VERY rare these days), and our food arrived in roughly 20 minutes. Tidy clean place, I visit here every time I am in the area. read more

A must visit for the chicken pot pie! Nice setting and good service and really good food. read more

Just picked up a chicken parmigiana and a side of meatballs for dinner. The portion was huge! It was piping hot and continued to stay that way till I got home. It included a side dish of spaghetti, delicious breadsticks, a side salad, Parmesan and peppers, forks, knives, napkins. The staff was fantastic, great people working there seemed happy to be there. I would give it a 10 out of 10. It was enough food for two of us! It was our first time going, and we will be back for many many more delicious meals. Thank you, Portinos. read more

Amazing customer service!!! This will become our home pizza spot. The owner and staff are super friendly, helpful, and professional. Their menu has a nice variety to choose from and you can customize your order. We ordered the gluten free pizza and it was delicious! The toppings were fresh and it was perfectly baked. We definitely recommend this location whenever you are in the area! read more

Portinos - Inside seating area. - Italian Near Me - Valley Center, California

Good comfort Italian food at a good price. Staff was friendly, attentive and paid attention to detail. Ambiance was welcoming. Highly recommend this place. read more

The food was good, but the restaurant was understaffed. The service was not bad, just slow because there was only one waitress serving about 7 tables at dinner time. I ordered the gnocchi and it was super cheesy and delicious. My dad and kids shared the pizza and they liked it a lot. We will definitely try this place again. Hopefully they hire more servers. If not, I would still order takeout because the food was yummy. read more

Portinos - Supreme pizza - Italian Near Me - Valley Center, California

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Went here the other day with three others for lunch. First time for myself. The place was clean but very simple. A few booths but mostly tables and chairs. It was early so not many people. We were approached right away and orders were taken. The waitress was very friendly, but, but she was the only server. I ordered an Italian Sub sandwich and a coke. Since this was an Italian place figured I couldn't go wrong. People started filling up the place was getting busier. Our food was brought in a reasonable amount of time. The sandwich was on a huge roll. A side of Italian dressing and potato chips were included. The chips were great Tasted like they were made in house. The sandwich was okay. For as much bread as it had it seemed like it could have had more meat in it. It tasted fine. I'll go back to try some other stuff. read more

Great food and great service! We go once a week. Staff are so friendly and the food is always delicious. They even have gluten free pasta and pizza!! Thanks Portinos!! read more

Great service! And don't forget about the great food. The ranch dressing is amazing. Found my new go to place while visiting the casinos!

I was tired when I walked in the door, and the brusque "how can I help you" felt like an attack. She did nothing wrong, but it felt so unwelcome. "Eat in or take out" would have been an easier question to answer. It's a small place inside, just a few tables, but they were almost all full. There was patio seating outside, but it wasn't available. I tried the lobster bisque, but it was not what I'm accustomed to. The pizza crust was not my favorite. It was a drier version of thin crust style. When I think pizza, I think a crust with oil dripping, so for some, this crust will be a nice change. The food is a good value, and the staff all seem to be hardworking, doing more than one job. There was a happy family there with 4 kids who really seemed to be enjoying their food. To me, that's a good sign! read more

Old but clean. Pretty fair selection of wine and beer. Nice locals go there so you can always chat it up with somebody waiting for their food. I think most of the business seems to be takeout, but I ate in the restaurant first time I tried it. I got a pizza and the cheese did not taste fresh to me. It tasted like glue like cheese you'd buy at a discount Market. Sargento or whatever the name of those cheeses in the bag. It was like glue. I had to toss the pizza. I was so hungry. I ate about three pieces while I was there. Then takeout. I didn't finish it. The crust was good and the service was excellent, very friendly, so I'm sad to say that the cheese was plastic. If they used fresh graded cheese. I think they'd really have something. I did not try anything else there. read more

Needed a place to feed our family of 6 so of course pizza is everyones favorite! We are here for a dance recital and I dont know the area but as a dance dad this is a easy win! Thank you for the friendly service and delicious meat lovers pizza :) AND there is cell service here! read more

Portinos - Meat lovers - Italian Near Me - Valley Center, California

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I thought we had written a review on this place before, but guess not. It was really good our 1st visit there and this time too. DOG FRIENDLY - plus for us. Our dogs loved their meatballs we got them. They gave it a paws up. The restaurant itself is more of a carry out no frills type place if you dine in. Servers are so friendly and good service. Nice cold draft beers. Really good pizza and we've tried 4 different ones there so far. They have a lot of different things in their menu too. Next we're going for their pastas to try and their chicken pot pie that the server said is the pot pie with a puff pastry in the middle. Look forward to going back for sure. read more

Wow! We were excited that this is so close to our house... First time here, and Esperanza, the owner, greeted us with a warm welcome. She also gave us our first pizza order free as part of "special" for new residents in the area. So sweet! The pizza was amazing! I love that they have GF crust options and that you can customize the order. I ordered the vegetarian pizza and it was delicious! Will def be a regular here. read more

This place is a hidden gem. This is place is east-coast level Italian that feels like it should be somewhere in central Jersey. I've had both the pizza and pasta dishes, and it's some of the best you will find for the price in the San Diego area. read more

Great pizza! Only have ordered the deep dish and it has been amazing every single time. The antipasto salad is average, much better salads at other places, but it is the best they have to offer. Very little cured meats and they won't chop it despite my requests. I just dump it at home and chop it. There Italian dressing is lackluster as well, but I just make my own at home to improve the salad. Staff is always friendly upon pick up and smiling. I've never dined in so I cannot comment on there restaurant ambiance. It's my go to pick-up after visiting Valley View Casino. I'm a once-a-month visitor. Go get the deep dish. This review is for anybody who wishes to hear my opinion... read more

I received a free specialty pizza coupon from this restaurant so I had to go try it. This spot is small inside and nothing fancy for decor but the food I tried today was definitely 5 stars. I ordered the baked ziti with aurora sauce (alfredo and marinara) with meatballs added ($4) and it was excellent! The ricotta was creamy and smooth and the meatballs were so flavorful and soft. I also got chicken noodle soup which was simple but delicious. My boyfriend got the Italian sausage sub with pasta salad. The dressing on the pasta salad was so good and the sandwich was pretty big for $12. The break sticks that came were perfect on their own but you can't go wrong with a dip in that sauce, right? We ordered the Portino's special pizza to go and it was also good. While we ate we saw several people getting pizzas and other items to go. I will definitely come back to try the other pastas and possibly a meatball sub too! Thanks Portino's! read more

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My favorite Italian restaurant! Although I'm only here a few times per year, the service and food quality are consistently excellent. We ordered & dined outside, and the restaurant complied with all Covid protocols! Our waitress was friendly, attentive and very appreciative of our business. I'm so happy that they made it through the pandemic and appear to be thriving again! Indoor dining opening soon following a remodel! Can't wait to see it! read more

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Been here twice, once for sitting in and once for take out. Food is very good. Pizza sauce has a little sweet taste which is my favorite. Pasta dishes were good and antipasto salad was exceptional. read more

Good food, good service, family operation, country style in a good way,aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

Wow just wow Best food Friendly service Clean Amazing Tasty Best bread Best pizza Salad Drinks In my opinion, they have the best pepperoni pizza than the restaurants I tried such as domino's and Pizza Hut. read more

Food: Tasty and good quality for the price. No problem here. Service: Unfortunate. Understaffed, untrained and unorganized. A parade of forgotten items. Apologies only go so far, folks. Especially those that are insincere. Ambiance: Zero. None. Gray floors. Gray walls. Operating room-type lighting. Give your customers a break and provide a little comfort and a touch of style. You'd think you're eating in someone's garage, I kid you not. read more

Horrible pizza. I keep wanting so much for it to be better Kind staff from kitchen to wait staff I see their effort Just need better recipes, better ingredients better food. read more