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    Portofino

    3.7 (109 reviews)
    PriceyItalian
    Open 11:30 am - 9:00 pm

    Portofino Photos

    PORTOFINO ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Upscale
    Good for groups
    Outdoor seating

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    Recommended Reviews - Portofino

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    Reviews With Photos

    Blue crab sauce with clams.
    Glenn S.

    We usually make it a point to travel here once a year and are never disappointed. I normally get the duck which is great. Last night they had a blue crab sauce special which was fantastic. My wife had the lobster ravioli. Of course we left enough room for the white chocolate crème brûlée which was yummy! Our server was great as always. Never disappointed.

    a bowl of pasta and chicken
    Mia A.

    Ordered takeout penne alla vodka and they were able to put breaded chicken on it! There was a very good amount of chicken and it was perfectly crispy, and the vodka sauce was perfect. Was able to make almost 3 large portions out of my order too, and it was just as great reheated as leftovers

    Menu
    Olivia J.

    Celebrated my grandma's 85th birthday here with some family back in December, and came back in May to celebrate my grandfather's 95th! It's so good every time we go, and the service is great! Our waiter this month was so friendly and went the extra mile to make sure we were satisfied. All of the food was delicious. I highly recommend portofino's!

    Broccoli Rabe and sausage appetizer; amazing
    Ryan H.

    Went with the family to Portofino for dinner and cocktails. Had never been before but so glad decided to try them. The staff was friendly and accommodating and had some drinks at the bar while waiting for everyone to arrive. Drinks were nicely poured. Seated quickly and were offered the specials with a large variety of choices. The broccoli rabe appetizer was truly outstanding and the complimentary bread and butter was crusty and delicious. Main courses were all really excellent and the lemon marscapone cake was fantastic! Definitely a place to come check out with quality food and great flavors.

    Rum
    Semora R.

    I stopped into Portofino's to kill some time before my facial across the street, the ambiance was nice, the drink the bartender made me was very good and the other patron that was there was very friendly. I couldn't get food but would def go back!

    Let Lome martini
    Jeannine H.

    Portofinos is a staple in New Haven. It's a must go to if your in the area, if your planning on going on the weekend make a reservation. We made a reservation for 630 and we got in and we're seated immediately. The atmosphere is very romantic calming, lighting is dim and very classy but very comfortable. We were greeted by our pleasant waiter who was very prompt to bring bread and drinks. The Italian bread was hot and fresh out of the the oven and it had a very light and crispy crust with soft inside. I started out with a key lime martini, Very refreshing. Our apps consisted of tuna tartare, shrimp cocktail (no pic they ate it too fast!) and clams casino. The tuna was very fresh, made with avocado, cucumber, red onion and a vinaigrette on top of arugula. The shrimp cocktail was a good large size I believe there was 4-5 of them and the sauce wasn't too spicy. We also had clams casino flavored nicely with bacon on top. There was a good pause before dinner came which gave us time to digest and not rush. Another key lime martini so good! Dinner came we had zuppa de clams this came out nice and piping hot, made with huge chucks of garlic and a garlic oil white sauce. The clams were cooked perfectly not the least bit chewy. The next plate was your staple family lasagna, which was a giant piece, flavorful sauce and meat. Only comment on the would be the top was slightly over cooked but we just peeled it off. Next were the scallops scampi. The scallops we're lightly seared and all cooked equally delicious. This was on a Angel hair bed of light pasta in a while garlic sauce. Our next dinner was lobster topped on filet mignon. My son asked for it medium rare. This steak was spot on whoever cooked this is outstanding! The lobster was sautéed lightly and in a nice béarnaise sauce and on the side were very tasty potato. The last dinner was lobster ravioli. These were one of the best. The pasta was so light and the lobster meat was plentiful and not fishy tasting. The texture and consistency of the pasta was like none I've ever had. It made it very easy to eat most of the plate because it was so light. After all that we also had dessert! The Oreo cake and the chocolate mousse cake no pictures it was gone too fast! The Oreo cake cold almost frozen consistency like ice cream cake, not sure if it was supposed to be like that but still yummy! The mousse cake was thin layers of a fluffy chocolate cake with layers of mouse in between, there was probably 6 layers and it was covered in a chocolate ganache. Not too chocolaty at all! It was just the right mixture of light and dark. We've been here several times and they never disappoint! Go and eat! Manga !!

    Lobster Ravioli
    Alyssa C.

    I'm not understanding why or how Portofino's doesn't have a 5 star rating -- food and service are always excellent. As far as Italian in New Haven goes, I'd contend Portofino's ranks amongst the best with Tre Scalini, Adrianna's and Good Fellas.

    RibbinZ X.

    I love this place! The place is cozy and the food is always hot and delicious. Never had anything less than an amazing meal here.

    6:30pm in a sat.

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    1 year ago

    I love portofinos. Friendly service and great food!! Always my go to when family visits

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    3 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Great food and great service, you really can't beat Portofino's when it comes to Italian food in New Haven

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    2 years ago

    Food and service was excellent!!! We were there celebrating my fiancé birthday and it was perfect!

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    8 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Amazing Food, Cozy Atmosphere, Outstanding Service. Authentic Italian Cuisine. Highly Recommend Portofino's in New Haven

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    4 years ago

    Never a disappointment! Wow, Portofino's is just amazing! If you haven't been here you're missing out. Highly recommended!!

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    Adriana's Italian Restaurant & Catering - Spaghetti alla puttanesca

    Adriana's Italian Restaurant & Catering

    4.1(316 reviews)
    0.5 mi
    $$

    We had an early reservation as we had an event to get to. We were first customers to arrive that…read moreevening, and at least 6 of the staff were there to greet us--quite a welcoming committee. All four of us were happy with our meals! The eggplant tower and Caesar salad were starters, and for main meals one had pasta bolognese (big appetite), one chicken (there were leftovers), and TWO shared the orecchiette (AND took some home). Two glasses of wine. It was a lovely meal, and came to just over $40 per person with tip. Would go again to this charming restaurant any time we are in New Haven.

    This has been our 5th time coming - it's just consistently delicious. Strangely when we pulled up…read moreit looked like it was boarded up, maybe it's to prevent a cold draft but thankfully it's still there! Parking lot was empty. We had our almost two year old that had to tag along for dinner and they were very accommodating- the server was able to adjust menu items as we needed for dietary needs and when our little guy was getting bored they brought over a piece of paper to draw on. We went during a week day and barely 5 couples in there. I was able to walk around with our little guy (which in the past and on a weekend would never happen) - my son took an interest to peek into the kitchen and all the cooking staff were nice let him take a good look at the team in action. Thanks Adriana's again for wonderful food and kind /accommodating team and servers!

    Photos
    Adriana's Italian Restaurant & Catering
    Adriana's Italian Restaurant & Catering - Tagliatelle Alla Bolognese

    Tagliatelle Alla Bolognese

    Adriana's Italian Restaurant & Catering

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    Villa Lulu - Pappardelle Bolognese

    Villa Lulu

    4.2(153 reviews)
    1.1 mi

    I came to Villa Lulu in downtown New Haven for a birthday dinner and the entire experience was…read moreabsolutely perfect. The restaurant is located in a charming historic building, and the stylish decor gives it such a warm and homey feel. It is elegant yet totally relaxed, and the staff is incredibly welcoming and attentive from the moment you walk in. We started with the fried artichokes for an appetizer and they were nothing short of amazing. They were breaded and battered perfectly, and oh so crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. For our main courses we ordered the Chicken Parmesan and the Squid Ink Linguini. The Chicken Parm was completely top notch and cooked beautifully. The Squid Ink Linguini was equally outstanding and packed with flavor, definitely a must try if you visit. Everything from the cozy atmosphere to the expertly prepared food made it a birthday dinner to remember. If you are looking for amazing Italian comfort food with a wonderful neighborhood vibe, this is the spot. I highly recommend it and will definitely be returning!

    Another great dinner at Villa Lulu recently and updating the rating to 5 stars now that we've been…read morehere a few times with excellent service, food and ambiance on every visit. We were at the Shubert for a Neal Diamond inspired show that was also excellent. The place was packed and they were very short staffed so this could have been a disaster in the making. Our server, Josh, was a true professional (I know this as a long-time former professional myself) and handled the volume with an excellent demeanor and the utmost skill. The kitchen was totally dialed in and really you would not have known the business was under stress. We had the charcuterie board, the chicken saltimbocca, and 3 pasta dishes (I didn't pay attention to the specifics). Fig and espresso martinis were big hits and they had just enough variety on the beer menu to cover all the bases. Josh made excellent menu and wine recommendations and the timing of everything was spot on. This is an excellent restaurant. We've been here a number of times with all different guests and everyone raves about it. I don't think there's anyone who wouldn't enjoy Lulu. If you're looking for a great experience in downtown New Haven you won't miss by choosing Villa Lulu!

    Photos
    Villa Lulu - Bar area

    Bar area

    Villa Lulu - Rigatoni alla Vodka

    Rigatoni alla Vodka

    Villa Lulu - Pappardelle Bolognese

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    Pappardelle Bolognese

    Gioia Cafe & Bar - Mango sorbet

    Gioia Cafe & Bar

    4.2(143 reviews)
    0.9 mi

    Very nice gelato. We got a vanilla and the espresso flavors. I added dark chocolate chunk = dark…read morechocolate chips. I spent about $16 for a small and a large.

    As a flight attendant on a private jet, I was arranging catering from Gioia for five passengers at…read morethe request of the lead passenger. I went in personally and spoke with Alex, the floor manager, who was professional and assured me the order would be ready for pickup at 2:30pm the following day. He even took my credit card information to secure the order. In the morning i happened to check my email. I read an email from Alex informing me Gioia would not be able to accommodate my request. After reading the email I did discover Alex left a voicemail at 11pm. In a time-sensitive industry like private aviation, last-minute cancellations create significant unnecessary stress and inconvenience. A follow-up text message after the voicemail would have been appropriate given the urgency and the prior commitment. I appreciate the attempt to notify me. However, once a commitment is made--especially after payment information is taken--it's critical to honor it or exhaust every reasonable effort to do so. I had even offered to compensate the kitchen staff additionally to offset any inconvenience. With a background in culinary arts and restaurant management, I was taught that it's always better to under-promise and over-deliver rather than the reverse. In hospitality, reliability is everything, and word of mouth can either strengthen or damage a business's reputation.

    Photos
    Gioia Cafe & Bar - The kitchen

    The kitchen

    Gioia Cafe & Bar - Mortadella spread

    Mortadella spread

    Gioia Cafe & Bar - Dinnerware adds to the ambience

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    Dinnerware adds to the ambience

    Portofino - italian - Updated May 2026

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