Great Italian restaurant. Restaurant stays busy and doesn't take reservations but we have never had to wait too long. It has a family friendly atmosphere. Food and service are both excellent. Staff is attentive without making you feel rushed. I always enjoy eating there. read more

We checked out this restaurant for lunch. It's a little small and the food is good not bad not great but it's ok. The service just about the same. Our waiter was attentive initially and then took a while towards the end overall the experience just ok. read more

See all

I have been a Portofino fan for years but tonight was my first and last time spending money at this restaurant at the Arboretum. Never again . It wasn't a good experience. The waitress was horrible . I asked about the food specials and after asking her to repeat things three times I gave up. She had a very put off demeanor as tho she wasn't interested in helping or serving us. She never offered us a refill of any water and never cleared any of our salad or dinner plates. Finally another waitress came by and helped us. Offered us water refills and cleared the table. The food was meh. My spaghetti tasted like it had been in the oven warmer too long and was really not good. It was spaghetti. How do you mess that up ? It wasn't good. Hubs had the veal Parmesan . It was good . For dessert I order a tiramisu thinking maybe that would be the better ending to this horrible dinner situation. It came to us covered in a bottle of Hershey's syrup. So bad - I couldn't do it and knew the waitress wasn't coming back so I asked for the manager . Got a replacement tiramisu that was better, but honestly by then I simply wanted to leave. I have been to two other Portofino locations and never have had such a put off experience or really bad and uncaring waitress. I won't make this mistake again. Ever. read more

See all

Portofinos n the Arboretum (delivered) Can I just say how much I love this place! I ordered veal piccata with linguine and a chicken franchise with fettuccine. Really great portion with the chicken, very tender and flavorful. The breading was excellent not too heavy beautifully seasoned. The veal is slightly firmer, great flavor, cooked good - wish it was a little bigger portion, but I understand veal cost more than chicken. Got salads and tried House and Caesar - very good My only suggestion -- I love pasta and fettuccine is my FAVORITE! I would suggest linguine for BOTH because it's smaller in size (slightly) so holds the flavors/sauce much better. You can get any pasta - but my personal opinion - should've gone with cappelini for both it would've held the sauce even better. Excellent flavors - I love lemon and capers! The pasta was cooked PERFECTLY! If anything? I wish the chicken francaise had more sauce because I know when I finish it tomorrow, it's gonna soak up even more and taste so good! Lastly? They give you the bread. Oh my God, you could put a chunk of butter on there or dip it in olive oil with Parmesan or you just eat it plain - so good!!!! read more

See all

The flavors in each dish were perfectly balanced, and the ingredients tasted incredibly fresh. For me, their food is meant for sharing because of the large portions. We'll definitely be coming back. read more

See all

Ordered penne with chicken got fettuccini with shrimp - so that's actually two wrong orders since I'm guessing someone else is staring at the pasta dish they didn't order. My second bad experience with them in as many orders - the last time indicated a lack of any check out process or leadership accountability for ensuring pick up orders are correct - seems like the same thing happened tonight through Door Dash. I think this may be a good example of a restaurant who isn't hurting for business so they stop trying. read more

Very delicious, fresh authentuc italian dishes and pizza that is soo yummy! Keep coming back and love how busy they are anytime we arrive.

The portofino on eastway is substantially better. This is still pretty good although. Gets a 4/5 stars from me. See pictures along with it. read more

See all

It makes me so sad to post this. This used to a family favorite spot. I'm not sure what happened here. I received raw, cold and soupy eggplant parm, over cooked pasta on the side and bread with visible mold. I am not sure what happened but I couldn't eat anything provided. I would not recommend and highly suggest to go elsewhere if you don't want to get sick. read more

Fantastic service and consistently great food. You feel appreciated going there and it's great to support local business.

One of the best veal parm subs in the Charlotte area !! Pizza is great as well. Take out or eat in never disappoints

Portofino's is a great neighborhood Italian spot! There wasn't too long of a wait on a Friday night and we were seated within 30 minutes. The waiter was really friendly and gave some good recommendations. The wine was tasty but I can't remember which bottle we got. It was red. On our first visit, I got chicken parm and was extremely underwhelmed. It lacked flavor and the chicken wasn't crispy at all. My husband really liked his clam pasta recommended by the waiter. The second time, we ordered pizza to go and it was delicious! The white pizza add bacon was wonderful and the Montese pizza was really good too. *for to go orders, be sure to remember the number they give you! Otherwise, they don't call names. Be sure to double check the salad menu because when I thought I was ordering a side salad, I actually got a house salad and it came with some unpleasant slimy marinated vegetables and it was just overall not good. read more

See all

Came on a Sunday evening. Great service from Marina for my family of 5. We had lots of questions and needs and Marina was professional, friendly, and helpful. I didn't care for the calamari but my family liked it. Pizza, lasagna, spaghetti and meatballs and the salmon were favorites. I didn't care for the eggplant Parmesan. Salad and bread comes with meals. My husband and I used to go to Portofinos on Eastway when we were dating so it was cool to bring the kids back 20 years later. Oh and they have a baby changing station in the women's bathroom. read more

Nothing to say badly about this place. Very friendly server, Frank. Other female staff not too smiley. Glad we got his table. Typical Italian fare and wine. All good. Decent prices. They weee very accommodating by adding the marinated veggies to the antipasto salad making it my favorite. And it was plentiful enough for the two of us with taking leftovers home. The bread is good too and served warm. We shared the veal parm dinner and added a small side pasta for $4. We even had leftovers from that. So portions are nicely sized. We also shared a bottle of montepulciano and all was well. Good luck to Frank in his future plans !!!! read more

We visited Portifino's on 10/09/2024 for an early lunch with a party of three, soon after it opened. Since we were one of the first customers of the day and the day was beautiful, we sat on the outdoor patio which was very nice. Our server was very nice; however, he seemed to talk unnecessarily with a loud tone, even though it was a very quiet area at this time of day. The bread provided with the meal was yummy. I opted for the chicken marsala for lunch with a side of the Cappellini. I thought the portions were great for a lunch menu and the food was yummy and tasty. Overall, it was a great experience and I would return again in the future. read more

I had lunch here on Monday and witnessed one of the most disappointing examples of customer service management I've ever seen. I was seated near a woman dining alone who complained about nearly everything--her bread, her drink, even that she didn't get a salad, when a salad wasn't included with her meal. She then falsely claimed that her meal had been served to me first and returned to the kitchen, which absolutely wasn't true because they weren't even the same dish. Throughout the entire ordeal, the waitress stayed calm, polite, and professional, showing remarkable patience despite the guest's unreasonable behavior. It was apparent to me that the rude customer was trying to get a free meal. The most upsetting part came when the woman went to the front and complained to a man who appeared to be the owner. Instead of investigating what actually happened, he immediately reprimanded the server harshly & loudly for all to hear! It was upsetting to watch. The food was decent, but after observing how management chose to treat an employee who was handling a difficult customer with grace, I lost all desire to return. It was disheartening & I will not be coming back. read more

Ordered a Large Pepperoni with Extra Cheese and it was awesome! Simply put its Great Pizza! Also got an order of Garlic Cheese bread. Great lunch! (and dinner ) Highly recommend! Friendly staff and great food! read more

Went there for the first time for some lunch with the family and let me tell y'all food and service was great we ordered some fried calamari ,the cheesy garlic beard for appetizers 10/10 for sure everything was cooking perfectly. That Cesar salad dressing was sooo good and the pizzaaaa oh yea lost definitely going back again and out waiter was kind as well and very attentive read more

We dine here whenever we're in town. Great staff and service. Their specialty pizzas are delicious and so are their pasta entrees. The margherita pizza is our favorite. Their specialty pizzas are huge so do share. read more

Portofino's - Margherita Pizza - Italian Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

First time here. As a seasoned fat boy who likes to eat all things Italian, I was very doubtful, since we have experienced many places post pandemic to bad service and lower food quality and higher prices. This place totally blew me away. Service was awesome, knowledgeable and creative, great ambiance. The food was all around excellent. Sauce was amazing and the entire meal was amazing. I had penne pasta with side of Salmon. Perfect portions and full of flavor. And as my wife says, they are extremely reasonably priced. I agree. This is our new favorite place. Can't wait to try other menu items. Oh by the way the fresh bread IS actually freshly baked. Totally amazing. Our server Michael was on top of his game. read more

Portofino's - Italian Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

Portofino's!! One of my very favorites, I have been to about three or four of the restaurants. My Homie is the Arbo! Everything is spot on, Homemade and no skimping on any of the ingredients Tonight it was Veal Marsala,,, so delicious, covered with Mushrooms and capers and a delicious sauce. Also we had the Tortellini Alfredo with Chicken, Just perfect ! The side salad is fresh and crisp and what can i say about the House dressing!! Its Heavenly! . I usually get the Chicken or Salmon Piccata..but I decided to switch it up a bit and it was so worth it. You have to try it. The Pizza is great too! read more

Hard to believe that Portofino's in REDSTONE is the same management as their place on UPPER PARK Road. We would never go back to RedStone. The drive from our home is 45-60 minutes to UPPER PARK ROAD AND THEY WILL not take a reservation for less than 6 people. MY WIFE AND I often prefer dining alone. Moishe from Sun City read more

Eaten there for years, the food is always great! Service is always good as well including take out. Oh, and the pizza, GREAT!

(-) Visited on a Saturday, group of 5 at 6:30p. (Dinner Rush, understandably) We got seated immediately but it took a while to get our waters, order taken, bread to table, appetizer and food to come out. We left at 9:10 (in which time spent actually eating was ~20 mins) (+) I noticed a lot of other big families, kids/teenagers, lots of birthdays which being in that environment was very nice! But I do think the lesson here is: you are not in good company or have something planned immediately after, I don't recommend visiting as the wait for drinks, getting orders, appetizers and getting entrees was very long. (-) Food was ok, for me - not worth the wait. I judge things based on if I would crave it again in the future. The flavor in my dish was not there. (Described as garlic, spice sauce - the garlic flavor was not there for me) (+) Portions are huge! Entrees also come with a side salad. read more

Portofino's - Arrabbiata - Italian Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

We stopped in for a light meal before heading next door for live music, and our service and food were excellent! They serve my favorite wine by the glass, and the burrata salad and mussels in marinara sauce were the perfect meal for date night! read more

I'm from the NE and have been in search for New Jersey style pizza. This is my fav pizza by far. All the dishes are excellent. Have been coming here for 10 plus years. read more

Have eaten a lot of Italian Food in my lifetime this one ITALIAN Restaurant located at Arboretum Shoppes south of Charleston is a really excellent food focused restaurant. We had 5 Adults and 2 children (under age of 3) and we had a great time!!! - Thanks to "Charlotte our waitress" who was focused on doing as much as she could to meet our every need. Charlotte's timing on when to come around and when to leave us alone to enjoy family time was impeccable. That's a real talent not many waiters or waitresses have but Charlotte sure does. When she did come around she was focused on us 100% and she made us feel special. - Food for all 5 Adults: Lasagna, Shrimp & Clams, Baked Ziti, Pizza, Salmon w/Vodka Sauce & my choice Shrimp Scampi was all Very Good, Hot & Tasty! - Atmosphere was surprisingly relaxing as their chairs were comfortable and although we sat close to other people we had a great family time conversationally. - My son and his family live in Charlotte area so no doubt we'll be back again! read more

on Friday Dec 20, I hostessed a Christmas gathering for 12 relatives. It was a costly meal, but everyone seemed pleased with the food and service. I went back on Dec 23 to order an antipasto, an order I've placed for Christmas Eve for the last seven years. The stoic behind the counter said they didn't do catering. I explained that I'd purchased antipastos for Christmas from them for years. No good. I was too late to order from anywhere else, so I decided to order a few of their appetizer antipastos to pick up the next day. They ended up being measly, scant, mostly a store-bought lettuce mix. I was embarrassed and so disappointed. I will not go back there for any reason again. read more

I've been here twice in a week and here's what I can take from it.... this is a perfectly cozy place with great food and friendly staff. By all means not my first visits. I've been here countless times. But let me say this..... if you're in the mood for good Italian food, they've got it. A simple margarita pizza totally hit the spot one night. And on the next visit a steaming hot bowl of capellini with meatballs soothed the soul. One of my favorites is the boscaiola pasta and their Stromboli is epic. Go. Unwind. Let go for an hour. Be cozy. Its worth it. So are you. read more

Portofino's - Capellini with Meatballs - Italian Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

See all

Wow! A taste of Italy in NC. This restaurant has great atmosphere. There's a lot to choose from on this awesome menu so take your time when ordering. For an appetizer we enjoyed a plate of delicious bruschetta. My Awesome wife had a fresh a delicious pasta dish and I kept it simple with a delicious large pepperoni, meatballs and onion pizza. Everything was awesome including the service. We will definitely come back and dig deeper in this great Italian cuisine. May God's blessings be on all my fellow foodies Always! read more

See all

I have passed by this place so many times and finally decided to give it a try. We were given a thin stick of sourdough bread to start with, which was soft and most. The Mozzarella Sticks (7 pieces for $8.75) were deliciousy cheesy and crispy. The Margherita Pizza ($19) was great! The tomatoes and sauce tasted juicy and fresh. Service was great. The seat cushions for the booths could definitely use more cushioning, but otherwise, we had a wonderful experience and left with full bellies. read more

See all

Great food. I love their linguini with clams and their pizza is delicious. The servers are very personable and knowledgeable.

They forgot my sausage and extra sauce. Arrived cold. Called to explain and they picked up phone and hung up.

My friend and I came here for dinner one night since she loves this restaurant. Overall I liked it too but the super strong fish smell turned me off. It was very over powering and made my meal less enjoyable than it should have been. We shared some garlic cheese bread to start and that is something you can never go wrong with. We also had some wine which is always another good choice. For dinner I had the chicken piccata. It was really good and a large portion that also included a salad so that was plenty of food for the price. read more

Everything!!! Food is delicious! Service is perfect! Ambiance is nice,friendly and relaxed !!! Wonderful restaurant to visit for lunch or dinner!!! The tomato sauce and penne with house salad is my favorite! See you guys soon read more

I have eaten here many times over the past 5 years but tonight may have been my last. It's obvious they are having trouble in the kitchen. Chicken parm was atrocious. Bolognese was not made properly. Two tables near us had issues with their food. I hate to see this but they need to overhaul their cooking practices and get back to the simple basics of good Italian cooking. read more

I have been to this location over twenty times in the past. The quality of the food and the experience of the chefs has definitely declined. I have tried almost everything on the menu. This time, we ordered the veal saltimbocca and the penne with vodka sauce. The "chefs" (if they can be called that), did not pound out the veal at all and extremely overcooked it. I tried to eat this dry, flavorless, well done veal but this takes away from the whole purpose of eating veal. Second, the saltimbocca sauce was mediocre and it became worse when I bit into a whole clove of garlic. A WHOLE clove that wasn't diced at all. I even found a second whole clove hidden in the sauce. The chef didn't know how to make the meal. I was disappointed because I always loved this meal in the past. Next, we tried the vodka sauce penne. This was decent, but I could make better at home. Major deduction for not sautéing the onions like it says in the description on the menu. The chef again didn't know how to make the meal. The salads with the classic portofino dressing have always been and stay good. I would have 100% voiced these concerns to the server, but I got the food to go and didn't realize this until we ate at home. I'm disappointed to say the least. Sad. read more

Portofino's - Second full garlic clove. The first one I chewed up by accident and spit out. - Italian Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

To start... They made my sandwich wrong by adding tomatoes and I made it clear that I was allergic. Furthermore the Philly cheesesteak does not even come with tomatoes on it so I am not sure why they were added..... I requested a bit more cheese for the sub AFTER UT WAS MADE INCORRECTLY and they gave me HELL ABOUT IT. Like really I asked for a little cheese and it was an issue! HORRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE! I WILL NEVER GO THERE AGAIN! read more

The pizza here is delicious, the crust has a good chew and crispy edges. The service is always quick, our order is always right and everyone there is really friendly. We come up from Monroe to get this pizza! It's worth the drive. read more

Portofino's - Pepperoni pizza - Italian Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

Really not sure what is happening at Portofino's but each time we buy a pizza it's a little worse. It seems they may be using a different vendor or changed the manufacturer of their cheese. It's gummy, chewy and has little taste. The last couple of orders were either undercooked, raw in the middle or, burnt on the bottom. Much rather they charge more and offer a superior fresh high quality product than stay on their current course. read more