Some of the best hospitality you will ever have at any restaurant in the Greater Seattle Area. This is the sister location of their Renton restaurant, Sansonina, which I was a patron of several years for until I moved to Burien. When I heard that this place was here, I was THRILLED! Everything on the menu is the exact same, and some of the waiters from the other location are here too! The space is even bigger than the one in Renton, and they really outdid themselves with the new decor and ambiance. You can tell this is a place that truly cares about their customers and takes pride in the work they do. I'm so grateful they moved down here also, and I'm never disappointed by anything on the menu! read more

Porto Vino Italian Restaurant delivers a truly memorable dining experience from start to finish. From the moment we walked in, the atmosphere felt warm, inviting, and effortlessly elegant--perfect for a relaxed dinner, date night, or special occasion. The service stood out immediately. The staff was attentive, knowledgeable, and genuinely welcoming without ever feeling rushed. You can tell they take pride in making guests feel comfortable and cared for. We shared our meal and started out with a bottle of Amarone, complimentary bread, Steamers - Leeks, Mediterranean clams, garlic and herb white wine butter sauce, Portovino: Specialità Della Casa (their salad) Seasonal greens, tomatoes, sliced apples, Gorgonzola cheese, walnuts, raspberry vinaigrette lobster stuffed ravioli with a creamy mushroom sauce a prawns, a lemon tart for dessert and a coffee nudge to top off the evening. read more

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The food was immaculate. All of it was prepared very well and tasted excellent. The ambience was also notable. Here are the major glaring issues. 1. When you make reservations a week or more in advance but then when you show up (party of 4) get sat in the bar, this is immediately a red flag and a big miss. 2. The guest of honor had to sit with no food because the waiter placed the wrong order for her food. 3. Waiter mentioned bread for the table, but it never came and we had to ask for it repeatedly. 4. Asked for the dessert menu twice and all other food came very quickly (NICE) but the dessert was the slowest. We will come back and try this place again. The food was sooo good. Hoping this info helps to relay the challenges we felt that caused this visit to fall short. read more

Very intimate and lovely inside. Service was excellent and food was fresh and flavorful. read more

We're new to the area and wanted to feel a little classy. This place is a gem. It's gives high end dining vibes without the pretentious after taste. After being seated the waiter was ready to dazzle. Well versed in menu, specials and wine pairings, he impressed! Finding out that we could dine "Family style" sold us. 1 appetizer and 2 entrees was the perfect quantity. Rich flavors and perfect seasoning. Will return to try other tasty optio read more

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Food is decent. The house salad is nice. The service is slow. I waited 45 minutes from putting my order in to getting my pasta. The piccata did not have any tang as expected. read more

PortoVino - Linguini de fruita di mare piccata - Italian Near Me - Des Moines, Washington

All of our main courses were delicious: lobster ravioli, sausage and ravioli, and piccata di pollo. The garlic bread was excellent and came with seasoned butter and a marinara sauce. The calamari was good but not the best I've ever had. The desserts looked great but we were too full to enjoy. The waiters were helpful in selecting our meals and wine. read more

PortoVino - Bar and restaurant view - Italian Near Me - Des Moines, Washington

My Mom loves Italian food, but has a gluten allergy. This lovely, intimate restaurant, hiding in the heart of Des Moines was such a wonderful surprise! Pretty much anything on the menu, can be ordered gluten free. What a life saver! And for those who don't have a gluten allergy, this is by far the best Italian dining I have found in south King county. I recommend to everyone. They have a fabulous wine selection, elegant and romantic atmosphere, and a delicious menu (including great cocktails), and excellent wait staff. I don't know why this spot hasn't been more widely discovered/advertised! Truly a treasure! read more

This place has passion! From the two brothers who own it, to the wait staff, to the atmosphere, to the food! I've been here more than a dozen times since it's opened and it never disappoints. Everything is super fresh and tastes out of this world. The sauteed calamari appetizer is to die for, so much so that I now have it served over angel hair pasta is an entree. I never would think to order a steak in an Italian restaurant, but my friend ordered one and the taste was phenomenal and cut like butter. Their wine selection is absolutely unbelievable! You must go!!! read more

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Everything was perfect from the service to the food. The ambiance is wonderful. Feels very much like going back in time, in a good way.

We made reservations for a Friday night dinner. The restaurant was packed and had a little out door patio seating. The interior decor was nice, like a rustic wine cellar look. They had nice chairs and a couch by a fireplace while we waiting briefly for our table. The host, staff and customer service was excellent. They were friendly, often checked on us and refilled our drinks frequently. We ordered the bruchetta for an appetizer and regret doing so after they served us the house bread. The bread was delicious. It's just we didn't need that many servings of bread. For our entrees we ordered the Halibut and the Pollo Saltimbucca. The Halibut tastes light, flavorful and great. The Polko Saltibucca was very heavy on the cream and cheese and the Giant melted peice of cheese on top of the Prosciutto and chicken tasted a bit strange. Probably will not be getting that again. They have a lot of trading italian dessert options. Overall, try to get a reservation, the ambiance was wonderful, customer service great and Halibut tasty. read more

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I visited this restaurant a few times and the friendliness of the staff stands out the most. They are welcoming, and the food is delicious. The atmosphere is cozy and relaxing, making it a great place to drop in or a date night. I recommend this place if you're looking for great food, good service, and a nice vibe read more

First time dining here and would recommend it to everyone! Service was outstanding, food was delicious, drinks were perfect!! Little bit pricy but DEF worth it!!! 10/10 read more

Wonderful spot to eat great Italian menu! Huge wine list, superb service, reasonable prices. A little loud, but that's a type of ambiance that I do t mind in a busy good restaurant. Very attentive service! read more

great food great customer service!!!! Would definitely recommend for Italian in the Seattle Area, worth a bus trip and definitely a guarantee in Des Moines. Loved the indoor read more

For authentic Italian this is a great find. The service is second to none which is hard to find these days. I don't think our water ever got more than half empty before someone was filling it. Same went for our cocktails, with our server asking if we wanted additional beverages promptly. The food was fantastic and the portions are larger than most Italian restaurants we have been to. This is a great place for a large group or an intimate party of two. The next time you are craving Italian give Porto Vino a try you won't be disappointed. Make sure to ask about the daily specials too. read more

Fine dining has arrived in Des Moines, Washington! Over the weekend my wife and I decided to treat ourselves to a night out and investigate the recently opened PortoVino Italian restaurant. We were blown away! The space that previously housed Lago Azul, then Origins, then Candice's Vietnamese Kitchen has undergone a dramatic transformation. Guests enter a reception lobby which is lined with bottles of wine - just a hint of the restaurant's emphasis on offering fine wine to go with excellent food. Patrons pass the cozy bar and a seating area next to a fireplace before entering the main dining room with its own "wine wall" holding about 800 (!) bottles of wine. That means some great choices for those of us who love good wine. The main dining area has the feeling of an old school steak house complete with subdued lighting, dark woods, and a surly wait staff. Well, "86" the surly wait staff; our servers at PortoVino were prompt, friendly, attentive, and ready with recommendations. Our main waiter, who was Italian, also politely endured the few words of his native language that I tried to speak. We started the evening with glasses of Chianti Classico, then split a salad and an appetizer before moving on to our main course. The Insalate Greca was a slight departure from a true Greek salad, which I can confirm from my time working at The Greek House in Burien. It had romaine lettuce, cucumbers, bell peppers, Kalamata olives, red onion, tomatoes, artichoke hearts, Feta cheese, and a vinaigrette dressing. A traditional Greek country salad does not have lettuce, but no matter. It was delicious! For our appetizer, we chose the Gamberoni Fiorentini: Large prawns sautéed in garlic and Florentine liquor, with spinach and tomatoes. The prawns were perfectly cooked: tender and juicy without a hint of the toughness that comes from cooking shrimp too long. Our main course, from the Primi section of the menu, was the Ravioli con Salsiccia: Sautéed peppers, red onions, spicy sausage, cilantro, and red sauce. Our server made sure we'd seen the word "spicy" and were OK with that, which was thoughtful but unnecessary as the sausage brought only a modest amount of zing to the party. We were too full to move on to the Secondi section, which offered four different chicken dishes, halibut, and filet mignon. Though the dessert tray was tempting, we finished the evening with a glass of Limoncello, which was the perfect tipple. Prices are a bit higher than other Italian restaurants but this is not your average "noodles-and-gravy" house. With its inviting interior and excellent food, PortoVino is a welcome addition to Des Moines' cuisine scene. We will definitely be back! read more

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We live in the South Sound and found out that PortoVino was finally opening this week. The three of us decided to go take a look at the newest restaurant in our area. We were warmly greeted when we walked in and sat promptly. The ambiance has changed significantly and was an incredible upgrade from the past. Warning this may end up being a long review... How it started...we were given the menus and given some time to peruse them. I looked at the wine list 1st, and I loved that they had several bottles of Brunello di Montalcino. I asked if they had a Rosso or Brunello open that I could get a glass of. I was told that it would need to be a whole bottle. I started to narrow down what I wanted... The waitress promptly came back with a wine she asked if I would like to taste. I did and she then informed me that she got the manager to let her pour a glass of the Rosso. I was very grateful. What great serive. We ordered an appetizer of Sautéed Calamari. My wife was worried that our 13yo would not like the the dish if it came in a sauce... There was no reason to worry as it came with a delicious blend of spices on a bed of spinach. The 13yo wants me to say that it was delicious and reminded him of Ramen...a favorite dish of his...lol, it was very delicious calamari cooked just enough to be tender. What a great start. Our mains came, the 13yo decided on Fettuccine Alfredo for the 1st time. It was the description of the ingredients that sold him...as Alfredo doesn't sound delicious. He said he still won't eat his school's Fettuccine Alfredo... My wife and I got the Ribeye special medium rare. What a great choice. The steak was cooked perfectly even if I like mine to be on the rarer side. The pasta and asparagus was delicious in an olive oil garlic and herbed sauce. I can see how the seasoning of the sauce would go well with the steak, but (and this is my only minor thing) I would've liked a bit more seasoning on the meat. The 13yo tried the steak and said that once he got through the sear, he really like the taste of the meat. The desserts. The 13yo got the lava cake as well...he's 13. Nothing against lava cake, delicious! But there was a canoli on the dessert tray. He said he only skipped the canoli as it was pistachio. He doesn't eat nuts. I got a very delicious Americano with the canoli. It was good, but my expectations were a little higher. Instead of the decadent, richness of the Ricotta and Marscapone that I crave, I got a light and airy filling that was delicious...just not wat I was expecting. Overall a great night with incredible service and a delicious meal. read more

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3rd visit since they opened. Reservation for 4, my wife and I and our daughter and grandson from Normandy Park. As before, the food was delicious and the service prompt and friendly. Two people ordered the lobster ravioli special and it was delicious but pricy at $55 each. The fettuccini puttanesca scampy had lots of large shrimp and a delicious spicy sauce. Our only complaint is that the restaurant is noisy, making conversation a bit of a challenge. read more

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What an amazing meal at PortoVino! The service was superb as well as the food. I would highly recommend this restaurant if you are looking for quality Italian food & a wonderful atmosphere. read more

Wow! Staff is incredible and the food is amazing. We ordered the tortellini and the filet mingot. Both cooked perfectly, both delicious! Ambiance is nice and feels fancy but still casual, which I really enjoyed. read more

Food was great, ambience was lovely, but the service was top tier. Definitely recommend read more

PortoVino - Cute Christmas decorations - Italian Near Me - Des Moines, Washington

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I grabbed dinner with a friend here the other night and was absolutely blown away by our dining experience. We walked in without a reservation and were greeted and seated immediately. It took a few minutes for our server to come over, but once he did, he was very personable and attentive. Upon our server's recommendation, we ordered the fried calamari appetizer, the chicken parmigiana, and the lemon chicken dishes. The food came out extremely quickly and was fresh and flavorful. For dessert we ordered the lava cake and tiramisu which were both absolutely delicious. Portion sizes are extremely generous and we both ended up taking over half of our meals and the desserts home. The check was way lower than I expected as prices were extremely reasonable. The restaurant has a low-lit grown and sexy vibe that's great for a date night, a girl's night, or a special occasion. I will definitely be back! read more

Tonight, five of us went to dine at PortoVino. We had a variety of entrees and salads. Everything was delicious. The ambiance was very nice inside, but we chose to eat outside for the warmth of the sunshine and the view. Service was outstanding. read more

The best food and service in Western Washington! Ask for Emiliano to be your server...

There is a well appointed interior or a spacious deck. The staff is attentive without being pushy. Dinner started with garlic Italian bread toast. We shared a delicious caprese salad that was well presented. I had the fettuccini Putanesca Scampi. Well presented and absolutely scrumptious. Definitely coming back! read more

A great Italian experience. The inside is so beautiful. There's a cozy seating area near fireplace in the bar area. Now, the food. You can feel the love in every bite. The attention to every detail from the moment you step in to the final awwww I'm stuff is a pure happiness! read more

Good service and great food. The pasta was wonderful and we topped off the dinner with desserts for everyone.

All I can say about this place is you need to try it!!!!! This place has amazing food and service. The service here is above and beyond, you never have to ask for anything. The wait staff are always on point ready to take care of your every request. We drove from Puyallup and plan on coming back soon. The place is clean and has cozy ambiance. Even the gentleman that refills the water cleaned off our table between dinner and dessert. Supremeo!!! read more

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So relieved that I don't have to drive all the way to Renton or Bellevue to go to a fancy Italian restaurant. PortoVino brought it to Des Moines. The ambiance gave a modern, sophisticated, romantic vibe. You can tell that the space was thoughtfully designed/decorated. I sat at the bar and was helped by Emiliano. What a fantastic guy! He was attentive but not overbearing at all. The food was five stars all around. Typically, with seafood dishes, places tend to put about 3-5 pieces and call it a day, but not this Linguine di Mare. I had extra seafood after the pasta was done, so I just topped it on the bread with the marinara sauce. The PortoVino salad was delicious and fresh; perfect to have in the summer. And the Tiramisu.... my goodness.. the best Tiramisu I've had. Will definitely be back soon! read more

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Portovino is exactly what this neighborhood needed--an intimate, elegant Italian restaurant that brings a big city dining experience right to the heart of Des Moines, WA. From the moment we walked in, we were met with warm and attentive service. The hostess greeted us with genuine hospitality, and throughout the night, our busboy, isaac and server, Isaac were phenomenal (both were named Isaac). Isaac was incredibly knowledgeable when it came to pairing wines with our entrées, and the level of attentiveness from the entire staff was impressive. Our water glasses were never empty, yet their service was never intrusive--just perfectly timed. The ambience of the restaurant is stunning. The layout and design of the room made us forget we were even in Des Moines--it felt like we were tucked away in a cozy little spot in Italy. The lighting, spacing, and décor created a very personal, intimate atmosphere, and the use of the space was incredibly well thought out. As for the food, my girlfriend ordered the filet mignon and I had the Pollo al Saltimbocca. Both were cooked perfectly to temperature, and what stood out most was the restraint in seasoning--the dishes weren't overly salty, allowing the true flavors of the proteins and sauces to shine through. Each bite had depth and intention. I couldn't be happier that a place like Portovino has opened up in my neighborhood. It's rare to find a spot that nails service, ambience, and food so seamlessly. Des Moines has been waiting for something like this--and it truly delivers. Highly recommend. We'll absolutely be back. read more

New restaurant just opened this week. Right off the bat, it's extremely dark inside. Your eyes will adjust at some point but then when you leave you'll be blinded by the daylight. Maybe just go when the sun is already down. Next, it's insanely LOUD. I'm not sure if it's just the thickness of walls but, voices carry very hard. Felt like I was yelling to talk to with my table. The food was delicious though. Filet mignon, carbonara and the steamer clams were all great. No complaints on the food. Service was a bit slow and it took about 10 minutes to place our order after I mentioned we were ready to order. But I'm sure the service will sharpen up the longer they are open! Not sure about the darkness and loud volume, might be a design flaw. I may return once they get more situated. read more

Food was decent, I live right down the street, so always willing to try new stuff on the block. Few months ago it was a Vietnamese restaurant, and a few months before that, i think it was American cuisine.. and I'm sure this "Italian" place will go under before the end of the year. I think it's kinda shady that who ever owns this building or operation, they keep changing it up. I wouldn't mind when you open up again be a Mexican restaurant. I'm sure I'll see a sign outside soon that you're closed . read more

Delicious and the ambiance was exceptional! Service was top notch as well. So happy to see this level of restaurant in Des Moines!!!!

This was an excellent "special occasion" place. I was there for my birthday, and it didn't disappoint! I enjoyed a pasta de mare dish that had salmon, scallops, and mussels served in a "pink" sauce on the pasta that was our waiter's recommendation, and it was delicious! The setting was beautiful and quiet, and the service impeccable! Definitely a high quality, 'top of the line' restaurant for Des Moines. They included a chocolate torte for my birthday that made the meal so special! read more

We have been here a couple times now. Very good meals. Nice outdoor patio for when the weather is pleasant. Very cozy inside. The inside will be a really nice place to sit in the winter. read more

Authentic, delicious food in a beautiful setting. A lively place for a celebration or sumptuous Italian dinner featuring generous portions. The bread alone is to die for. The staff is attentive, yet not intrusive. Each dish is crafted by chefs who care and presented by wait staff who strive to make your dining experience special. read more

This restaurant is phenomenal. The service is wonderful. The food is fabulous. The price is right. Drinks are epic wine is epic and the ambience is spectacular. This is become our favorite restaurant. read more

Beautiful inside, excellent service and great food. This a a great addition to the town of Des Moines. I highly recommend it!

Has to be the most outstanding service that I've ever experienced in Des Moines. They knew how to capture that market and they did so. Really nice ambience love the wine wall and the brick. It's a lovely setting. They have a marvelous wine menu, including many of their own label that their folks raise in Italian wine country and bring over just for us. It's their second restaurant and they have the formula down with a great set of appetizers and very satisfying homemade pastas, I always get the gnocchi read more