We in from Chicago to work with COAP. The Portal is one of our favorite stops! We had the BBQ Chicken and Raylan Pizzas. Both were delicious. Our server, Tamara, was friendly and quick! The atmosphere was great and welcoming. read more

The food was amazing, the service was great (the server was so sweet) the place was clean and nice was a 10/10! Will definitely go back! read more

The Portal - Boneless chicken wings & Cheese fries - Sports Bars Near Me - Harlan, Kentucky

Great meatball calzone and Philly sandwich. Would definitely make the slight road trip to come here again. Deducting one star because calzone came with green peppers on it (not listed in description and we'd asked for no red peppers); and the table was divided on the house chips. Half loved and half hated. read more

This pizza was amazing it definitely did have a chef Boyardee taste to it but overall amazing! The staff were friendly! And the calzones are heavenly!! read more

Definitely better than the chains. Ingredients were fresh, pizza was good sized and it had generous amounts of cheese and toppings. My preference is for a firmer undercarriage and this one was a little soupy but the pizza was very good. We got delivery (Door Dash) so I can't speak to the ambiance and I was too hungry to pause to take a picture. Skip the chains. Eat here. read more

Good food. Pizza everything was great. Glad we have a local that is above par. I recommend this place when you visit

Food is always great!!! I recommend the honey mustard dressing for the salad. Has a little heat to it and bacon!!!

The food made my stomach hurt bad! But the people are good. Overall. It was okay, still 1 star, sorry

Highly recommend! Had dinner here during our stay in Harlan. Pizza was fantastic! A lot of history here. Plenty of pictures from when Harlan was a booming mining town. Bartender/server was the sweetest. Knowledgeable about the town. Two locals were there and were so friendly, shared a lot of stories. We had a fantastic time here! Atmosphere was inviting. Very clean place. read more

See all

Overall: Terrible customer service and subpar food. Businesses built in small towns can get away with pretty much anything, because there are very few other options. Food: If not everything, almost everything, is prepackaged or frozen. My dining partner ordered meatballs and the Raylan pizza- both were fine. The meatballs (admittedly by staff) were frozen, but very good. Side note, the waitress told us an order of four meatballs would be "about $5" however they were $8 with no sauce. I ordered the fettuccine alfredo. The menu described the dish as "noodles" which should have been my first red flag. One bite. Absolutely foul. Think Chef Boyardee alfredo sauce (runny yet a glue like consistency, no fresh flavors, terrible) and severely over cooked pasta. I told the waitress and she replied "Let me get you something else." Great, I ordered two desserts, comparable to the price of the *pasta*. The molten lava cake was most definitely frozen and microwaved with no lava center, but the peanut butter pie was edible. I receive my check, and have been billed for the dish I did not eat. I brought it up to the waitress. "50% off is the best we can do." Mind you... I was FULLY billed for the dish. After a long discussion with the manager, several phone calls, and 15 minutes of my life wasted- I got the alfredo removed from my bill. They sent me off with a free to go order, and it was just as revolting. Ambiance: Kitchsy coal miner diner. read more

First time trying this restaurant. Ordered Philly cheesesteak sandwich with chips and large cheese pizza. All of the food was delicious. Doesn't have the best parking but would definitely order again read more

The Portal - Philly cheesesteak sandwich with chips - Sports Bars Near Me - Harlan, Kentucky

See all

Family recommended The Portal and, really, the food was fantastic. We had garlic bread knots...worth the drive by themselves...pizzas and a Philly cheesesteak. The meat lovers personal pizza is on my top five pizzas list for all times. The coal-fired ovens cook the crust just right and the fresh ingredients set them off from lots of other places. We will definitely return! This fare compares well with NYC, Boston and places I've visited across the country. read more

This place was amazing!!! The calzones are def a favorite! I wanted to see this place ever since it was on Justified!

The pizza is fantastic! We went on a Tuesday and they had a special for 2 large pizzas for $22. They're massive! We had the BBQ Jordon and another one with grippos seasoning on it. I forget the name:( Cute place, cheap prices read more

The Portal - Sports Bars Near Me - Harlan, Kentucky

Wonderful pizza. Exceptional staff. Even better pricing. Delivery is cheap. It has a very real Italian taste to the pizza and pasta. Staff is very friendly and the environment as a whole feels very comfortable and inviting. I would recommend this for your next Italian get away. read more

While exploring Harlan before my clinical rotations at Harlan ARH, some friends and I checked out The Portal in downtown Harlan. The atmosphere inside is nice and the place feels brand new. It's one of, if not the only, restaurant downtown. They have an interesting menu with appetizers, salads, calzones, sandwiches, specialty pizzas, and more. Both times I have gone I have ordered one of their personal size pizzas. They are cooked in a wood-fired oven and the crust is just perfect. Starting at around $7, they are the perfect size to fill you up. For appetizers, the bacon cheddar cheese chips are exactly the comfort food you need in your life. The Spicy Italian pizza, with its pepperoni, tuscan chicken, bacon, jalapenos, buffalo sauce, and homemade buttermilk ranch drizzled over the top is absolutely mouth watering. There's not much going on in downtown Harlan besides a few shops and an abundance of law offices, so if you're looking for some great food, definitely check out The Portal. read more

The Portal - Black mountain buffalo chicken pizza is excellent. - Sports Bars Near Me - Harlan, Kentucky

See all

In town for my annual offroad trip, and staying nearby. Good medium crust pizza and beer available to ho with it. Very surprised to be charged for a glass of ice water . read more

The Spicy Italian, Philly Cheesesteak, and the cheese sticks were amazing! We're from out of town and weren't able to dine-in anywhere (Rona). Super excited to find out delivery was free! read more

It's an odd combo of a steak and pizza joint. Okay, its a really odd combo to find. However, the Portal seems to have it under control. The pizza was tasty, the bacon cheese chips were awesome and no major complaints on the steak. Its a great place to go with a large group because of the diverse menu. Go upstairs if you want to drink. Stay downstairs if you want to have family time! read more

Best place for lunch and dinner in the area. Food is very good and staff is friendly.

First, this place is upstairs from the subs and pizza. Just a note. I can't think of a more overhead flourescent & brightly lit hole in the wall I've ever been to in my life, but Im kinda in love with that. It's Harlan for gods sakes. Bartender was a young ginger kid named Nick, who was apologetic about having to charge me $5 for Makers, just for that, I tipped him $5, good kid, I liked him. Lots of coal mining signs and memorabilia, under the bright lights, you can't miss em'. Any eastern Appalachian will see the big ol sign for mags apple pie moonshine, it's just apple cider with a cinnamon stick. Don't get excited, but hell when in Rome... Regardless stop by before 10pm on a Friday & buy a god damn whiskey from this kid. Maybe he can use the money to get a better haircut and a bus ticket outta Harlan. One can only hope. read more

My wife and I stayed in Harlan and found this restaurant in an add at the hotel. We both are fans of the tv show Justified. We saw that it was in season 6 so we had to go there. We both ordered calzones and salads. The food was served quick and was fantastic! We will go back when we return to Harlan again. read more

Nice, small place, seems a bit rundown and dated, but really clean. My favorite menu choices are the BBQ chicken pizza and the spaghetti. Their bar upstairs is also pretty nice. Service is fast, and the food is fresh - doused in grease, but what do you expect for a pizza place in Harlan? It is what it is. Do love that they pay homage to the area, especially the coal mining industry. I think their decor is very interesting, it draws you in (read the old newspaper lacquered on the tables - interesting stuff!) Nice that they've got live music going on nowadays! read more

Phenomenal food!! Top notch service!!! This place never disappoints. We have pizza and cheese bread with Alfredo sauce.

As a local of Harlan, this is probably my favorite place to dine. The atmosphere is great, the food is great, and the service can be tremendous (at times). The Portal specializes in pizza but has some Italian fare, some American appetizers, and a few dishes you might find in a sit-down restaurant. My only complaint would be the wait times can be a little askew and the service, while typically stellar, can be lacking with a young wait staff. For these last two reasons, if you're in a rush, don't expect a fifteen minute meal. Allow yourself some extra time and truly enjoy your experience at the Portal. Regardless, you absolutely have to try the Jordan Smith BBQ pizza, Buffalo Chicken Pizza, or the Raylan. The Jordan Smith BBQ is topped with plenty chicken and tangy BBQ sauce. The Buffalo Chicken pizza has plenty of tender chicken, red onions, and buffalo sauce. My personal favorite is the Raylan, which is topped with steak slices, mushrooms, green peppers, red onions, Grippo powder seasoning, and has a white sauce base. Recently the management has been booking live talent on holidays and some weekends which can make the experience even better. In short, good atmosphere, good food but don't expect lightning quick meals. You won't regret it. read more

My wife and I stopped in here while on a road trip. The restaurant has old photos of coal miners and such hanging throughout the dining area, you can smell the wood fired oven back in the kitchen. We ordered a large meat lovers pizza and it was plenty to share for two. The crust was just about perfect, not too thick and cooked just crisp enough but not burned. Sauce was tangy and the bacon was amazing. After we ate, we wandered upstairs and checked out the rest of the place, including the vault door that inspired a story line on the television show Justified. All in all, it was pretty good. I'd eat there again. read more

Awesome place and they deliver!! Staff always super friendly and go out of their way to take care of you. The food is great too of course lol! Can't recommend highly enough. read more

LOVED this place. It was truly great pizza and had the great vibe I expected after seeing it in justified! You MUST eat here.

Excellent steak and potatoes. Perfectly seasoned and cooked to desired wellness. Personal-sized pizzas were pretty good. Large pepperoni pizza was the closest to Brooklyn pizza that I've had in the South. Lasagna needs a higher ricotta to mozzarella ratio. Chicken fettucini alfredo was ok. Will definitely be back often. read more

This is probably my new favorite restaurant. I have visited before, but only to pick up a pizza order ( in my opinion, the best and only place someone should get pizza ) and I was disappointed I had never taken the time to actually come inside and dine. The atmosphere was great, the service was good, and the food was absolutely fantastic. This establishment will definitely have my business again, and very soon at that. Definitely recommended. read more

The Portal - Sports Bars Near Me - Harlan, Kentucky

We stopped in at The Portal yesterday for lunch while on a motorcycle trip and have to tell you it was worth the stop! I was asked where we were from and of course we have amazing pizza pie in Chicago and I told them they had a challenge to impress our group. They brought out 3 fantastic pizzas from their wood fired oven within 10 minutes of us ordering. We all left extremely impressed and highly recommend a stop for pizza at The Portal. Friendly staff and great food! read more

One would not suspect that Harlan, Ky has Pizza Superior but if you say "No" then you are sadly mistaken. Enter "The Portal". The portals are different shafts inside the mines. They named it this in honor of the the rich mining history of the area. They make the dough daily and it is baked in a coal fired oven!!!! When you enter the pizzeria you can smell the glorious aroma of the coal. This baking process gives a very rich aroma and flavor to the pizza. I have had wood fired pizza but this is a whole new level and has my mind burning like a 15 year old boy full of hormones thinking about cooking with coal.The toppings are good but the crust is perfect. The weight is light and well pocketed, it folds easily and does not break, the mouth feel is very pleasing, the texture has the perfect amount of chew and the coal firing perfectsthe taste. I would eat the crust by itself. The sauce is also house made and glorious but the crust is center stage as it should be. read more

See all

Stopped here for dinner while in town. We had the Raylan pizza which had philly steak with mushrooms, peppers, carmelized onions, ricotta and mozzarella. Delicious! The crust from the wood fired oven was perfect and the texture of the mushrooms was great. Our only criticisms are that the steak could have been more evenly distributed on the pizza and the men's room was disgusting. I'll be back. read more

One of my favorite places to eat. They cook on a wood fire and I think it is the best tasting pizza I have ever had. It is a two hour drive from where I live, or I would eat there more often. It is an old building but that gives the place character. It is nice clean place and the workers are friendly and very polite. read more

My favorite is the buffalo chicken pizza. Service is usually pretty fast and pizza is always hot and fresh :)

Food was good! Easy to get to. Really was good after a day on the ziplines.

Great local place - good food and good people. The young man who helped us said they make all of their own ingredients (breads, sauces, etc.) and it really shows. It's the same kind of home-sourced, authentic taste I'm used to from Philadelphia and NYC local eateries and the food I had at The Portal compares favorably to that I've had anywhere. Seriously, that calzone might be the best I've encountered anywhere... read more

I do not enjoy the pizza from this place. It always has an odd taste in the crust and the sauce has no taste at al and the entire pizza is covered in so much garlic butter that it is running down off. They do have other items on the menu but I have only tried a few. I just don't like to pay high prices for less than high quality food. The service is very good so for that I am grateful. This maybe a style of pizza that you enjoy, it isn't my choice at all. read more

Everything we ordered was amazing from the supreme calzone to a plain cheese pizza. Service was great! Ashley really made us feel welcome. Thank you portal! read more

If you want chef Boyardee pizza and really not in the mood to make it yourself this is the place to go.