Portofino’s Restaurant

Reviews

• PG G.

  star star star star star 27 June 2026

  Have you ever frequented a restaurant, and for reasons not always under your control, stopped going for many years --- and when you finally returned , you found the place is under new management?
  About 30 years ago, when I lived in Morristown, Portofino was my Friday night 'go to' spot. Sadly, after I moved out of the area, it was no longer as convenient as it once was...
  Life has a way of changing, bringing you back to those people and places that once held a special place in your life. Due to my own change in circumstance, I found my way back to Portofino's. I am happy I did.
  Although it is under new management, the food and the service are as good, maybe better, than I recall. One other thing that has not changed is the neighborhood feel. It was deja vu for me, with one swing of the door, I was catapulted back 30 years.
  I sampled several of the perfectly prepared appetizers my cousins and I had ordered, and watched the new owner visit with the crowd (and it WAS suprisingly crowded for a Wednesday night) . As i did, I wondered why it took so long for me to return. I will be back, soon.
  This review would be lacking if I did not thank our server, Carlos. He was wonderful.

• Steve G.

  star star_border star_border star_border star_border 24 June 2026

  The food is at best average ("parmigiana" pasta, which is made with Grana Padano , which isn't Parmesian) or absolutely lousy (pasta carbonara), which was just a glob of coagulated sauce (almost like condensed creamy mushroom soup).  The meatballs with ricotta were way too dense and tepid.  Service was friendly and helpful, though.

• Richard F.

  star star star_border star_border star_border 16 June 2026

  Quality seems to have gone downhill
  
  So our family of three wanted a reasonably priced dinner at a BYOB before heading over to downtown Morristown for a show. We chose Portofino's which we had been to many times before and has  been pretty good. Portofino's has a small lot that is always full but you can easily get a space on the street nearby. The restaurant itself is small and tight and can get noisy on weekend nights, as was the case on this visit.
  
  My usual ordering approach is to find something on the specials list if I can. Specials should have fresh ingredients, be creative and be something you cannot always get off of the regular menu. My wife chose the salmon with angel hair pasta and pesto sauce. I had the bucatini alla amatriciana which had a tomato sauce with pancetta, caramelized onions and pecorino cheese. My daughter had the chicken saltimbocca which the restaurant made instead of the veal dish on the menu.
  
  Chris, the waiter, was new at the restaurant, very friendly and outgoing and appeared to be efficient in noting our special requests. So I have to assume the disappointing quality of our meals was due to the kitchen. For example, my wife asked for her salmon to be lightly cooked and tender however when it arrived, the fish was a hardened piece atop a large pile of angel hair pasta. The meal had an abundance of light green "pesto sauce" that, according to her, had little taste and seemed more like a way too creamy "alfredo sauce."
  
  My daughter's chicken dish was OK but lacked the flavor spike one is accustomed to with chicken or veal saltimbocca dishes. The cheese itself could have been more tasty. The garlic roasted potatoes were very tasty, however.
  
  As for my own meal I should have known better. I'm not a big spaghetti fan but was tempted by the mention of pancetta, pecorino cheese and the exotic sound of "bucatini alla amatriciana" (that I had to look up on my phone, upon seeing it on the specials list). When the meal arrived it was a heaping serving of food. Despite the (very limited) use of pancetta, caramelized onions and the pecorino the meal was bland.
  
  All in all I'm sure we will return to Portofino's in the future but I think it's time to give it a rest for a while, to see if it returns to its former level of consistent quality.

• Stephanie R.

  star star star_border star_border star_border 11 June 2026

  Really disappointed in our meal here. Here's the rundown:
  
  Started the meal with complimentary bread and fried balsalmic zucchini topping. This was good, something different than the usual olive oil.
  
  Ordered appetizer which ended up being from an old menu, so instead ordered hot antipasto for 2. This took ages to come out. At least the servers were aware, and kept telling us it would be out soon. We asked for some more bread since we were drinking our BYOB wine as we waited and wanted so something in our stomachs. We ended up with sliced toasted sandwich rolls...maybe they ran out of the crusty bread we had earlier.
  
  After 30 min we received complimentary salads because of the wait, which we appreciated. Soon after the appetizer came out and it was pretty awful. Everything was swimming in butter and had been topped with breadcrumbs and broiled. Not what we were expecting (menu made it seem like one item on the sampler was oreganata, not the whole plate).
  
  Entrees were decent. A little flat....maybe needed a little salt.  Presentation of my angel hair Mediterranean wasn't the greatest...looked like a pink soup, but my husband's Fra diavolo looked nice.
  
  At the end of the meal we received a discount for the long wait. We were also served shot glasses of milk with tiny biscotti - a really cute touch.
  
  Overall, food was not great. They tried really hard to make up for the long wait, but service was still not good on other easy things like refilling water glasses. Not worth going back with so many other Italian restaurants in Morristown.

• Carole F.

  star star star star star 8 June 2026

  We had an incredible experience at Portofino's last evening! Our meals were so delicious, fresh and generous portions.  The service was amazing - thanks to our server Freddy who could not have been more hospitable, attentive and personable.  What are you waiting for - try Portofino's!  You will not be disappointed.