"And yes, her jeans are tight now She gonna travel light now…read more Oh, but I got one for you Portobello belle" (Dire Straits) Put a great meal in a beautifully designed space, add a server with a 1,000 megawatt personality, and finish with a warm, unexpected visit from the owner. Well, that's the checklist for the standout lunch experience we had at Portobello yesterday. The European street scene dining room is very pretty, with two huge Italian landscape paintings on the brick walls, lantern lights, a wide plank hardwood floor, dark furniture and white tablecloths. Molto elegante! So, our experience was positive from the minute we sat down but got even better when Dee made her appearance. She may have been my favorite server of 2026! What a joy she was, with her sunny disposition, whip smart sense of humor, and plain overall charm. We dove into the lunch menu and saw they had a ton of options within their Appetizer, Soup, Salad, Entrée. Burger, Pasta, and Sandwich/Wrap groupings. We went for two sandwiches - Eggplant with fries ($19) and Balsamic Marinated Portobello Mushroom Panini ($16.00) with fresh mozzarella, oven-fried tomatoes, arugula, roasted pepper aioli and a side salad. The Mushroom Panini was mine and it was fantastic; I loved every bite of it. I love mushrooms and that big Portobello, tomato, aioli combination was delicious. Toward the end of the meal, none other than owner Seyo Cecunjanin came over to thank us for our patronage and asked how we liked the meal. When we told him we loved it and we were first timers, he thanked us again in the form of a complimentary slice of their Pistachio cake! Portobello has a Happy Hour (how does a Chocolate Covered Strawberry Martini sound?), and that makes Portobello even more of a sweet destination to seek out and support. Thank you, Dee, Seyo, and everyone at Portobello for a five star experience.

Portobello is the best Italian restaurant in this area! The…read morefood is so fresh and well-seasoned. Theirseafood options are unparalleled. I had the linguine with clams and it was chock full of whole and chopped clams- to die for! The service and ambiance are great. I already can't wait to return . . .

The. Best. Restaurant. In West Hartford…read more The food is unbelievable. All fresh!! Every time we come it just gets better and better. Love the ambiance inside and service is always fantastic. Can't beat Bricco.

Bricco has become one of my favorite restaurants. Billy Grant really knows what he's doing…read more Talented chef. Saturday night was our third time here and we enjoyed it very much. Started off splitting the Kale salad and I love when places split in the kitchen for you and bring you each your half. Nice touch. Crispy bacon and goat cheese creamy dressing incredible. Cranberries to blend with and it's just a party in your mouth. Sensational. I told the waiter how much I love the Josie's meatballs but wanted the Branzino and couldn't decide so he said he could just bring me one meatball! Just enough as they are quite large. Note if you do this you don't get the delicious creamy cheese like the regular appetizer portion comes with but the sauce and meatball alone are incredible. I believe it comes with 3 on the appetizer portion. Again the sauce - wow! Branzino delicious. Second time getting it. Will have to get something different next time. Bf got the Bucatini Pork Sugo Napoletana and loved it as well. The pasta in the dish looked incredible. I had one bite and delicious flavors going on. Another great dinner at Bricco. The only issue here is even with a reservation we waited 30 minutes. We knew that though going in. Just be prepared to wait but that's how incredible this place is. People love it! Bar scene is fun too. We stayed for a drink after and were well taken care of. Delicious espresso martini to end the night. They brought me decaf from the kitchen special too!

I'm back! Welcome to Carmine's! The restaurant is located on 389 Main St. in East Hartford. It's…read morecold in here! The temperature has got to be 55 degrees (the way Carmine likes it). I live the nice music in here. It's very livel! It's Happy Hour from 3-7 on weekdays (food) and all day for drinks on Monday! The kitchen here makes everything built fresh, from scratch, and all homemade. The appetizers, pasta, entrees and desserts combine old-world traditional Italian flavor with a modern flair for presentation, and the freshest ingredients around. Menu staples like calamari, chicken milanese, fettucine carbonara and ravioli are paired with unique recipes like pappardelle with sausage and tenderloin steaks. They have staffed their kitchen with a dream team of local chefs that ensure our quality does not waiver and our kitchen is always OPEN! Not every place can say that! For my first drink, I'm having the Manhattan's Creek made with Knob Creek bourbon, sweet vermouth, dry vermouth and Angostura bitters. Wait a minute! These are the same ingredients as a Perfect Manhattan! This is chilled, well balanced and nicely garnished. I like it! For my first food item, I'm having a House Salad (small, off-menu version). This is made with a spring mix including basil, tomatoes, julienned carrots, cucumbers and a red wine vinaigrette dressing. This is nice and fresh! I love the dressing! I like the nice cloth napkin as well as a disposable one. The bartender is the nicest one I've ever met. For my next item, I'm having the Rigatoni Marinara. The is made with rigatoni and house marinara sauce. It's low cholesterol and guilt-free (for me). This is steaming hot and delicious! Nice portion size too! For my next item, I'm having a cup of soup. This is broccoli cheddar with potato. Oh yeah! I love those oyster crackers! This is yummy! For my next drink, I'm having the Pratt n Whiskey made with Woodford Reserve bourbon, sweet vermouth, red wine and sour mix. I love it! It's shaken well and tastes great! For my next food item, I'm having the Carmine's Secret Tenderloins. These are actually pan seared caramelized CHICKEN tenderloins made with wine, olive oil, cracked black pepper, kosher salt, shredded Parmesan and a VERY special secret sauce. I can eat this with little regret. This should be interesting! This is quite good! I do like that creamy sauce! For my dessert, I'm having the Toasted Almond. This is soaked in Amaretto layered with light custard and topped with crushed almond. Oh yeah! Look at the presentation! This is fantastic! What a great meal here!

Random selection in my travels off Rt 84. Food was delicious and I happily stumbled on live music…read more Mixed crowd Cappuccino gelato truffle, JD tips over pasta and 1/2 Caesar salad

Can a restaurant be this good consistently? All the yes…read more I recently went back for a quick lunch and was floored by how good their pastas still are. I had the gnocchi with sausage and broccoli rabe and I wanted to eat it in mini bites to savor every morsel. It's just creamy and melt in mouth delicious. A little salty, a little savory, just a little slight bitter of the broccoli rabe that just works in the best way. Service was professional and attentive. Treva remains a standout in the Center and a must visit for anyone. Top tier.

Second time to Treva Saturday night. Always busy. All the restaurants are like this in West…read moreHartford but they pack you in so tight you can barely move. To the point where trying to get in to the table my purse knocked over a water glass and it smashed. I'm not large either. Anyway. First time here I felt my dish was much better. I had the Branzino and it was great. This time I had the fruitta de mare and the sauce was extremely bland. Dish felt dried out. Not enough variety of seafood either. Mostly mussels and calamari. Was presented in a weird dish too. I did not care for it at all. They gave me gnocchi for gluten free pasta. It was fine just sauce was bland as mentioned. My boyfriend loved his Orrechiete and it was very good. I will say from the mozzarella bar we had the burrata and the tomatoes were flavored beautifully and the bread also looked quite nice. Bf said it was great. Giving Treva a 4 for last time it was great and everything other than my entree this time was good.

Sorella is an exceptional choice for a date night, perfectly situated to anchor an evening that…read moreshowcases the beauty of downtown Hartford. For those living on the other side of Bushnell Park, the walk through the greenery toward the restaurant creates a seamless transition from the natural heart of the city to a sophisticated, high-energy dining experience. The "vibe" is exactly what you need to impress--modern, upscale, and consistently high-quality. The wood-fired pizzas and house-made pastas are the centerpieces of the menu, reflecting a commitment to authentic Italian techniques that meet the highest standards. The atmosphere is lively and chic, making it a standout "showcase" spot for anyone wanting to highlight Hartford's urban appeal. Its location in the downtown core makes it easy to pair dinner with a show or a cocktail at a nearby lounge, rounding out a perfect city night.

For a Thursday evening it was not busy. We had reservations, but did t look like we needed them…read more Both the pizza and pasta were fresh and tasty. Next time we will try the dish bread. It looked amazing

New to the Italian scene and came for a work dinner (large party). From the first moment, I felt a…read moresense of déjà vu. The appetizers were amazing and the wine selection was robust. Tons of options from California too. The service was amazing too- particularly for such a large party. I requested the server select my meal - because it's a good way to try new things. Rigatoni bolognese is what I received and it was great! Eggplant parm, chicken parm , carbonara and salmon all looked great too.

As always a beautiful property!!! Great happy hour!! I used to go to the Carbones in Hartford for…read morethe longest and loved it . I understand that they are opening up many restaurants it reminds me of the Max corporation ,but with one big difference. Max put unlimited effort in policing how the food comes out!! It's always the same and always delicious no matter which you choose! The same doesn't happen at the new or should I say recent Carbones.For example I had polenta there,one of thier staples(buy the way the original location had the best everytime I went)it came out thick as could be cold !!! The sauce I got on my pork chop was thick and soggy from to much starch being added. I could go on , but I think you get what I'm saying!!

Good food and friendly service…read more Stopped in for lunch earlier today. Bread and butter to start, and ordered an assortment of Balkan items as an appetizer, which came with a traditional bread that was fresh and warm. Various meats were all tasty, as was the slaw. I ordered the assorted seafood and pasta. Wow! Excellent dish. Loaded with seafood and perfectly cooked spaghetti, in a well done red sauce. My wife loved her eggplant parmigiana. Sister-in-law had the salmon and veggies and said the salmon was a bit over-cooked but was really full with flavor. A friend gad a fish dish which she said was really good. Portions were all very large. Clean, comfortable space, with local photos (that were theme appropriate). Server very attentive and eager to please. Cappuccinos -- 3 of them -- looked great and my coffee was hot and quite strong (but I like strong coffee). Nice lunch at a reasonable price.

absolutely phenomenal Italian/balken food. Deff the place to stop if driving from NYC to vermont…read more Cute

We had such a wonderful dining experience! There were five of us--two vegetarians and three meat…read moreeaters and everyone found something they absolutely loved. Everything was exceptional, from the drinks and ambiance to the salads, entrées, and desserts. The kale salad was fresh and delicious, the Pasta alla Vodka was outstanding, and my daughter thoroughly enjoyed the Chicken Parmesan (I completely forgot to take a picture because she was so excited to dig in!). The hazelnut pie was the perfect way to end the meal and cobbler pie A special shout-out to Rory, who took such great care of us. I was hoping for a Dubai Chocolate Espresso Martini, which wasn't on the menu, and she went above and beyond by checking with the bartender and putting in a special request for me. That thoughtful gesture made my evening extra special and truly reflected the outstanding hospitality. We left happy, full, and already looking forward to coming back to explore more of the menu. Highly recommend and more sensible way was giving the salads separately in two plates. We mentioned we would be sharing the salad and pasta Ella vodka which was the first time I have ever seen in a restaurant, most restaurants would give a big one and we need to portion it out. Amazing experience.

Bricco Bricco is…read moreclearly one of the more popular spots in town, and it's easy to see why -- but our visit was a mix of highs and lows. We started with the shrimp alla vodka pasta, which was genuinely good and a dish I'd order again. We also shared an apple arugula salad that was fresh and well balanced, along with a side of fries that were just okay -- nothing special, but they did the job. The evening didn't start off smoothly, though. The restaurant was busy, and the wait to be seated took a while. Once we were seated, the service was okay at best -- attentive enough to get our order right, but not particularly warm or fast. That became more of an issue when our prosecco arrived flat. We had to work to get our waiter's attention to have it replaced, and it took much longer than it should have for someone to notice and follow up. We also tried a lavender vodka drink, which ended up being a bit of a letdown. It was expensive for what amounted to a small pour, and honestly the best part of it was the fancy glass it came in -- the drink itself didn't quite justify the price. Overall, the food carried the night. The pasta and salad were highlights, and I'd come back for those alone. But the service hiccups and pricey, underwhelming cocktails took some shine off the experience. If you go, stick to the pasta and maybe skip the specialty drinks.