Café Portofino is an Italian restaurant on the island of Kauai. We were looking for a nice restaurant to eat dinner as a family. Café Portofino is an award-winning restaurant. We made dinner reservations and we're seated promptly on arrival. The restaurant was not crowded when we arrived, but we typically eat dinner on the earlier side since the kids get hungry. We ordered Barbabietola rossa which is a salad with fresh beets, candied, walnuts, and Gorgonzola cheese with a vinaigrette, scampi al limone, prawns in a lemon butter and white wine sauce and polo porcini, chicken in a light porcini mushroom and cream sauce. For dessert, we got the profiteroles which are basically a puff pastry filled with ice cream and drizzled with chocolate sauce and almonds, and also the mango sorbet, which was really excellent with fresh mango flavor. Our waitress highly recommended the profiteroles which were good, but a little bit on the dry side. Food was very good. Classic Italian. Service was excellent. Our waitress was very flexible. My son wanted pizza which we saw on the menu online, but apparently the pizzeria is not open on Friday so he wasn't able to order that. He didn't want other options on the menu, but our waitress was gracious and allowed us to order him chicken tenders from Duke's restaurant next-door. Restaurant has a nice feel of fine dining, but with a casual flare as we were seated on the balcony which was open air. Food 4/5 Service 5/5 read more

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We really wanted to enjoy the restaurant. To be fair, terrible storms and they had to move many folks inside. Lots of rain and wind. Did the best they could. Inside is typically more pizzas. Outside more detailed menu. That being said, we had Ravioli and veal Marsala. The ravioli was kinda hidden in the sauce and the veal was just ok. Again, too much covering everything. I felt like I was at banquet. We didn't try pizza but maybe that's the call. Entertainment was really nice. Kept it at a level to enjoy and still talk at the table. read more

No idea how the reviews can vary the way they do. Hands down, Olive Garden has much better Italian food. We've had literally hundreds of Ceaser salads-- all over the world (and not trying to be like that because we like Olive garden) from table side with a raw egg and anchovies to the Costco Caesar etc etc. This Ceaser was inedible - Like several people have commented WARM mayo, gloppy dressing. I won't elaborate on the rest, as that would just be piling on. But it's hard to understand how anyone could think this place is good. read more

Food was very good. The restaurant was beautiful. Had an amazing view with a violinist playing music while we ate. Services was fine but nothing spectacular. But I believe she was still training. read more

Cafe Portofino - Escargot - Italian Near Me - Lihue, Hawaii

The only redeeming quality of this restaurant was the view. Unfortunately, everything else about the experience was disappointing from start to finish. The evening began with a Manhattan that was completely watered down from melted ice. I eventually had to walk to the bar myself to order a replacement. Instead of handling the situation professionally, the bartender was rude and immediately blamed the server. For the appetizer, we ordered the mushroom salad, which was drenched in oil and had virtually no flavor at all. Things only got worse from there. I ordered what was advertised as a ribeye steak, but it was extremely tough with no marbling whatsoever, and honestly, I'm not convinced it was even a ribeye. The vegetables and potatoes served alongside it were equally bad and completely inedible. My wife ordered the chicken marsala and received two tiny, thin pieces of chicken that looked unappetizing and tasted no better. To make matters worse, they charged an additional $5 for a very small side of spaghetti that did not taste fresh. When we brought our concerns to the owner, he admitted ours was the third complaint about the steak that night. He offered us a complimentary dinner to come back, but the experience was so poor that we have absolutely no interest in returning. Overall, aside from the scenery, this was one of the most disappointing dining experiences we've had in a long time. read more

Cafe Portofino - Chicken Marsala and a ribeye - Italian Near Me - Lihue, Hawaii

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Loved the beautiful view of the ocean with the great violinist playing in the back! Great food, especially the ravioli and seafood. Great service from Juan. read more

I'm no expert. But I know good service, good food and an amazing ambiance. Our host/maitre'd was courteous and we spoke a little Italian together. Don't see that much in Hawaii. Katarina our waitress was spot on. We had Carbonara and Puttanesca. Anchovies were traditional. Bravo. Bene!! read more

The ambience was lovely because there was an electric violinist playing while we had our dinner. We popped in for dinner without a reservation and they were able to seat us, service is quite curt but not rude- just o niceties which is fine. We started with the caprese salad which was as expected. The fish of the day was Mahi and it was a hearty piece (almost too big for one) the veggies were delicious, My partner had the chicken picante which he thought was excellent. We finished with the chocolate mousse and which was a bit too warm and moussey for us but was very chocolatey. Espresso martini was a hit and their home made Mai tais are very strong! read more

One of our must do stops for wood fire pizza on our annual Kauai trips. Pizza is excellent and we had a side of calamari which was very good. Pizza crust was perfect and great flavor and calamari was excellent. Good service and very nice view of ocean. We have always had a good meal and enjoy the friendly atmosphere. Good job read more

Food was great, had fettuccine Alfredo and shrimp lemon, good was tasty , hot and quick. Highly recommend this place

Food was delicious! Our server Becky gave us great service that made our time here memorable. The view was AMAZING! We tried different pastas and my gosh! Each one was delicious! If you are in need of a break from the great Hawaiian food on Kauai, this place is definitely worth a try! read more

Food took a long time to come out bread was stale literally just staring at us like I'm a alien or something they were only fast when it came to pay for the meal, the food was just okay nothing to rave about . 200 bucks for pretty much sitting in the cold, cold food. read more

We had a salad and a steak Terrible salad. Glasses were oily with dirty fingerprints on it. Literally the lettuce was from the bottom of bag, old & wilted and inedible. Husband had ribeye. Also not great. I've had better steak at chilis. It's VERY expensive also. Violinist was nice read more

This is our third time in Kauai and I have been looking forward to trying out Portofino's. This was my Mother's Day dinner, and it was extremely disappointing! The bread is not your typical Italian bread with the crispy crust and chewy interior, it tasted stale. Our meals came with vegetables and potatoes. When our plates arrived, our potatoes literally look like three potato chips, laying on the plate and our vegetable consisted mostly of orange bell peppers and a couple sad looking broccoli that look like they have been reheated. I would not recommend eating here! The bright spot in our evening was our server named Roger. Shout out to Roger for his professionalism and great attitude. Now we need to go find a place to eat dinner. read more

Cafe Portofino - Untouched vegetables. - Italian Near Me - Lihue, Hawaii

Food is excellent and service was great plus nice view that's why we eat there all the time that was 7 months ago. We are going back on Saturday,Monday and Wednesday April 11,13and 15 ,2026 read more

Cafe Portofino - Rack Of Lamb - Italian Near Me - Lihue, Hawaii

Juan, our server, was excellent. He was attentive and friendly throughout the meal. Portion sizes were generally solid, though the dessert fell short. I ordered the ossobuco, which unfortunately didn't taste very fresh. It was just okay overall and on the dry side, and it came across more like a reheated dish than something prepared that day. The pasta served with it, however, was well done and enjoyable. My wife had the carbonara and really liked it. The caprese appetizer was good, but not memorable enough that we'd order it again. The tiramisu was a letdown. For $15, the portion felt small and looked a bit underwhelming. It was also overly sweet compared to what you'd expect from a traditional tiramisu. The ambience with the view and live music was good. Wouldn't be sold on coming back here based on the price for the quality received. read more

Would give them zero stars if possible. Host was incredibly rude telling us they were closed before we even had a chance to speak. We then said we had a reservation at 8:30 to which he responded that the kitchen closes at 8:30. What kind of restaurant takes reservations for the same time their kitchen is closing?? Seems like we dodged a bullet though as many other reviews mentioned the terrible service and mediocre food. read more

We celebrated a birthday at Cafe Portofino with our party of 15 in the open air dining area. We are very familiar with Kalapaki Beach but it was our first time dining at Portofino. Our server was great, half our party was kids so he took care of them first making sure their drink and food orders were underway. We ordered several calamari appetizers for the table and that was a nice starter to the meal. Their bread actually arrived after the calamari but it was good with their olive oil & vinegar. Everyone loved the complimentary bread. There are 2 types of bread in the basket. I went with the bolognese ($25). It was served with delicious fettucine and the meat sauce was exactly what I wanted. My lady got the chicken piccata ($25) and she liked this dish that was sauteed in lemon, capers & white wine. Everyone enjoyed their dinner, even the kids. All of them ordered Shirley Temples. We ordered several desserts we all shared and our kind server brought a candle for the birthday girl to blow out.... I recommend Cafe Portofino for a nice dinner at sunset overlooking Kalapaki Bay. They are on the 2nd floor so you are guaranteed a lovely view. read more

Service was good!!! Food was delicious, the pasta so fresh, the fish as well. Spot is perfect 10/10 !! read more

Cafe Portofino - Italian Near Me - Lihue, Hawaii

Walked up to the bar to order a pizza to go! There were at least 4 roaches crawling all over the bar top. I canceled my order because I don't trust the kitchen's cleanliness after seeing that. You know what they say... where there's one, there's many. read more

We ate at Cafe Portofino this evening and had Goose as our waiter. I have never had such incompetent rude wait staff at a restaurant. While I know a lot of things are out of a servers control their attitude towards the patrons of an establishment is totally in their control. We literally waited 30 min for our check. At least 8-10 tables came in and ate and left before we even received our check. When we asked to see a dessert menu for a table of 5 one was thrown at us and then we waited another half hour before the rude waiter returned to ask if we wanted dessert. Everytime you asked him a question it was replied with a Snarky rude response. Our food came out lukewarm. It was ok but nothing to write home about. There was a very off vibe going on in this restaurant. I hope the non existent manager gets it straightened out. We have been eating here for over 15 yrs but after tonight I doubt we will return. read more

I spent the first 27 years of my life eating real, high-end, Italian pizza, and moving to the US broke my heart because nothing here deserves being called a pizza... except for the as-Italian-as-it-gets pizza at Portofino. Apparently, they trained their chefs in Italy AND they imported their brick oven from Italy... and it shows. Truly, if you haven't had a real Italian pizza or the pizzas at Portofino, you don't even know what "pizza" really means. Basically, perfect. read more

This place needs a facelift, and I don't mean in terms of decor, I mean in terms of attitude. We stopped here for a family dinner and it felt so formal with the servers in tuxedo shirts and bow ties (I wish I was kidding) with the pool and beach merely steps away. We saw one man get turned away from picking up his to-go pizza from the bar because he didn't have on shoes and he had to send a different family member instead. I watched another couple get turned away from sitting at the bar because they felt the table was too formal for them and they just wanted a low key dinner. Apparently they don't allow people to eat at the bar? Or maybe it was just this evening with Mr. Giuseppe from the front. This is a beach location, not NYC or the middle of Italy...the vibes are totally off putting and this place could triple their crowds if they would just lighten up a bit. It's just a bunch of pomp and unnecessary pretension. Now that I got that off my chest let's talk about the food. We ordered the fettuccine bolognese ($25) and a Margherita pizza (I believe it was around $20) for the kids to split. While we waited we were served fresh bread, both focaccia and plain. The focaccia was beautifully soft and had a touch of olive oil and sea salt. The other bread was plain, but kid friendly, but I opted to skip it since there was no olive oil to enjoy it with. The main courses arrived quickly, but the fettuccine was overcooked and a small portion especially for the price tag. The bolognese was well flavored and full of meaty goodness. It was not bitter and was well balanced with a light sweetness from the carrots. The pizza was cut into six slices and was plenty for my two little ones. There was plenty of fresh mozzarella, basil, and they opted to add fresh Parmesan on top. The sauce was also surprisingly good, but the only knock was the dough which was not as chewy or soft like a true Neapolitan pizza should be (and how the signs outside claim to be). So aside from that, the pizza is good - the crust just isn't the best. This place could go so much further if they would just relax. Unfortunately, I just felt uncomfortable for most of the time and this restaurant just feels like a fish out of water. read more

Cafe Portofino - Margherita pizza - Italian Near Me - Lihue, Hawaii

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Café Portofino in Lihui is a great Italian restaurant. Located on the second floor, the view from the terrace overlooking the bay is great. The wait staff is great. Our waitress made great suggestions for our Valentines dinner. Make sure you get reservations. The Veal was fall off the bone delicious with a side of noodles. We also had the Spaghetti and meatballs was good. Highly recommend Cafe Portofino. To top the evening off we split the Chocolate covered Ice cream sandwich. read more

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The food was delicious. The service was extremely slow. The ambiance was great--live soft music and views of the water.

This is the Italian restaurant right next to Dukes Kauai. We made a reservation with open table. We were promptly greeted and sat at a table overlooking the bay. Our waiter initially informed us of the specials and took our drink order. We then had a waitress tell us she was taking over. Al good. I ordered the swordfish special and my wife ordered the lasagna. Food was good. Not sure the swordfish was $50 quality. Good ambience, nice view, good service. read more

Cafe Portofino - Din - Italian Near Me - Lihue, Hawaii

Beautiful Views, But a Disappointing Experience I truly don't enjoy leaving negative reviews--I understand this is someone's livelihood. But this experience left me genuinely disappointed. I came for dinner with a group of 14 family members, and my niece and I both ordered the chicken piccata. Unfortunately, the chicken in both dishes was clearly spoiled. The smell was strong enough that the entire table noticed--it wasn't subtle or questionable. While our server did replace the meals with veal (which was good), there was no apology, no acknowledgment that something had gone wrong, and no offer to make it right--not even a complimentary dessert. We were charged full price. The lack of response made the situation feel dismissed, and we ended up not eating anything else for the rest of the night--even after returning to our hotel. The views from the restaurant are undeniably beautiful, but the experience left a bad taste--both literally and figuratively. I share this as constructive feedback. Mistakes happen, but how they're handled matters. A simple apology and a gesture of goodwill would have gone a long way read more

Cafe Portofino - The questionable meal - Italian Near Me - Lihue, Hawaii

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Loved the Maître d' , whom I believe was the owner. Our waitress was over the top. Now for the food... Everything was an 11 out of 10. Wow! Starters were the Sashimi and the beet salad. We never wanted it to be gone. So good. I had the Mahi Mahi (a special) with the piccata sauce. My husband had the Osso Buco. Delicious! read more

Our first meal on vacation - June 2025. We dined late (8:30) and decided to sit outside. We started with Traditional Calamari fritti and it was amazing, lightly breaded and mostly rings, just one tentacle. The bread was freshly baked and had a hard crunchy crust. We also ordered the garlic bread - visually was beautiful but not my favorite. Amazing service from Nat! Made us feel right at home and provided great insights about the island. Family Entrees: Trofie Al Pesto $25. Genovese pasta in homemade pesto cream sauce topped with pine nuts. Added chicken. Fettuccine Alfredo $26. Flat egg pasta in a rich cream and parmesan sauce. Spaghettini Alla Marinara $22. pasta in a fresh tomato and basil sauce. Pollo Porcini $38. chicken sautéed with a light porcini mushroom cream sauce. Meal also came with roasted vegetables and a carrot soufflé. The chicken was so tender and very thin. Excellent meal. read more

the food wasn't the best, i also found multiple bugs in my food and water which isn't surprising cause of their outside seating but still disappointing. the service was fast though, and friendly. overall wasn't the best vibes tbh read more

Cafe Portofino - Fettuccine Alfredo - Italian Near Me - Lihue, Hawaii

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Called to place pick up for pizza. 15 minutes for it to be ready. Called back again to add a children's spaghetti with meatball. Woman picked up phone and said it would be a minute. Was on hold for 10 minutes. Could hear her helping other patrons. Decided to walk over and pick up pizza and add on spaghetti. She was the only person answering phone and working bar. Let her know I was there to pick up pizza order and got my name wrong even after I told her what my name was. She apologized for being the only person behind the bar. She added the pasta. Paid and walked back to hotel. Pizza was burnt. Tasted average. Pasta was horrible, pasta sauce from a jar and meatball tasted like it was previously frozen. By the way, they add 2 dollars extra for carryout. There are many places to eat in Kaui and this place should be your last resort. read more

My family & I used to love this place... Now it will never be an option to eat out. First off food quality - for context, we ordered 3 entrees, 4 appetizers (1 of them never came) and 2 desserts. Every single dish and appetizer needed to be seasoned. We all needed to add salt to everything several times. For the oyster linguine, the oysters smelled rotten. Then we ordered 2 fettuccine Alfredo, 1 of them we added shrimp. Both had no taste and needed lots of salt. The mozzarella appetizer was soggy. Garlic bread appetizer was bland, mushrooms were in a weird sauce. The desserts were much smaller and less portion than they normally have given. The profiteroles used to come with 3 large pastries where you could choose the ice cream flavors. Now they are 2 small profiteroles and when we asked for both vanilla and strawberry ice cream the response from our waiter was "I'll ask but I'll probably get a slap" ??? Price - the fettuccine Alfredo was $26 and the add on shrimp was $24 dollars!!! We were charged for 6 pieces ($4 per piece). We were never notified that it was charged per piece and we were not given the option of how many pieces that we wanted. We had no problem paying for the additional item we ordered. But when the add on is almost the same price as the entree that's RIDICULOUS! So the fettuccine Alfredo with shrimp added totaled $50, which is the same price as the RIBEYE STEAK!! In what world should pasta be the same price as a steak... RIDICULOUS!! Service - Our waiter was kind and friendly. But we waited a VERY long time for everything. Also the restaurant was not jam packed (if it were we would have been more patient and understanding of the situation). From when we got our menus we waited 15mins to get our drink order taken. Then an additional 15mins for our order to be taken and we even had to tell him that we were ready to order. Our menus were closed as well so there was no confusion as if we were still looking at the menu... because we weren't. Then after waiting again we finally asked for a basket of bread as our appetizer were no where in sight (all of the bread were all hard end pieces of a loaf... horrible!). Then by the one hour mark we finally got our appetizers. As we watched 3 other tables eat and leave. Then 15 mins later we finally got our meal. By the time we finished our meals, waited for a container for our horrible leftovers, and waited to put in dessert orders it was 1hr and 45mins since we've been there. When we got our check the bill was not split. Which we mentioned needing to split one persons meal before we even ordered which the response was "oh don't worry we'll figure that all out afterwards"... well it wasn't figured out. So we then had to call our waiter back over and explain how to split it and some of the items were still not on the right check. By the time we left there it was WELL over 2hrs and there were only 2 other tables left at the restaurant, which they both came in at the mid point of us leaving. The best part of our meals were the nuts on top of the profiteroles and the gelato. Both of which they did not make. Looking at reviews now we see all the bad reviews. Which is sad.. when you go to a restaurant that has always been known to be good after so many years you shouldn't have to check reviews before you go to see if it's still good... I hate to diss any local business because as locals we would LOVE for all businesses to thrive... idk if they have new owners but this place has gone DOWN HILL!! read more

This is my 2nd time to visit this restaurant and I decided to provide a detailed review of the food, services, and sitting area at this restaurant. Of course, it is an Italian restaurant and offers some of the best Italian dishes on the island, such as snails, veal, pasta, and shrimp. The food is authentic and exquisitely prepared, definitely deserving of a 5-star rating. While the prices are on the higher side, they reflect standard rates for reputable restaurants on the island. If you visit other dining spots, you'll likely find similar pricing. The sitting area is one of the best locations to enjoy a breathtaking sunset and is very romantic, making it ideal for special occasions like anniversaries or proposals. The waiters are very attentive, well-trained, and dedicated to providing excellent service to all customers. Overall, I highly recommend this place for its quality cuisine, beautiful ambiance, and attentive staff. read more

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Cant say enough great things about Cafe Portofino! Food, ambiance and service are top notch. In fact, im returning next month specifically to celebrate my bday ....all the way from Oahu! read more

Fettuccine was the best and everybody that works. There was very friendly and efficient. The view is spectacular and we will definitely go again to celebrate our next milestone! read more

What a sad disappointing restaurant experience. No trouble getting a table in a Friday night should have been a warning to us. This place was nearly empty at 8pm on a Friday. Our server was in a sour mood and didn't seem to want to be there either. We ordered a selection of pasta's and salads. None of them were particularly inspired or tasty. The location is nice just above the beach walk. However the nice sea breezes smelled like cigars and cigarettes from people smoking nearby. I would not recommend this place for dining in this area. The prices were quite high too. read more

I have worked in the food industry for 20 plus year and are very familiar with wanting to leave. I showed up 25 minutes before they closed and stood the host stand for 10 minutes whole the employees just walked by after spotting me. Finally a server came over and told me that the kitchen is already cleaning and that they were closed. If you are not going to stay open until stated business hours you should state that in your hours. Also for me standing there at the stand for 10 minutes then to tell me they started cleaning 5 minutes ago is crazy. I wonder if this is why they haven't won and awards in the last few years if this is how they treat their customers. read more

Tried to enjoy take out pizza here twice. Shame on us. The pizza itself is ok, although I ordered gluten free and was clearly given full glutenous crust. Not feeling great now. The bartender taking the orders is the least friendly person I've encountered in a long time. Now, two poor encounters. For a place that is catering to local residents, and tourists, AT THE BEACH I would hope they'd have a better understanding of how to welcome in, and serve customers with a smile. Sour times. Won't be back. read more

Food, service and ambience were great! Loved the violinist playing live music on Sunday night. Had the fettuccini bolognese and a mista side salad. Both were excellent. They served focaccia bread and it was delicious. Waiter, Isaiah, was courteous and attentive. Highly recommend. read more

Went there on Valentine's Day without reservations and got a seat quickly. The restaurant had a cool setting, and we sat outside with a great view. The food was average, nothing extraordinary but good. read more

Cafe Portofino - Italian Near Me - Lihue, Hawaii

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