Great food, the Brussels sprouts appetizer was definitely a win and worth it! Service was excellent.

Enjoyed their downtown location and like this one more. Delicious pasta and apps. Excellent service. Great wine and beer selection. Clean food. Very tasty. Will come back. read more

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Outstanding food and ambiance , service is not as fast as I wish it to be - but still nice. read more

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Grassa has been hands down one of my favorite places in Portland since they opened. It's such a pain getting to the DT/NW23rd area for me, but I still endure thru the pain and do it anyways bc of how much I love Grassa. Grassa has been my default restaurant when I can't decide on what to eat, or if I'm with a group of indecisive people, or when I'm entertaining guests from out of town. First off...I absolutely love the location and space. The layout is easily the best of all 3 locations. The vibe is familiar and similar but I love the ambiance here just slightly more. There is ample seating and booths here, which can be an issue at the other locations. For years whenever I didn't wanna make the trek downtown, I'd just stop short of crossing the bridge and just eat at the original Lardo location instead, which is also owned by the same people. But how that Grassa is here, they will be in my regular lunch rotation when I eat out. read more

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Dine in service has become increasingly slow. came on a Friday evening. Restaurant only about half full. waited nearly 45 minutes for our food (2 basic pasta dishes, no sides). Lots of delivery orders being sent out but very little food coming to the dining room. probably would have been better off to just have stayed home and ordered from there. read more

I've heard positive feedback on Grassa's pork belly mac and cheese and it did not disappoint! The pork was tender and had a flavorful glaze; however, the rest of the dish was subpar. The pasta was cooked well but I wish they could incorporate some of the flavors with the mac and cheese. My friend ordered the spaghetti dish but it was a little too bland. Good thing we order garlic bread and the Grassa meatballs to add the much needed variety in flavor profiles and texture! Service was welcoming and interior looked well kept. Overall, a nice spot for pasta if you're ever in the area! read more

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04/06/2022: 4.0 out of 5 - I've been to this location several times now. I've also been to the downtown and the NW locations, as well. Of the three locations, I like this location more due to not having to wait too long while getting the same quality of food, and a bit better service. Just my humble opinion of comparing the locations. Although, it's been awhile but it would seem Grassa shares a common dilemma that many Portland eateries have. Prices of menu items increased with a slight drop in quality and/or quantity. I get it, but Grassa (like many other eateries in the area) can and should do better by its patrons. I am hopeful of Grassa, as I do enjoy the fresh pasta and the flavors that they created. And, I still feel that the Frito Misto is not the only best item on its menu, but the best tasting Calamari dish in all of Portland. If you ever get a chance, do try it once and decide for yourself. Enjoy! read more

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Pasta was cold. Wait was too long. Food was not very good for the hype. For Italian, go elsewhere.

Dropped by Grassa for a quick Friday night dinner and really appreciated the convenience, speed, taste, and price at this place! You walk in, order at the counter, and seat yourself with a number -- grab your own drinks as well if you're going for water. There was plenty of seating inside and out when we dropped by, but it was a nice day so we opted to sit outside. Foodwise, we went with one red and one oil aka the pomodoro and the aglio e olio. Both came out pretty quickly and were done to a perfect al dente in regards to the pasta itself. My friend was more of a red sauce fan, but to be honest I quite enjoyed the aglio e olio. The flavors were well balanced with a just a hint of spice and the portions were pretty fair for the price. I'm already planning a trip back next time and I want to try the cacio e pepe when I head back. Overall, this place is a gem particularly given how fair the prices are! I'll be back to satisfy my pasta cravings in the future for sure~ read more

My boyfriend found Grassa on Grubhub and was ready to order out when I said, "Hey, I want some fresh food" since we have gotten so accustomed to minimizing our out-of-house adventures. So we went to the restaurant to eat. They have a decent size outdoor seating section; a covered portion under a gazebo on the streetside and an uncovered portion lining the side of the building. Either way, there was plenty of room! I bring this up as they aren't seating anyone inside. I ordered their newest entre on the menu, the Mexican Street Corn Tortelli, a creamy corn Torelli, cotija, lime butter, cilantro, elote spice, and corn nut crumbs. It had a very mellow and smooth flavor that anyone could enjoy. But, for me, that was a bit of a turn-off, though I can't deny it being tasty. It just created a failed expectation for me as I was hoping for it to be a bit more creme, buttery, and a stronger sort of elote spice. I also wish the dried corn crumbs on top were fried or deep-fried corn pieces. Again though, that isn't to say their Mexican Street Corn Torelli wasn't tasty. It was, I just really love elote and esquite and it missed the mark on that for me a bit. My boyfriend got the Cacio E Pepe and absolutely loved it. Kept raving about the buttery flavor and greedily ate both pieces of garlic bread dipping every bite into the "sauce". I was able to sneak a bite when he wasn't looking and can concur that the truffle butter definitely was mouth-watering. We also ordered some of the meatballs which hands down made the entire meal for me. The one bite of garlic bread that I was allowed, my boyfriend dipped into the meat-ball red sauces AND it was soooo good! Needless to say, we, I will be back! read more

Grassa - Food!!!! - Italian Near Me - Portland, Oregon

Stopped in for dinner and we were immediately greeted. This is counter service, so we place our order of rigatoni, frito misto, kid's spaghetti with a meatball, and 2 drinks. It came out to $61. We got our number and picked a seat. Drinks were quickly ready and food came after. Frito misto was delicious, but skimpy on the calamari. Rigatoni pasta was over cooked, sauce was unfortunately underwhelming and a tad bland. Kids spaghetti was good but again, a tad bland, meatballs had enough flavor. The meal was a bit lackluster. read more

Every time we're order from this location (due dash or in person) it is lacking in flavor. The downtown 12th location is sooo good and we can't figure out why it's so bad here. Pork in the Mac and cheese is either undercooked and chewy or burnt, whereas at 12th downtown it's perfectly crispy savory and sweet. The rage meat is similarly tough and flavorless compared to the downtown where it's tender and feels slow cooked. So sad because we live right by this location. read more

I'm from out of town and I am JEALOUS that Portland has grasa. Great food & drinks! I really liked the casual vibe of this location. Staff is nice and was able to make good recommendations. Went with 9 people and we got a table pretty easily for a Saturday night. read more

Grassa - Cacio E Pepe - Italian Near Me - Portland, Oregon

The flavors were there for both of the dishes I ordered. I enjoyed the crunch/texture that the pork belly added to the dish. BUT the wait for our food took so long and the food was just warm. The Negroni was just ok in my opinion. When you first walk in you order and then you find a seat. It was spacious and the seating consisted of high tables and booths. There's no private lot parking, street parking is the worse unless you're super lucky. I was able to find parking on a residential area and walked to the restaurant. read more

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Came here with my mom after a long road trip and it was just what we needed. Cute atmosphere, friendly staff and delicious food. My Mom had the sweet pea ravioli I while I had the carbonara and yes even though it had a fried egg on top it was amazing. I easily wanted another one to take home with me. Everything was fresh and delicious and the lemonade was perfect after a long hot day. They also had some cute outdoor seating which we enjoyed and it wasn't too loud either. Highly recommend this place and I wish I lived closer!! read more

Grassa - Carbonara - Italian Near Me - Portland, Oregon

Food is tasty! Pasta is al dente and looks delicious. I should have taken a picture I had the pomodoro with Malbec wine.

I LOVE grassa!!! Five stars !! Homemade pasta! Rich flavors. This place has a hipster atmosphere. They now have outdoor personal decked patios due to covid. So you can eat outside even if it was raining. They still did not allow indoor eating when we came. I used to love coming here a couple years ago when I lived in Portland and had to revisit it while in town. Still fantastic and delicious as always! The pasta is homemade and fresh! We had the pasta carbonara and pork belly Mac and cheese. My gf Loved her pork belly! It has an Asian-like sweet marinade, so it stands out very well with the Mac and cheese. We also got the brussel sprouts for app. It was okay good, had a sweet drizzle. The Brussels could have been cooked longer or cut smaller to be more crispy. It was border-lining mushy. read more

Grassa - Italian Near Me - Portland, Oregon

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I believe this restaurant opened just before Covid and this was our first time in. The make hand made pasta daily! The have rotating beers on tab and a decent selection of wines, however we did not try any of that on this trip. Maybe next time since it does look inviting. As you walk in you see the menu on the backboard and that includes all of the entrées side dishes beers and wines. You order at the counter and pick a table and they bring it out to you. They have an old-school turntable and a great selection of vinyl records that they play for an awesome vibe. The entrées are generous and could easily be split. We had the pork belly mac & cheese and the New Haven clam pasta. Both were really great dishes except the New Haven clam pasta how to spiciness to it that was unexpected. Not pictured here is the garlic bread that is spot on and has a great outer crunch to it. The service was friendly and our order came out hot and made to order. Next time we will try the meatballs and spaghetti. read more

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Very impressed by the taste of the food. Honestly, best pork belly mac n cheese I've ever had. Friendly staff. Comfortable environment. Small menu, but based off what I had, they do what they offer extremely well. read more

We've been ordering from Grassa on and off for a while now and they rarely disappoint ... today we had the Sunday pork ragu and malfaldine (new dish). Both were excellent. read more

To start, this place is counter service so if you are looking for a service restaurant then this isn't it. The food was also nicely prepared. The pasta is very fresh and the taste is good. Nothing exceptional just another decent spot. read more

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I ordered to go. I arrived early and pay for my food. The lady in the counter who took my payment said that my order is not done yet. so I patiently waited. There are 5 Staff at the counter, all are chitchatting while preparing to go orders. There are multiple to go bags at the counter... just sitting. I didn't know that one of the bags was mine! It was sitting there for like 10mins before they called my name! By the time i arrived home my food was cold as f$&k! I regret i tipped them! Horrible customer service!! read more

visiting from san francisco and this was the only disappointment in oregon. we were so excited to return for fresh hand made pasta for dinner. we planned to return after walking by. despite some negative reviews, we wanted to believe in grassa. DONT. believe the negative reviews. service terrible. stingy with sauce. dry. undercooked. ripoff. our experience yesterday may 23, 2024 930pm 1) kid spaghetti meatball dry 2) pork belly mac cheese how can they mess up mac cheese 3) brussels sprouts soggy 4) vodka pasta dry read more

My wife and I kept hearing amazing things about Grassa so we knew we had to try it. It definitely lived up to the hype! We ordered the carbonara, mafaldine, and caesar salad: Carbonara - the homemade bucatini pasta was perfectly cooked and it was the first time I ever tried it. It had great thickness and texture. I also loved the runny fried egg on top and the yolk gave the pasta an amazing saucy consistency. Mafaldine - the dish overall had an interesting flavor and the lamb sausage was great. I normally don't like olives but I liked the black olive crumbs. I would recommend this dish if you're looking for something a little more exotic. Caesar salad - this might seem weird, but this was the best caesar salad I've ever had. The preserved lemons were delicious and paired perfectly with the anchovies and crouton chunks. For only $8, this dish is a steal. For parking, we were able to find free street parking on a side street. I know the pork belly mac and cheese is one of the most recommended dishes here so we'll have to come back sometime to try it! read more

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Authentic and no-nonsense pasta. The server who took my order was super sweet and helpful and took initiative to clean the outdoor table for us even though we didn't end up sitting there. It was also fun to see how their pasta is made. We ordered the Carbonara, Pork Belly Mac & Cheese, Rigatoni and kid's spaghetti and butter. Everything was superb, except for the Carbonara, which husband said was just ok. We also heard good things about their brussel sprouts but didn't try them myself. Cocktails were also delicious! read more

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They're in the airport. They are delicious. I've only been to the SE location which is why I'm reviewing this one. Don't miss the fried Brussels sprouts with pickled mustard seed. I tried to pickle mustard seeds on my own but they weren't the same. The thing I miss is their chicken parm, which came off the menu about 2-3 years ago. I'm partial to the fusilli alla vodka. I'm also a big fan of the meatballs. read more

Amazing. I ordered the Rigatoni with Sunday Sauce which was loaded with sauce and meat chunks that were fork tender. Very very good! Daughter got the Pork Belly Mac and Cheese and Wow! Creamy, delicious, I wonder if they use Asian Five Spice on the Pork Belly? So good! Now for the star: My picky-ass 97 year old Mom (thank goodness she's still going to dinner with us! Barely!) got the Carbonara. DAMN!! Having a bit of my Mom's dish brought me back to Rome! It arrived perfectly prepared with a soft fried egg sitting atop the handmade bucatini pasta and crispy pancetta with romano cheese. O-M-G! Such wonderous flavors! This is the dish I will get my next time back and I will guard every bite! Loved Grassa... Easy counter ordering. Cool vibes. Definitely making this my go-to Italian! read more

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The best Cesar salad ever! Hands down it's fire. And the rigatoni is amazing as well! I highly recommend. Servers are nice and very good as recommendations. read more

Grassa. This pasta is better than mine in mi casa. Hasta la vista mista. This place has yummy food!! I've had the ravioli which is no longer offered, but will have something else to replace it. I usually get chicken parm or pork belly mac & cheese. Honestly, you cannot go wrong with any entree. I'm not a pasta expert, but whatever you get will be so tasty. The noodle is not hard or crunchy, but just the right softness. The sauce and pasta ratio is just right! read more

(Review based off of takeout experience only) I was super excited to finally try Grassa and maybe I had set my expectations too high. For about $14, I was expecting to be wowed. However, the overall experience was nothing to recommend. First, I tried to order through their website and the carbonara was no where to be found. I called them to ask and they said that they had run out earlier in the day but it was available and they needed to update their site and that it would take about 5 minutes or to try ordering off of ubereats. I waited over 5 minutes and refreshed the website multiple times but the carbonara still wasn't available. I then looked on ubereats and the carbonara was sold out on there as well. I decided to just get something else off of the menu and the estimated pickup time on UberEats was about 30 minutes. It then got pushed out to an hour. Kind of annoying. I called again and asked if I could possibly pick it up earlier and was told they were super busy. Understandable, except if you order on their website, they charge 20% gratuity due to the unprecedented times. So they're super busy but also charging 20% gratuity due to unprecedented times? Hmm... As for the food, I would say it was good but not fantastic. Pork belly was too chewy and overall, I thought everything could've used more flavor. I might return once dine in is available. But as for the takeout experience, I can't say that it was worth it. read more

Grassa - Pork Belly Mac and Cheese - Italian Near Me - Portland, Oregon

I really want to like this place but again the pasta and salad were just ok. Caesar salad was overdressed and soft rather than crunchy. Croutons were scarce and also drowning in dressing. Pasta was lacking flavor and the pancetta was overcooked. Service was friendly and the place is spacious with a cool aesthetic. read more

Amazing food I've never been disappointed the service is friendly and the place is always in order. read more

Grassa - Pork Belly Mac & Cheese Baked Occhi di Lupo - Italian Near Me - Portland, Oregon

We loved this casual spot! My husband and I stayed closeby while visiting Portland and met up with some friends here for dinner. Between the 4 of us we ordered about 8 dishes and were happy with each and every one. We live in the bay area, but if grassa were a neighborhood restaurant in our hood I think we'd be visiting about once a week. read more

Don't order the carbonara, it was good the way it was until they added peas, I counted about 87 peas in my food, took me 10 minutes to take it out. read more

Grassa - Italian Near Me - Portland, Oregon

Really disappointing as the menu looked promising. For made-to-order food, Grassa didn't really taste any better than Olive Garden or any other italian food chain. We ordered the Wild Mushroom Alfredo and the Cacio e Pepe to go. Unfortunately, both were under seasoned, underwhelming and just bland. We had to add seasoning to both our dishes just to give it some flavor. Maybe it was an off day, but I don't think the chefs even tasted the food before it went out. We really wanted it to be better, but won't be back. read more

Grassa is amazing. I tried the carbonara, Radiatore, and Mac and cheese with pork belly. The Radiatore was my favorite of the three plates. The other two were both quite tasty as well, but the Radiatore was top notch, an absolute gem of a dish. Just looking at the pictures I'm posting is making me salivate. Look at how beautiful the food looks. These dishes are priced relatively well too; each item was under $15. Eat here. Do it. read more

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OMG this pasta was sooo good. Full of flavor, rich but not to heavy. I had it delivered, so I added sautéed mushroom, green beans and spinach. But the pasta alone was remarkable. Will definitely order from here again. read more

Grassa - Italian Near Me - Portland, Oregon

Very yummy! I love the Ceaser salad and the pastas are flavorful. Everything on the menu is good I've never had a miss here read more

Grassa - Italian Near Me - Portland, Oregon

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If I could give this place 0 stars I would. My husband got the pizza pocket. It was so disgusting. Packed with cold cheese but so much of cheese it was inedible. I ate the meatballs and the black truffle pappadelle pasta. It was bland and horrible. I question the quality and sanitation because since I ate that and nothing else I am sick and my stomach has been rolling and I have terrible nausea. AVOID this place at all costs it's truly awful. read more

Everything about this was amazing!! The service was great,m and kind. The food was rich and tasted fresh. I had the butternut squash pasta which was incredible!! read more

Grassa - Butternut squash pasta - Italian Near Me - Portland, Oregon