About a month ago, I was driving down Market Street in Frederick on a business trip and noticed this spot coming through. I am possibly the LARGEST Italian food fan you know of. Period. So I bookmarked it and went on a Saturday night This place was very classy- but also was casual in terms of the dress code. Very intimate atmosphere- small bar but the staff was very attentive to us even if they weren't our waiter. Waiter was very good - gave recommendations. The menu was incredible - homemade and traditional dishes from spaghetti and chicken parmesan to veal scallopini and zuppe de mussels. Any time I am at a real Italian restaurant I have to get the chicken parmesan. Which i did. The gravy was very tangy and was thick. It did have a funny quality to it but was very tasty. Chicken was large and came equipped with cheese and noodles. The table also came with bread and oil mixture for dipping. Dessert was kind of a letdown if I'm honest. Went with the traditional spumoni ice cream and added a coffee. The spumoni piece was TINY. Very underwhelming especially when we got it as a table. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. read more

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Very good meal. Service was slow. Food took a long. Time To come out. I was looking for quick bite by myself. Service was great. Food was awesome. Everything is slow tho. Tad pricey. I'd definitely go Again. read more

Went on a Saturday night with friends at 5 15. Empty when we were seated. Quickly filled up and then there was a line waiting as well. Food delicious..I had lasagna. As though a Nonna was in kitchen. Friends had beautifully plated chicken Frances. Attentive service although packed. Appreciated they did not rush us out until we asked for check at 6 45. Will keep going back. read more

Good food and a nice quaint place. I would have given Il Porto a higher rating but the wait staff seemed more interested in having customers leave. They hover around like hungry vultures waiting and pestering you. They tried to take food and drinks away before you were finished. I'm sorry they do not have more tables, but this isn't a reason to push customers out the door. The owner needs to talk to the staff about not taking food, bread and drinks away before people are finished. This happened not only at our table but several others. read more

A gem of a restaurant that we've passed by hundreds of times and never had chance to visit. Their no reservation policy kind of put us off and the lack of parking also didn't help. However we were in the centre with friends and after playing the murder mystery game, we needed somewhere to eat in the late afternoon. We were on foot and where did we fancy eating that offered good food for a veggie, someone with allergies, a picky eater and my long suffering wife? Il Porto! The inside looks very Italian, not the fake Italian that chains such as Olive Garden want to use. But the Italian places we visited in Italy. We were warmly greeted, sat at the window and the wait staff didn't mind that the picky eater couldn't make up her mind. And when she had one of our party was always in the bathroom.... Food? Too notch! Different sauce for the dips than what they use for the mains. So many places use the same sauce. Here they were obviously different. And homemade as it had the tang that most places try to cover with sugar. Everyone loved their food, from the lasagne to the chicken parm via a carbonara. Spirits and alcohol were also great. Great taste to the round of martinis, without being stingy on the alcohol. Wine was topped up by the wait staff, were normally they pour the first found and leave it be. Good old fashioned service! A round of lemonchello topped off the meal. Now I make my own so I'm kinda judgey on this traditional liquor.... But again no faults! It was strong without tasting strong... We'll be back. Even though we can't make a reservation, and we'll have to pray that we can get an Uber. Great place, great food! Keep up the high standards. read more

One word Bland! The server said the lasagna was to die for. It reminded me of frozen lasagna. The mussels and pasta were tasteless . Great Ambiance-was nice, nice place to grab a drink and maybe a appetizer, will try once more and update . read more

This business is EXTREMELY unprofessional! We ate here as a family for my little sisters birthday, a party of 8 people. We ordered 8 dishes and all the food was very bland flavorless. The fettuccine tasted like milk and pasta water. There's a list of things that was wrong here I could go on and on but my advice to you is to avoid coming here at all costs. My brother got the pasta and didn't eat it at all. (He was the only one that spoke up) even though it was apparent that everyone else didn't enjoy the food but we got it boxed anyways because I suggested the dogs might like it. He was upset that the pasta ruined his appetite after one bite he asked them to take it away and not box it and they still charged us for the pasta. We thought they made a mistake & forgot to take it off the bill so we asked them to adjust the check they said they already charged the card and said they would have to void the entire payment and re charge it but then 10 minutes later he came back said they can't do anything about it because they think he's lying about not liking his food since & I quote "no one else had a problem with their meal" so at this point we collectively decide to leave and not ruin my little sisters birthday there was such negative energy from the manager. I've never had such an experience! He was aggressive and unprofessional and handled the situation so wrong I tried to get out my phone to record the situation because I was shocked at the way he was talking to my family and he tried to literally smack the phone out of my hand! If I didn't have a firm grip on it l, it would've hit my baby in the high chair. To say the least this whole experience was seriously ridiculous. Worse service I've ever in my life. I would give them 0 stars if I had the option. This place NEEDS to re evaluate their choice of management, ASAP that guy really shouldn't be working in customer services what a scary experience :( people of frederick beware! Edit: after posting this review I started reading other reviews and everyone seemed to have had negative experiences at this place as well. Most people also mentioned the food sucks so I should've known! I didn't read the reviews prior to coming so lesson learned read more

Always a delicious meal at il Porto. Charming setting. Need a reservation on the weekends because it gets packed. So glad I found it when we moved to Maryland and happy I got to enjoy my last meal there before moving out of maryland. Highly recommend! read more

I enjoyed my dinner at Il Porto. We started out with the bread basket for the table and ordered a Cream of Crab soup in addition. The soup was excellent - definitely get this if it's on the menu! The bread was just okay for me. The white bread had that kind of papery crust that I'm not a fan of, although the inside was nice and soft. Foccacia was good. I did think that both the rosemary oil at the table and the parmesan cheese served with the bread were delicious. The oil had a lovely spicy bite to it and I just wanted to eat the entire bowl of that cheese, which you could tell was freshly grated. I got a special for the evening, which was shrimp and lobster with linguine in a tomato cream sauce. I was hoping for something with a little more tomato flavor, but I'm sure if you're looking a for a very creamy sauce you would really love this dish. It was delicious but I think it was just too rich/heavy to eat for the whole meal. But that's on me, not Il Porto! The seafood in this dish was cooked very nicely. My boyfriend got the seafood platter with red sauce, which I loved. I had to restrain myself from trying to eat it all! I wish the menu described what was included in this dish, but our server was happy to explain. The sauce was bright and had such a lovely flavor from the shellfish. There was crab, mussels, clams, and shrimp. Both pasta dishes were perfectly al dente which is always important to me when dining at an Italian restaurant. The white sangria I had was just okay - I probably wouldn't order it again. It was a little too acidic for my taste, but I did appreciate that it wasn't overly sweet. This drink came with diced red and green apples mixed in. Service was standard to good. If you're in the area and craving Italian, I think Il Porto would make a fine choice. read more

Great food attentive service The restaurant is a bit funky inside and a little too close but good vibes. The food rocked. Softshell crabs were prepared expertly and the seafood pasta was absolutely stunning. Haven't had their pizza yet but it looked and smelled good . They have a tiny bar where my husband has waited for me. Pasta fans go here. read more

Absolutely Wonderful!!! First time in Frederick MD, what a beautiful town, filled with shops, restaurants, architecture and History! Wanted to find a restaurant to seat 8 people and had to be outside re: Covid times. IL Porto is the only restaurant that would take my Reservation for Outside dining, all the others said "first come, first served". IL Porto staff were so friendly, nice and accommodating! We celebrated a big Birthday and the staff was Amazing!!! So Attentive! The Food was Delicious, all 8 of us Loved our Dinners, and the Appetizers were so Good too, especially the Friend Zucchini and all the antipasto salads. All 8 of us are Italian and have been to Italy; and we Loved the food here! The Cocktails were incredible, the Bartender was so friendly and specializes in Martinis , excellent! Good wine list too. The inside Restaurant is charming, but we wanted to sit Outside (re: Covid times :( ) And it was a Beautiful night with a Sunset! We ordered the entire Lemon Cello cake for Dessert, for our Birthday celebration: so Good. Thank you to the Staff! read more

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Fair to middling Italian place. I gave it 3 stars initially, but came immediarely back to edit it down to 2 stars. It's just not very good and there are so many better options out there. We have tried it twice recently, both times found a nice bottle of wine, food is really hit or miss: mussels, not good; Caesar, pretty decent; pizza, fine (overpriced); pasta carbonara, was really awful (greasy and over cooked); service is inexperienced, but earnest. The place could also use a good thorough cleaning - carpet is dirty, lots of dust collecting artifacts lingering around, and defunct furniture stuck into corners. Did I mention carpet? Carpet in restaurants generally freaks me out. Not sure how any restaurant can run a bunch of daily specials, yet still have another two pages of entrees available all the time? How many fresh chickens, scallops, oysters, mussels, fish, and veal can you have laying around every day? We arrived 1 1/2 hours before close and were their last customers of the day. Seems like they are well past needing a reboot. read more

What a quaint authentic Italian Restaurant! The service is impeccable and the food is over the top Italian! So excellent we are there three times while visiting there! You will not be disappointed! Thank you for a wonderful dining experience! Planning a trip back in September! read more

Delicious food. Excellent service. Nice wine. Make a reservation or you will be waiting. Small dining room but that's okay. Make a d Reservation for dinner. read more

The bolognese sauce was amazing and was a great surprise to find. The service was awesome and the staff was really attentive. One of the better surprise stops I've found to eat as this would be great for a date night as well. read more

A delicious meal! The place is very tightly packed and you will be very close to the other table next to you. The food was very delicious! We came during the weekend and there was no wait (thank god!) but after we were seated there was a huge crowd that came after us. We came around 7:30 so during peak hours! The calamari appetizer was delicious but the portion was a bit small for four people. The bread was good to slightly fill us up. Then our main courses came and all were so delicious!!!! They had a weekend special where they featured dishes not on their main menu, so we ordered the cioppino they offered. I assumed cioppino was a various seafood type dish, but apparently this dish only featured lobster so we also ordered a seafood platter. The cioppino was so delicious, it tasted like fettuccine pasta with a hint of old bay with large chunks of lobster. The sauce was so creamy and rich. Definitely the favorite platter for the night! The seafood platter was so delicious. There were a lot of types of seafood featuring scallops, clams, mussels, squid and more that I can't remember. The sauce was similar to marinara and mixed very well with the pasta. The chicken marsala sauce was very rich, and had a hint of wine. The chicken was soft and the mushrooms went really well with the dish (of course). It was pretty good to soak the marsala sauce with the bread! The main course portions were large and substantial for 4 people. Definitely would come back here again, hopefully during a week where the cioppino special is featured! read more

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Came in last night with my family of 7. We had made reservations for 5pm, which I highly recommend making. The restaurant filled up quickly and had a wait by 5:15pm. It's small and cozy inside, with a lovely ambience. The food was delicious and the service was good. We ordered drinks, appetizers to share, individual starters, and daily specials. The only reason I am giving this place a 3-Star is because for the price point and how much we paid for the meal, we didn't get to truly enjoy our meal or the company because we were rushed throughout our experience in the establishment. Prior to even asking for the check, the staff began clearing everything off the table while we were still sitting and talking with each other - only leaving our drinking glasses. Once the check was paid we all felt that we needed to leave immediately because the staff was hovering. So from the moment we sat down to the second we paid. Our family of seven were in and out within an hour. read more

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Some of the best Italian in Frederick Great white pizza, try the Fresh Mozzarella & Tomato and home made pasta.

Friends recommended Il Porto. Our meals were excellent. Service was excellent. Atmosphere was excellent. The only thing that was better than that was the company we kept. Friends recommendation was right, so we recommend it to everyone who likes Italian food. And next time we will be close to Il Porto, we'll definitely visit, that was great experience. read more

This place has a true Italian feel from the décor to the waitstaff to the food. My husband and I were celebrating our wedding Anniversary and were seated at a very romantic corner table overlooking a beautiful tree lined street. We never felt rushed between courses, the authentic food was amazing and the ambiance with Italian music playing in the background felt like we were in Italy. This is our new favorite place! read more

Loved our meal, reservation led to quick seating, busy room but a sign of quick service and good food! read more

Il Porto - Seafood platter - Italian Near Me - Frederick, Maryland

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Second try. We will not return. For the second time this year, we decided to give Il Porto a shot. Our first visit was underwhelming. But we chalked it up to being a Monday night. This time, we were there on Saturday. We arrived at our reservation time of 6:30, to find the restaurant surprisingly empty for a Saturday dinner. Drinks were good. The martinis are their specialty. So we went that route Bread was served at room temperature. Just butter. No olive oil. They did heat it up when we made the request. The 4 of us shared a calamari appetizer. We all agreed that this was the best food item that we ordered. Was not overcooked, or over breaded. 2 of us ordered the veal parmesan. Not bad. Not great. The marinara was underwhelming, at best. not a lot of flavor. And it tasted to me as though it had been overcooked. 1 ordered the Rockfish topped with crab meat. This was listed as a special. Unfortunately, what she received was NOT rockfish. The fact that flounder was being sold as rockfish was insulting. This is Maryland. If you're gonna try and pass off flounder as rockfish, Maryland is not the place. At this point, we were all pretty disgusted by the experience, and just wanted to leave. Without the rockfish Bait and switch, they would have gotten 2 stars. read more

Went for the first time and loved the white pizza with the roasted red peppers on the side (gotta try, I was told, and was happy I did). Learned this restaurant was like yummy Pines of Rome in Bethesda. The service was great and even though the restaurant is small our party of 12 wasn't cramped - there was plenty of space around us. Since we had a large party we made reservations- on a Saturday for lunch. Thanks Il Porto! read more

It isn't as difficult these days to separate yourself from the pack as a restaurant in Frederick, given that many of them have chosen to broadcast it loud and clear that they don't want to be open for patrons as they used to be. So for a restaurant to eagerly and gratefully open it's doors for dinner on a Monday night is greatly appreciated (seems simple enough). Not only are they telling all of us that they'd gladly serve us, they serve TOP NOTCH Italian food. You simply can't get much more consistent than Il Porto. Always a gracious and professional staff, serving authentic and flavorful food. In a city where culinary competition used to push each restaurateur to the highest level of service and food, it has now become a city of watching the clock with an eagerness to close. Not Il Porto. They'll be glad to accommodate you and to satisfy your pallet! read more

Stopped by to confirm reservation and we're welcome kindly. Arrived with group to experience Excellent service, perfectly mixed cocktails, delicious food. Chicken Marsala was best ever, pasta was obviously made on site, and calamari made us smile. Bravo! read more

Feel for a spot during covid but you gotta check the bottom before shipping this out. Pizza dough was completely raw, inedible as it came. read more

Il Porto - Pizza - Italian Near Me - Frederick, Maryland

First time here and it was delicious! We made a reservation for two at 5:30 and got seated right away. It wasn't too busy at first but within 20 mins it picked up. We had a nice server, Carlos. He introduces himself and let us know it was his third day and if we had questions about the menu and he couldn't answer then yet he would ask someone no problem. We ordered two salads, spaghetti with butter sauce and chicken marsala. My mom likes ziti more than linguini so she asked to substitute and they did no problem. Service was good and meals were delicious! Reasonably priced too! Well done! read more

I have dined in a number of times, but due to a time constraint had to get a to go order. If This would've been my first experience, it would also be the last. Other than the food being hot there wasn't much to rave about. $30 spent on a meal that had 2 shrimp , 1 scallop and a boat load of mushrooms. Scallops had an odd taste as if they were soaked in dish detergent. Obviously not saying they were, but relaying what the taste was similar to. Anyways, I'll never get carry out again, and I'll let quite some time pass before I spend money dining in. Despite it being carry out I still expected the same quality as if I were dining in. read more

I decided to give this place a try because I was craving pasta and wanted to support a local business during these times. However, I was very disappointed with the dishes I bought for my family. The flavor was very bland and it wasn't what we expected. The pasta itself though, was cooked perfectly! Not sure if it was because the "original" chef wasn't working anymore or what. The calamari was the only dish we enjoyed. Not sure if I want to give it another try... read more

Three words to describe their pasta: authentic, classic & homemade. The kind of place you can easily linger at your table with a bottle of wine and not feel rushed. Staff was pleasant and well versed on the menu. Spinach lasagna and the creamy lobster pasta were spectacular! read more

I've eaten at Il Porto for years with my gentleman friend. We always got their veal dishes because they are so tender and the sauces are fabulous! Now that my gentleman friend is in assisted living, he was missing Il Porto. So I was able to bring him his favorite dishes to eat outside. Il Porto did a great job packing the meal up, & putting it in a box so it was easy to carry. We certainly missed the waiter and the good service he always provided. But we want to give special credit to the chefs who did the meal preparation. We asked for spinach and mushroom which apparently isn't on the menu anymore. But since they remembered us, they fixed it JUST FOR US! Now that is amazing service!!! We can't say enough good things about the manager and his staff! The food is excellent too. We feel blessed to have found Il Porto! read more

The waiters are really nice and patient shoutout to cooper nicest guy ever I love II porto

We love Italian. Who doesn't? We're South Philly people. We know/we make pasta, everything Italian. These guys GET IT! THAT'S WHY WE KEEP RETURNING. Tell you what I'll post again about this place when/if we are served a loser dish. Please go. read more

The customer service was superb! We started off asking to sit at the bar, sat down, and realized it was gonna be to warm inside for us to enjoy. Asked if we could move outside and we were immediately sitted outside without a blink of the eye. The food was really good. I was in the mood for "comfort food" so I got the cheese tortellini with marinara sauce. I was NOT disappointed! My husband got one of the specials, the crab stuffed flounder, which was also wonderful. The sauce that came with it was a lemony, sweet butter sauce, which was fabulous! The speed of food being served wasn't the fastest, but it gave us time to enjoy a glass of wine while we waited. read more

Il Porto - Cheese tortellini with marinara sauce - Italian Near Me - Frederick, Maryland

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I just love this place It's like family The staff is very welcoming and terrific Food is awesome Wine and martinis - what else can you ask for? Oh yeah a perfect pizza - which they have read more

Il Porto - Manhattan Martini - Italian Near Me - Frederick, Maryland

Do not eat here! The food is beyond bland and extremely overpriced. We started with under seasoned calamari. The fettuccine Alfredo was so bland it tasted like they just poured cream over noodles. The lasagna was extremely underwhelming. The soft shell crabs had an old crab fishy taste. Overall this place is very expensive for terrible food. read more

I'm incredibly disappointed with this restaurant. This is the first time I've had such a negative experience at any restaurant and it was to the point where I've created this account just to write about it. My family and I went into this restaurant to celebrate a members birthday. We reserved the table ahead of time and got seated with no issues. The issue lied with the food and what I'm assuming was the manager. Most of my family ordered pasta and it was barely tolerable to say the least. The fettuccini was unbelievably bland it ended up with my family sending it back and asking if we could remove it off the check (2 members ordered it, both didn't like it, one tolerated it and the other sent their plate back; said member decided not to order anything else as the pasta ruined their appetite). All was good up until receiving the check. The plate that we sent back was still there and after reiterating the fact that we did not like it, did not eat it, and politely asking for it to be taken off, the the manager(?) came over and essentially refused to take it off. He even went as far as stating that he wouldn't take it off because it was "good pasta" and that the issue lied with us for not liking it. After trying to record what was happening he held his hand up and tried to push the phone down so we could not record. Truly a terrible experience and all we asked for was to remove a $20 plate. read more

We live a block away and during a remodeling project had a week that we ate here three times! On our own then meeting friends - it's a "how about IL Porto " thing - often suggested by not us but by the dining companions. In the 2 1/2 years we have lived near them I bet we have eaten with them 100 times, at least once every 2 weeks. It's our "go to" spot for not only us but the neighbors. The staff are great - very welcoming and accommodating. My favorites are the chicken cacciatore and spaghetti carbonara - both excellent. My wife enjoys the pasta dishes and fish. The salads are great, served on chilled plates. The bread may be their weakest point - it's fine but very pedestrian. Good bread with an Italian dinner can really make the day. Finally this is not fine Italian dining, and we have experienced that in Italy and elsewhere - this is a family friendly, comfortable place with great food! Best Italian in Frederick no doubt. read more

The pizza is by far the best in Frederick! Nice flavor, thin, crispy and the tomatoes on top give it a kick. read more

Il Porto - Pizza is by far the best in Frederick. Thin, crispy, nice flavor and the tomatoes give it a kick. The picture says it all! - Italian Near Me - Frederick, Maryland

Took my husband here for Father's Day. Upon entering, the smell a pungent cheese combined with mustiness was overwhelming. I ordered chicken piccatta and he ordered spaghetti with meatsauce. The spaghetti was great but not the piccatta. Thin pieces of chicken in piccatta sauce was delivered. Menu stated it came with linguine but it never came out. Upon asking for it, the server looked confused. He went to the back to ask the manager about it then brought out linguine topped with marinara for my chicken piccatta. Ewww. Had to ask them to bring out just plain linguine. The piccatta lacked flavor but i managed through it with adding pepper and lemon. The server had a week under his belt and struggled. Not a game changer but he kept touching my silverware to make room for food , after I used it There was plenty of room to place my food on the table without touching my utensils. He did it twice and I had to get new silverware both times. He kept serving us through a small opening between the booth and a wall pillar when access to the table was available whete we got into the booth. It was just a bizarre experience with a creepy arm and hand coming through a crack where the booth meets the wall. No social awareness. The staff, including the manager, were more interested in the game on TV than the customers. The whole atmosphere was incredibly disappointing considering some good reviews. I will not go back unless I want spaghetti with meat sauce to go. read more