I'll start by saying this is a place we love to visit. The pizza and all other food is delicious. We were here in the summer of 2020 and had a good covid experience where we had an outside table on the sidewalk, with heaters and masks by servers and staff. We returned in Nov to a really bummer of an experience. We used their website to make a reservation, and it allowed us to specify inside or outside. We selected outside. When we arrived there were many tables along the sidewalk. A lot of them were empty or just needed to he wiped clean. We spoke to the hostess and we were escorted to a table in a tent. I asked the hostess to seat us outside because we had a reservation for "outside". I was told, I'd have to get on wait list for a sidewalk tables, because according to them, sitting in a sealed tent with walls is outside. I am deeply disapponted in this. Why bother asking me to specify inside or outside on the reservation sheet if we'd just he placed inside an enclosed tent. This is not outdoor according to the dept of health. read more

To start off, this is not about the restaurant/dining experience! This is in regard to my experience during the "club" hours. I would like to say that this past Friday was probably the worst I've ever seen Porta. The music was not terrible, but the DJs were okay at best, they need new ones imo. Then, there were two incidents that I witnessed where their barback and bartender were extremely rude to my friends (and myself but mostly to my friends). First was my best friend's first time being there and probably her last. We had ordered drinks from the bar on the restaurant side, that is separate from the club side. I asked my friend if she can get me a napkin, and when she asked the barback, he assumed she wanted a drink and just dismissed her without hesitation until she had to loudly let him know she only wanted a napkin. He then hands her the napkin with an attitude and his back turned to her. Another incident (maybe an hour after the first one), where my girlfriend went back to the bar to ask the bartender with a buzzcut for a napkin too, and he was EXTREMELY rude to her. He was finishing ringing someone up, then went to my girlfriend and she asked for a single napkin, and he brought multiple. She kindly let him know she only needed one and as she's grabbing a single one from the stack in his hand, he snatches his hand back like he didn't want her touch him (she wasn't), drops the napkins, and walks away. I watched the whole interaction and decided to confront him for being rude. I pretend I'm there to order and he comes up to me, to where I then let him know I saw that whole interaction and he was being extremely rude to my girlfriend. He clearly didn't care because mid conversation he walks away from me. I then go up to the security guard and let him know which bartender was disgustingly rude. He didn't know who the bartender was, but after hearing the story he affirmed my distaste, but it was out of his hands. Not sure what's the issue with this establishment and napkins, but the overall energy given was that we weren't welcomed (I would say racist, but it is worth to mention other staff weren't rude at all). Maybe if that was an isolated incident, I could shrug it off as rude staff, but the people they let in gave a similar energy. During the night while socializing/dancing in a circle group setting on the dance floor, a guy who was already visible drunk and bumping into me, grabbed my girlfriend's head, shook it and tried to take her hat off. He tried to wander off and she took his hat, and he went back to his group. She returned it and came back to me which was the portion of the interaction I saw and when she explained the interaction to me, I went to confront him. She stopped me and said she handled it. A few moments later he was being escorted out. I assume he started messing with someone else and got himself kicked out. The kind security was the only props I can give this place, and probably the only reason I'm giving 2 stars. read more

I can't see why this would get rates so poorly. After 5+ visits here, the food is always fantastic, drinks full of booze, music is great and has excellent people watching. Yes, service is slow but they're usually packed. And have lawn games to fill in the time between ordering and receiving their food. Drinks are pricey but what do you expect at a seasonal restaurant? Lots of seating -- inside and out. Reserve early because they book up! read more

Extended outside seating due to covid was done really nicely. So much space and everyone is distanced for the most part. Me and a friend split a margherita pizza and I got the octopus entree. The pizza was DELICIOUS! Perfect texture, homemade mozzarella was so gooey and amazing. The octopus wasn't the BEST octopus I've ever had, but came extremely close. The buttery (it might have been olive oil?) sauce with capers and fennel was so delicious. The octopus itself was cooked so well. My friends had some cocktails which they were raving about. Overall, can't go wrong here. Enjoy! read more

Porta - Pan-Roasted Day Boat Octopus Salad - Pizza Near Me - Asbury Park, New Jersey

Went for a birthday this afternoon. Party of 6. Was seated on time and outside like we had asked. It was really nice out! We came here because a friend / a few others haven't ever been here before. Food was decent but drinks were sub par. My friend ordered the cucumber mint cosmo and it came in the tiniest cup ever and for a $14 drink it was kind of cheap feeling. Pizza was good -- the mozzarella app and olives were nothing to write home about. If I were to ever go again - I would just get pizza and a glass of wine lol. read more

Porta - Margherita Pizza - Pizza Near Me - Asbury Park, New Jersey

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I go to Asbury at least once or twice a year and Porta is one of my go to restaurants I love the pizza and I try a different one every time,I got the pepperoni this time around and it was one of the best I've ever had! read more

Porta - The pepperoni pizza Beer and whiskey - Pizza Near Me - Asbury Park, New Jersey

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Love this place. Such great food and fun interior. 10/10 recommend. My go tos are the fresh mozzerella, chippy pizza, and Nutella pizza. Trust!!! read more

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LOVE coming here during the off season! Came here last month at night, there was no wait the dining area basically empty, we sat at the bar to reduce the wait time for drinks back & forth to the table. We had a great time. The bartender was super knowledgeable about the menu both for food and drinks. read more

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Great food, good drinks, great music and great vibe. This is a regular spot for us for dinner.

I'm in love with the lunch special. Pasta and salad for $16. Nothing beats the bootsin pasta. sincerely Peter Muller.

I loved the pizza so much!! I would definitely come bag again my first time was in 2017 and was still really good. Service was solid and the outside area was cute. read more

Horrible and discriminatory. This server was extremely rude to my party. He would not serve us due to us breathing heavy and he assumed we were drunk. I have asthma and jogged to the establishment in the cold. THIS SERVER brought security after I asked for the manager. Completely unprofessional. Will never be back. read more

Porta - A server - Pizza Near Me - Asbury Park, New Jersey

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Long wait due to covid, but great food and service! Pizza is baked fresh in heavy duty ovens, and there's a large outdoor area. Drinks are good, but expected them to be stronger, and would love a more crafty beer selection. They have a text system for table orders, but think they forgot about us unfortunately. Make sure to get extra spices with your pizza! read more

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How do I love thee? Let me count the ways! Porta is my absolute favorite restaurant in Asbury park and maybe even the entire Jersey shorethey make home made ricotta every day as well as mozzarella as an appetizer. I always get the ricotta, warm, creamy, drizzled w olive oil salt and pepper, with a few slices of Italian bread for dipping. You SHOULD share it. But that's not easy! They make single and double portion salads too. Between those two things it could be a meal but you need to get pizza! They have wood burning pizza ovens and an amazing selection of pizza. My favorite is the carbonara pizza. Delectable! My friends got a shrimp scampi pizza that looked great too. We also shared the grilled octopus. With some anise salad on the side. Not only is the food outstanding but we love the fun, boisterous, vacation atmosphere. It's like a party there especially in summer. There is a big indoor bar as well as outside seating and bar. They had live music outside also. I recommend you call and make a reservation. This place is busy. Walking distance from the AP boardwalk and nearby ocean grove. It's casual, seating is eclectic - some picnic tables, chairs, benches, a variety of seats. Very quick and professional servers. Trained well for a busy restaurant. Go and enjoy! read more

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Unnecessarily loud to start off with. Service was slow and inept. Pasta Pomodoro with Basil had no basil and very little tomato sauce Pizza was served lukewarm We asked for oregano for the pizza and it took ten minutes to get it. One chair at our table had spilled food on it from a previous diner. Needless to say we chose not to have dessert. Go elsewhere. From what I understand the Montclair location is just as bad read more

Came here last Friday for a girls night dinner with some friends. We had a reservation and were seated immediately upon arriving. Our waitress came over promptly and took our drink order. After about 30 minutes our drinks and waitress were nowhere in sight, then another waitress came and asked if anyone took our orders yet. Apparently there had been a mix up with the servers and our drinks had been ready the whole time and were just sitting on the bar for the last 20 minutes. So our martinis ended up being served to us room temperature - disappointing. Other than the server mix up, it was a great experience. I got a dirty martini with kettle one vodka to start (they don't have bleu cheese olives). To start we got the fresh mozzarella and I haven't stopped dreaming about it since we came here two weeks ago. It was so flavorful, and the sprinkle of salt and pepper on top was the perfect final touch. Although, I wish the bread on the side was toasted for a nice crunch. entrees the three of us split two pizzas. The pesto pizza felt like it was missing something - maybe more garlic or more salt - but it was still very good. The string beans and potatoes were something I hadn't seen on pesto pizza before but I think they paired well. The 14 1/2 pizza was spicy and full of flavor. We preferred the 14 1/2 over the pesto. The mozzarella and the two pizzas was the perfect amount for the 3 of us to split. Fun fact - you can use your dinner receipt to go into the VIP line for the club at night! Update: had to come back for more mozzarella cheese!!! This time we tried one of their salads which we loved. It had so many flavors that combined together so well (apple, prosciutto, arugula, cranberries). We also tried the arugula pizza with truffle oil on top. When they brought it out you could smell the truffle right away. As for drinks, I got another dirty martini with kettle one vodka, and my friend tried one of the seasonal martinis which she enjoyed. Everything was delicious and we had a great experience. read more

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So I recommend coming here with some friends or family.... it's not a place to come solo in my opinion It's super noisy from chit chatter. Especially inside. It has a cafeteria feel to it when you dine inside- although there are some nice rustic touches with cool lighting fixtures but for the most part- it's dim inside. Especially at dinner time There is a outside patio area called " porta park"- I noticed an band playing outside - you sit at picnic benches. Makes sure if you are planning to dine and you want to put name on waiting list that you make sure you determine if it's the inside ( which is just "porta") or outside (" porta park") . different wait lines FYI. Times go faster than quoted. We were told 90 mins but ended up being 40mins Like I said- this isn't a place to go solo to have a quiet dinner. Lol. This place is noisy with lots of people and chit chatter. Also if you go with a group - you can order several things and share and sample. We ended up getting drinks and buying like 5 pizza pies to share. We had the Margherita, the meatball, the captain ahab, 14 1/2 and the summer Betty. The pizza ovens are official here! The Margherita was eh. Boring and blah to me lol The 14 1/2 was spicy - not bad The captain ahad is more like a ham and cheese calzone The meatball was pretty good And the winner .... Summer Betty!!!! Cuz Goat cheese is KING Lol. Pretty much everyone liked the summer Betty the best I would come back for the summer Betty and to try some of their pasta dishes Drinks were eh. Decent - not this cocktail queen's favorite Porta . Has nighttime music and I hear it turned into a dance party after dark. Check website for DJs and bands etc read more

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It was my first time in Porta and had a icredible time. No cover charge for a Saturday night which was great. The drinks were inexpensive, the crowd was lively, security is terrific. DJ was extremely good, everyone seems to be having a great time with the choice of music. If you happen to be down the shore area, I strongly recommend this spot. read more

I was at porta on Saturday night. First of all the place is set up like a loud obnoxious cafeteria. Besides the atmosphere, the food is not good. The fresh mozzarella was like a brick. Not "fresh" by any means, the pizza was a sloppy mess and the kicker was the Bibb salad. I ordered mine with dressing on the side and they basically threw Bibb lettuce, 2 walnuts and 1/4 tsp blue cheese on the plate. Oh and if you like serving yourself plates and silverware-this is your place. I wouldn't eat a free meal here if you paid me. read more

Love their whole fish. Usually I dont like plain spaghetti, but theirs is sooo good & so are the meatballs. delish!!

Decided to try Porta for lunch on a beautiful and sunny Labor Day Monday. We sat outside while enjoying a nice breeze and some adult beverages. Our server was wonderful and checked on us periodically. Eggplant parmigiana- thin layers and not drowning in sauce- very good Pizza Margherita-fresh cheese- very good also We enjoyed our first visit to Porta and will make it a more regular stop when in Asbury Park. read more

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Porta was a fun place to check out in Asbury Park. Good for a bite with friends or family, but be prepared for slow service and ok food. We split the arancini, which was good (mushroom), but slightly dry. The Margherita pizza was decent; however the sauce was definitely a little too sweet. Service was also slow- both our arancini and pizza accidentally were delivered to the table next to us and then transferred over to us. read more

Porta Philly was underwhelming but I was pleasantly surprised by the Asbury Park flagship. The visit started out rocky. We had a group of about 12-15 for a bachelorette party. We were told they don't take reservations, but if we arrive by 8 they'd be able to help. We also had an order already placed. It took a lot longer and the food was ready too soon. They were able to expedite the new order once we were seated. That may have been the trick. The food came out so hot and fresh. We barely had enough time to enjoy the fresh mozzarella and salad before the pizza came out. The pesto with green beans and potatoes was great. As was the pepperoni and carbonara. Great cheese to sauce to toppings ratio with a light crispy/chewy crust. The atmosphere was cool with an industrial style look, stringed lights and stylish graffiti. For pizza, I don't factor in atmosphere; it's all about the pie. If you can get me a fresh Porta pie, I'm totally onboard. read more

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Today was my first time here- me and a few girlfriends went for brunch! AMAZING... the devils haircut!!! Literally bacon sausage cheese and over easy egg on a pizza!! AMAZING! We shared that for the table I ordered the frittata of the day- 4 types of cheeses with spinach and artichoke! It was spinach dip and eggs!!! Creamy and fluffy! AMAZING! And a side of yummy crispy potatoes with a spicy pepper chili on top!!! And there Bloody Mary.... OMG... Spicy to perfection! Can't wait to go back... heard I have to try it at night, turns into a club/lounge... will be back- don't mind the pictures I wanted to eat the food looked amazing read more

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Great vibe but that's where it ends for me. Let's start with no online reservations available within 3 hours but we took a chance as a walk ins and got seated immediately with easily 8 empty tables. That was odd. Sat outside in a nice pea graveled area on painted picnic tables with umbrellas only to be joined by tons of tiny spiders and ants. The wait staff agreed it was problematic for others. We asked to move inside and we were seated quickly. We sat for 30 minutes to be served a mediocre Bibb salad with little dressing and even less cheese. Waited 20 minutes more for two pizzas only to find the middle part of the crust wet, limp and undercooked. Now for the kicker...unsanitary practices by some staff made us ask for our check early. Suffice it to say servers need to be told to not sneeze in their hands and serve beverages to customers without washing and the person bussing tables should not be picking their nose. Great vibe, the only positive, was ruined for us after that, go at your own risk. Read my other reviews, I rarely leave a poor rating, in fact it may be my only one! read more

The food and atmosphere were great!! Laid back, casual, and most importantly fun! A must stop if you're within an hour drive. Yum! read more

Porta - Monday Night Football - Pizza Near Me - Asbury Park, New Jersey

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Yum yum yum! I don't know how I haven't reviewed this before I started with the warm ricotta with bread. Absolutely DIVINE. Oddly enough, I had too much cheese compared to the few slices of bread and wish we had more. I had the avocado sandwich which was a delight. The pesto added such depth with it but I wished for maybe one more slice of cheese on there. My partner got the sausage pizza and enjoyed it very much without the long hots. We sat at the bar to avoid a wait and still had a good time. Our bartenders were friendly and attentive. My sandwich came out nearly 10 minutes before my partner's pizza which was inconvenient but our food was great overall! Can't wait to be back read more

Porta - Avocado Sandwich - Pizza Near Me - Asbury Park, New Jersey

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Amazing pizza. Amazing pasta. Casual Valentines dinner... heard so much about this place. Did not disappoint. The carbonara pie was to die for and the gorgonzooch pasta was sublime. Place was hopping. Also recommend the maple old fashioned read more

Porta - Carbonara Pizza - Pizza Near Me - Asbury Park, New Jersey

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I've eaten here numerous times and have always had a fantastic meal, so when it came to deciding on a wedding venue it ended up being a no brainer. From the moment I knew Porta hosted weddings, I always had it in the back of my mind that this was where I wanted to celebrate. We had about 105 guests and the Abbott Room & attached outdoor area was the perfect amount of space. The food was phenomenal and something our guests are still talking about to this day. Porta packs up every bit of food that is left over to send home with you (we encouraged our guests to take a pizza on their way out the door), so you really feel like you are getting your moneys worth. Their staff is a pleasure to work with, and while they are not your traditional venue where you are having constant meetings, you get everything you need out of the 2-3 meetings you do have and they are more than accommodating to setting up additional meetings if needed. The Abbott Room is a stunner, the bar is huge and accessible from both inside and outside, you get a private bathroom for your guests, and the dance floor is the perfect size. They are the best and I am so happy to have chosen them. It will absolutely make our future meals there even more special. read more

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Porta is a lively environment that deserves more stars. Centrally located in the heart of beachy Asbury. Pizzas are phenomenal and great drink selection. Ambience FTW. The nightlife on weekends separates the dining room as a throwback hip hop/R&B scene while the next room is a strobe light EDM scene, great variety. Used to be no cover charge but expensive drinks to counteract that--I think they have since added a cover. People of ages from college to 30s for most part and the line gets long outside but moves along quickly. Can get overpacked inside. Would suggest coming here for both a fine dinner experience and some reckless dancing at night. read more

Good food, good service, fun environment! It's an easy place to go to and always have a good time when I'm there.

Very sad. Food has gone down hill. Pizza under cooked. Sauce tasteless. Food comes out without any care. It is like McDonald's.

Phenom. Delicious. Great atmosphere. Will return. Next time for the lemon ricotta pancakes!

Awesome. The service is great and the food is great The shrimp Scampi pizza is amazing and their Gnocchi is to die for. Wish I lived closer,

This is normally a 4 star restaurant, at least my past experiences with it. A couple of things caused the star drop. I've probably been here five times prior to this visit but have never reviewed it. We stopped in at 5 for an early dinner and sat at the bar. We had an excellent and attentive bartender; didn't get her name. Happy hour was just until 6 so we checked out their HH menu. I've got to say I was unimpressed; no food specials and discounts only on cheap undrinkable beer and mixed drinks. If you like mixed drinks it's a good deal. Normally $12 down to $6. To start, Jimmy and I split the house made mozzarella. It was a nice size drizzled with EVOO, salt, and fresh ground pepper accompanied by crusty Italian bread. The mozzarella was excellent however the crusty bread was not. The bread was clearly days old with soft crust and there was no attempt made to heat it up prior, to simulate fresh bread. I pointed this out to the bartender who apologized but no effort was made to adjust the check for that. We also decided to split the carbonara pizza. This is an excellent white pizza that has egg and guanciale on it. Great! The men's room was nowhere you wanted to be this early on a Monday evening. It smelled and there was caked on grime on the sinks. A complete wash down is in order here. Prices here are on the high side. For example I've had the octopus appy before and although it is very good, you get very little and they charge $18. Other prices are similar. I'll be back. If it weren't for the bread and men's room this would have been 4 stars. Maybe next time. I bumped this up to 4. Their carbonara pizza (white pie with fried egg and guanciale[pork cheeks]) is among the best I've had at the shore. Plus service tonight rocked. read more

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Well they never disappoint! The pizza, meatballs and pasta dishes are excellent! The Octopus with fennel and potatoes will make you take pause it's so delicious! Great wine selection! Staff is really great. If you have to wait...well it's worth it read more

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I was brought here for my birthday dinner. The burrata vodka gnocchi was heavenly. I think about it to this day. Live music, indoor/outdoor seating (sit outside if you can since it gets loud inside). read more

My friends and I came for brunch after a bachelorette weekend in November. I had a few issues after this place came highly recommended. 1. We were a party of 5, and I'd never been there, so we called ahead about 15-30 minutes. I was put on hold for ten minutes to make sure this was okay with whoever was in charge. When we got there, the place was EMPTY. Maybe 5-6 tables were being served? I don't know why the hostess put me on hold when she could have told me that there were plenty of available tables. 2. I went to order, but the item I wanted had a spicy element. I asked if that could be put on the side, and was told no, they put it in the sauce. I finally settled on biscuits that one would have an egg, cheese, and bacon and the other jam. When they came, it was without an egg (see picture) and the jam was very light. After speaking with the waitress, she offered to get me a new one and comp'd the dish. 3. After we ordered, the food took AGES. A couple of my friends ordered pizza, which came out prior to the other food ordered. I understand there are two kitchens, but there must be a way to speak with each other. The pizza arrived 15 minutes before the other meals. Our waitress was LOVELY, but it did seem like she was getting overwhelmed as the restaurant filled up. We were never asked if we wanted more coffee, but they were diligent about our waters. I'll be hesitant to come back due to the kitchen issues, but the food was very good. read more

Porta - Correct vs incorrect - Pizza Near Me - Asbury Park, New Jersey

Incredible meal, as always. Great live music wasn't overpowering. Delish cocktails. Service was excellent.

Porta is an amazing experience. They had a live performer while we sat in the outdoor seating area. Our server was very attentive to our needs and guided us in the right direction when selecting drinks. The Gingerly was amazing and satisfied the perfect drink combo when wanting something sweet . The pasta as well as the pizza were great and brought out in impeccable timing. read more

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