Food was actually good but the service ended up being slow. Things were off to a good start , our server was very interactive and attended to us quickly. However, at some point someone else took over and barely checked on us. We wanted to order more drinks but ended up paying as it had been so long since we saw and anyone and were done with our meal. We shared the lobster ravioli starter, I got the Monterey dab fish and my boyfriend got the scallops and risotto. Ravioli was just okay. Scallops and risotto were really good. My fish was tasty but the potatoes were lukewarm. Would likely try other places next trip to Carmel. read more

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A very cute European interior, great place for a date night. Very polite staff, and the live music was fun. read more

PortaBella - Birthday Dessert - Mediterranean Near Me - Carmel, California

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Updating my review from 2019, with another great time and meal. Once again, the owner, Bashar, came to our table and greeted us like we were weekly regulars (we only stop in once a year during vacation). I'm sure he had no idea who we were, but probably recognized our faces, because this is how they create a great customer experience at all of their restaurants; Dametra, Catch, etc. We took friend who had never been before, and they also loved it. Original 2019 Review: Another great spot in a town with lots of great places to eat. We stopped by for lunch and were thrilled to find out that the owners are the same as for Dametra Cafe just up the street; another place we love. These guys understand customer experience! We wanted to sit outside but the sun was beating down on the only available table. Not a problem for them, they quickly rearranged the table and the umbrellas to give us complete shade. Drinks were very good and reasonably priced. We shared a wonderful carpaccio. For entrees we had a variety of sandwiches, burgers, and pastas. Everyone loved what they ordered. We were too full for dessert, but they brought us a plate of baklava to share. The main dining room is very nice and there is a back "patio" that is indoors but has a nice outdoor feel to it. Can't wait to go back! read more

Amazing food and service! Best spot to have our last meal in Carmel! The crab and corn soup was divine and the pistachio ice cream was the best I've had. Also bread service comes with fresh delicious pesto. The pasta that I got had the chew of being fresh and made in house. read more

PortaBella - Pasta Alla Carbonara, Roasted Corn & Crab Bisque Roasted Corn & Crab Bisque-CUP - Mediterranean Near Me - Carmel, California

Food was priced high and didn't wow with the flavor. Service was nice and ambiance was good, but not worth the amount paid.

The carbonara have changed my mind about going to Italy. I am now healed from years of crappy Italian restaurants. I will come back just for this carbonara. read more

Zero Stars! I am honestly stunned by how terrible our experience was at Porta Bella. We made our reservation two months in advance, excited to come back because we had a great meal here in the past. We even arrived early to see if they could seat us, and when they couldn't, we politely left to grab a quick drink elsewhere. We returned 15 minutes after our reservation time and were met with one of the rudest interactions I've ever had at a restaurant. The owner immediately told us we had "lost our reservation" in a tone that was unbelievably dismissive. No apology, no explanation, no attempt to seat us, no effort to accommodate two people -- just pure rudeness. For a place that markets itself on hospitality, this was the exact opposite. We were longtime fans of Porta Bella, but after this experience, we will never be back. There are too many great restaurants in Carmel to spend time or money at one that treats guests like this. Truly disappointing, and completely avoidable if the owner cared at all about customer service. read more

I came here Friday July 24th with my boyfriend for our first trip together to Carmel! We were super excited because he had found the spot on tik tok and it looked delish as super cute! Unfortunately the experience we had as soon as we entered was HORRIBLE. The "Host" was making a literal face at us like if we weren't supposed to be there. We did see the area was a little packed but saw that there was another area behind her! My boyfriend asked her if we needed a reservation or if we could sit down. She said "you want a reservation " and we said well we were just wondering if we needed one since it looked packed and she's like "you can sit in any of those two tables" and just pointed and we sat. She handed us the menu but it was jsut so awkward and like she was not friendly at all! Not even a hello or welcome in would you like to be seated?!? Like Is that not a hosts job??? We ordered cranberry juice and looked at the menu and half of the stuff we had seen online wasn't there I guess it's a different menu for lunch time. Which we didn't know but it was okay so we just kept looking to see if anything looked good and we ended up ordered some avocado burger? But idk I was still very thrown off by the hosts service as we walked in. It just did not feel good at all to be looked at so weird when we're just trying to eat? She looked Hispanic as well so I'm not sure what her problem was. I ended up telling my boyfriend if he can ask if we can just pay for the cranberry juice and if they could cancel our order because it had like JUST been sent. When he walked up to her she didn't even look up from her tablet ONCE and just seemed annoyed but I honestly did not care if that was an inconvenience to them that was a disgusting way to treat us for the first time. They didn't end up making us pay for the cranberry juice but honestly it's the least they could do after that. The girl was wearing a bright pink shirt that day and some dark wash blue jeans. read more

Went in without a reservation because we had just been at the beach and my family was hungry and just looking for anything close by. One star for them being able to accommodate us. We sat outside because of our dog. The outside patio is a really tight space. You are right up against the other tables and there is so privacy whatsoever. Felt really cramped and claustrophobic. Another star for the nice busboys, but our actual server was rude and not very nice. The food was meh overall. Not worth the price. I don't mind paying for good food. But this wasn't it. Mediocre overall. Everything was bland and forgettable. read more

Stopped for a quick snack before dinner, the sandwich was pretty good. Definitely an overload of cheese which usually I don't mind, but a little much here. Service was fast and the waiters were all friendly. Loved the outdoor seating so we could sit with our dog too. read more

PortaBella - Vegetarian Croque Monsieur Lunch - Mediterranean Near Me - Carmel, California

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I love this place for a quick lunch and have been here a few times since we visit Carmel fairly often. I am always coming back for their mushroom soup and appetizers. I have tried a few of their entrees but nothing super impressive or memorable. Overall the quality of their food is good. I love the cottage vibe of this place and the service is good. read more

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Always busy and popular place that does good California cuisine. They have a huge inside seating area. I tried the mushroom soup and the lobster bisque. Both were good I highly recommend the lobster bisque! They give you a fresh ciabatta bread with a delicious pesto sauce. I went with the sand dabs that came with potatoes and vegetables. Everything was cooked perfectly and full of buttery flavors. The shrimp salad was very good too. Very fresh ingredients. I have walked by here many times over the years I'm glad we finally went it's a great choice in Carmel! Service was great. It feels like a European restaurant when you're inside. This place fills up fast so make reservations or get there when they open. read more

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Put us on this table and then saying we're blocking the way.I'm so sorry about my fat body. But food was very chewy with this cardboard "Would you like to order something else?" After I show them this little cute thing. They're not even sry about it. guess I'm the only one should be sry for being here read more

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10/10 ambiance 10/10 food 10/10 service! We highly recommend and will come again next time we visit! read more

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We were at Carmel for a little day trip and came across this cute little shop! Ordered the Caesar salad, oven braised short ribs, and linguini. The Caesar was a little salty possibly because of the anchovies but it was still very refreshing! 8/10 The highlight of the meal was the braised short ribs and the linguini. The sauce on the short rib was nicely reduced and seasoned perfectly. The short rib melts in your mouth and falls apart even without cutting into it. 9/10 (just because the portion was a little small imo). The linguini was ALSO kinda of amazing. They loaded it with giant prawns, mussel, etc. The sauce was well balanced and creamy. Highly recommend 10/10. They gave us baklava at the end of our meal to apologize for the wait which was so kind of them! We honestly didn't even notice because they kept refilling our bread We didn't make a reservation but they were able to seat us pretty quickly. The wait staff was super observant and attentive. We had a really wobbly table and before we had the chance to ask them about it, one of the waitress came by and fixed it. Overall highly recommend this place for the vibes, great customer service, and amazing food. 10/10 would come again when in the area! read more

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Best meal we had during our 3 day stay in Carmel. Superb in every bite, mushroom risotto was rich, perfect for 2 people to share. If you love beets the beet salad is the perfect starter. The tables were a bit too close where we were able to hear the tension between two couples who were questioning their future together and did like the taste of the credit card charge for using your card. read more

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I love this cute restaurant. Food so yummy in my tummy. Service is great . Please come when you are around Carmel downtown . read more

PortaBella - Mediterranean Near Me - Carmel, California

I want to start off by saying this is my first time here but it will NOT be my last, I truly appreciate their supportive staff. Their food overall is amazing! The restaurant is tucked away in carmel by the sea the atmosphere, the vibe - is immaculate, it's such a hidden gem I can't believe i have never been here! Strongly recommend read more

Very beautiful restaurant in very convenient location which 1 minute walk from the hotel, we like our food, and the service is excellent! read more

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We've visited this restaurant a couple of times now. Our first experience was excellent--the food and service were both great, which is why we decided to come back this past Saturday. Unfortunately, our second visit was the complete opposite in terms of service. While the food was still good, our server (the dude with a fucked up teeth) was very dismissive and seemed distracted the entire time. It felt like we were being ignored, which came across as disrespectful. On a positive note, the support staff--such as the food runner and busser--were attentive and helpful, which we appreciated. We also noticed several servers gathered in the back, talking loudly instead of attending to guests. At one point, a customer had to walk over and get their server just to place an order, mentioning out loud that they had been waiting for quite some time. This experience was disappointing, especially compared to our first visit. The quality of the food is there, but the level of service needs attention. Hopefully, management addresses this, as service can significantly impact the overall experience. read more

PortaBella is always an amazing spot for dinner! The mushroom soup is incredible. The ambience is really cute and feels very storybook-like. The service is always quick and everyone is very nice. read more

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Came here for lunch. The place is a lovely cottage, and the beautiful space filled with people is what drew me in. We got the seafood linguine, which was pretty good - not a red sauce but a creamy one that came with jumbo prawns. I liked the prawn salad with grapefruit and avocado as well. Also got the sand dabs which were pretty good. Overall the food and service were fine, not amazing. I'd be open to coming back but also wouldn't mind trying somewhere else next time. read more

PortaBella - Linguine Ai Frutti Di Mare Lunch - Mediterranean Near Me - Carmel, California

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I love this place so much, I went two days in a row! The scallops and risotto is perfectly cooked and so delicious. The vibe on the outside patio is cozy and super dog friendly. Service was great both times. Such a little gem! read more

PortaBella - Pan-Seared Sea Scallops Dinner - Mediterranean Near Me - Carmel, California

I felt like I was a fairy eating in a mushroom in the best way possible also excellent gluten free pasta and live guitarist with the most beautiful voice! get the carbonara!! read more

PortaBella - Gluten free carbonara - Mediterranean Near Me - Carmel, California

The front patio is a delightful spot for lunch on a pretty day. Dog-friendly too. I love the bread and pesto they bring at the beginning of the meal. Seasoned servers and a nice menu make for a winner. read more

Loved the food! Loved the service! Loved the atmosphere! We went there each day of our stay in Carmel because we were so happy with our meals at PortaBella! read more

5/5 - lobster bisque best I've ever had, creamy, tasty, flavorful, paired with bread well - even the complimentary pesto sauce with bread was so fresh and house made - short rib tender, juicy, beautiful - lobster ravioli, amazing, filling, fresh - service amazing and professional and fast - ambiance very relaxing and homey - overall a great sit down in Monterey read more

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1-star is generous. Service... awful. Server was in a rush, not friendly, took our order and came back only once... with the check, which he quickly dropped before running away again. Some of the other staff were very nice and helpful. Food... I never got the chance to tell our server how inedible the greens were. So salty (and I love salt), that one bite would double your blood pressure. And I was really looking forward to eating them. The short ribs were fatty, greasy and tasteless. The sand dabs were OK, as was the salmon. Mashed potatoes were good. Nothing was exceptional. Bisque was tasty, but way too thick, with a consistency more like melted cheese. The mostly tourist crowd was loud and obnoxious, and some dude peed all over the toilet seat and floor... Really?? The table-to-table roving and 'singing' guitarist seemed nice, but no, please. How is this really still a thing? Sorry man, but no. We're never going back. We paid a lot of money for a really poor experience. read more

We had a dinner reservation and were seated immediately upon arrival in the little outdoor area. The hostess offered us blankets but we were nice and toasty next to a heater . The bread with pesto dip was delicious. The scallops and the king salmon were perfectly cooked, the mashed potatoes had an incredible depth of flavor, and the asparagus was perfection. I regret only that I didn't save room for dessert. Of all the places we ate during our time in the area, this was by far our favorite. 10/10! read more

每個人的心中都有別人感受不到的難處， 看似堅強的外表， 隱藏著不能說的心聲，其實，做過的事， 走過的路，流過的淚，其中的艱辛，只有自己知道，沒經歷過的人 ，很難感受到其中的～情與悲，愛與愁～ 在北加的時間， 還有帶兩個小孩到類似童話，夢幻的小城鎮， Carmel 去晃晃，吃頓午餐，結果選擇的這家義式餐廳， 東西非常好吃， 從一開始上來的麵包， 配的是青醬就跟別人不一樣，點的 mussel 前菜， 女兒超喜歡， 螃蟹湯， 是裡面我的最愛， 濃郁又有螃蟹的好滋味， 後來的主菜也都有水準， 聖誕節期間過去， 生意還是不錯， 可能算有口碑的餐廳？ 如果你也計畫到這走走， 不曉得要吃哪家， 這家就會是不錯的選擇！ read more

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PortaBella is an adorable cottage style restaurant in the downtown area. It's a very intimate and delicate atmosphere with beautiful decorations. They have gluten free pasta available and we were able to get a table on a Friday night for 2 without a reservation. Highly recommend when visiting Carmel By the Sea read more

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F O O D The food and drinks here are amazing! The risotto with scallops was one of the best dishes that I have ever had. We also ordered the octopus and beet salad for appetizers. S E R V I C E Our server was so attentive and friendly! The food and drink also came very quickly. A M B I A N C E Quaint spot in the heart of Carmel. Parking can be harder to find in the evening. Also suggest making reservations, super easy to make on their website. They have live music, very fun and enjoyable evening. read more

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The food, service, and ambience were all fantastic. The services provided by the professional management and staff are the main reasons that we keep coming back. The old world elegance is a rare thing, and we value their focus to make sure that everything about the dining experience is excellent. I highly recomend Porta Bella restaurant in Carmel by the Sea! read more

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We were looking for a place for our last dinner in Carmel so I handed my companion my phone with Yelp listings for "outdoor dinner" and he narrowed in on this place. Well, there was another place we walked by that didn't seem to have outdoor dining anymore. We got seated promptly and started looking at the menu. They had a lot of good pasta and meat entrees that sounded good, but we were more pulled into the appetizer menu. We both ordered one of the salads and then the hummus and octopus entree to share. The octopus was great, cooked perfectly in an interesting sauce. Also the corn and crab chowder was amazing - definitely worth trying that. The service was very good. They were great about filling water, etc., and our food came quickly. They have a good sized wine list and I had a glass of the Malbec that was great. read more

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Food was good, but the service felt off. We enjoyed the food. Everything tasted good and was well made. But the service was a letdown. Our order came out wrong (we asked for vegetarian dishes and got shrimp instead), and there wasn't even an apology. They did fix it, but it took a while. What really stood out was how attentive the servers were to other tables. We noticed the tables next to and in front of us were checked on multiple times by the servers, while we were mostly ignored. The only time anyone came by was to refill our water. Good food, but the way we were treated made the experience uncomfortable. read more

We are tourists who visited Carmel-by-the-Sea and had two awful experiences with Portabella, a year apart. Last year, we called ahead and were told there was adequate seating for our stroller. When we arrived, we were told strollers weren't allowed inside and were turned away on the spot. This year, we decided to give them another chance. We called less than an hour before arriving to ask about dinner reservations. We were told to "just walk in" because there was plenty of seating. We showed up within 20 minutes, only to be told they were "reservations only" for the next two hours. When we explained we had just called, they brushed it off and turned us away again. Two strikes, both marked by poor communication, false information, and complete lack of regard for guests. Dishonest, unwelcoming, and absolutely not worth your time. read more

We always try to make a yearly drive to Carmel and we love eating here. Carmel is special to my husband and I because it is where he proposed to me. This restaurant has become our favorite place to eat and everything is delicious. The spot is a little tight in the front but they have more space in the back. I love their seafood pasta and their mushroom soup is sooooo good. We always get one each. Great service and the ambiance is super cozy and cute! read more

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I love visiting PortaBella but i'm gonna be utterly honest.... i firmly believe their food is declining but again, i'm just speaking based off my experience & taste buds. It'd been a while since I decided I wanted to stop by but I've always enjoyed their Linguine Al Frutti Di Mare but this time around--it was really soupy and not in a good way--because not to mention, I ordered pasta & was expecting what I paid for. We stopped by pretty late, shortly past 8 PM so it was mostly empty. Besides that, the roasted Corn Lobster Bisque was really good & everybody else on the other hand enjoyed their food which made up for it. I also enjoyed a delicious Mai Thai which I'd definitely come back to order again. Hoping next time I visit will be much better. I would also love a new and improved menu ~ new items; drinks etc! read more

PortaBella - Lobster Roasted Corn and Crab Bisque Dinner - Mediterranean Near Me - Carmel, California

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This place can be a mixed bag. We have been here multiple times and sometimes the food and service can be excellent while other times it can be lacking. Last night was the lacking night. We waited a long time for the waiter to come and ask us what we needed to eat or drink. They push hard to sell you bottled water while tapwater is perfectly OK they brought me the wrong wine when the food arrived. Everyone's dishes were pretty good, but unfortunately I had chosen the lamb osso bucco , which was dry, and appeared to be at least a day old reheated. The outdoors seating was comfortable with the heat lamps. read more

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Came in Friday evening to celebrate my gfs birthday. We were in town visiting and it was a new area to explore. I found this spot on pure ratings and reviews and was excited to try this out. I made the reservation stating it was for her birthday as well but no celebratory action was made. Given it was a very busy night and such a small venue it's understandable that "turn and burn" in some place is acceptable but shouldn't be here. It has such a great aesthetic and food was great. Only missing key is service and the guest experience. Being a long time industry worker, ownership and management rave for this in representing their band. A little more work in that department and it would be an ideal spot. Hopefully be back at a later time with a better experience. read more