I would have think that a restaurant established in a hotel would at least have decent food. It was not the case. Every single dish we had was not good. It tasted like frozen food then microwaved. From The pasta to the bagged salad. Absolutely not a good place to eat. I hope they better their quality. read more

Stayed at the hotel for the weekend for a 7-on-7 football tournament. Friday night hung out at the bar and Tiffany was our bartender. Terrific young lady. Had the bbq burger (pretty good) but the best part is the fresh, homemade potato chips. A must order especially if you have the munchies or like snacking while drinking. Also got the buffalo wings and they were - of course I really don't like hot hot so maybe they were just a little warm for normal tastebuds . The second night I tried the ribeye with fries and mixed veggies. It was pretty good. Fries were average and chose those over the mashed potatoes on a hunch, but the veggies were terrific. Nice blend of squash/zucchini. A nice little gem with a couple of televisions playing sports at the bar so I appreciated that. My wife probably not so much lol. read more

Portabella - Ribeye cooked to perfection. - American Near Me - Santa Maria, California

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It's obvious this place took a huge hit with covid. It's not much of a restaurant; everything is served in to-go boxes. There's only one server working at any given time, and they are trying their best. I really feel for them, their load is much too heavy. As guests at the Holiday Inn we were given breakfast coupons. I automatically assumed that it would be a continental breakfast. But we were pleasantly surprised that the food was great! Nothing fancy. Like, good diner quality food. Freshly cooked meals, like actual crisp home fries, real waffles (instead of eggos), and crisp bacon. Much better quality than the diner down the road. Biggest surprise was the Kids Eat Free promo, which we didn't even know about! The day before I spent $60 at the local diner for a similar but less tasty meal. At Portabella, we just gave a generous tip. We decided to try the place dinner and we were once again delighted. The kids burger was like a regular burger. And the tri tip was excellent. Based on the hotel experience, I probably wouldn't choose to stay at Holiday Inn again. But if meal coupons are given and kids eat free continues, I would def stay here just for the restaurant. read more

Do you spell HORRIBLE service with a hint of bad attitude. The dude needs to find another non-hospitality job, pronto. I did not wanted to drive, but; any fast-food joint would have done a better job. read more

Ordered the penne Alfredo with grilled chicken to split with my hubby. I'm so glad it wasn't what I thought it was. Instead of being thick white sauce it was butter and oil based with a hint of lemon with Parmesan shredded on it - absolutely delicious. The service was great from John our bartender / waiter- he was just attentive enough without being too much invasive - just as a waiter should be. The reason i gave four stars instead of five was for the ambiance- not a cozy bar and not a candlelit restaurant- just a small group of tables. But still worth the trip to eat. Definitely will come back read more

Portabella - Not big but great food - American Near Me - Santa Maria, California

Price gouging @ Portabella restaurant inside the Holiday Inn, Santa Maria, CA. There are NO indications ANYWHERE that a draft beef would be $10. Buyer Beware! Sadly, the blackened chicken with sautéed garlic and mushrooms was dry, dry, dry. Overall experience... Meh! read more

The servers are great, but the food is not. I got the blackened salmon with roasted vegetables and mashed potatoes, and it was all so over-salted that I could not finish it. The only flavor I got out of the roasted vegetables was salt. A perfectly good piece of salmon was ruined from salt. There are no vegetarian options (in 2019 in California). Luckily I eat fish every now and then or else I would've had to starve with a simple Caesar salad or a side of the salty veggies. At breakfast, I tried to order a side of fruit, which was an option with my entree, but they simply had not cut it up yet and had been open for breakfast for over an hour already. Not going back. read more

Weird vibes from the workers here! Absolutely worthless you call down to make an order and they say they are extremely busy. When you get to the "restaurant" the workers are just sitting down talking to each other wtf read more

Good food Incredibly slow and inattentive service will keep me from returning. Diet Coke was out so I didn't get the drink I wanted. Calamari rings and quesadilla was good Large order of chicken strip for the price. read more

Portabella - three quesadillas on a white plate - American Near Me - Santa Maria, California

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Went here primarily because it was walking distance from our motel. Food was good. Service was excellent especially from the bartender who really took care of our large party. Had a trip sandwich and a few drinks. Everything was great for me. read more

I didn't have time or really feel like leaving the house to find food, so I settled for the restaurant in the hotel. The bar is a definitely one of this town's go-to spot for drinks at the bar, as the bartender is very friendly. The service wasn't bad, but I do think the food came out a little slower than I expected, considering there were no other customers in the restaurant at the time. The food: "Meh." I kept it easy with an order of nachos to take back to my room. I was a little disappointed with the amount of meat on there, as I was hoping for something that was plenty filling. But the chips were deep-fried tortillas, which I always prefer over your run of the mill store tortilla chips. The price was a little bit more than I think it should have been for what I received, but considering it was a hotel and California, I guess it was a fair price. I've read a number of the other reviews for this restaurant, and I'm guessing I might've liked some of their other options. But for this occasion, I can only say (again): "Meh." read more

We were going to go to Cool Hand Luke's and ended being talked into staying here for tri tip from the bartender Jordan which is abundant in Santa Maria. Best advice ever!!!! This is the unsung hero of Santa Maria that nobody knows about in the Holiday Inn. We changed our the regular tri tip plate to match the NY strip plate with red potatoes and veggies. Ridiculous!!!! This was so good that even the House of Prime Rib in SF should take a lesson or two. No joke. This place is legit and should not be passed up. Look at my other reviews and know that I am very brutal but indifferent to previous reviews. Had some great meals but this was excellent!!! Thank you Jordan! read more

Portabella - American Near Me - Santa Maria, California

Pros: Pretty damn good food for a restaurant inside Holiday Inn Good Selection of Beers and Full Bar Two LCDs with games on Friendly Staff Cons: Bland Decor Small Amount of Tables, but usually not packed read more

I feel like they owe me stars... Okay, that's a bit melodramatic, but our experience was pretty darn bad. My husband and I came here because we were staying at the Holiday Inn and it was pretty late so we figured that everything else in Santa Maria was already closed. The service was awful. It took them at least 15 minutes to get our drinks and once we placed our orders, it took another 45 minutes to get our appetizer. The oven was apparently not working, so that reduced my meal choices to fried shrimp or a burger/sandwich. I went with the fried shrimp, which was just okay. My husband had a turkey sandwich which was good, but definitely not worth the wait. The restaurant itself was not very busy when we were dining, so we were puzzled as to why the service was lacking/taking so long. Apparently it was a busy night for room service, but honestly, we quickly lost all sympathy. The servers were apologetic, but they did nothing in terms of service to mitigate the horrible wait time. It seemed like our server was avoiding our table out of embarrassment, but again, that did nothing but escalate our internal annoyance. When she did come back to get us refills, it took a good 10 minutes to get our drinks back... All in all, steer clear of this place! read more

Not much goin' on in the culinary department near this Holiday Inn Express, so I sauntered up to the bar in hopes for some happy hour grub. Old Yelp reviews had the in-house restaurant serving a decent tri-tip. (You wouldn't even know it was a restaurant!) So, I asked for a menu and a recommendation. I ended up pleasantly surprised with their "Our Burger!" A half-pound of charbroiled Angus beef topped with tri-tip, bacon, onion rings, lettuce, tomato, pickles, and BBQ sauce! It was crazy! Pesto Potatoes on the side, too. (Thanks, Jerry! Good call and good service!) Oh, so the loss of a star is due to the fact that the eating area is right next to the front desk, with all of that business going on, and the front door constantly letting in a constant cold chill. read more

Once again came back to enjoy the try tip quesadilla. We also ordered a try tip sandwich. Both were incredibly delicious. They are both served with a mild sauce. Which definitely compliments the tri-tip. I also had a glass of their Pinot which was really good. Also our server was very helpful, attentive, and had a great attitude which also makes for a great experience while dining. I believe her name was Jordan. Thumbs up For the great service. They also had a great selection of mixed drinks. And they have daily dinner specials . They have a couple of large TVs that they do play sports games. I was surprised to see so many people there on a Tuesday night. Overall it was a great experience very happy with it. We will definitely be coming back to enjoy those delicious tri tip quesadillas. read more

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It is in the holiday Inn and I stay here when I am working at Vandenberg AFB. I use room service and it fast and good. I have enjoyed all the meal I have had. They make a great steak for dinner and breakfast has always been. good. The French toast is good not great. They make a wonderful soaps of the day. I am a captive audiance because I don't like to go out and eat alone. read more

Well, they get a star for cold beer. The description of the food was great on the floppy paper of a menu, but the food was quite a bit short of the description. I got the salmon salad and the description was simple, but made it sound good. When it arrived it turned out to be a ready pac salad complete with julienned carrots and cabbage, the parmesan cheese as listed on the menu was cheap grated bagged cheese and that was all there was to it. The salmon was cooked well, but was lacking in seasoning. Buddy got one of their burgers and it was, again, a prepackaged patty on a bleh bun and the toppings were almost so scarce that they weren't there. Bit of a bummer for dinner. ...the beer is cold I'd still like to give this place a shot for breakfast, though, since I've heard good things about it. read more

I'm not usually a fan of hotel restaurants but this one really is worth coming to! Extremely friendly servers and bartenders and excellent food. Their "Our Burger " is amazing! read more

Portabella - Our Burger and fries - American Near Me - Santa Maria, California

The food was excellent. BBQ chicken on a flatbread pizza and a trip tip burger was fabulous. Jerry and Christy are two great bartenders. Our drinks were perfectly made and they were extremely friendly. They were very attentive and accommodating. We will definitely be back. read more

Didn't know what to expect when my girl and I walked into this place. But it turned out to be super casual and laid back. Super comfy seats and laid back atmosphere. The food was bomb! I ordered the full rack baby back ribs! Delicious. My girl ordered the tri-tip which was bomb as well. But the one thing is they didn't ask her how she would like her meat. So be sure to tell them. Also we ordered desert. If you have a sweet tooth I recommend the LAVA CAKE!! My girl shared one and it was amazing! All in all great spot to eat and relax. read more

Portabella - LAVA CAKE!!! Delicious! - American Near Me - Santa Maria, California

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We have eaten at the hotel restaurant 3 times during our stay, and Renee, the bartender, complimented the wonderful food, always a cheery smile and warm demeanor. She is efficient, thoughtful and a extraordinary server. She is definitely on top of her game. Thanks Renee.,Jim and Mary read more

The homemade soup is awesome, especially now that the weather is cold. I also had the tri tip sandwich..I added the coleslaw on top of meat along with some sauce and it made one good sandwich. read more

The food was okay, but the service was extremely slow. We stayed in the Holiday Inn and thought this would be a good place for a quick meal. We should have gone out. read more

My husband and I had breakfast here on my birthday while staying at the Holiday Inn. We ordered scrambled eggs with bacon, fried potatoes, and sour dough bread; and a vegetable omelet with potatoes and white bread. The eggs were perfectly cooked; the bacon was thick and crispy; the vegetables in the omelet were fresh and plentiful; the potatoes were crisp and light; and the toast was light, almost fluffy,and perfectly toasted. We only ordered one coffee, but was given an entire carafe. After not expecting more than an average breakfast, we were pleasantly surprised at the high quality and taste of the food. The waiter was also extremely friendly and welcoming. In short, it was a great birthday breakfast! One of the best breakfasts we've had in a while! :) read more

Surprisingly good food. Good service. What else can you ask for in a holiday inn lobby? Food took a little while to come out but worth it. The potato skins were the best I've ever had. read more