This place is iconic. First, every single person I interacted with was kind and welcoming from the moment I arrived. It was super hot out and their a/c also welcomed me in! I was here for a private event and there was never an empty glass or plate in anyones hands. I ate so much but the crab croquettes were so crunchy and flavorful... I'm still thinking about them tbh. I also loved the strawberry rhubarb tequila cocktail. Highly recommend Portale/ can't wait to come back read more

Happy Hour review - great spot to grab a drink and quick bite. Happy Hour is from 5:00-6:30 and only bar seating, which is about 15 seats. Luckily my friends and I were able to grab some spots; the restaurant isn't busy around this time but the bar is poppin'. I tried the bakki cocktail, which was great. Really well made and high quality. We also got some of the small bites, which are warning: pretty small. The sliders were my fav, the arancini and vongole were also good. It's great if you're just looking for a small bite, but not filling enough for a meal. The bartenders were very attentive making sure we got water and could order more food if we wanted to. The inside of the restaurant has some very aesthetic art deco vibes. The decor is nice, the lighting is dim, and it'd be a great date spot. Overall would recommend checking it out. read more

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This may not be fair, because my expectations were so high. Alfred Portale was the chef at Gotham Bar & Grill. My most favorite restaurant, the tuna tar tar and rack of lamb was expensive, but the best, so worth it That being said 5 of us, went for a birthday celebration. We met at 715 for a drink with a 745 reservation. We waited a while and finally got our table about 815. So we bought extra drinks and were hungry so we bought the bread, which was delicious The service here is 5 star and I was debating a higher ranking, but we were there for the food first. No matter how sorry they were, because they didn't plan properly, we're still waiting, paying for drinks and hungry. That said, I was already not happy. Food was very good, not great. I'm not thinking about a dish that we said wow too. we had soup, a cold watermelon immulsion, meatballs, seafood salad and something sashimi for dinner we had pork chop, mafaldine, bucatini , ravioli and halibut For desert we had Bambolini with a candle All was very good, not great. Between the waiting and the check of 820, makes this place hard to swallow. I didn't mind paying a lot at Gotham, but this was over the top. read more

Went with family a group of six. Everything was excellent! We shared focaccia (2 orders), Tonno crudo, and burrata. In addition we each had a pasta dish. Loved everything! Servers very efficient and helpful. Would highly recommend. read more

LOVE the Matcha cocktail. Love the Carrot appetizer - rich in flavor. Love the Hamachi appetizer - fresh and refreshing. read more

I may have to eat here twice a week lol. Everything was perfect. Seasoned to perfection. The risotto is outstanding and so flavorful. The bread is next level. read more

I came here on Portale's first night open and you would have thought they had been open for months. On night one this place ran a tight ship and only continued to get better each visit. I've been here twice now just for drinks and finally ate dinner here on my third visit. The staff, the service, the drinks, and the food are all amazing. Portale does a great job of being a nice restaurant that is also welcoming. The staff treats everyone here so well and the bartenders are both fun and great at what they do. I've had vodka martinis, Old Fashioneds, several Don Verdes and after dinner drinks and have loved everything. Food wise I have had the Burrata and the Bistecca which were great. Others have ordered the Fritto Misto and the Spaghetti Ai Frutti Di Mare and loved those as well. I would highly recommend trying out Portale for both drinks at the bar and dinner. Personally I would sit at the bar to get the fun experience of chatting with the bartenders and watching them work their magic. I will definitely be back here for the Don Verdes and to try more items on the menu. read more

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I've lived in NY for a couple of years and dine out often. This is my single favorite restaurant in the city - definitely a run, don't walk situation! Every dish was consistent and the service was exceptional. The attention to detail is evident in just about every aspect of the experience. Loved this place! A breakdown: Bread - 94/100 Hiramasa - 92/100 Lumache - 97/100 Ippoglosso - 93/100 Olive Oil Cake - 93/100 Cheesecake - 95/100 Mocktails (bespoke to preferences) - 94/100 Cappuccino - 95/100 Service - 100/100 Ambiance - 92/100 read more

This review is for the Christmas Eve dinner. Some of the menu items here are on the regular menu. The design and the decor is lovely and provides a good ambiance to set the mood. My partner and I arrived on time for our reservation but were seated well over 30 minutes later. As we waited, we sat at the bar and ordered the Portale (house drink - recommended but not to my liking), and the Don Verde, made of matcha & japanese whiskey with ginger and egg whites (much more preferred!). When we checked in with the manager for our table, he apologized and offered the first round of drinks on the house. When we were finally seated, we were presented the 4-course tasting menu. Antipasti - Capesante: Throughout the entire course, this was my favorite as it was seared perfectly and incredibly flavorful. Crudo di Ricciola: This was good but not great. It was much saltier and overly citrus, which made it difficult to taste the hamachi. Primi - Lumache: The pasta was al dente and the light black truffle oil highlighted the short ribs. Tasty. Anolini di cavolfiore: Well flavored and balance. I love it when vegetables are done right. Also a highlight of the evening. Secondi - Ippoglosso: I really wanted to enjoy this but the halibut was much tougher and overcooked. This may be a fault of my own but I should have avoided a second truffle dish. I was overwhelmed by the truffle at this point (great for those who relish in this). My partner ordered the Agnello and he enjoyed it very much. Lamb was not for me so I barely tried it. Dolci - by this time, we were incredibly full so we took a bite each of our desserts. Torta di Pere: This maple dessert with pear was unique and I really enjoyed it. Gelati e Sorbetti: This texture was icy and not very creamy - not something I look for in gelato. You would think the blood orange would complement the chocolate and vanilla but due to the texture, I think it missed. Not a fan. Upon paying for our check, we noticed that the initial drinks were not taken off. We noted this to the staff as the original manager was no longer there. There was a light push back, they ultimately took off the initial drinks. The flavors of this restaurant is bold. I would have to come back again for a second try sans christmas rush. Food is above average, service was slow but was overall courteous to us, and drinks are plentiful if you're okay with the Manhattan prices. read more

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Very creative menu with excellent execution. Everything was so flavorful. Tried several dishes: FOIE GRAS TORTELLINI EN BRODO black lentils, root vegetables, apple BRANZINO delicata squash, red swiss chard, sundried tomatoes ANATRA duck breast, sunchokes, radicchio, calabrian chili honey LUMACHE short rib, bolognese bianco, black truffle, parmigiano FUNGHI TRIFOLATI mushrooms, anchovy, garlic Special pasta dish with mushrooms, goat cheese, and a cream sauce It's amazing how restaurants can offer the same protein or vegetable or pasta , but the experience for diners can vary depending on the quality of ingredients and combination with other ingredients that really make the dish stand out and different from the masses. It's hard to single out or rank the favorites here- I would order everything again! For dessert, had the: MILK CHOCOLATE TIRAMISU milk chocolate mascarpone, ladyfinger, candied cocoa nib, espresso gelato AFFOGATO chocolate gelato, espresso, almond florentine I would definitely get the tiramisu again. That's probably the best dessert on the menu! read more

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Alfred Portale is a talented chef who brings real bold flavor to his newest spot in the Flatiron. Large double room and subtle lighting, but don't be fooled as this is real chef driven food not some sandwich maker opening a restaurant- no shade. Ate: Salmon with artichokes $32 Escarole $9 This is a no bread Italian and the house made bread is $6. I passed on this visit. The food was pretty darn palate pleasing. The salmon with spicy artichoke and lemony garlicky escarole was perfect. I imagine pastas are a knockout too. I can forgive the bread being extra when the food is this amazing! read more

Portale - Sensational salmon - Italian Near Me - New York, New York

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Portale is still a wonderfully delicious and friendly as ever. Their varied menu has something for everyone. They have a fantastic wine and cocktail selection and most importantly, their service and staff is as wonderful, efficient and helpful as ever!! The ambiance is terrific as well. Restaurant is handsomely designed. The space is big enough to feel like a nice restaurant, but not too big as to get overly noisy. You will love it! read more

I am happy with what I ordered: I had the Foie gras Tortellini in Brodo - this are little raviol Is with foie gras which k could taste. They pour in broth which is like consommé over 5 little raviolis. Very good bUt I wish they gave a little bit more than 5 tiny ones. My main course was excellent! I ordered the Brodetto di Peace. It was seared cod with crisp skin. It came with some mini clams as well. The lobster sauce was delicious! Very tasty. Our friend switched their order wheN their pasta came too hard not even al dents but tHey said was tough. But when they got the dish I had, theirs was salty and the crisp skin of the other friend came upside down so the crispy skin got soggy. The fish flesh was facing up. If you like what I had, you probably should request the skin served on top. And make sure the sauce is not too salty. The place e looks nice but I wish the batch room was not 2 floors up. Is there aN elevator?? The fried squid and seafood appetizer was light but I think had more batter on it. read more

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We had dinner at this restaurant and it was wonderful. We had the beet and goat salad which was presented very nicely, with some beets and small cylinder shaped goat cheese. We also had the octopus which was well prepared, tender and flavorful. For the mains, we had the pork chop. This is a pretty substantial dish and prepared very well with a rectangular block of polenta. Nicely done. Others in the party had the branzino and salmon which all looked really good. We had two desserts and they were as good as all of the other food. The restaurant is well decorated and service was attentive. read more

Midwest girl here who became a Portale fan when a friend gifted me a cookbook one year. Since then, wherever I can find Mr. Portale, it's the first restaurant I visit whenever I'm in town. Meals here often bring me to tears. This is my first visit to the new location, and it did not let me down. Quality of execution of all courses is exceptional. Do start with the focaccia. It was the beets in the spring salad that brought the tears this time as they tasted just like the freshly pulled and prepared beets from my childhood. We both had the halibut which my friend reminded me of daily during our trip as the best thing she had ever eaten. Bravo, chef. read more

Very happy with our dinner here. The only complaint - it was my friends birthday and they didn't do a single thing for it. (Whereas everywhere else we were at in the city over the weekend gave us something special for the celebration!). Our server wasn't all that friendly, the sommelier was great! Duck - very well prepared. Tasted like a good piece of bacon :) The two pastas we tried were both good with different flavor profiles. See my photos. We had the 3 gelato scoops for dessert - vanilla, chocolate and salted caramel. I preferred the salted - though if you don't like salt - don't get! It's salty! read more

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Is this the best Italian restaurant in New York? Yes, it might just be. Another fantastic dinner here. The duck confit risotto, although not strictly traditional, is one of the best dishes I've had anywhere in months. The lobster pasta is pleasantly chewy ribbons of pasta and morsels of lobster in a rich, but not too rich, bisque. The branzino is fantastic not just because the fish is perfectly fresh and perfectly cooked, but also because the sauce is great, the olives are a great flavor and texture pairing, and the fish sits atop well sauteed a d seasoned greens. Love this restaurant. read more

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Nothing but class at Portale! 5 friends and I came for Restaurant Week; the staff was friendly and accommodating, and everything we ate was top-notch delicious (I had the soup and pasta from the Restaurant Week menu which is unfortunately no longer visible). The day after our meal, I received a thank-you note from the owners. Who does that? So nice. read more

My friend and I came here after lots of recommendation, but I thought the pasta was just okay. we got the burrata as an appetizer, and it was a solid 5/5- cheese was super creamy and it was delicious! I got the lumache for my entree and it was pretty mediocre - the pasta seemed a bit undercooked and the protein was all ground up? I wasn't sure if it was supposed to be like that. Portions were also pretty small for the price of the dish. I'd say the appetizers are more worth here than the actual entrees. read more

Portale - Burrata - Italian Near Me - New York, New York

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We had a great dining experience at Portale. Above and beyond hospitality from the moment you step into this intimate restaurant. Very welcoming staff! The kitchen was great at accommodating my friend with dietary restrictions. We started with the ricotta meatballs that seemed to be the highlight of the night. Make sure to order them! I recommend sharing all the dishes you order. We ordered all of their "Primi" pasta dishes to share. Portions are small for the price, so prepare to savor each and every bite. I enjoyed some of the dishes more than others, but all were very refined and quite tasty! We also ordered the branzino, which was forgettable. Stick to their pasta. read more

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I was immediately impressed with the energy of this restaurant. It is also nicely designed with a portico and has the feeling of a residence. Server staff were efficient and pleasant and the bartender was great. You could tell he knew what he was doing and even created his own version of some drinks. The burrata salad was a great start with beets and that wonderful cheese. The dish did not feel heavy at all. The Lumache with the short ribs was flavorful and rich. The portion was quite small for the price, but good. The staff paired the wines well. The chef was walking around and the Portale had a very neighborly feel. However, like much of this area, a glass of wine, salad and a small pasta dish approaches 80 bucks with tip. read more

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This is a fantastic spot. The food was stellar- a major 10/10. Then, as a bonus, the ambiance is charming and the staff was truly above and beyond wonderful. The hostess was so sweet and started our night off on the best note. She apologized for giving us a small table- even though we were last minute walk-ins, didn't care at all, and loved the cute table she sat us at by the bar. Then, I have to give a huge shoutout to our outstanding waiter Armando, who was doing double duty as a waiter/bartender and still managed to be attentive, and helpful. The food would have made our night great regardless, but Armando really made it special and even more memorable. Now the food. The food was so good. SO good. My husband loves Italian and it's usually lower on my list, but this hit the spot. We started with the frutti di mare which was my favorite bite of the night. It was fresh and light, but also had a great flavor profile in the dressing. The variety of seafood in it was awesome. Then, I got the branzino, which was cooked to perfection and accompanied by a great sauce and topping. My husband go the cavatelli and loved it, and the potato side was great. All in all, this was a great date spot and I'll definitely be returning (and recommending it to everyone I know!) read more

Had a lovely dinner at Portale this weekend. We ordered the pane di casa, chilled yellow tomato soup, insalata di pomodori, pappardelle with mushroom and black truffle (special that day), bucatini with manila clams, guanciale, pancetta, and pomodoro, and then shared the bomboloni for dessert. I love a cold soup (especially during a heat wave!) and the tomatoes in the zuppa were incredibly fresh, as were the tomatoes in the salad. The pasta in both entrees was perfectly cooked. The service was excellent. Our waiter was attentive without being overbearing, and everything was well paced. The sommelier had a fun story to share about the bottle of wine we ordered, which was a nice touch. I wish Portale booked reservations on Resy so I'd remember it more often when scrolling, but worth the extra step of booking on Seven Rooms. A delight for both food and service. read more

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Service was unsatisfactory. The waitress we had literally almost took our plate as we sat quietly eating. She needs better customer service skills as she was inconsiderate in her demeanor. Would not go to this restaurant nor would I recommend. read more

Great food, small portions, expensive, that's it. Large crowds of young people so it is very loud. Round table for three people was to large. Did I like it, for the first and last time.. read more

Our group of 5 had a superb meal with copious amounts of pasta , seafood and dessert options . While overall everything was tasty some pastas were not as Al dente as I would have liked and a couple of sauces felt a bit muted/flat in flavor. Desserts were stand outs! read more

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First timers! Brothers-n-law have new place in Chelsea and got recommendation from a friend. Round of applause for said friend, thank you! Had a reservation for indoors around 730...place was hopping. Ambience and decor esthetically pleasing to all. Staff was exercising their A-game through our entire meal. Armando, the bartender was friendly and concocted delicious cocktails. We had the Brutus... yum! Opted to share amongst the 4 of us. Apps: burrata with beets and stone fruit... light, flavorful bites and beautiful presentation. Polpette: ricotta meatballs in this fonduta sauce that was so tasty, I thought one of us might just lick the bowl clean:) For the pastas: Risotto with shrimp, nueske bacon (yum), arugula, tomatoes and lemon. It was so creamy and decadent. Cappelletti with pancetta, small blocks of sweet corn from the cob, chanterelle mushrooms in a pomodoro sauce. Entrees: Branzino: brocolli rabe, delicious eggplant puree, tomato confit and castelvetrano olives (my personal favorite). Maiale: roast pork with roasted peppers and hands down THE tastiest polenta I've had to date! Dessert: olive cake, I believe gelato with Cherry compote. Presentation a 10! The cake was dry and probably a day old: 6. Timing of our dishes was spot on. Definitely will be back, my brothers are putting them in their regular rotation of go to restaurants. Thank you to the staff for such a nice meal! read more

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Came here with a group Service was amazing.. everyone was so nice and we literally didn't have to ask for anything The food was great, everyone got different things and we all enjoyed dinner The olive oil cake was so good, like who's grandma is back there making dessert?! It had no business being that good! read more

We had the last seating on Thanksgiving at 830 PM. So the crowd was a bit thin. Choices were limited to a 3-course prix fixe but plenty of choices Huge Italian wine selection. We selected a moderately priced ($80) red from central Italy. One of us had not had enough turkey and went for turkey again. A great beet salad, a better than Balthazar turkey platter, and an Italian torte. All winners. The other 2 diners opted for pastas as their entrees. Happy diners. Damages with tip for 3 was $575. Food 4/5 Service 5/5 Value 3/5 (average) Cleanliness 5/5 Noise 1/5 (quiet as only 1/4 full) Decor 4/5 read more

Superb food and cocktails! We enjoyed the atmosphere and excellent service. Love the availability of parking after 6:00PM, very convenient. read more

The attached pic is an entrée portion of tortellini after I took one bite. I believe it was $27. Was it good? Yes, it was good. However, after eating a pretty tasteless salad, this pasta, and sharing a dessert, I had to go home and make dinner as I was absolutely famished. It is completely absurd that restaurants are charging this much $ for tiny, appetizer-sized main courses. This dish could have been twice the size and it still would've been too small for an entrée. It's truly infuriating - especially for vegetarians, who - at an Italian restaurant - should be able to get a decent-sized portion of meatless pasta for $27. Maybe they had to import specially-trained elves with nimble little hands to craft these tortellini? And the elves are in a powerful union that charges Portale $300/hr to make these pasta artworks? Maybe that's why they charge so much for so little? I would have complained to our server, but she had some VIPs at another table and we didn't see her once between her taking our order and dropping the check. I recommend this restaurant if you like miniscule, ridiculously overpriced dishes. read more

Portale - Tortellini entrée - Italian Near Me - New York, New York

Friends and I came here for a catch up dinner. Checking in with my reservation was smooth sailing and I'm assuming because it was a Monday night, that's why! Our server was lovely and gave us her recommendations. Everything was so delicious. From the cocktails to the pasta/entrees to the desserts. The flavors just mesh so well together. read more

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Absolutely, the best dining experience that i have had in the past five years. Avocado Salad was divine

What an incredible dining experience!!!! It is rare to find a restaurant that has exquisite food, a sensational wine list, and a friendly, approachable staff of management and servers who appear to sincerely love the restaurant/hospitality industry. We spent close to 3 hours at dinner enjoying every bite of food and every sip of wine while talking to our wonderful server, Sierra, about her passions in life, and the sommelier about wine. If we lived in NYC, there's no question that we'd be regulars here! Don't hesitate to make a reservation!!!! read more

My wife had a wonderful dinner last night. The service & food was outstanding. Thank you for a memorable evening and looking forward to coming back. read more

John (waiter) was knowledgeable and great. Food was delicious. Entire dining experience was superb!

From the moment you walk into, to the time you leave the staff is attentive to your needs. The drinks were amazing, and the food was so good. We had another resv at another top Italian spot but opted for here because it was closer to where we were in city. Glad we did. I Found this by scrolling on Open table and happy we did. Can not wait to go back there. read more

The restaurant is very close to our apartment and after having walked by it several times and it always looking busy, we decided to come for dinner on a weekend night and eat outside on the patio because it was nice weather. After we sat down it took 15-20 minutes for someone to come greet us, and I think the server only came because we asked someone to send him over. I get that it was probably busy but 20 minutes is a lot to have been seated and ignored, and every table outside was constantly trying to get his attention whenever he was outside, which indicated to me that he was not paying attention to people - not once did he come ask us how our food was or ask if we wanted more to drink. For food, we shared: (1) kale salad (insalata do cavolfiore) - this was quite tasty, the quinoa, blueberries were nice flavor, while the crushed almonds added great texture throughout each bite (2) carpaccio - I really didn't care for this one, I've had much better carpaccio. It tasted incredibly "meat-like" but not in a good way. I equate it to when you think a fish is too "fishy-". I would not recommend this one (3) branzino - I didn't try but my husband thought it was good (4) duck - I ordered this and I quite liked it, the temperature was cooked properly to medium rare, and they rendered the skin down correctly where it was nice and crunchy for you to be able to eat The dishes don't come with any sides, but the only sides they have are vegetables, although their lamb special came with mashed potatoes for the evening, they wouldn't give us a side of it because they were reserving it for people who ordered the lamb - just add a potato side to your menu Overall, I'd say it was a mixed bag on the food, and the service was abysmal. read more

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Our food was delicious and beautifully presented. The spicy Risotto was a beautiful pale green and seasoned just right for my taste. Our vegetarian guest enjoyed the Cavatelli and pronounced it a dish worth returning for. We all shared the Brussels sprouts, another delicious vegetarian dish. The Burrata was creamy and complemented by the figs and arugula. It was delectable with or without the ham. We had the prosciutto served on the side for the meat eaters. It was a splendid meal. We'll be back. read more

Excellent Italian with imaginative twists on many classic dishes -- leaning more toward light and satisfying rather than heavy. One of the best Italian restaurants in the city, in my experience. Food was delicious and we (family of three) plan to go back very soon. Good cocktails, very good wines by the glass. Service was gracious and efficient. One suggestion for the menu: please add more vegetarian options. One of us is vegetarian and last night there was just one dish she could order. read more