Portobello's has a restaurant side and a banquet side. Both buildings are located next to each other, but in separate lots. So if you pull into the Portobello's restaurant and needed to go to the portobello's banquet, you would need to pull out of the parking lot and continue to go to the next block and turn in. I came here for Mother's Day for a Mother's Day brunch buffet. They had a mix of everything. Some of the usual stuff being scrambled eggs which we all know isn't really eggs, but more of liquid eggs. The potatoes were a bit on the soggy side. Everything else was decent for a bunch buffet. They did have a carving station, which had either your choice of ham or steaks. Nothing looked really appetizing so I ended up just sticking with shrimp and steak. Would I ever go back? It was a bit pricey for children given that they didn't have much variety for a child's appetite. French fries and chicken tenders were nonexistent. So with that being said, it was a nice one time experience. read more

Portobello Banquets - Penne, steak and shrimp. - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Oakland, New Jersey

Easter Sunday at the Banquet ended horrible!! manager Marianne didn't help make the Customer Service any better. A nasty waitress, named Michelle was to blame. first---she got all upset at the fact that we asked her to split the bill. she claimed that her manager will get upset if she did but than came back and agreed to do it. Second---We were a table of nine people. She counted the people and she knew how many we were, but because of the fact that it was supposed to be 10 she got all upset that she had to go back to ask the manager again. not wanting to do it.... I made a comment to make her feel ok or maybe laugh at the facts but instead took it sooo personal and walked away to get the manager and both manager and waitress very unprofessional came to the table to complain about what I said Whitch I apologize to her but not any moment did she apologized for her rudeness and unprofessionalism and lack of customer support. it was just a simple question and a mistake on counting how many were at the table. All she had to do was just use customer service professionalism and let us go with a smile but that never happened. We will never go back to this banquet. I will let everyone know since they already have a bad reputation. Not a good Sunday!!!! read more

This weekend we had our daughter's communion at Portobellos banquet. I normally do all of our big parties at The Tides estate but they were booked already and I didn't have a choice but to find somewhere else. Let me just start with saying The room is beautiful. I hand decorated the room myself and showed up to the party 10 minutes early. When I got there I noticed that they did not lite the candles which was the only thing I asked them to do in the decorating part so I immediately addressed that with one of the managers. Even after I asked them to Light them they forgot a few and asked for them to light the rest and they told me Their were very busy. That's when I got a lighter and did it myself. I also noticed that my daughter's name was spelt incorrectly on the welcome sign which bothered me and I spoke to someone right away. 20 minutes later it was not fixed and a few of my guests also went and spoke to them about it. I would say after a solid hour and a half they did fix the sign but it bothered me for the whole hour and a half. We had the food come out within the first 45 minutes and when it did the room got extremely hot, the DJ and a few guest were dripping sweat. I spoke to one of the waiters and I asked them if they could lower the temperature and they told me that their manager said they cannot. I questioned them and said what do you mean you cannot all you do is push the down button three times and it will go down. A few of my guests also ask for the temperature to be lowered they were hot. After I noticed that it was getting hotter and hotter I spoke to the head manager who is the son of the owner I believe. He told me he would take care of it. The temperature did get cooler after I spoke to him but I still don't understand why I had to speak to so many people about it. I found out later on when I spoke to them after the party that they keep it set on 68 and it only turns on when it hit 69 but there's no way the room was 69° it was definitely hotter than that. The Manage at this point also me that they agree the room is hot but they have no control over it. Now we get to the kicker, I had multiple conversations with the staff about their cake. I wanted a rose cross on their cake and they told me that it would be an up charge. I have never heard of charging an up charge to put a cross on a cake. Multiple times I ask them how I can get a cross on the cake and they told me that they could not do flowers although there would be flowers on the cake but that they could do a piped cross. When the cake came out I noticed my daughter's name was spelt incorrectly again and there was no cross .... Now I'm fuming. I waited till the party was over and spoke again to the owner's son who told me that they sent it to the bakery correctly and the bakery did not do it correctly. I gave them management tips on how to avoid this in the future instead of blaming the bakery they could've checked the order before they left the bakery. My daughter was devastated and I had a photographer and the pictures I took with the cake I will never be able to use because they did not have my daughter's name spelled correctly. While I was speaking to the owner son the other staff was in the other room talking crap about me and my husband overheard all of it. I wasn't going to write this review because after speaking to them I felt like they would handle this appropriately but then when I found out that their manager a (female)was talking about me and saying how I was wrong and making a big deal About it I felt like this needed to be aired out. It's one thing to make a mistake it's another to handle it like that. My daughter's name is spelt incorrectly is not my fault and it is not something I take lightly. For the record I went through multiple emails and made sure that I wrote in the emails God bless and their name spelled correctly which I did, the contract also had their name spelled correctly. I find it hard to believe that they were blaming the bakery when they also had it spelt incorrectly on the welcome sign. It sounds like we need to take some accountability here. Since then I have messaged them and they have been ignoring me. Please Make it known that they cannot be held accountable for their terrible service and therefore should not be trusted with your special events. read more

Attended a wedding in mid July 2024 The cocktail hour downstairs was perfectly fine However dinner was in the large upstairs room It was immediately apparent that the air conditioning was not working upstairs. The room was unbearably hot. In reading reviews after the event this air conditioning issue has been complained about for many months. I spoke with several of the severs and they also told me the AC has not been working consistently for many weeks. I know the father of the groom spoke with Anthony at the beginning of the evening and he stated they were working on it. When nothing improved and the father attempted to find Anthony again, he had left the property. No apology was ever made to the crowd or the bride and groom before Anthony fled the scene. Also the website says the facility is handicap accessible. The upstairs is NOT !! I know at least one couple could not make the dinner that was paid for because of this. Again no apology or refund was made or offered by Anthony. In conclusion Take your business elsewhere TOM read more

If I could give 0 stars I would. I just had my wife's baby shower there and it was the worst experience ever. The waiters and bartender were excellent. The food was okay. I just don't understand how I paid per plate and some of my guest arrived late and I was told there was no food left for them. Also, the open bar which I paid extra for had half empty bottles at the start of the party and when those bottle were done, it was done. The manager Brianne was very unprofessional throughout this whole experience. When we booked this place we mentioned that we would be having a DJ present which wasn't an issue. During the party Brianne came storming in demanding the DJ to lower the music or else he had to go. At that point everyone saw the show that took place and couldn't believe it, ruining the atmosphere.Then 10 mins left until the end of the party and Brianne rushed the dj to pack up and leave. I think Brianne could've handles the entire situation differently and approached us with respect. Lastly, there were two areas in the ceiling of our room that were leaking on the tables, guests and food. Not only that but the AC wasn't working on a hot summer day. The aesthetics of the room were horrible, part of the ceiling was missing and some had mold where the leaks were coming from, the dance floor had cracks and the restroom sink was clogged. At minimum the room could've used a good paint job. I could've overlooked bad food and the look of the room but not the level of disrespect that was given to my guest, vendors and myself. I spent a lot of money and time preparing for this day for it to be a disaster. This is our first baby shower and and we could never get this day back. Please see actual pictures of the ceiling in the room. Stay away from this place. You won't regret it. Brianne needs to be fired for the way she treats paying customers. . read more

Portobello Banquets - Missing tile - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Oakland, New Jersey

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This place is the best kept secret in all of NJ! I had my Bar Mitzvah here many years ago and people talked about the Filet Mignon for months and years after. Kind of in the middle of nowhere and somewhat unassuming but as soon as you walk in you feel transported. The Ballroom upstairs is filled with light and the majestic ceiling and space made it for a royal looking event and a very unique environment. Many years later I recommended my cousin do her baby shower here and she nearly broke down crying when she discovered this place. Apparently she was looking at a bunch of different venues that were overcharging for basically what amounted to a 1/5th of what Portobellos was offering her. I didn't go to the event but my sister told me it was magnificent. The manager Anthony and Brianne were very attentive throughout the event and nearly everyone I spoke to was raving about how palatial the banquet hall was. If you're unsure about this place for your event my advice is this: eat at the Portobellos restaurant across the street. It's all the same food / kitchen. You'll know this isn't your average Italian restaurant -- it's an old world experience. At the end of the day the food, the tables, napkins, cutlery and space is what the venue provides -- all you need is the right decoration (flowers, balloons), music (a band or DJ) and company to make it an unforgettable night!! read more

Beware! Said they overbooked three weeks before event for 100+ people. Booked and deposit. 7 months in advance! Left a message, then didn't return calls. Had to go there, which you never want to see the place again, to get deposit back! Absolutely unbelievable! Must have gotten another group with bigger price, no other explanation, Despicable! read more

I cannot believe I am giving this such a low rating. I don't know what has changed, or if COVID did a number on the staff here, but I was disappointed with the service. I am a repeat customer here, having thrown 3 retirement dinners, one birthday party and one bridal shower (banquet hall) and up until this last event, was 110% happy (see my March 6, 2019 review if you don't believe me). This time was very, very different, and I want to say mostly because of - well, let me call him Marc - the maître d'. Upon arriving, I was told by Marc that he could not accommodate my party upstairs in the Library due to lack of staffing. OK, disappointing for a couple of reasons - the fact that I spoke to the restaurant three times in the last 2 days, one time even with Marc the day of - and no one thought to let me in on that, but OK. Marc also told me that even though we could not have the private room upstairs, he would not be seating patrons in that area of the restaurant where we were so that we could still have privacy. So I said OK, let me get on with my decorating (which I also had previously discussed with Marc - as well as having done so 4 other times). I was given absolutely no restrictions this time on what type of decorations were allowed, but in the past it was mentioned that confetti was not allowed (understandable), so I had always avoided that. As I was blowing up balloons to decorate, Marc came up to me, and in a very condescending voice proceeded to tell me that balloons absolutely were not allowed. I actually thought he was kidding with me, as I had always put up balloons for past events, and it took me about a minute to realize that no, he was serious, and that he had taken a tone with me that I did not appreciate. It was as if all of a sudden I was dealing with a bully. I did tell him that this is how I decorated in the past, that neither he nor anyone on his staff had given me any restrictions on decorations, and that because I had spent the money on those decorations, I would appreciate it if he let me go on as planned. He said OK, but only if I took the balloons with me when I left -_-. Fine. I continued decorating, and then went to fetch a co-worker to help me with a banner. When we came back, we saw Marc seating people where our party was. So I asked Marc, why are you seating them here when you literally just told me you would not? Well, it was like talking to a wall. We had a couple of words, and luckily that was my last interaction with him because after that, I only dealt with our server. As for the food, it was all very delicious I have to admit. The only negative about the food/service was that I had to find my waiter to ask him to please take orders for coffee. I am giving this a 2 star review instead of a 1 star because, despite my issues with Marc, my guests were unaffected and they all did enjoy themselves and the food. I really did love this restaurant for small events, but I am not sure I will be returning again and sadly, it was all because of one employee's attitude and disrespectful, bullying behavior to me. read more

If I could give this place negative stars, it would without a doubt deserve it. Any dining patron would admit that the experience starts with the reservation, especially if one is required. We made reservations over a week in advance for Easter Sunday. We arrived with my family that included my 93 yr old father and 11 month old son. Upon arriving, we were told we weren't on the list and we must have a reservation at their banquet hall across the street. Mind you, at least 4 other groups/families were told the same thing. So, we packed everyone back up and headed over. We get there and they don't seem to have our reservation either. I was very specific about having a 93 yr old with us and a baby. I had spelled my name and confirmed the day and time, yet they had nothing on a holiday event. The one manager said he would check for availability and went upstairs. Upon seeing the stairs, I asked if there was an elevator since our 93 yr old would not be able to make it up a long flight of stairs. The answer was "no". What kind of a public restaurant does not provide for the elderly or handicapped? We waited and the useless manager never returned. Upon being disgusted by this and utterly disappointed, we found out that two other families behind us had the same issue. No reservation after calling and making one. The one group had family visiting from Connecticut. How embarrassing and unprofessional. Needless to say, we found a different restaurant that was flawless and very accommodating. We will NEVER trust Portabellos for any event or future experience. read more

BE WARNED: Booked my engagement brunch here for 11:30AM on Sunday December 5th, 2021. I was presented with an empty room back in August when I booked and made sure to explicitly inform Anthony and Vincent on my decoration plans which they PROMISED ME I would be able to decorate no problem which was a total LIE on the morning of my event when my decorator showed up to decorate the room was full of Christmas decor and a 7 foot tree occupied the space my balloon arch was suppose to be placed and I was THREATENED by one of their office staff people I had never met named Brianne I believe that I could not touch their decorations or else there would be consequences. I told her about the previous arrangements I had made with Vincent and Anthony about my decorations and kindly asked her to call them to confirm everything and she REFUSED! When I went back to my room to inform my decorator about everything that was happening the cleaning staff noticed my stress and sadness that they took down the decor for me and told me they would call Vincent and let him know about the issue and that they were not sure why the lady was screaming and yelling at me and why she didn't just call the managers to confirm everything we had pre-planned! That was not the end of it, I was also promised a music speaker to play my wedding playlist over dinner and after my guests started arriving I noticed there was no music and the speaker was still not in the room I approached Brianne again and she tells me since I rented half a room I am not allowed to play music if there is 2 parties happening at the same time(which I was never informed about ahead of time) and when asked for her to please call Vincent and Anthony she REFUSES so for the first hour my guests did not have music until Anthony arrived and resolved all the issues Brianne provoked! My family and I also felt that the woman was being racist towards us for being a Latino family because she seemed to spend more time attending an all white party in the room next to us then she did for us and she refused to contact the managers to confirm with them all the arrangements Anthony, Vincent and I agreed upon months in advance! I was also informed by one of the servers named Francis that Brianne told her they needed the pans for a party upstairs so my buffet was closed AN HOUR EARLIER THAN THE TIME I PAID FOR IT TO BE OUT!! last but not least I was also promised by Anthony and Vincent that if extra guests arrived they could add a table 4 extra guests arrived and the same women told us they were out of tables which Anthony later confirmed with me that this was a COMPLETE LIE! BRIANNE truly needs to be TERMINATED because of not only her HORRIBLE customer service but also her racist behavior that clearly showed through that day and the PERMANENT SCARS SHE LEFT ON MY ENGAGEMENT CELEBRATION DAY I HOPE SHE IS HAPPY THAT I WILL FOREVER REMEMBER HER AND THE PAIN SHE CAUSE ON THIS DAY IN MY LIFE! I also never got an apology from ANYONE at the venue for the pain and suffering that was caused. THIS IS THE WORST VENUE EVER! read more

We came for a Thanksgiving dinner, we were in time for our 4pm seating and had to make a huge line in a 30 degree weather! We finally got in and oh boy! There wasn't enough plates, food or drinks! We had to make line after line to get food only to get to it to find out there wasn't any left. Ppl were complaining left and right! There's wasn't even turkey!! This is not a the place for thanksgiving!! read more

DO NOT HAVE YOUR BABY SHOWER HERE. HORRIBLE MANAGER FOOD TAKEN AWAY EARLY AND EATEN BY STAFF. RUSHED SO THEY COULD GO HOME ON TIME. CHECK ALL REVIEWS!! I cant speak for any other events that go on here but my baby shower that was held here was an utter disappointment. I'm an assistant general manager for Hilton and I have never seen worse customer service than this. Starting from the fact that for 60 people they had 2 servers which was not enough to take care of everyone. THEY HELPED THEMSELVES TO FOOD DURING MY PARTY ALONG WITH MY GUESTS. Not to mention the 2 servers couldn't have been less friendly but this is no surprise since their "manager" working the banquet was unreasonable, unfriendly, and just down right RUDE AND MEAN. She should learn that there is a way to communicate with a customer without being aggressive. Food was put out for exactly ONE HOUR and taken away without any warning. Guests who were coming late had NO FOOD TO EAT and when I asked them if i could at least make a plate for my husband i was told no and they they threw it out, EVEN THOUGH I COULD SEE THEM EATING THE FOOD IN THE BACK. NO COMPASSION whatsoever, she kept reciting new jersey laws to me as if I've never been to an event before. To which she then admitted that food could stay out 2 hours and that they took it away early because they run on a schedule. She nearly berated me, a woman who is 8 months pregnant and took her about 15 minutes to finally give me a sorry excuse of an apology. How did this person become manager? Her demeanor was horrible. I would NEVER EVER RECCOMEND this place to anyone and will be sure to tell everyone I come across in my industry about the lack of professionalism at this venue. read more

We have gone to Portobello Banquet facility on two separate occasions for New Year's Eve and have been disappointed both times. They were understaffed both times. The food buffet was not replenished so by the time our table was called, many items on the buffet table were missing, including the shrimp. Open bar waits of twenty minutes to be served was not uncommon. The food was at best mediocre to poor. They could not even keep the pitcher of water at our table filled. The bar ran out of glasses to serve drinks. The music was so loud it was impossible to hold a conversation with the person next to you. The cost for this abismal service and poor food was $120. per person. They should be ashamed of themselves. read more

Mother's Day brunch was a disaster!!! Reservations were were wrong, food was poor quality and low quantity. The servers tried to make up for the poor preparation by management. Brunch was a 2 hour limit and we had to wait for the food to come out and to be replenished. Half of our table were unable to eat and left hungry. Will not be back. read more

I agree with the two other reviews. We were also here for the Thanksgiving 4pm seating. Totally disorganized and way understaffed. They didn't even bring water to the table for over 25 minutes! The food was mediocre at best after waiting in line for 20. This place simply overbooked themselves and then failed in execution with empty buffet trays. If this place is going to be an alternative for big holidays, they need to cut WAY back on packing in the customers to give people space and short lines and improve the food quality, substantially. read more

Yikes, thanksgiving was a disaster here. To start they had people standing outside to get seated. When it came time for food to be served there was no organization and was a free for all on the buffet, which led to long lines and most of the trays being empty. I waited over twenty minutes for them to refill the turkey, stuffing, and incredibly bland mashed potatoes. Avoid going here at all costs for a holiday. read more

They switched my room without telling me. Larissa was so nasty to me even though they lied to me. My room wasn't even ready. It was horrible. Had so many parties there but after 18 years its not the same and im done. Go somewhere else read more

Warning Warning Warning whatever you do- do not book a party at this place. We ordered apps for our dad 70th bday. They piled all 3 apps on the same plate. They literally served what look like vomit on a plate. I am mortified and so embarrassed. read more

Worst experience I've ever had hosting a party. I wish I could go back and do it in my backyard. It was for my son's college graduation. I didn't want to be all sweaty and running around, decided to go with Portobello Banquets. THE AIR CONDITIONING DIDN'T WORK - Me and my 50+guests were dripping in sweat the entire time (we had to buy floor fans from shop rite across the street)- the "buffet" food didn't come out until and hour and a half after guests arrived-NOT EVEN A CHUNK OF BREAD TO BE SEEN. I am so disgusted due to the fact that it was a special occasion and it was not enjoyable at all - I couldn't wait to get home. The wait staff was rude had looks to kill on the entire 4 hours we were there. The antipasto that was served was enough to feed 10 people, when I say 15 slices of ham on a tray, I literally mean 15 slices of ham on a tray- Salami was not served even though it stated it on the paperwork. Let me also mention they spent more time decorating the buffet tables with fake leaves and grapes then worrying about if anyone was hungry (shouldn't that of been done ahead of time?)Not sure what kind of Italians are running this place but I'm pretty sure it doesn't take a brain surgeon to know what an antipasto should have. After much complaining they offered me apologies to the tune of "There's nothing wrong with the air conditioner unit, it was just serviced, and its hot outside" I said to myself YEAH its hot outside THATS WHY we wanted a party inside? Normally your freezing when you go out to eat, not sweating like your outside in the sun with no umbrella. Dessert was pastries and fruit...if thats what you want to call it. My 17 year old could of baked a better looking spread. (thank goodness we brought our own desserts) Couple other points - we were lied to about the price. We were told tax and gratuity was included when we booked and gave deposit - But after all the complaining we were told by Anthony that he wasn't going to charge us for the tax and gratuity..UMMM yeah thanks for nothing. If you don't have the staff or a working facility OR enough food, you may want to mention that to people when they come in and tour. ALSO one other thing - It costs nothing to throw fresh paint on the walls and steam the carpets. Totally disgusted that I wasted all that money. BEWARE!!! read more

I have been to the restaurant part and its a very nice atmosphere with good food. Last night at their banquet hall was truly the most embarrassing disgusting display of service i have ever been a part of. I had already been there for 2 of my nieces sweet 16 party. They were bot h a success with awesome service which is why we chose them a 3rd time for my 3rd niece. This time will be the last and i will advise my other 2 friends who planned on using them to NOT use them ever. The coordinator LARISSA was beyond unprofessional and went all out to single handed ruin the party. Congratulations to her because she succeeded. The party required 10 tables but there was only 9 so when we requested the 10th table and a few minor extras with it she had a major attitude and stated "I'm not here to decorate your party". A minor disagreement occurred as a result of that comment and she replied by stating "we wouldn't like it if she called the oakland police". We let the comment go and carried on with the party. Sure enough about 2 hours later 3 Oakland police arrived and several of the kids were scared and several kids in the party who were having fun and dancing just sat down thinking something or someone did wrong in the party. As the police came to speak to us LARISSA escorted them to us with a big smile on her face. The police said someone in the party was drinking out of the back of a Cadillac in the parking lot. Mind you none of the kids drove and no one in the party had a Cadillac (yes we asked everyone). At the end of the night she stood watching us with a smile and we all had words with her and she emphatically said she dont care about us and only cares about her money for the party. Then stated she will call the police again because she was "disrespected". DO NOT ever use this place for catering. I go out every week to different eateries and events and i have never seen such nasty cruel vindictive behavior by anyone in the customer service field. It was truly shocking. Everyone else there was truly wonderful, to include both waiters/waitress. We were so upset that we failed to get their names but they made the night semi good with their caring service. I think they saw how we was treated and went above and beyond to be extra nice. The only reason I'm giving any star is because I have to in order to post this. But I'd rather prefer to give minus 5 stars if that was an option read more

Rude servers. We came here for a party and the servers were so impatient they did not want to wait on her table

This was by far the worst dining experience we ever had. They were understaffed, granted it's Thanksgiving, however we waited on line outside in the cold for 15 minutes for a 4:00pm reservation. Food was beyond dissappinting.. as if having to wait on such a long line for our food wasn't enough, the trays were often empty by the time we made it to the buffet and left empty for 20 minutes at a time. read more