I stopped by Portabello's for a Sunday brunch and overall, I had a very nice experience. We were seated right away and provided menus promptly, which is always a good start. We ordered avocado toast, French toast, banana pecan pancake, house potatoes, and an Aperol spritzer. My avocado toast was served on a single very thick piece of bread, which had a very generous amount of avocado smash and was topped off with this delightful and fresh arugula salad. I added an over easy egg for an extra charge that was the perfect balance. The house salad was simple with butter lettuce, cherry tomatoes, radish, cucumber, with a light lemon house dressing that brought the salad together. It was refreshing. The French toast is pretty standard. Nothing that particularly stood out. The banana pecan pancake was delicious and shared with everyone at the table. The house potatoes were extra crispy on the outside but soft on the inside, which I found particularly satisfying. Overall, we had a pleasant experience and found Portabello's to be a good brunch spot in Salinas. The service was fast, the food portions were big, the food tasted fresh, and it was a nice ambiance. I would definitely return for the avocado toast and potatoes. Side note - I noticed Caesar Salad was misspelled on the menu as "Caeser" read more

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This is a cute spot to drop in and grab a bite if you are in the Salinas area. The service was a bit slow despite the restaurant not being very busy, but the waitress was also very kind. The portion sizes were large and the food was decent. I opted for the club and my partner grabbed the blt. Bacon was super crispy! read more

Mother's Day breakfast was 65$ dollars for food that is regularly 25$. Maybe the 65$ was for unlimited mimosas lol NOPE!!!!!!! 65 dollars for mid food and horrible music. Don't recommend this place at all. read more

Just got here this morning, empty restaurant only us , 10 minutes no one approached us to take order . Forget about this place. Taylor farm owned and lady who manages the restaurant is absolutely terrible to run restaurants business. We tried several times here to see if they get better but nope . Never again.... read more

Found this place while driving through on the way to San Jose and craving a salad. The menu looked extensive online. From the outside this restaurant is charming, and the interior is nicely done, too. The weekend menu doesn't include salads but our angel of a server negotiated with the kitchen to make an exception for us. The tri tip wedge salad was to die for. A large portion of meat, ample bacon and nicely balanced dressing. For $16 it was reasonably priced too. I'm so happy we ended up here and will definitely plan to come back next time we're in Salinas. read more

Very disappointing! The Mother's Day charge was a lot for nothing extra special. Buffet was ok not screaming wonderful. The only thing I can say the omelette station was good. Then came the bill an automatic 20% charge that was $53 dollars on top of the $65 per person. It was a lesson learned. I don't recommend. When paying $65 per person you expect more. read more

Nothing wrong here. So visiting here was more of a meeting lunch with a lot of back and forth interactions. It wasn't my typical lunch where I would have my phone handy and looking around at details. It is well run with polite and professional waitresses. We were there awhile and never felt rushed or in the way. A simple and uncomplicated menu. Our food was quick to arrive and the portions were big. The calamari sandwich and fries I split with my wife was enough for both of us and tasted great. I'm looking forward to coming back to give them and others a better detailed review. Last words...for sure. read more

Service was good, bar tender Richard was great...good drinks and friendly atmosphere, however was disappointed in the menu. It's changed since the last time I was there...$32.00 for the Salmon with just asparagus...no rice, no potatoes. The Salmon was good but was hoping for alittle more for the price.Menu was not much to choose from. read more

Richard the bar tender is awesome! Only thing is they should have a house cocktail menu! Other than that awesome meal. Get the tequila shot with cinnamon and orange, it will change your life. read more

Went a couple months ago and it was amazing. Went today and not sure if they changed owner or chef or something.. food was HORRIBLE. no flavor, watery eggs, potatoes had no taste. Food presentation is nice but food is gross. read more

We had a reservation and were seated on time. It did take a while though for anyone to come and take our order though for drinks. It was on the busier side. We were first just given the breakfast menu which was disappointing because I was craving lunch. I asked one of the waitresses if they served lunch since it was already past 12pm and she said there was a separate menu that we weren't aware of. We did order from the lunch and breakfast menu and had a variety of drinks. The service was great and they kept checking in on us. All the food was really good, nobody had any compla read more

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This was the worst service I have had in years. There were at least two servers, a busser, and a manager on shift with three tables in the restaurant. They came to our table twice the entire time. The service industry occasionally has places like this where the restaurant staff is not interested in their clients. Don't bother. They certainly don't. read more

Stopped at Portobello's for lunch and the restaurant appeared peaceful and clean. We ordered some appetizers to share, including the salmon fish and chips, calamari and fries, and portobello fingers. The food was very bland, not seasoned in the slightest. We added salt ourselves. The calamari was overcooked and tough, and the breading was oddly flavored. The portobello fingers tasted better without the batter. The salmon fish and chips were an interesting menu item but still lacked in flavor. Our waitress never checked on us and refilled our water glasses once. Looking at reviews of Portobello's after this meal, we read that someone else had an undesirable experience due to their race and we were afraid that this may have been a factor in the quality of our service. We finished the food simply because we were famished from our trip, but cannot recommend. read more

I absolutely love this place for breakfast. Menu is simple and love getting the quiche or traditional. Sometimes they also offer steak and eggs - just ask! The baguette toast is also one of my favorite things there. Usually not that long of a wait and food comes out super fast/hot! Good for all group sizes read more

They got rid of the impossible burger, which is so easy to keep frozen and then you know grill it when somebody comes in so they lost several customers because they used to offer it. Many vegans that go in there are used to go in there have carnivorous friends and so that was a safe place to go and now that's not happening anymore so so sad. read more

Vey Nice menu; good food! And Makena waitstaff was wonderful! Definitely going back! Ambiance very comfortable!

Our party of six stopped in on 1-4-22 around 8:00, after a bad dinner experience across the street. So wish this would have been our first stop. When we arrived a couple acoustic musicians were playing but they stopped shortly after we arrived. They were good and the music played after was good, too. Great vibe. When you first enter, to the left are tables and a counter and case with parfaits and lunch type food. Straight ahead are more tables and as you keep going, there's a great little bar where they make great cocktails! They also had one of my fave beers, Alvarado Brewing's Mai Tai IPA on tap, yay! Although we weren't very hungry, we couldn't resist the clam chowder and calamari. The clam chowder was delicious. I prefer a thinner broth (thick means they made it with a bunch of flour) like this one. Clams were cooked well, not over cooked and rubbery. Same with the calamari. It's the strip type, nicely breaded with what looked like panko and herbs. Nice and meaty, not over cooked. We also tried the jalapeño poppers which were long, and wrapped with a big strip of bacon. So yummy! The jalapeños were fresh not pickled. I can't recall our server's name but she was EXCELLENT, she came over often, kept track of all of our drinks, chatted with us about the menu, drinks, etc. we loved her. I left my lip gloss at our table and she came out as we were walking down the street. So grateful because that was my favorite lip gloss lol I would love to come back here to try more food. read more

Portobello's - Cup of delicious clam chowder - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Salinas, California

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WHY WE WENT HERE: - business lunch THE LOOK (FROM THE OUTSIDE): - located off Main St in between Central Ave and E Gabilan St - cute storefront with seating outside out front and in the back THE LOOK (FROM THE INSIDE): - deli/bar feel and seating; industrial look/decor THE MENU: - appetizers - salads - salad combos - soups and quiche - cold sandwiches - hot sandwiches from the grill - sandwiches - burgers - something sweet WHAT I ORDERED: - Chicken Milano Sandwich and Broccoli Salad THE TASTE: - the bread on the sandwich was very fresh and soft, but the chicken was a little thicker and more bland than I anticipated; the flavors overall were there and tasty - loved the broccoli salad - filling but not bloating; didn't need to have dinner that night CUSTOMER SERVICE: - good; prompt read more

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Food ok & pricey, server mediocrehad heard the food was fabulous & guess WE need to try it again to see. Had it at a football banquet & was delicious then‍ read more

Came here on a Friday night which happened to have live music which was a nice surprise. Food was good and our server was nice. Only thing that I didn't like was how bright it was where I was sat. Otherwise nice spot! read more

Solid spot with nice atmosphere and good service. I like their small but focused menu and my sandwich and soup were good. read more

Portobello's - Grilled Cheese - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Salinas, California

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Me and wife started coming here pretty regularly. The food is good and was decently priced. Was surprised to see how much the price went up over night. It literally went from being one of the most reasonably price to one of the more expensive. Literally from one day to next. Can't do it anymore. While staff is friendly they are slow. Was ok with it before but now at theses prices I can't. I understand some increase but not like this. First awakening is now cheaper. Food is good servers are nice but it is really really slow and now expensive. read more

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Went for the Lunch on a Friday. Ordered a couple of appetizers to share, calamari strips, portobello fingers, and salmon fish n chips. Service was ok, seems like they were getting ready for dinner service, server only checked on us one time. Food was very bland, felt like there was no salt or other seasoning. Breading on everything was a bit thick. The calamari strips were the worst, the breading was quite hard and the calamari like jerky. Maybe their sandwiches are better. read more

I initially wrote a super long review but decided to just get to the point. The "Good" (and the only reason I gave 3 stars): 1- The location is very nice to look at. 2- The music is nice to listen to. 3- The hostess and wait staff (Jaden) are very pleasant, The "BAD": -The manager is extremely rude. He was very friendly with his White, Filipino, and Hispanic customers. However, I am a Black woman, my father is a Black man, and I personally never been so blatantly discriminated against. He is extremely prejudiced. read more

Kudos to Portobello's for their wonderful Mothers' Day brunch buffet. The food was delicious, well prepared, and excellent quality. There was such a variety- something to please everyone! The service was friendly and efficient. An excellent musician played enjoyable music. We thoroughly enjoyed our brunch! read more

This was a wonderful find for us. I am a vegetarian on Weight Watchers, and I needed outdoor seating for Covid safety. Portobello's delivered on both counts - I ate healthily and heartily on the three composed salads option. Loved the beets and the bean-corn ones! Mom liked her tuna sandwich and fries too. read more

I walked into the restaurant during business hours on a Saturday. I was welcomed by a brunette woman behind the counter rocking a slicked back hair do who asked "are you here for the private party?" to which I responded "no." She then proceeded to state "we're closed" and I asked if both sides of the restaurant were closed and she snarled in an aggressive tone "WE'RE CLOSED." Portobello's needs to do better with their hiring process and also remove open signs from the windows when the are not open. This restaurant left a bad taste in my mouth without even trying the food. read more

We were finally able to have breakfast at Portobello's , our first attempt was scrapped because of a private event. The building itself and the interior of this place is definitely impressive but this is where impressive ends. We were one of 4 couples in the place and we saw that as a mixed sign: this could be either really good or really bad. Our waitress was joking around with her coworkers a bit too loud but she seemed nice and quickly took our order. We ordered the quiche, the Salinas omelette and a short stack of pancakes. Our coffee was served quickly (not the best tasting coffee) but we were there for the food. Needless to say we sat and waited and lost several pounds waiting for our food to arrive. Upon arrival I could clearly see that my omelette had issues and the pancakes were about as big as Pdiddy's famous outside bed. Neither one of them was comforting or tasty, the omelette was dry, overcooked and sad looking. The pancakes looked like a punishment dish and had a strange rubbery texture that was off putting. Our less than exciting breakfast at Portobello's revealed to us that this place has some serious issues which need to be addressed, the sooner the better. As we walked out the restaurant, they had a grand total of one person sitting and waiting for a very long time. read more

Our group of 20 had a wonderful lunch celebrating the life of a loved one today in this restaurant. Service was outstanding and the food was terrific as well. I enjoyed the blue burger cooked rare with a side salad and a pina colada. They also had lots of vegetarian options on the menu including Beyond burgers and many different salad choices . Everything on the table looked fresh and cooked as ordered. Our server worked super hard to make sure our food came out together and that are drinks were kept filled and their entire team and staff were better than expected. Would definitely return! read more

Portobello's - Pina colada - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Salinas, California

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Hands-down portobello's cheese burgers are the best in town. They are generous with size of the patties and the thick cut bacon is always cooked to perfection. There is no other burger in Salinas that can match up to the quality of burger here. So Portobello's keep doing what you're doing and please do not change anything on the cooking process or the chefs that make the best burgers! Also a huge shout out to Meynardo! He is always very friendly, helpful and just gives off great vibes when I am dinning in! read more

Went in this morning for breakfast,, only customers were us, after 28 minutes still no food, again we were only customers there, staff were eating , looks like they were on break. Cook looked like he was being interviewed by 3 men. We left after paying for Tea and coffee , was hoping it would be comp for slow service. Again we were only customers there and left after 28 minutes. This used to be one of my favorite restaurants. read more

Delicious fries! Hot! Huge burger with avocado and bacon was so filling I had to share. Perfect waitress, Bianca Delicious house chardonnay for $8. read more

I have been here a few times and each time has been a good visit. The food and drinks are always great, and their staff is friendly, greeting us upon entering the restaurant. It is not too fancy/upscale, you can wear casual clothes, but it is still modern and well designed/decorated. The last time I went, I went for brunch and they seemed pretty busy. They ended up accidentally giving my food away to another table somehow, so I had to wait 2x as long to receive my order. They did communicate this to me and apologized profusely, and I didn't mind waiting too much. read more

I loved it here! I'm a traveling occupational therapist and this was my first time in downtown Salinas. The downtown area is adorable! Parking is easy. Portobello's is very nicely decorated however I used the grab and go counter instead of dine-in. - All of the food was delicious! The brussels sprouts, chicken salad, noodle salad... I ate it all :-) A special thanks for the hospitality extended to me and the free cup of soup. I felt very welcomed! read more

Every time I go there, whether with a large group or a few friends, the service is great. The food is delicious. I've ordered a few different items but always go back to the breakfast egg sandwich with an over easy egg - perfection every time. My favorite place is outdoors, in the fresh air. They have heaters if it gets cold. The servers/wait staff are always friendly, professional and polite. read more

Portobello's - Brunch with the family #HappyFamily - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Salinas, California

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Stopped here for lunch on my way to Solvang and was very pleasantly surprised! I never imagined Salinas would have such an upscale little downtown area with such good food! Portobello's sandwiches were delicious and the sweet potato fries were perfect with their crunch on the outside and tender potato on the inside. I ordered a grilled chicken portobello sandwich ($13.95) and asked that the onions be grilled; absolutely delicious! My dining companions ordered the veggie wrap ($10.95) and the calamari steak sandwich ($15.50) and they were both happy with them. Another companion ordered a sandwich with the soup of the day and the soup looked so, so good; it was their chicken noodle with chunks of chicken and veggies and a nice amount of noodles. She said it was delicious and had the taste of fresh herbs. The amount of food was very generous and a couple of us had half left for munching on later. Great stop; wish Salinas was closer to me! read more

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I had a very good portobello mushroom sandwich. Good service and a good location. It was good, It was good, It was good. Jeez louise, this system that makes you write more. read more

My law firm hosted a work 30th anniversary for a co-worker here on April 6th, and we had a wonderful experience. Maynard, the manager, was so great. We discussed the menu ahead of time, and he and his team were very on top of refilling appetizers and drinks for the 22 people at our table. I would absolutely host another event there, and working with Maynard was seamless. Thank you again for helping us host the event and allowing the us to have fun and enjoy ourselves instead of having to worry about all the semantics. read more

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A medium sized cafe with line service, today's offering was a bacon spinach quiche with a side of Caesar salad. The dressing while lacking anchovies was tart and tangy with a good twang as delicious as any other. The quiche was subtle and light, no strong flavors but all the ingredients blend together and mellow making for watering mouthfuls of crispy crust and tender filling. Definitely will be returning for a repeat performance. Happy Noshing! This review brought to you by Dogedollars. read more

Great atmosphere and location. Cute outdoor seating option. The specials during the week are worth checking out. Staff was great, the place was open and clean, the food was delicious. I got breakfast, my friend got the beet and broccoli salads. read more

Portobello's - Lunch mojitos! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Salinas, California