5 STARS : Went to Portobello's tonight for dinner our Hostess Justina was very Sweet and prompt to seat us. Busser Kylie was very Courteous and Kind manger Gabe was very helpful and recommended wonderful entrees Chef Ben does an excellent job with the food great atmosphere definetly will be returning and recommend eating here service was great Thanks Bianca our server your whole crew was wonderful !!!!! read more

This was our first time to have lunch here since Portobellos moved to their new location. We were shocked at the difference. Parking is very hard. There were no hot dishes what -so- ever. Selections were mostly salads. Worst of all was the Clam Chowder soup I ordered was thinned. I think it was thinned to make it go farther and diminished the taste. We also missed the outside patio they had at the other location. read more

Amazing place, great food, great live music, etc. The best part? THE MEAT selections are amazing. No foo foo veggie BS, just great food from real animals. It's nice to see a place on the Central Coast that actually cares about presenting fantastically cooked foods and at the same time, doesnt cater to the Central Coast lefty weirdness. read more

Food is soooo good, customer service is also really good! Just an older white lady that works there can be a little washy. I've been here a few times and one day she will be super nice and one day a little rude assuming she's a manager or owner. Other than that I would recommend this place!! read more

Service is why I didn't give it 5 stars. The French toast was excellent using raisin toast.

I went there to breakfast early one Sunday. I was really impressed with the food. The Fritatta was great and the French toast was some of the best I have had. The baguette toast was amazing. Service was ok. read more

The service was average. The clam chowder was very tasty and had a really good texture. The portobello chicken sandwich was average. The mushroom was soggy and the sandwich fell apart. However the bread was delicious and soft. read more

My mom and I were really excited to try this restaurant. Maybe we made the mistake of agreeing to sit outside. Once seated we waited 15 minutes before we were greeted. Luckily there was outdoor music that helped to distract us. When our waitress did finally arrive we put in our drink order ( 2 glasses of water and 1 glass of wine) and food orders. Another 20 minutes went by and we still didn't even get the water we were promised when they initially sat us at the table. Normally I would chalk it up to a bad waiter BUT we watched 4 other waiters come and go to the back, attending to different tables near us but not to us. Then we saw a party of 7 get seated and receive their drinks before us we decided to leave. On our way out our waitress met us in the restaurant with our food in her hand. WE STILL DIDN'T EVEN HAVE WATER! I will never spend my money at this establishment. Terrible customer service! read more

3 reasons I love Portobello's- food, service, vibe. Came on a Saturday and they had an awesome live band. And the staff are so friendly and accommodating. Mark was so welcoming at the door and Taylor's waiter service was on point. I recommend the wings! read more

Came on a Saturday night! First time and it was an amazing experience, I ordered the sandabs and it was delicious ! Our waiter Taylor was super attentive and generous! Can't wait to comeback read more

So, it's been a few years since I've written a review. Breakfast is still good here, and we will continue to come for that. We tried dinner, for the first time, just last weekend. The ambience is nice, sitting outside. The heater kept us warm and we wish we had brought our dog. So, about dinner. I was really disappointed. My $10 glass of Prosecco was flat. My husband said it had bubbles, but I know what Prosecco should be like. I wish I had said something, but the server was nice, so I let it go. Then, I saw another patron received a small bottle of Prosecco and I was annoyed-- yep, I was given a leftover bottle of Prosecco. I am sure of it. Next-- the asparagus-rosemary soup was so salty, I had to add lemon juice to make it palatable. I got the skirt steak special, not asking the price-- since most entrees were in the $20 range. The steak was perfectly cooked and tasted good. The "gravy" was not. It was too think and more something that should be on smothered pork chops. My broccoli tasted "off". The best part was the pumpkin-spice cheesecake. That was awesome! Dinner for two, two glasses of prosecco, skirt steak, short ribs and a dessert with tip came to $96.00. Ouch! I don't mind paying that price if the food is outstanding! I was very disappointed. If I come back for dinner, I think I'll stick to their pizza or burgers. The $29.00 price tag for the skirt steak wasn't worth it. I still like this place, and the new location. Just be aware that the entree specials can be pricey! read more

Ask waitress about vegan options they had several available with leaving the cheese off. It was really good and the service was fine although they brought they wrong bottle of wine they instantly switched it out for us. Overall good experience here. read more

So I tried them again , and ordered to go and after waiting for my order , I noticed the cook had his mask below his nose !!!!! OH NO! So sorry I didn't take a photo of that ! Don't they follow the rules for this pandemic ? Or are they "special" ? Next call, Health Dept ! read more

Today was my first time to Portobello's. I was so looking forward to it! I was disappointed! Such a beautiful local too! I walked in and was greeted immediately by Amali. I was seated at a bar table, which was too high to eat at, I also was not acknowledged for a good 10 minutes. I then moved up to the bar and although there was a woman(mgr.?) she didn't greet me either. No surprise as the staff looked beat up ( it was a 12:50) I proceeded to look the menu over while watching them. What a dysfunctional restaurant! I asked about the soup. There wasn't any made by 1:00? At 1:30 I was told there was soup. I ordered the First Quiche on the Quiche list with a salad of mixed greens with the house vinaigrette. I am told it comes with bread and potatoes. Yes, it's what the menu stated. After watching them mix a drink free poured with no spigot. No shot glass to measure and back towards me. I watched, short poured! What happened to having to face the customers?So they know nothing is being slipped into their drinks? My food arrives, it's okay. Cold potatoes, a bowl of greens just dumped into a bowl. Nothing else... like some carrots, tomatoes or cucumbers. However the house vinaigrette rocked. I asked for a To go box. Thank you to Hector, and to Amali( the "new" girl) Amali your service surpassed the experience! Thank you! read more

Portobello's - Quiche, mixed greens, bread and potatoes. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Salinas, California

Visited Portobello last evening for dinner at their new location. This is a great move for them. Modern feel within the Taylor Building. Concrete floors, exposed ceilings, big city loft feel. They offer indoor and outdoor seating. The staff was friendly and attentive. The menu is simple but appealing and all choices our table decided on were perfect in both presentation and taste. I recommend the Castroville Chicken along with a glass if Kali Heart Chardonnay from the full service bar. Thumbs up Don and Sue on your new location. Looking forward to my next visit. read more

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I heard that portobellos is moving in front of First Awakenings. That's going to give First Awakenings a lot of competition if they don't step up. Inside portobellos is really neat, it's more decorated Than First Awakenings,also first Awakenings has not remodeled in like forever! But first Awakenings is still great. Portobellos menu is a lot similar to First Awakenings They both have bacados and the wheat germ pancakes so I got both to see the differences. The bacado at portobellos was really good, the bacado didn't have to much bacon which was nice, the potatoes on the side where better than first Awakenings potatoes. And the pancakes at portobellos are cheaper and don't make you feel as full as First Awakenings. But I think the customer service at first Awakenings is better not that they have poor customer service, it's just that first Awakenings waiters are more enthusiastic and show a lot of interest in their customers. Overall this place is great I will be a returning customer! read more

Excellent service. Our service ease polite and very attentive. The food was all made with local produce and you could tell. My Salinas omelette was out of this world! First time having spinach in an omelette and they hooked me. The coffee is local and very flavorful. The Italian roast is my favorite. If I ever go through this town again I'll definitely be stopping here. read more

Loving the new location! It's gorgeous! It's always a treat to be greeted by Izzy and the rest of the friendly staff. My faves are the Hero and the Big Bird sandwiches. Fave salads are: orzo salad, potato salad, and roasted Brussels Sprouts. SOOOO yummy! read more

Attended a retirement party at Portobello's and have to say the staff was awesome, made sure champagne glasses were full and the appetizers were so delicious especially the pork sliders! Great patio location and great customer service! read more

Great service excellent food cool ambiance! Food was fresh with quality ingredients amazing fresh salad selection. read more

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

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Love this place!!!! The food is delicious, shout-out to chef Gustavo and Jairo. I love the ambiance as well as the very quick and friendly service. It's a excellent place to have dinner or just hang at the bar on a Friday night. The owner Max is a great guy who always makes sure to say hello and greets his customers. I enjoy returning! read more

Great downtown s Salinas restaurant. Casual but elegant atmosphere, great service. We had the salmon and it was great. Outdoor patio is great for larger groups. Highly recommend for breakfast lunch and dinner. A locals favorite read more

This is our new favorite place! great for dinner or just grabbing a couple drinks and some appetizers on a Friday evening!

Wow! Was not disappointed in choosing this place for lunch! Fresh ingredients, full of flavor! I got a salad trio with salmon & it was perfect! Salmon was full of flavor and cooked to perfection (not over cooked!) all 3 salads were incredible! The quality of ingredients was refreshing! Service was Friendly and quick! Amazing environment & vibes! I will be back here! read more

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

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Have always come her for their wonderful lunch menu. Decided to stop in for dinner the other night. Meh! Drinks were overpriced and just OK. I've had a better margarita at the pizza parlor. Dinner specials were pretty average, overpriced and not terribly hot. I had high hopes for dinner, but I think I'll stick to lunch from now on. read more

Had lunch twice recently. Ordered Cuban sandwich each time. First was great, but the other was terrible. The cook was sloppy and included leftover dried pork that was inedible. Will not return. The new management needs a work-over. read more

Worse quiche ever!!! A to go order so didn't discover until I was at my destination, no time to call or return. No ingredients, no bacon or spinach, a couple of mushrooms and a tomato's. Burnt, & hard top, couldn't really eat it... why would I? Wasn't appealing at all! The French would be insulted. Based on that will never return to try anything else. Utterly disgusting! read more

Great place with really awesome sandwiches. I had a gluten-free bread and it was delicious

I recently returned with a group of people this week after a movie across the street. The food here, simply put, is awful. I watched an employee put a plate of food in the microwave prior to it being delivered to the table. Avoid this place at all costs. I can't imagine it being in business much longer. read more

NEVER GOING HERE AGAIN. HORRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE. If i could give them NO STARS I WOULD. They are only getting MY 1 STAR For allowing me to write this review. We were a Party of 16 for a 40th birthday dinner party. Unfortunately the server was not capable/unable/new/slow to take our order in a timely manner. Our food took over 1 1/2 hours to be served & everyone's food was not served nearly at the same time (we were not asking to be served at the same time, but it took more than 30min for 1/2 the table to be served). Some of the people in our table were done eating by the time some got served(since we were sitting outside outside & did not want our food to get cold). The food was mediocre!!!!!! Very salty, over cooked on the meat and small portions on the fish, yet some dishes were over loaded (but still NOT GOOD). Our table was set up to start dinner service at 5:30pm. We didn't order until 6:30pm. We ONLY got a chance to order 1 ALCOHOL drink and were done by 8ish pm. GET THIS..... so as we only had 1 alcohol drink, 3 of us decided to head on over to the bar to see if we could get served. But of course the terrible bartender with unprofessional manners, rudely told us that if we had a table we could only order thru our server. We understood that, so we simply asked if our server could actually SERVE US, since we had not seen her come around. Not 2 minutes go by when the SAME TERRIBLE UNPROFESSIONAL RUDE MANNERED BARTENDER comes out of her way, out of the bar, and tells ALL 16 of us (while waving her hands up in the air like we were little children) that we could no longer be served food or drinks!!! She told us that we had to leave our table because there was another party arriving. We were never told when reserving that we had A TIME LIMIT FOR DINNER. WE HAD NOT PAID OUR TAB OUT ( since our waiter was. M.I.A). There was no visible sign of this party anywhere. It was a dead night and I now see why. I guess this little party was promised a table outside from one of the band members for that night. That's terrible communication on their part if you ask me!!! (Not to mention their patio outside is quite big, I'm still NOT SURE WHY WE had to leave.) Yet this little band was still setting up.... This bartender would rather count her money on drinks that were no where to be seen, probably still sitting at home getting ready for this little live band. They lost 16 local customers willing and able to spread the news. To bad now it will all be BAD SERVICE NEVER GO HERE AGAIN KIND OF NEWS. I do want to add, we were never load, rude, or terrible customers. Our ages are from late 30's to 50's. We are SVMH & CHOMP professional so you can get the idea. We are a group that often get together and can spend over $700 for 4-5 people. They treated us like we were loitering!!!! Never again. We walked out with our heads higher & walked on over to FARMERS UNION POUR HOUSE!!!! Got served with no problems. read more

I have been here before, yet Friday night had to have been the worst service ever. Our waiter/waitress was constantly MIA... We didn't get a chance to order our food for over an hour... No one came as asked if we wanted another drink Our food came out at different times I ordered Artichoke Chicken and the chicken did NOT have any flavor We got 2 servings of bread for a party of 16 We were kicked out...and not allowed to purchase more drinks... We were not demanding and we were not obnoxious...yet an employee came out and told us "I can't serve you anymore and you have to leave" at 8pm (yes not 11pm...) We easily spent over $700 there...yet we were treated like we spent $7 Never ever going there again read more

Been going to Zeph's (aka Portobello Deli) since I quit my consulting gig in 2007 and settled down with a less hectic job in the area. Food was great, was served quickly, and price was right, so I would bring my staff, friends and colleagues with me, particularly out of town consultants that we bring in to work on projects, as well as friends and family who came to visit the Salinas/Monterey area. But I speak in past tense. That is because, my friends/co-workers and I noticed that food has not been as good lately. My usual order of roast chicken is no longer juicy. I even tried dark meat instead of white and the meat was so dry it was difficult to pry it off the bone. My other usual order, the chili verde is almost always too salty, and servers behind the counter are no longer friendly to allow a taste so I can check if that day's batch is too salty for me. The lasagna and pot pies are my son's (and occasionally, my husband's) usual order. But my son for about a year now refuses to eat at Zeph's since he tells me that there is nothing there that is any good for him to eat anymore. But I continued to go. After all it is a locally owned establishment and we chose the area to be our permanent home, so I feel some obligation to support them. Not anymore, not after yesterday. I walked in with a colleague who ordered her usual and was promptly served. Then when my turn came, I ordered my usual --- Then I watched and heard as the server behind the counter asked the other people in line their orders. Then I watched as she served them ahead of me. My friend watch from afar and was wondering what was holding me up. I told her that they decided to serve the others behind me in line first. As my friend walked away telling me which table we were sitting, the server told me off - "you ordered a quarter chicken which gives me more work so you get to wait." I eventually (after she did another order), got my order sans the usual sides/salad or bread that cones with it. Unfortunately, I was not in a complaining mood (my Dad had just passed away), and just paid, moved on and told another lady behind the counter that they probably will not see me back at Zeph's again. Later (as I sat struggling with the dry chicken), I heard other diners remark that the servers get to decide who they want to serve first. I also heard that I was the only non-blond in line and blondes have to be served first. Oh well, who cares why. There are other small establishments in town who welcome people like me and the people I bring with me. So I will no longer be going back to Zeph's. read more

There are some delish side choices to choose from. My son always chooses the asian cabbage salad and I always get the fruit salad. A great variety of yummy desserts, also. Always love a place that has wifi too! read more

Portobello's - Portobellos desserts - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Salinas, California

Went in last weekend. Gabe the manager was amazing! Food was phenomenal. Everyone was super friendly and make sure that we had a great experience! Can't wait to see the new menu! read more

Lovely atmosphere, terrible service, okay food. The server didn't take us seriously and ended up helping a few walk in customers before us. She even messed up our order. Their "blue cheese" dressing is a cup of oil with a few cheese crumbles in it. Village, Great Awakening, Sangs, and most Mexican restaurants all have better food. read more

Maynard is the best!! We went for a friends birthday and surprise bridal shower and everyone was so kind, caring, and attentive. Service was quick and the food and drinks were delicious! You have to try Maynard's signature French Martini, it is so good! Highly recommend this place, you should definitely check it out! read more

Worst service EVER! No acknowledgement. I had to ask 3xs for a table and none of the employees directed me or wrote my name down. This place needs a rescue! Worst service EVER! No acknowledgement. I had to ask 3xs for a table and none of the employees directed me or wrote my name down. This place needs a rescue! Worst service EVER! No acknowledgement. I had to ask 3xs for a table and none of the employees directed me or wrote my name down. This place needs a rescue! read more

LOVE THIS PLACE!! Its definetly my "go to" when in old town. Fresh and amazingly tasted food. I've had the bluburger several times and it's never failed. Out of curiosity, I recently went for breakfast as well. I had the breakfast sandwich and even tried a pancake; not disappointed. read more

This deli/cafe used to be an old favorite of mine when I lived in Salinas. I recently went back when I happened to be in Salinas around lunch time. Sadly, I don't think I'll come back. 1. The menu hasn't changed in YEARS (seriously, they are still serving the same food from my last visit a few years ago). 2. I had the rotisserie chicken...driest chicken I've ever had. My friend had the same experience with hers. The chickens at Costco or the grocery store for $6 are way better, no joke. 3. Service was pretty slow even though it wasn't busy at all. In fact, the waitress didn't bring out the right salads with our chickens. I am giving it 2 stars instead of 1 because I've had such fond memories of this place. I used to love their salads but since they have changed or added to them since they opened I am ready for something new. read more

Everytime I go to Portobello's, I have to try a different sandwich because they all sound so good! Paired with an incredible selection of side salads, you could probably go there everyday for months and not have a repeat lunch! Located in Zeph's One Stop on South Main/Highway 68, they have a pretty large dining area, but it's always packed right around lunchtime, so go early or later, and know what you're ordering before you get in line (people frown upon the wafflers). I suggest grabbing a paper menu to take home. There's outdoor seating, too, which is always nice when the weather cooperates. read more