Great gnocchi and meatballs! Great service! Nice and fancy feeling atmosphere! I enjoyed the bread and oil! And fairly affordable prices! I'd say the prices reflect the experience! read more

Had a very nice and quiet dinner here while on a business trip. The dining room was warm and cozy, and I had the impression that the restaurant had a sense of tradition and a long history of certain dishes. I had the Pollo Portofino and it was good - I totally went clean plate on the chicken and pasta, but the vegetables were a bit bland. Service was quiet and effective, and I was really happy I left the hotel and visited. Went back with a happy and full stomach! read more

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We celebrated my mom's 71st birthday with dinner at Portofino, and I feel compelled to share the following. The the food was exceptionally delicious, the service was impeccable and the ambience was the perfect blend of warm and relaxed while exquisitely refined. None of this comes as a surprise, and it's why Portofino was chosen. It's no wonder this family restaurant is going strong after 56 years. Thank you to everyone who made tonight wonderful. read more

Overall not the best experience. No one really enjoyed their food in my group, pasta was cold.

Avoid this tired place, with microwave low quality offerings. It feels very tired and whoever used to run this place with any care has left the building... Nothing we ordered was acceptable and it was overpriced. read more

Food was undercooked and felt hard to chew service was great but otherwise felt lacking in ambiance and atmosphere read more

Such a great, small establishment. The dining room has this old Italian home feeling. Another thing I love that they do is half-size pasta dishes. Allows you to get a few, smaller portions and try different dishes. Very reasonably priced with friendly staff. read more

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Visited Arlington National Cemetary Memorial Day weekend and needed a place for a family dinner. Excellent service, food and ambience! What a gem of a restaurant! We felt so welcomed and were tended to splendidly!! 10/10 read more

Came here for a group dinner with a large group. We were seated in the back dining room. We started off with some drinks, ordered appetizers and finally the entrees. It did take a while for all of our food to come out, given that we had such a large group. However, everyone enjoyed the food and company. Overall, it was a good experience and would recommend trying it out! read more

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Such a wonderful, cozy restaurant! The atmosphere was so charming. Not only that but my wife said that her linguini with clams was the best she ever had. I had the onion soup and pollo portofino which were both superb! Can't wait to go back! read more

This was a complete disappointment. First, they do not like well behaved children and secondly the portions were rather small. Finally, the food tasted more closer to a microwave meal than homemade cooking. read more

Went here a few times over the years, not great enough to return again lately... rear entrance from parking lot is awkward, like you're sneaking in the back door... ambiance is meant to feel like that old school familiar Italian restaurant & staff but given the 23rd St location/ proximity to hotels, has more of a transient feel than neighborhood restaurant... service was slow, food was ok, price high for what you get... Food quality: 3/5 Service: 2/5 Ambiance: 1/5 Price/value: 3/5 read more

It's Italiano! The bread was fresh and warm, and it warmed our bellies after a long day of walking around DC in the cold! We didn't have a reservation, but they were kind enough to seat us. I ordered calamari for our table, and then we ordered dinner. The servers were nice and kept asking if we wanted more bread, which my kids also didn't say no to. The entrees were ok. The dish I ordered was way too salty for my liking. My daughter got half a portion of the Alfredo, but the full portion was almost the same price. It's a local restaurant with regulars that the waiters are familiar with! It was pleasant and had that old-school traditional feel. I think they have upstairs seating from other folks going up the stairs. They have parking in the back, and it could be a bit confusing if you do not pay attention to the sign at the front. I don't know if I would go back here, but we all have different taste buds, and this could be a place you're interested in checking out. read more

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Great food and service! Had the pollo portofino, side of fettuccine alfredo with the tres letches special for dessert. All was so good, full of flavor and delicious. What impressed me the most was the staff and service. My glass was never empty, Julio the waiter was very knowledgeable and steered me in the right direction. The environment was very clean, relaxing and would make a great environment for a romantic evening. read more

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I had an AMAZING experience here!!! It was very close to Little Eataly in New York. All pasta tasted like a handmade. I just LOVED chewiness! perfectly Al Dante pastas! Great portion! Authentic Italian paste! We also loooooved gelato. It was like homemade black cherry and none like the other! I visited here on Friday lunch. It was a cute, romantic local place. The server was so kind and knowledgeable. Everything on the menu looked so good so we couldn't decide, and the server kindly came to rescue us lol. He really spreads happiness with great serving, and food also came out just in time! ALSO there is a parking lot for this place! read more

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This is a great place to take a group. They have a large round table that we seem to get every time. The food and service is always exceptional. read more

I kept coming back because I thought this would be a good place over a long term. But it's still hit or miss. The beschemel sauce is mostly bland, and they put it on everything. The olive oil is butter, inedible but the bread is still good when it's warm. I've eaten here eight times now and every time it just gets a little worse. I'm disappointed. read more

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Pollo Portofino's sun-dried tomato sherry glaze and tender veal scaloppini perfection at Portofino--Fettuccine Alfredo creamy dream starter, Cannoli crisp finale. Multi-level charm, flawless family service; Crystal City classic endures. Timeless feast! read more

In my opinion, this was a very nice restaurant, Northern Italian food. The soup was very tasty. The pasta was nice. Meat sauce. Very sweet Tables were evenly separated. Noise level very low staff. Very attentive I enjoyed my meal there but being from Buffalo New York When I order pasta they fill up the bowl. He don't leave hungry read more

The Portofino Restaurant - Tortellini soup - Italian Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

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Date night at Portifino. It was very ready to make a reservation for 2 at 7pm the day of. We went on a Saturday night and it was bustling. We had good service and the food was yummy. My friend got a Peroni beer and I got the Portifino Martini which was strong. I ordered a Orecchiete 4 Funghi as an appetizer and originally ordered a seafood plate for my entree. Didn't love it so sent it back and got a Melanze Portifino instead which was perfect. My friend for a Caesar salad and Lasagna, both of which she loved. We got the desert special which was pretty good. read more

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Sir, the tiramisu here tastes like a stunning, bedazzled treasure. I can't describe with usual words. RIP to all other tiramisu as far as my taste buds are concerned. The staff is friendly, the parking behind the building is abundant. I placed an order to go, but then I really wished I had eaten in the restaurant because it's got such a beautiful and lovely ambience. read more

I struggled with this review. Somewhere between a 2 and a 3. Came here with a big party for a corporate dinner. We had around 18 people. The service was very slow. The cocktails were not great. Trying to put an Italian spin on some classics, but it didn't work (for me). Wine was better. The main dishes were average Italian fare. I had hoped for something more creative. We got a few appetizers, calamari, antipasto, and mushrooms with polenta. They were all meh. The mushrooms were suppressed to be a medley of wild mushrooms, but seemed to be just button or maybe baby Bellas. I got chicken stuffed with prosciutto and cheese with a side of homemade pasta. Again. It was fine, nothing special. And the desserts were not great. Cannoli didn't have enough chocolate chips, IMHO. read more

Excellent family owned Northern Italian restaurant on 23rd Street in Crystal City. Warm ambiance, with upstairs intimate room, and downstairs for large groups. Call ahead if you cannot climb stairs and they will open the street-level entrance for you. Food is excellent and they have a good wine list. Great desserts! Service is good. The Go-To place! Michael B read more

Well, the food was delicious. We stopped in with a very large group so things were a bit chaotic. It was a busy place as well. Since we stopped in with such a big group, food orders were brought out at different times but the staff was very friendly and the food was delicious. Great place to enjoy with friends or family, really has the traditional vibe. read more

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The quaint intimate feeling of the restaurant made for the perfect intimate dinner. We made reservations and were seated upon arriving. We sat at the table for roughly 10 minutes waiting for someone to bring us menus. We ordered calamari, pesto pasta, and gnocchi. The calamari and the bread were beyond phenomenal. We always order calamari at Italian restaurants on a search for the best calamari. And I think we finally found it! Our original best calamari has been replaced by Portofino's, congratulations! The tomato cream sauce gnocchi with chicken unfortunately was subpar. The chicken was unbelievably dry. It reminded me of chicken that was cooked on Sunday and reheated multiple times during the week and then finally heated up one last time in the microwave completely drying it out. The pesto chicken pasta was better than the gnocchi. The chicken wasn't as dried out but it wasn't fresh or juicy either. Both of the dishes were served slightly warmer than room temperature but not hot out the kitchen. read more

The Portofino Restaurant - Italian Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

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Ohhhhhh yes delicious and perfectly cooked and dare I said moist chicken! The customer service was lacking- long wait, confused about menu and packed up left overs in leaking containers- The food itself was delicious! Definitive it a try! read more

The Portofino Restaurant - Chicken Marsala - Italian Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

50 minutes waiting time for a pasta is not acceptable. The place wasn't that busy. Food was just ok. Overall experience affected by waiting time. Service not good as well.Not happy. read more

Overpriced bland food with small portions. There are much better options out there so do yourself a favor and head somewhere rise.

This was a fine place to grab a bite for dinner. Food was good. Where we were sat was not in the main part of the restaurant, but it was fine. read more

Portofino in Old Town Alexandria was small, cozy and totally delightful. The owner, Maria, was so lovely and welcoming. Our meals were quite enjoyable, totally delicious. Chicken Picatta and Veal Parm. SO good. I very much appreciated the Birthday dessert and sweet song from her staff. A very memorable visit for my Birthday! read more

Great spot. Authentic Food, truly delicious. Nice servers, funny and chill. The place was pretty clean, classy, and overall a great experience. read more

First of all, the place is so so charming!! Service is A+! The food was amazing, my veal Marsala and my husband's veal Parmesan were excellent!! I so recommend this authentic beautiful Italian restaurant!!!! read more

Amazing old school traditional Italian resturant with fantastic service and outstanding food and menu. Old school charm of the whole resturant is great. read more