Bellino Trattoria Sicialana

Cozy interior that’s nicely decorated. Friendly and attentive staff. Great food!

You know an Italian place is authentic if there are Italian people eating there – and there were quite a few the night we had one of the best meals ever at our new favorite place in Portland. The food isn’t just authentically Italian – it’s authentically Sicilian: lots of seafood, citrus, and almonds. The space is a perfect combination of Portlandian and Italian, everyone who works there is welcoming and attentive, and the food is delicious. Be sure to start with some of the yummy fried options!

We are from Seattle and were visiting Portland that day. We planned to have late lunch at a different Italian restaurant. When we got there, the place was closed to the public due to a special function so we had no choice but to look for another Italian restaurant. Checked Siri and we were presented with Bellino Trattoria which is a block away
Upon walking into Bellino, we were not sure if they just opened coz it looked empty. The waiter asked if we had reservations and we said no, but gladly seated us.
It took them a long while to prepare the food. But when the food arrived, we were all very pleased.
Started with zuppa del giorno — it was tomato soup that day. It was very, very good.
Next came our main dishes.
SPAGHETTI COZZE E PECORINO — a bit on the salty side because of the mussels and cheese but very, very flavorful.
SPAGHETTI ALLA CARBONARA — also very good.
LINGUINE CON GAMBERONI — very tasty.
The servings are just right, Prices reasonable.
The food was really worth the long wait.
The detour to Bellino’s was a blessing. We will be back to this place again.

First of all…
Why I have never heard of this place???
Luckily my husband and I stumbled across this little taste of home on our date night last Friday. Our annual trip to Italy had to be cancelled this year, so needless to say we’ve both been dying for authentic Italian food.
We decided to walk from our house down to Mcmenamins Als’s Den/​Crystal Hotel for dinner, flowed by the stand up comedy show that starts at 10pm.
We saw a sign in the window for espresso and wine so we decided to see what their menu looked like.
The menu was awesome. I posted pictures for you to see.
But it had things like, Octopus and Potato and a simple salad with oil and tomato and mozzarella! Real bruschetta with traditional toppings.
An amazing wine selection not to mention, Coffee from Umbria Café!
Right away when we walked in we were greeted by 3 people.
One of them led us back to a table and we noticed the bar and decided to sit there.
The bartender who is also the manager greeted us and gave us their Happy Hour menu and their Dinner menu to look over.
Both menus had tons of different things to choose from.
We wanted to Oder one of everything!
What I noticed was that everything they served was just like some of our favorite restaurants in Italy.
I ask the bartender of they served «Spritz» which is a drink that we’ve only been able to find in Italy so far.
And he said «of course we do!»
We were in heaven from there on out.
We ordered the salad with mozzarella, tomato, oil and vinegar. And the Octopus salad.(which again we’ve only ever had this salad in Italy as well)
Both were delicious.
They also have us bread and oil and vinegar while looking over the menu.
We only had time for Happy Hour but we will be going back for dinner next week.
We had two of the deserts and espresso to top it off.
The service was amazing. The restaurant itself was gorgeous.
Very cozy and very clean!
The bathroom was also very clean!
There were quite a few people there for dinner when we left but not overly crowded.
The manager told me they had only been open for about 7 months which explained why they weren’t jam packed.
I suspect it will be hard to get a table without reservations in a few more months.
We will be going back a lot!
We can’t wait to try the pasta’s and everything else they have to eat!
I posted lots of pictures so make sure to take a look!

We usually have a good food and service at Bellino’s, until last Saturday. Half the place was full but our service was terrible. Our server had to be reminded to bring us more bread. Our water bottle never came back. He had trouble taking our order all at once — for some reason he took our order for antipasti, went away, came back, took our order for wine, went away even after we said we were ready to order, and came back later to take our order. Did not check in after we got our food. Left our check on the table and went back to talking to his friends in the kitchen. Food was good and that is why I gave 3 stars.

We had a delightful Friday afternoon lunch at charming, romantic Bellino. The food was outstanding, lovingly prepared and presented. Personable service and dramatic, theatrical décor further contributed to our experience. Highly recommended!

Have you ever found a place that you feel so at home? This is it!!! Wine is from Sicily and southern Italy!!! Food is amazing!!!

First of all, the best night to go here is any night they are open! I had the opportunity to dine here when I was in Portland earlier this year visiting 3 very good friends, and I was astonished! The menu was excellent, and the food was even better! As for the staff, they were outstanding!
I’ve had the opportunity to dine at all of the Sicilian/​Italian restaurants I know of from Las Vegas to the entire West Coast, and I can very safely say this one is head and shoulders above them all.
I had to give the restaurant $$$ because I do not dine at a Sicilian restaurant without sampling from the entire menu, including the wine list, but their entrees are very reasonably priced.
If you live in Portland, or are just visiting, this is a must stop! You’ll definitely enjoy it, but be sure to bring your appetite!!!

This place is great! Sit outside and enjoy a unique yummy take on a mojito and the Busiati Alla Trapanese pasta. The service is exceptional and we will absolutely return.

Bellino is intimate and romantic. It’s a perfect place for an evening of Amore and the food was beautifully presented. I had a glass of Moscato and the gorgeous Salada di Polpetto. Belissimo! The attentive waitstaff were correct; it tasted even better than it looked. Go try them out; I don’t think you’ll be disappointed, mi caro. Ciao!

I’m sad to have to give a 3 star review because I’m really rooting for these guys. We went shortly after they opened and were substantially impressed. We returned yesterday evening, and not so much.
The fried meatball off of the HH menu was good and (at $ 4) fairly priced. I had the Mediterranean Sea Bass from the dinner menu. It was good as well but not worth the $ 28 price for the rather small portion. Ronda had the antipasti mussels and clams dish. Once again, good, but for $ 13 I would like to see more than the tiny portion she received. The asparagus she ordered was slightly undercooked, the $ 7 price not out of line.
Service was lackluster. We were one of two couples in sidewalk seating and there was one table for two occupied inside. With two servers plus help, I would expect more attentive service. Had to ask twice to see a dinner menu. The other outdoor couple promptly received bread and olive oil from their server. I had to ask ours for it. No condiments on the table and no offer of fresh ground pepper.
At these prices, I expect more.

Three stars with potential for 4 – 5.
Strong points for us last night:
1. Caprese Salad (enough for two unless you are BIG eaters. Very fresh and flavorful
2. Poached Salmon special. Very nicely done and plentiful as well.
3. Décor is cool
4. Deserts were excellent. (Chocolate cake, Bundini. Ice cream + expresso and liquor.
Areas that need improvement:
1. Eggplant casserole drew 3 negatives for «too much tomato sauce». One was returned.
2. Our waiter was stretched way too thin and we were in there too long and
3. It got warm despite AC
Overall the food is good and plentiful, the staff is well intended and this should be a fine experience once they get the kinks out. Bob

A perfect experience for my husbands 41^st birthday. The octopus appetizer was insanely good. Had one of the best bottles of wine of my life. Thank you.

I am so in love with this restaurant! I went for dinner two weeks ago, and for lunch today. I own a salon around the corner and will definitely be frequenting this cute place for lunch. Get the goat cheese and apple salad– it’s so incredible! Also, it has an amazing wine list. Good luck guys, were so happy to have you in the hood!
–77 salon staff

Good flavors, attentive friendly staff.
Sicily is an island and they did the Octopus salad well. The pasta I had was well flavored. I’ll go back

Quite disappointing. We eagerly showed up after calling to confirm availability and we happy to be seated in the air conditioner dining room promptly.
Unfortunately the dishes we choose off of the uninspiring menu, linguine w/​clams and baked pasta arrived cold and burnt respectively. Nothing to positive to say about either dish. Wish I had spent my time elsewhere. :(

Nice owner, good service but really marginal food. Fritto antipasti was just that-​fried balls with no taste and not enough sauce. My bucatini with anchovies was stodgy, salty and too heavy on the bread crumbs. My dad had his go-​to, linguini with clams and although the clams were fresh the pasta was fishy salty and of just one note. Husbands sea bass was tasty but unremarkable.
Dad was visiting so we tried a new spot – bad call. And we were squished in a «booth» with a too short table. (we are all quite tall) When we got up after dinner my back was spasming and a waitress showed us how you crank the table taller. Would’ve been good to know earlier!

I was excited to try a Sicilian Italian restaurant — I am a big fan of rustic Italian. I am going to give them a break since they are just opening, but it was just OK in my opinion.
We were seated at a nice table for 6 and the staff were initially very attentive to our table and answered questions about the menu and the wine list. The menu is not very complicated, but there were a lot of typos that confused me a little. During the course of the meal our waiter was a little MIA at times, and we often had to search for him for more wine and desserts.
The charcuterie was nice, but nothing special. I really grade an Italian restaurant by its’ pasta presentation, and I was a little let down. The pasta was a little soggy grossly speaking, and the fettuccine was a little raw. The entrees were good, but nothing to write home about. The pork loin encrusted with pistachio was very well prepared and had a wonderful flavor. The sea bass from the Mediterranean was cooked well, but bland. I had a hard time ordering the sea bass because of the source — would like to see the chef use his culinary skills on local produce/​meats and not waste the CO2 getting the bass from the Mediterranean — wasn’t really all that impressed.
I will give this place another try down the road to see if they are just working out the kinks.
Food: ³⁴⁄₄₀
Atmosphere/​vibe: ¹⁹⁄₂₀
Staff/​Service: ¹⁶⁄₂₀
Value: ¹⁶⁄₂₀
Total: ⁸⁵⁄₁₀₀

It’s always a delight to try out a new, well thought out restaurant. Starting with the general ambience of the place, very intimate. The furniture store, the lights are all complementary to each other. Next the food. They’ve an excellent selection of Sicilian wines. We tried the Nero and the cerasuola, both excellent red wines. Next up was eggplant caponata. Not the biggest eggplant fan, but I was pleasantly surprised by this dish. Appropriately sweet and well cooked, with roasted nuts people providing the right crunchy texture. The pasta (busiate) with tomato pesto was one of the best I’ve had in recent times. Perfectly cooked house made pasta, that had taken in all the flavors of the pesto perfectly. Lastly we shared the stuffed mackerel. This was the best dish of the night. Fried mackerel stuffed with anchovies and capers, what’s not to love! For desserts, the cannoli, stuffed with ricotta cheese, rivaled any that I’ve had, including the ones in Italy.

Authentic, warm, comforting, inviting. The atmosphere is as well considered as the goods. The staff is friendly and knowledgable and will treat you like family from the moment you walk through the door.