Portofino’s

I got their margherita pizza. Hubby got the veggie pizza. Both were very good. I found it a little odd that their bruschetta had chunks of garlic which was slightly overpowering but they were tasty regardless. It’s not our first time here and won’t be the last.

I have been a regular here for years and last night I was served one of the worst meals I have ever eaten or refused to eat. This place has been hit or miss for a long time, after last night they will not get another chance.

It had become tradition to go to Portofino’s for my mother’s birthday. We’ve been fans since the restaurant was in China Spring (under a different name). Last night was the worst we’ve experienced. Appetizers were good (including fried calamari). Several of us ordered the night’s special (shrimp diablo w/​lobster ravioli, spaghetti and side salad). The shrimp was very tough, don’t think anyone who ordered it ate all their shrimp. I also did not care for the lobster ravioli, bad taste. Spaghetti & sauce were good. Food took a long time to come out. Service was fair. Also, there was an occasional drip of water coming from the ceiling, possibly a condensation line? Not too appetizing to have that land on your plate.
They DID comp two of the 9 meals due to complaints on the shrimp. Not sure we will go back, which is unfortunate.

This place is not good at all and I feel the same as other reviewers… confused about the good reviews. The seating is uncomfortable, the table clothes are cheap and the food is beyond bland. I am beginning to think people in Waco have defective taste buds, this place is not worth the money.

I am baffled by the reviews. I had the Nona’s Trio and it was «ok». The tomato sauce on the chicken parm tasted like tomatoes out of a can and not cooked down. Very sweet and really tomatoey. Just tasted strange. The chicken in the chicken parmesan was either pounded so thin, or not there, as the dish was maybe a ¼’ thick. Tasted just liked burned breading. Alfredo sauce was way too thick. Lasagna? I couldn’t find any on the plate, one random 2 inch noodle…

Very good pizza. Definitely worth the time and money and much better than commercial /​bigger establishments. Service is good and prices are also reasonable. Check this place out!

I’m really confused as to why this restaurant has such great reviews. I’m in from out of town and I ordered the lasagna, it was cold in the middle and the edges of the noodles were hard as if it had been sitting, I’m assuming it was microwaved considering it came out within 4 minutes of me ordering. Either way, I would never come here again.

My wife and I were in town for our anniversary and we saw this place on Unilocal.We decided to give it a try, and weren’t disappointed. My wife got the trio and I got the tortellini michaelangelo. The food was delicious but the pic of the menu we saw on Unilocal seemed to be outdated. The food was a little more expensive than the pic but that wasn’t a big deal for us. The only reason I gave it 4 stars was because the waitress was not familiar with the wine list to help my wife when she was making the decision on what wine to have. BUT a big plus was they now serve wine and alcohol. I think if you try out the place you won’t be disappointed.

Dropped in for lunch. Very nice atmosphere and food was priced very reasonably. Really good eggplant Parmesan which is what I rate all italian restaurants by. Highly recommend. Friendly waitstaff. Generous portions

I’m a big fan of this restaurant. Great location and very good food. The service is very good and the atmosphere is nice downtown. I’ve tried a variety of dishes and all were excellent. You get some really good, authentic Italian for a very reasonable price. Nice for large groups as well or family celebrations.

Exceptional food and great staff. My «usual» was not on the menu. The waitress spoke to the chef and he offered to whip it up for me. Not only did they create a special dish just for me, it exceeded all of my expectations.

I absolutely loved everything about Portofinos on Austin Ave. I was visiting family in Texas so My husband and I decided to try this Italian Restaurant and boy am I happy we did! The service was great and everyone was really friendly, delicious fresh bread to start and everything just got better, my husband and I shared a fried calamari which was great! Then I got the salmon piccata with sautéed veggies which was absolutely to die for! Tied it all together with a dessert. I must say everything was just fantastic! Can’t wait to go back to Texas to visit my family and Portofinos!

Was going to give 5 stars because the pizza was really great and the waitress was very attentive, but then I went to the bathroom.
Curtains should NEVER be used as a door on a stall. Especially if you disable the lock on the door to the restrooms. Not cool.

Serious Italian food! What a great hole in the wall! I Unilocal’ed! And found this place! It was delicious. Clean bathrooms! Homemade & fresh food!!! A+

Really liked it, my boyfriend is an Italian who’s very picky about sauces and he loved it! A little on the pricey side for us but we’ll be back for sure.

I haven’t had anything but the chicken parm and their pizzas.
Not a fan of chicken parm (I found this out after eating here), but my opinion on the chicken parm is null and void… as I’m sure its good… I just didn’t care for the texture, etc.
The pizza is really good. Taste fresh and BIG slices.

Went here today and had a delicious salad with fresh baked. The main course was grilled salmon with a side of steamed broccoli/​asparagus mix. Very tasty. For dessert had a really nice cup of coffee and Tiramisu. First time here but will definitely be visiting again.

Love this place! We have been going every time we come to town since it opened close to China Springs. They have now moved to downtown Waco. Great food and wonderful, friendly owners!

We just visited yesterday for my niece’s birthday. As much as a I hate to write a negative review on a small restaurant, I must. As a gluten-​free vegetarian, I get that I can’t eat everywhere and never expect places to adapt their menu to me. What I DO expect is for them to know their menu and to be able to answer questions about it.
I asked if the eggplant Parmesan could be made without the breading and got attitude and a sarcastic response of «well isn’t that dish made to be fried?» So, instead of taking issue I said, «you know, let’s just do a salad». He did then recommend another eggplant dish that was stuffed with veggies and he said he «thought» he had gf spaghetti. Okay great. It was $ 15 but I wasn’t going to make a stink about that and just went with the flow.
The food comes. What I get is half an eggplant with melted cheese on it (nothing stuffed inside) and when we tried to verify if the pasta was gf, his response was «it should be». So basically, this is what I asked you to do with the eggplant Parmesan, you just figured out a way to charge me 50% more for it.
Like I said, if you aren’t willing to or can’t accommodate me, don’t, but don’t give me attitude about it, pretend you’ve done me a favor, or pretend you’re going to and then let me guess as to whether the food you’ve placed in front of me is safe to eat.
We will not be going back. It’s sad because the food was very good but I had to have others «test» my food and then wonder if I was going to get sick. Sorry, but that’s not a fun time for me.

Stopped at this little Italian spot on our way back to Dallas from Austin. Very much enjoyed the atmosphere. My pasta was delicious! The staff were very friendly. And it’s byob!
I would definitely recommend. And across the street is an old time movie theatre! Great for dinner and a show!