Portofino

Very nice Italian restaurant in the historic center of Alkmaar.
The prices are as usual, the food, especially Pizza is very delicious.
Staff is friendly and personal. The restaurant is decorated in a Italian style with wall paintings etc. Looks good.
If in Alkmaar and you are searching for a nice place to eat: here you go. Much recommended.

Portofino’s isn’t terrible it is just not the best restaurant in town. It does have great portion size and as with most Italian restaurants it is perfect for large groups but the service was a bit less than the typical super friendly North-​Holland I have come to know although they were responsive… just no smiles… well on with the show.
My first visit was in a large group and as I mentioned the restaurant does a good job in this arena. We shared a few carafes of the house red (light-​medium body and minimal flavor but good selection for our group) and then ordered some soups to start. Strike one out of my favorite the pomodoro… sniffle. but the minestrone was good if a bit on salty side. Main course was a slice of good pretty traditional lasagna. the Italian bread was good :) but I have come to expect good bread everywhere in Alkmaar. Desert for me was a glass of port which was nice and fruity (seemed to be a ruby as when I asked if they had a Tawny i received a quizzical look).
Service during this visit was a bit friendlier than my second.
Second was just myself and a colleague grabbing a dinner and discussing business. Perhaps we gave off a do not disturb vibe but we had three different waiters and once again out of my pomodoro soup.sigh.i went with the Tris (spaghetti, ravioli and rigatoni) and it was filling and.meh.ok. Colleague went with a crème/​tomato sauce on linguine with mushrooms and salmon. also reported no major issues. Bread and port continue too book end dinner nicely. although now that i think of it no refill on bread.huh.odd.
Price point is great but quality in area is better (De Buren is next door and Salem and Irodion is around corner.)