All six of us thought our experience was incredible from start to finish. We had beef carpaccio, shrimp, and mussels for appetizers. Our entrees included cioppino, frutta Del Mar, and beef tenderloin. We had four different desserts including creme brûlée, baclova, pecan pie, (can’t remember the fourth one, but it was just as awesome as the other three that I can remember). The cocktails were great, and we ordered two bottles of $$ speedy wine. We can’t wait to go back! Thank you to the owner, Fizel. He treated us like family. We can’t recommend this place enough.
Great food, mushroom soup good but def earthy suggest the cup size, corn and crab chower very good, hot bread and pesto dip sauce. OMG! So good! Pasta was delicous i liked it added shrimp they r huge!!! Short rib ravioli delicious but not my type of flavors but my bf loved it. They have a limited menu so check before you go to make sure its what u want. Dinner menu definitely much better but didnt get to go since we were leaving that day. I recommend their italian sodas!!! Cherry very delicious. We even got complimentary dessert baklava. Yum! Thank you!
Angel Pierceall Fernandez
+5
The corn crab bisque was amazing. The location is so charming with its little patio, fireplace and back patio (which is dog friendly and warm). The staff was wonderfully attentive. They served us champagne for our anniversary. The specials that night were halibut and scallops, both were in delicious sauces. Highly recommend this place for a romantic get away right in the heart of Carmel-by-the-Sea!
Fantastic food and wine, perfect last dinner for our trip😁very friendly staff, took good care of us, I will recommend this place to everybody staying in Carmel for the evening🙌🏻 Try the linguini with seafood and the Meomi red wine, delicious🙌🏻
We have had dinner, and lunch at Portabella about 8 times since October and love the food, people and atmosphere. I highly recommend it to anyone who visits Carmel who wants a quite, elegant, comfortable place to have a nice meal without pretense, or worrying about quality of their food, it is great. Again, i highly recommend Portabellas and suggest you go next time you're in Carmel, I know we will! Bob Barbour
My husband and I ate lunch at Portabella yesterday. I am the owner of Wag the Tail dog walking and companion service and brought five dogs with me for lunch. The service was outstanding. Not only did they cater to our needs but they provided a great chicken dish for the dogs and filled the water bowl for them to drink.
If you want Great food at affordable pricing with a beautiful ambience, then I highly recommend Portabella !
Great place! Food is outstanding. The lobster bisque is the best I’ve ever had...this place is on the list to return too.
Kerri Macgregor-Meggitt
+5
We are from Australia and had our 20th Anniversary dinner here while on vacation - loved everything about Portabello! The food was the nicest we've eaten in almost 4 weeks and the service was great and super friendly! I would recommend Portabello to anyone!
Beautiful restaurant, excellent service- everyone made us feel special! The food was delicious - I recommend the carpaccio and the local fish: dabs. The ambience in this place is very romantic. I was there with my ex though, for my daughter's visit with him. But this is an amazing place for a date.
If there were 200 stars I would have given them that.
The restaurant is adorable
The service was perfect
We had :
They brought fresh bread with homemade pesto- fabulous
Corn crab bisque- unbelievablely fabulous
Lemon Shrimp- cooked perfect & flavorful
Braised short ribs-perfect in every way
The best meal I have ever had.
Had a delicious dinner. First started with the garlicky mussels. The broth was also good with the toasted cheese bread. Sand dabs for main course with nice fresh vegetables. Was torn between the Warm Pecan Pie vs Crème Brulee. Owner suggested the pie. Was tasty with ice cream scoop on top. Large selection of wines. Generous fills. Service was superb. Waiters checking on me often, including the owner.
Excellent food, quaint & cozy atmosphere plus warm & friendly service made for a delightful dining experience. My husband had the grilled king salmon & said it was the best ever! The lemon rosemary grilled chicken was equally delicious.
Staff was amazing and so courteous and considerate to our dog, Morgan. That to me this was a priceless experience! The food and wine was great as well and the restraurant is charming.
Such a beautiful little place. The staff are so friendly and attentive. Our fav place in Carmel.
Three of us on a Monday afternoon between lunch and dinner. We could not have had a better experience. From the host, to the server, to everyone there. They made us feel so welcome. The food was excellent as was the service!
Quiet and quaint location with fantastic food. Octopus was great. The house made pasta was fantastic. Finished the night with pecan tart with vanilla ice cream which was also fantastic. At some point a gentleman came out playing guitar and prior to that there were cover songs sang in a lounge style. A really enjoyable dinner.
The food and atmosphere is very nice. The place is like most fine dining on Carmel. Very comfortable. The food is tasty. We got a few appetizers and I think we like the appetizers more than the main course but that is normally the case for me.
Wonderful dining experience as always. We had a reservation in the late evening, but showed up earlier than expected. We approached the host staff and they were very accommodating to seat us earlier than the reserved time after asking for flexibility. The food and wine selection are great and the live music is a nice touch. Will definitely be back for the great service and experience.
Very beautiful place. We decided to sit outside, but it was freezing. I asked to turn on hitter. It took them almost 20 min to do it. The food was nice, but nothing special. I am a big fun of risotto and this one I ordered wasn’t something awesome. The crab soup I didn’t like at all. The price was double from the normal one. It was for fine dining but the quality of the food was not. The percentage they are taking for paying by cards is ridiculous.
Great vibe and excellent service all around. You get a real sense of this being a family run establishment where people care about your experience. Food was great. Had the smoked salmon and goat cheese salad and lamb ossobucco. Beer (bottle only) and wine selection was great. Highly recommended
Overall the food was tasty (both appetizers & main). The tarte tatin was a bit disappointing but my spouse thought it was ok.
A few downsides that were a little less perfect:
Service - our waiter was grumpy and was not available.
Atmosphere - the restaurant was crowded, noisy and it was too hot inside.
Coffee - if you like good unburnt ☕ this is not the place.
We were pleasantly surprised with the food given some of the negative reviews. Everything we ordered exceeded our expectations! Server was attentive as well. I dined with a French woman who said “Anddddd you know the French are hard to please; especially with food!”. We also felt the price point for the value and location was reasonable (coming from Austin, TX where everything is overpriced). We would gladly come back to PortaBella in the future to explore other menu items.
The food we ordered:
- Cream of mushroom truffle soup. 👌🏽
- Salmon and pistachio salad. 🥗
- Pasta allá Carbonara. 🍝
- Grilled King Salmon. 😋
- Apple tarte tartin. 🍏
The only reason atmosphere was rated four stars is because of the overly loud party next to us. But it’s a tourist destination (most restaurants if not all will be crowded and loud).
This restaurant is located on busy Ocean Ave. but with a side entrance. It’s supposed to be Italian but the interior decor is definitely more French. The atmosphere can be casual and more formal depending on your mood. We were there for “Lunner”. The food we ordered were pretty good. The portabella cream of mushroom soup was excellent.
My favorite Italian restaurant in Carmel. Food is really good plus they have a great selection of beer. It is not exactly cheap but at the same time not more expensive than the surrounding restaurants. I will come back.
This was an excellent dining experience. Our waiter was the absolute best!! We not only enjoyed the food, but we had great conversations with all of the tables around us!! This light supper with dessert was the best way to end a day of shopping in Carmel!!
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A cozy looking house that turns into a restaurant serving the finer of the finest dishes around Ocean Drive. Cute little front yard and quite some space inside make up the carpet area that PortaBella has to offer.
Parking can be a challenge and we parked up a couple of blocks and made our way to the restaurant. Its always recommended to make reservations ahead of time or grab a spot at the bar which is what we do for almost every restaurant that we visit in Carmel :).
Got seated at the bar and ur server/bartender Big Mina (that's how he's liked to be referred to :)) gave us the menus and also some time to walk through the options and order accordingly.
Going through the menu we ordered a couple orders of Cream of Mushroom soup and as well sandabs (flat fish with mesh potatoes, carrots and beans). The soup was perfect in its texture , taste and quantity. Just the perfect choice to get your appetite goin.
Soon arrived the Sandabs and had a toothsome look. Got working on that right away and everybite to the finish was a savory journey that was beautifully put together. Richard, who had welcomed us and directed us to the bar, stopped by to check in with us which was a great gesture on his part.
Shoutout to Mina for helping us go though the menu with any questions that we had, have our orders in and out with a quick turnaround and as well with such a humble and friendly attitude all the way through.
Awesome food, amazing vibes , great hosts, what else can you ask for!!
Definitely going back soon!!!
Centrally located on Ocean Ave, Porta Bella is both fine and casual dining. Helpful, friendly wait staff, covered outdoor patio if you are toting along your dog, and a quiet elegance that's restful at the end of the day. A lovely curated menu with selections for everyone. Lunch is reasonable. Dinner prices can be much higher if you try a wine selection and extras. However, what ever you do, DON'T skip the Mushroom soup! It's... legendary!
Nice cozy Italian style restaurant tucked in downtown Carmel by the sea , visiting Monterey and Carmel by the sea after taking a break from #rennsportreunion7 #rr7 #rennsportreunion
Food is nice but those order burger are so and so , Braised short ribs are very good 😊
The meal itself was flavorful and delicious, and the atmosphere feels like visiting a romantic cottage home. My bf ordered the pasta alla carbonara, and I got the lemon dijon garlic chicken without the potatoes. I loved the creamy dijon sauce that complemented the tender chicken well along with the accompanying carrots and green beans, which were cooked perfectly without being too crunchy or too mushy.
Though we did arrive late to our reservation (called to let them know we would be late) and had to wait almost 45 mins for a menu after being seated (it was a pretty busy night and on a Labor Day weekend, so understandable), the manager comped our creme brulee (she didn't have to, but was kind to do so!) and apologized for having to wait for so long.
Also, props to the amazing performer who sang Italian ( I think?) to each table at the restaurant, which upped the romantic atmosphere.
Overall, a great place to dine and would visit again for a date night!
The food was pretty good! Make sure you make a reservation before you go. The reservation can be done online pretty easily. And staff are all very welcoming and friendly. Sitting outside by the heater and the flowers is quite amazing too!
Dog friendly 100% Dog inclusive restaurant that offers exclusive menu for dogs. The human food was exquisite. Good wine selection. Great barista coffee, fantastic desserts, and excellent service. Inside restaurant has an area with a kiva style fireplace. Back patio in cover. Front patio is beautiful and garden like area great for people watching.
Great atmosphere, live music and delicious food. Awesome service. Loved the scallops & the grilled octopus appetizer! 🐙🍽️
We walked here the other day for dinner with some friends without a reservation. We were seated quickly indoors and had great attentive service. We got fresh baked bread with fresh made pesto, which was amazing. The drinks were excellent, and the food was delicious considering most of Carmel-by-the-Sea restaurants are considered to be a tourist traps. The food quality was excellent however, the prices are very high for the establishment what they say location location location.
I typically don’t order white pasta, but this particular pasta was al dente in the ingredients of mussels and prawns, were fresh.
My friend ordered the wild mushroom risotto which has a touch of truffles. I got to taste it, and it was excellent.
Great food. Love the octopus and crab bisque
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