🇺🇸 Best Italian Restaurant in Carmel-by-the-Sea 🍴

Restaurant: Portabella Address: Ocean Ave, Carmel-By-The-Sea, CA 93921 Recently visited this trendy handmade pasta spot with friends on a weekend getaway to Carmel—and it absolutely blew me away! For me, the ultimate test of an Italian restaurant is whether their Carbonara is rich enough to make you swoon (in the best way possible). This place nailed it and skyrocketed to the top of my list of non-Italy-based Italian restaurants! (Haven’t been to Italy yet 🇮🇹, but I’ve tried plenty across Europe. Shoutout to Joya in Bath, but this one wins with its cheesy, springy handmade pasta!) Their creamy pastas and risottos are stellar, though tomato-based dishes are less impressive. Meat dishes are solid but not groundbreaking. Straight to the reviews: 🍝 Pasta Alla Carbonara: Crispy smoked pork jowl with egg yolk and cheese sauce, generously coating bouncy handmade pappardelle. ⚠️ Rich and indulgent—but totally worth it! 🍚 Classic Wild Mushroom Risotto: The rice texture is surprisingly perfect (finally one that isn’t undercooked!). Loaded with wild mushrooms and cheese—absolutely addictive. 🦀 Roasted Corn and Crab Bisque Bowl: Sweet and savory corn-crab chowder. Generous portion—we shared one among four people since we ordered so much! 🥩 Oven-Braised Short Ribs: Melt-in-your-mouth beef ribs with a deep Maillard reaction finish. Red wine sauce is rich, though the veggies were underseasoned. 🍅 Fresh Tuscan Pappardelle Al Pomodoro: Disappointing. The tomato-mushroom pasta felt bland and underseasoned, though the pasta itself was well-made. 🦐 Skewer Grilled Jumbo Prawns: Standard grilled shrimp—nothing extraordinary. #UCBerkeley #StudyInUSA #BayAreaFood #ItalianCuisine #CarmelEats