Portabello's Italian Bistro — Restaurant in Milton

I had a very disappointing experience at this restaurant due to their poor service and questionable practices. First we weren't greeted at the door and had to stand for around 15 minutes before anyone even looked at us. Then we had to ask couple of servers to be seated before we finally sat down. Then, we waited alomst an entire hour for our food to arrive, which is unacceptable even on a busy night which was not the case at all!

When the bill came, I noticed an extra $3 charge for switching to rose sauce instead of regular tomato sauce. This was never mentioned by the waitress when I placed the order. When I asked about it, I was told it was because cream is more expensive. Frankly, that reasoning is ridiculous, considering most pasta dishes usually come with a choice of sauce based on preference without hidden charges.

To make matters worse, the attitude from both the server and the manager was condescending and dismissive. They reluctantly removed the charge, claiming it was a "courtesy" this time, but not before implying I should “remember” this policy for the future. Mind you, the bill total was over $100, and the $3 is meaningless to me, but it's the principle and attitude that I am disappointed with. Anyways, as I told them, there won’t be a next time—they’ve lost me as a customer.

Adding insult to injury, they also charge an extra 2.5% if you pay with a credit card, which was another unpleasant surprise. For a restaurant that tries to present itself as a respected Italian dining establishment, charging additional fees for credit cards sounds ridiculous and probably an indication of a business that won't last long!

To be fair, the food was good, which is the only reason I’m giving 2 stars. But the service and overall experience left such a bad taste in my mouth that I won’t be returning. Proceed with caution if you decide...

Amazing! The attention and gratuity we received from the moment we walked in was unimaginable! My husband and I attended Portebellos for the very first time ( we just moved into the area) and we really wanted a patio seat since it was technically the first day of summer and as everyone else, we craved to spend it out on a patio! We were told that nothing was available, which we were kind of expecting, so as we declined to sit indoors. And so, we were ready to embark on our next journey to an outdoor patio.. until Joe! (who we expect to be the owner or GM, at the very least) greets us and encourages us not to leave. The fact that our presence is even acknowledged, never mind wanted, makes us estatic and willing to stay for a table. We stayed. Joe made sure we knew what the wait time was. He introduced us to Mario (I hope it was Mario, I may have got the name wrong). They were both so empathetic about the wait and ensured us we would get the table we’ve been wanting on the patio. It was just so nice knowing that they cared and wanted our first experience to be one of a kind.. and it really was! I don’t even care how long we would have to to wait.. just acknowledgement and appreciation was so satisfying! I come from a restaurant background and this was just up my ally. Anyway .. we haven’t even reached the food and service at this point yet! The ambience was so great! And yet to behold, the service was great! The food was great! I wish I could try everything on the menu! I really do not have anything bad to say. To be honest, this is the first review I’ve even wrote! Thank you to Portebellos and the staff for making our night a memorable experience. We can’t wait...

My wife and I decided to share a 16 inch pizza but asked if they could hold the cheese on half of it as my wife is only able to eat small amounts of dairy at a time. We were told that this wasn't possible as the cheese was "pre-measured" and that we'd have to get two 11" pizzas instead. I ordered a Toscana and my wife ordered ordered a Mediterranean asking that they hold the mozzarella and only put on a little of the feta.

My wife's pizza arrived smothered in cheese. We notified our waitress who checked with the kitchen and determined that mozzarella was added in error. They offered to make her a new one. When the new one arrived, it was also smothered in cheese but this time the cheese was 100% feta making the pizza incredibly salty and inedible. The pizza was left uneaten. My pizza, the Toscana, was quite good. When our waitress came to our table she didn't ask if the new pizza was acceptable or ask if there was anything wrong despite 99% of the pizza being untouched.

When the bill came it contained both pizzas. I asked the waitress if she was really going to charge me for an inedible pizza that we didn't eat. She left to speak with her Manager who came to our table to ask us what had happened. I explained the situation and while he was argumentative at first, he did end up removing the $12 pizza from our bill. When the waitress returned with our new bill she was rude and unfriendly.

While I appreciated the refund, the overall experience was very frustrating and we had to go somewhere else afterwards so my wife could have a meal. I would have only rated 1 star but because I enjoyed my pizza, I decided to...