Portivene — Restaurant in Porto Venere

Mixed bag. Partly the restaurants fault, partly not. First, there was a group of 8 very noisy Brits at the next table. Wasn't the restaurants fault but didn't help.

Promptly put in our order and the proceeded to wait for 45 minutes with only prosecci & bread. Meanwhile tables around us that arrived later were getting food. Odd, as our antipasti were oysters - hardly difficult to get out of the kitchen. Eventually, I asked and was told they had a new order system and our order had not been properly recorded. OK... They comp'd us a couple of glasses of prosecci.

Oysters came, good but a couple were little specks and not justifying the 4E each price. My wife's pasta arrived but looked like it had been kept under the heat lamp. Was decent but would have been better if it had been brought out promptly. We waited for my primi but it didn't show so I cancelled it.

Finally, our secondi, fish, arrived. It was fine but at this point the dinner had been so distorted that it wasn't a good experience. BTW - the wine (a Pigaro, was fabulous).

End of the day, they did comp us a couple of glasses of prosecci for the delay and also knocked 30E off the bill. I would have vastly preferred they serve us correctly and had a better time - worth the 30E.

We left and went to the terrace at the Grand Hotel where we had a wonderful dessert.

All in all, we won't be back (we have a house about 40 minutes away). Portovenere is a beautiful, albeit touristy town, so often one finds restaurants that cater to tourist not doing the things that create repeat business. That, unfortunately, seems the case here. Shame as the waiter was a nice guy and...

Disappointed: Overpriced, Inflexible, and Underwhelming

We recently dined here for what was supposed to be a special evening, but the experience left us deeply frustrated and questioning the value of the $223.86 bill for a 7-course blind tasting menu that ended up being 6. What they don’t clearly tell you upfront is that this tasting menu is mandatory for the entire table regardless of dietary preferences or restrictions. Unfair.

When we explained my girlfriend’s lactose intolerance, the kitchen outright refused to serve ME a simple pesto pasta for myself even though it would’ve easily accommodated and allowed me to enjoy the meal. For a restaurant that charges this much, you’d expect a basic level of flexibility and hospitality. Apparently not.

Yes, the food looked nice but unfortunately, the taste didn’t match the presentation. Most dishes were just average, not something you’d expect at this price point. The only redeeming aspect was the drink selection and the service which was solid. But good cocktails and service alone aren’t enough to justify a disappointing and rigid dining experience.

There are far better ways to spend this kind of money. We won’t be returning, just...

I eat a lot of fish and tuna, catch my own and have learned the ways to bleed tuna properly, rest the meat and prepare seared tuna. I have never had a better prepared blue fin rare tuna in my life. It was soft like butter to cut through and the flavors of the crust were savory. The hazelnut cream and ponzu sauce balanced each other perfectly while creating such a spectacular highlight to the fish. My only regret was coming here on my last night in town otherwise I would have been there every night. The staff was welcoming and charming and we didn’t even have a reservation but they sat us outside immediately. My husband had the fish filet that was also impeccably prepared and gorgeous presentation. I definitely am leaving my heart in Portivene after such a awe inspiring meal. Oh and the French fries were - so simply good. They were shaved and curled and perfectly salted with a crunch in the outside and flavor on the inside. We didn’t have dessert because we were full from the day but had the local mussels that were beautifully fresh to start. I’ll have to come back to PortoVenere just to eat...