I Gemelli — Restaurant in Portofino

We reserved a table for 10 PM the day after our arrival. My son and I were looking forward to this dinner the whole day, because the restaurant is always fully booked and works only by reservation. We expected to enjoy both the view and the food. Unfortunately, we were very disappointed.

First, we waited 25 minutes just for someone to take our order, and then about the same amount of time for the food to arrive. The waiter was friendly, but when the table was being prepared one of them (I don’t know if it was the same or another) moved my personal belongings around without asking me — which I find unacceptable.

Then came the food. We ordered two portions for €40 each. What we received were very small portions: I was served just five prawns for €40 (I attach photos). I don’t mind paying such money, but there should be value in it. Half of what was on the plate was inedible parts that had to be thrown away.

My son was served langoustines — they were already cut, but the only edible part was the tail. The claws were left untouched because no proper tools were provided. I asked for utensils, and they brought us crab crackers, which crushed the meat into pieces. No small forks or picks were given to help extract the meat from the claws, so we simply couldn’t eat it.

In the end, we left hungry and very disappointed. I understand that Portofino is an expensive place, but if you charge such high prices, the service and food should match. Instead, we paid €120 and basically got nothing. For this money we could have eaten three full dinners at another restaurant, been satisfied, and even taken food home.

Sorry, guys, but this is the minimum number of stars from me. If I ever come back to Portofino, I will not return to this place. This is just a warning for those planning to visit — be prepared for...

Unfortunately, we had a very disappointing experience at Il Gemelli in Portofino.

After months of trying to get a response for a group reservation, we finally received a confirmation only to be told a week later that they could no longer accommodate us. Wanting to still experience the restaurant, we decided to visit with a smaller group.

From the moment we arrived, something felt off. The atmosphere was unwelcoming, and our waiter (a Brazilian gentleman) was cold, unengaged, and visibly uninterested in serving us. While the food itself was genuinely delicious, getting our orders through was an ongoing challenge.

The most unpleasant part came during coffee service. My friend asked for an espresso and was ignored. After several attempts, the waiter finally replied in an extremely rude and unprofessional manner, saying: "You are not the only ones in this restaurant, so wait." This left us all shocked and uncomfortable.

I approached one of the owners (one of the twin brothers) who was speaking with the local police. I politely said I needed to speak to him, but he too brushed me off and asked me to wait, without any concern for what we were trying to communicate.

At that point, we decided to pay and leave.

This experience reminded us that hospitality is about more than just a beautiful location. It’s about warmth, respect, and professionalism all of which were sadly missing.

We will not be returning, and I sincerely hope the management reconsiders how they treat...

My parents visited Portofino for 3 weeks and rented an apartment in town. This was one of their two favorite restaurants (and they tried all of them!)

The owner Matteo, and our servers GianCarlo and Giovanni were all excellent and had great recommendations and friendly. I’m vegan, and they made me a pasta with fresh vegetables off the menu and even their spaghetti with pomodoro sauce was lovely. They also have grilled vegetables as a side and a mixed salad if you’re vegan, but it would be nice if they had a special vegan dish on the menu that wasn’t just pasta with sauce but still they made it special for me and I was grateful for it.

Every restaurant in Portofino is expensive because of where you are. The reviews about it being expensive for the portion, I think you just have to expect that in Portofino in general, but this wasn’t the most expensive and it wasn’t the least expensive. We were all very satisfied and loved the restaurant the service and the atmosphere.

Highly recommend!

Every restaurant in Portofino is...