L'Isolotto — Restaurant in Portofino

As someone born and raised in Italy, living in Australia, I’m genuinely surprised to see that this incredible gem in Portofino has received anything less than five stars!

I’ve noticed a few reviews complaining about not being able to order just drinks or dessert, yes, that’s true. But that’s because this is a restaurant, not a bar or a bakery. If you're unfamiliar with how dining works in Italy, it’s worth understanding a bit about the local customs before leaving a negative review. Restaurants here typically serve full meals, not coffee and cake.

My Australian partner and I had a wonderful lunch. We ordered cozze alla marinara, trancio di pesce, and fritto misto. The service was warm and attentive, despite how busy it was, both waiters made a point to check in and ensure we were comfortable and well looked after. The food was absolutely delicious and felt truly authentic. We even tried the house wine, which I usually avoid, and it turned out to be surprisingly good!

There was nothing about our experience that fell short, and I felt proud to share this part of my country with my partner. Please remember when you travel, you’re visiting a different culture, not everything will match your expectations back home, and that’s part of the beauty of it.

Respect local customs, appreciate the hospitality, and don’t act like an entitled tourist just because you...

The Best kept secret in Portofino. Truly the finest freshest seafood and affordable. If you eat down by the water it will be 3 x as expensive. And Not Good. Make your way up the back walkways to find this gem. Its Delicious and so fresh. The frito misto (calamari & shrimp) are the Best in Italia. Pesto Trofie pasta heaven. Pizza delicious and service is kind. I literally have eaten here many times over many years and its consistent and perfect and the bill is affordable. GO HERE A FEW TIMES IF IN PORTOFINO OR CLOSE BY, grazie mille for excellent fresh true...

I tried this place and we tried 4 different pasta dishes including the pesto and the spaghetti with clams and the fish ravioli, only the fish ravioli was okay all the rest of the dishes were less than mediocre, the service was bad because the manager had an attitude for no reason and they didn’t even offer us the option to pay separately, overall a bad experience and i have visited multiple places in the north and south of italy (milan, napoli, rome, pulia, bergamo, matera) by far the worst service and value per...