Il Portico Ristorante — Restaurant in Burlington

Had to share an experience we had tonight at Il Portico Restaurant.

This was our second trip to the restaurant. Our first trip was for our anniversary dinner and the food and service was very good and we could not wait to return with our kids to share the experience. During this dining visit there were only two tables besides ours.

I could not wait to return for Mother’s Day Dinner and made a reservation in advance and arrived on time.

Tonight we were sat in the dining room, there were 6 other tables sat when we arrived. Another table for two was sat after us. After about ten minutes we noticed they were greeted, had menus and had a drink served to them from the bar. At the 15-minute mark still no one had approached our table, we had no menus, nothing.

I went and peeked around the wall of the Hostess and asked to speak with a Manager. The young lady (very young) asked if there was a problem. I told her my corcerns. She threw her hands up in the air and says “I am not dealing with this anymore” and walks away! She went to another woman (who later announced herself as the Owner and stated that the very young Hostess was her daughter) that woman asked what the issue was. I explained to her. She responded “where are you sitting”. I took her to the table. At that point she berated us in front of other customers and recommended we leave because she was not going to be able to make us happy. Then she proceeded to apologize and I thanked her for her apology and she got very aggressive when I thanked her. This is Mother’s Day and not the way anyone would expect to be treated.

I also want to note that in the 15-minutes we were waiting we witness two tables sending their meals back and one table sent a cocktail back.

We got up to leave (very embarrassed by her behavior) and the other patrons seated closest to us were calling me to their table to say how horrible it was what they witnessed.

I then go to the parking lot and this woman followed us to our car and mouthed off the entire way. My son kept asking her to leave us alone that she was making us feel uncomfortable and she just would not stop. She told my teenage son “this is my property you don’t tell me to leave you alone, I tell you what to do”. WOW

What was one of our favorite finds has turned into a nightmare! Please beware before going to this restaurant. You will be verbally abused and berated by the woman that claims she owns the property.

I should also note that you must be 16 to be a Hostess in an establishment that serves alcohol, we also saw a young man much younger (approx. 10-11) working his butt off as a bus boy.

I just wanted to share honest feedback so no one else makes the same mistake we did in choosing...

Update- This restaurant is out of this world. Everything we ordered was beyond our expectations, including the exceptional hospitality and service. Al is a gracious owner and an awesome host. Al's son Eli was an excellent server. Very attentive, friendly and helpful. I really appreciated how he packaged our leftovers with care. Nothing turns me off more than being handed a self serve to-go container. This establishment exudes class. You can tell they treasure all they have to offer. Our waitor, George, has extensive knowledge about the menu itens and specials. I've had the best lollipop lamb chops EVER! I recommend the homemade mozzarella. I have dreamed about it after the first time I had it. It is that good! The pasta is perfect. The lobster bisque and seafood fra Diablo was exceedingly delicious. My sister in law who never eats more than a quarter of what she orders... ate more than half. The French pastry with homemade sweet cream & strawberries had the perfect delicate chocolate drizzle that took this dessert to the top. GO! Please sample this delightful establishment. See for yourself what I'm talking about.

Previous Review: If I could give this restaurant 10 stars, I Would. A warm welcome from Micah set the tone for our wonderful experience. George is an awesome server. He was knowledgeable about the menu items and specials offered. He made my cocktail exactly how I wanted. The jazz player had a beautiful voice and played many songs. I just had to get up and slow dance with my love. The owner/chef named Iliass was a talented, (over the top) crafter of delicious delights. His son also works at the business, just like our son does at ours. The homemade/freshmade mozzarella was out of this world. Unlike any mozzarella I've ever had. I chose the Bronzino in a white wine with capers. It had fresh vegetables (broccoli and carrots) the best ever. My husband chose the lobster, clams, scallops and shrimp fra Diablo He asked to omit the muscles and only a little spice/heat. The request was well received. "Everything is made fresh, you can have it however you like." It must have been my first time having fresh made pasta, because the fettuccine was out of this world. I wish I didn't eat so much of the the fresh hot toasted bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar dip so that I could have dessert. Next time for sure. The atmosphere is elegant and the waterview from our table was an added pleasure. I already have in mind the special people in my life I'd like to bring here. Just do it, you won't be...

When two friends and myself entered and were hoping for a table we waited greater than 10 minutes in the area inside the front door for someone to seat us. Finally, one one friend looked around and found the kitchen and let them know we were looking to dine there. An older gentleman came out and seated us telling us that the hostess must have gone to the bathroom. At no point did we see a hostess there. After he seated us he rattled off the specials and when asked the price on the one meal and he said $34 we decided we couldn’t afford that for an unexpected lunch out and I simply said I would take the lobster bisque and and a Caesar salad. When I said I would take the lobster bisque the gentleman rudely said to me “ well you know the lobster bisque is $12”, I let him know that I was aware of that. He brought out our meals, the lobster bisque was phenomenal, then he brought out my salad, it was the wrong salad. I do not like arugula and the salad he brought out was made with arugula. He said “ I can give this to you or if you still want the Caesar salad then I will go back to the kitchen and get one but this is really a better salad” . It was very uncomfortable so I just kept the salad as he made it seem like it was too much trouble to get me the right thing. Then he was at the table numerous times taking your dirty dishes as soon as you laid your fork down. My friends and I had just commented that the bread on the table was very good as was the oil to dip it in. We no sooner said that and this gentleman came over and took both off our table. Then asking us if we were ready for our bill. I found this gentleman very rude and condescending. Our bill came to $70 for two salads, 2 bowls of soup and one one friend got gnocchi with tomato sauce and an iced tea , and the other two of us had water. Honestly, he made our lunch very unenjoyable. What food we had was very good except I do not like arugula and he made it seem like it was too much trouble to get me what I actually ordered. I probably would not recommend this establishment based on the...