Portofino — Restaurant in Campton Hills

I had recently discovered Portofino and was excited to dine there again. We stopped in on a Saturday and as it was a beautiful evening we opted to dine outdoors. We started out strong, the waitress was quick to approach, and we started with martinis and the Risotto Fontanilla (which was absolutely delicious). The waitress came back again shortly, and we placed our dinner order. We went with a salad and a pasta. Our salad was served quite promptly, and we were enjoying chatting and eating and were looking forward to the entree which we assumed would be along shortly. When we had arrived, we were one of only 2 tables occupied on the patio. Being a beautiful night, the patio filled up quickly. There were 2 servers working the patio (one of which should have been our server as I overheard the 2 discussing that our waitress had taken the table that was actually one of these server's assigned tables). Having long finished our salads and our drinks we began to keep a lookout for our waitress and also noticed all the other tables around us. Most all were either on their main courses or had leftover containers already and yet we still sat waiting. Our waitress seemed to just disappear. Finally, after what seemed like FOREVER, she made an appearance and told us our food would be out shortly (no mention of why this was taking so long). Another 10-15 minutes and finally our dinner arrived completely cold as it had apparently been sitting for quite some time. When the waitress came back again, I expressed the fact that the dinner was cold, and she basically did not care and kind of just said "oh really" and that was that. We asked for check and just wanted to be done. I did leave a little note on my receipt for the waitress to let her know that we were disappointed and that was the reason for the small tip we left. (I wish I could but nothing in me would allow me to just leave nothing, I felt a minimal tip with a note would better suffice). We decided to go up to the bar and get a drink and ask to speak to the manager. The bar tender was new but very prompt and she made an excellent martini, so I decided she deserved the tip our waitress lost out on due to bad service and gave the bartender a very generous tip but also explained to her why. Standing behind this bartender, hearing everything we were talking about was who we found out later to be the manager of the establishment. I would not say I made a spectacle in any way, but it was very obvious that we were not happy and wanted to make sure someone was aware of the situation. While the bartender happily took this very generous tip, this was the opportunity to ask what had happened and why we were upset with the service and maybe get the manager but no. We then spoke with another gentleman behind the bar and expressed to him that we would like to speak to someone, and he said he would go get the manager. We saw him speak with the manager and then watched as the manager continued to go on with other activities making sure to never make eye contact with us. This is the straw that broke the camel's back. I understand that working as a server can be overwhelming at times. I also understand that the kitchen can get backed up and there are longer wait times now and then. But for the management of an establishment to absolutely show that much disregard for the patrons of the establishment that's where I draw the line. To the owners of Portofino, you really may want to look into your management staff. If said manager is the actual owner of the establishment, WOW! This kind of thing is what will be your downfall. I will never again dine at Portofino and am making the same suggestion to anyone who asks me. I say this as a small business owner myself, customer service is...

We saw this place opened up recently and is only 8 mins from our house, so we decided to give it a try on 9/20/23.

Entering: The exterior looks newer and is very inviting. The front hostesses were nice and prompt in welcoming us, Great first impression!

Walking to Table: Everything is well organized and all the tables are set nicely. Very relaxing atmosphere with dimmed lights and good architectural design.

Dinner: We started with the Bruschette Formaggi and it was incredible. The toasted bread with tomatoes, covered in a blend of cheeses, and topped with basil with was an amazing taste. My wife had the Grilled Pineapple salad with shrimp for dinner. She mentioned how great it was and I thought it looked very tasty. But c’mon, you go Italian, you get pasta! I ordered the Rigatoni Abbruzzesse; Penne pasta with homemade italian sausage in a spicy tomato sauce and topped with some parmesean. The ratio of pasta, italian sausage and the creamy sauce was perfect, no cutting corners which is a sign of a true Italian restaurant. It looked so delicious when it was set in front of me and was the best pasta dish I can remember having anywhere. We finished our meal splitting the tiramisu. It was made perfectly and the presentation was beautiful. Tiramisu on one side of the plate with whipped cream on the other side, all drizzled with chocolate in a cool design.

Service: All servers were in uniform; professional wearing a black shirt with the restaurant name and black pants. Is important to note they were all cleaned up and personally prepared (important to me since they are around my food). We had Voy (spelling may be wronge) who was extremely knowledgeable on the menu and wine selections. Shocked if he is new with his impeccable service, but there was still a spotter (trainer?) that was at the table with him. The standards here are very high, so kudos to the owner and management spending the extra time to ensure their employees see the customers as the most important and that their dining experience is second to none. Another sign of a true Italian restaurant.

Final thought: We will absolutely be back. We will also be telling everyone we know to try it. As perfect as the dish I had was and as full as I am while writing this review, I am thinking of the dishes I didn’t have yet! I even could have had the same dish, but with a white vodka sauce! We may be going here often enough to where they greet us by name when we walk in (Norm!!!! Lol). There is plenty of room for an office milestone celebration and f you are looking for that impecable, special place to take your spouse or...

*Updated: After a poor first experience, the restaurant manager contacted us and offered for us to give them another try on them. We were very satisfied with our amazing service, the food, and the atmosphere. Now I can see why this place is always packed! We spoke with the manager, owner, and our server and they all apologized profusely for our first experience with them. This second visit definitely made up for our first one! I had the short rib pappardelle and it was DELICIOUS. We enjoyed a bottle of wine, bruschetta and some gelato. We cannot wait to come back and try more on the menu. Thank you to all the staff who made our second visit very much worthwhile!

Original review: My boyfriend and I were SO excited to try a new Italian restaurant right near home. Earlier this evening, I called twice in a row to make a reservation for tonight for a table for 2. Both times I called, it rang a few times and then hung up itself. I tried again an hour later and someone picked up, so I made a reservation for 7:30. We got there a little late at 7:40 and no one was at the host stand or greeted us. A server noticed us and sat us at a booth. The table and booth were very close together so it was a tight fit. We were brought bread and water right away, but were not greeted by a server for a least 10 minutes. A server finally came by and said he would give us a chance to look at the drink menu and come back to take that order. We told him we already knew what we wanted to order to drink and he said to give him a moment and he would be back to take that order. We waited for another 10 minutes while the server checked on his other tables, each more than once. We finally decided to leave because after both working multiple service jobs ourselves, we know what exceptional service should be like and this was not it. Very disappointed because we were excited for a new local...