Porto Leggero — Restaurant in Jersey City

Summary: for the price point of $100+ per person, the service and experience was equivalent of eating at counter fast food restaurant. Absolutely terrible. I would rather have bought 77 McDonald’s breakfast sandwiches than to have spent $230 here for dinner.

There was no waiter assigned to the table we were seated at - the very busy bartender was made to be our waitress in addition to serving 20+ other drinkers at the bar on her own. Whereas the other dining section had 6-8 waiters. She did not remember to tell us what the specials were and also could not remember our order at the end of the night when we had to ask for our check (we also waited 20 min to receive the check after we asked for it). This I have empathy for her because she honestly is not supposed to be our waiter and she had to also tend to 20+ other drunk patrons at the bar. But this is a total failure on the managers and the way this establishment is run.

We made a reservation and was seated in the sit down tables in the bar next to the bathrooms. There were no other tables in our section other than us. No one came over in between serving dishes to see if we were ok. We ordered a $70+ bottle of wine and it was opened and decanted before we even saw the bottle (this is not the standard protocol for a place that sell wine bottles at this price point).

The meatball appetizer, while flavors and textures were good, were served stone cold. Our calamari appetizer tasted like it was dusted with sugar (I think the kitchen actually accidentally confused salt with sugar). Again, unacceptable for appetizer at the price point of $15-20.

The gnocchi Bolognese was subpar at best. The gnocchis were gigantic - the size of a human thumb - and tasted like there was cheese added into the dough. The texture was like chewing raw Philsbury doughboy biscuit dough. The meat sauce was decent. But this dish no way should fetch $26. It’s something you’d expect at Sbarros at Penn Station. The red snapper entree is very good however.

All in all. I believe that it should be a fair exchange of value for money. And this place definitely did not deliver for the price point. We will not be returning.

I’m putting 2 stars...

I normally never write reviews but I had such a bad experience… I felt obligated to write something. My fiancé and I were planning our wedding and decided to do something very small and intimate. We booked our wedding dinner here… I spoke to Elliot (whom I believe is the owner or manager) and booked our date, discussed the menu, and he took a $500 deposit. I called the restaurant a few days before our wedding asking if I could come the night before to decorate and set up. I was told I didn’t have any reservations, you could only imagine the panic I had just days before the wedding. Luckily the room wasn’t booked and they eventually found my paperwork. They were so quick to take my deposit but not that quick to appropriately put me in the books. I came with my mother and sister the night before to decorate and he was nothing but condensing and rude!!! He gave me a hard time about everything I asked or inquired about. Last I checked I was a paying customer. I was being charged $150 a person and within that package.. family style dessert was included. I had asked if I could also bring a wedding cake in conjunction with the desert that was included. I was told absolutely.. as it was apart of my package. I was told by Elliot that he didn’t want to waste his desserts since I had a cake. That was completely irrelevant… I was paying $150 a person… I expect the package to be honored as discussed. I told him I would like the dessert out still, he was not happy with that request at all. He threw his hands up in the air and said whatever you want. Needless to say… the day of the wedding… he NEVER put our desserts out. My mom told Elliot she wanted to pay the bill, and he responded “well, go get your credit card” so incredibly rude. She went to give him the card and he threw his hand up to her like he couldn’t be bothered with her. It’s such a shame because the food was delicious but I would never give this restaurant a dime of our money ever again! No one should ever be treated like that.. especially on their wedding day. Needless to say, it was a night we won’t forget and not in a positive way! Don’t waste your time or money, find another restaurant who will...

Decided on Porto Leggero for my 31st birthday w/ my boyfriend! We went out on a rainy and cold Saturday but the delicious dinner made up for it. Reservations are made via phone so call ahead of time.

Parking is free and is located right in front of the restaurant. We were looking for an actual lot but when we asked the host, he said we could parallel park in front. Just make sure to double check with them bc it's Jersey City, ha! If you're taking the train, it's steps away from the Path and light rail.

Porto Leggero is such a warm and cozy atmosphere. They have an extensive wine list and a couple of cocktails. I had to start the night with the Rosa Margarita which caught my eye bc one, it has tequila and two, any drink with agave, fresh lime and pink rose it my JAM. After the first sip, I pat myself on the back since I made such a good choice! My bf ordered the Nero Old Fashioned which he loved the hints of aromatic bitters and orange.

The waiter came around with three servings of complimentary bread; one paired with balsamic vinaigrette + olive oil, one topped with caramelized onions (I think) and one with a delicious eggplant spread. Definitely started to fill me up before my app and entrée!

One of their specials was the burrata salad which was absolutely DELICIOUS! I thoroughly enjoyed every bite. I usually shy away from burrata bc it never stood out to me but this one really put it back on the map! And I dislike figs but paired with this I'll eat it every day. My bf ordered the Portobello Milanese which he devoured in 5 minutes, haha.

Now, the Pappardelle con Vodka was the meal people kept writing about in their reviews so I had to order it. Never had pappardelle before either! The menu stated it's cooked with prosciutto but I was able to order my meal without it which is always a win. My bf ordered the Agnello Arosto (lamb shank over saffron risotto) and enjoyed it.

All in all, service was great, food was delicious and it was the laid back/fancy dinner I was looking forward to! Would definitely visit again; I NEED to try the watermelon salad and butternut...