Portola italian kitchen — Restaurant in Oxnard

Can't recommend Portola highly enough. It was, quite honestly, the best restaurant experience we have ever had.

We recently hosted a wedding reception for close to 100 people. The GM Roman and his staff were absolutely amazing. They went out of their way to make our event a success; helping with table decoration and planning before the event, being in constant communication with us via text in the months, weeks, and days leading up to the event to ensure we had answers we needed promptly, and putting out huge effort to make sure our beloved friends and family were taken care of during the event. I can't recommend their work highly enough. I felt as though we hosted at 11 Madison Park for the bespoke service and care they provided.

Portola prepared and served a three course dinner with excellence, consistency, and speed to all of our 92 guests. Everyone was raving about how they loved the experience and the food was amazing. It is hard to offer consistency and quality to 92 people throughout a three hour event but so many of our guests went away happy. Meals came out exactly on schedule (appetizer, dinner, dessert)

The menu is elevated Italian, but not stuffy. They use quality fresh ingredients, everything was plated nicely, and they make great drinks. What restaurant boast that they can cook a great 12oz steak and serve delicious Chicken Parmigiana at the same time? Portola executes this with perfection in mind.

They are not only great for large events, but the brunch and happy hour is probably one of the best deals in town, not only for the price but also the quality of food and drink and gorgeous location. (See pics)

Portola will forever have our hearts. Thank you Roman and your entire team for making our special night so perfect. It was, I will say again, quite honestly, the best restaurant experience we...

This was our second time dining at Portola, and while our first experience was exceptional — with great food, service, and ambiance — our recent visit during Mother’s Day was less than ideal.

Understandably, it was one of the busiest days for the restaurant. There were five of us, and we all ordered pasta. I specifically requested spaghetti noodles, but unfortunately, my order came out incorrect. The staff acknowledged the mistake and explained it was due to a mix-up in the kitchen. Although she offered to fix it, I declined since it likely would have meant waiting another 40 minutes.

My son ordered a lemonade, but what he received tasted more like tap water with a hint of lemon — a stark contrast to what he had the first time. My wife requested Parmesan cheese for her carbonara spaghetti three times, but it never arrived. We also asked for water without ice and received it with plenty of ice. A serving spoon was requested four times before it was finally provided on the fifth.

We completely understand how overwhelming such a busy day can be, and it was evident that the staff were doing their best under pressure. However, professionalism and consistency in service should still be maintained, especially during peak times. A positive dining experience comes not just from great food, but also from attentive service.

Despite the challenges, one staff member — who was visibly exhausted — still took the time to offer a small discount as a gesture of goodwill. I truly appreciated that.

Overall, while this visit didn’t quite meet our expectations, we still had a decent dinner. My wife was just a bit disappointed that she never received her Parmesan cheese. Thank you again, Portola — we hope to return for a better...

HORRIBLE!!!!!!! Please do yourself a favor and don’t waste your time or money. After being extremely disappointed by this horrible restaurant my boyfriend and I literally went to Wendy’s. I didn’t even finish the horrible margarita they brought to me and I NEVER waste tequila! Whomever said this place has Neopolitan pizza clearly doesn’t know what Neopolitan style pizza is. I’m Not even joking when I say that the waitress didn’t even know what I was talking about. She literally said are you talking about the ice cream?! And then I asked for the manager to come over to my table. I told him if you eat this slice of horrible pizza then I will have my boyfriend pay for this if not, we are not paying for this and he literally said I will not eat that. So we didn’t pay! I would give this place -5 stars if it was possible. This place will not be around for very much longer. I can guarantee that. And wait, I’m not finished. We also attempted to eat the spicy vodka rigatoni. These people do not know how to cook pasta. It was way overcooked and it had no flavor. My boyfriend only ate it because he was hungry as most people usually are when they go to a restaurant. If you want genuine Italian food I highly suggest the Olive Garden and if you want genuine Neopolitan style pizza I suggest Midici in Ventura on Main Street. It’s the real deal. Once again, please do not waste your time or money. I actually want to be paid for the horrible experience I had there. I only allowed my boyfriend to leave $10 on the table and I honestly did not even want him to do that, but he was trying to be nice. Yolanda’s next door is way better and even though it’s a Mexican restaurant, I bet you they could cook better,...