Campana — Restaurant in Portland

Campana. Wow. Genuine Italian food like nothing else in Portland!

The food is superb. Crafted so perfectly, such balanced flavors and every component works together in harmony. You can really feel the love in these recipes. That red sauce. You can put a straw in it and drink it. It's that good.

We got the eggplant camponata. Holy... Wow what flavor. The bread they used was crisp but soft. It alone had an amazing flavor profile. With the eggplant? Incredible. The burrata with the heirloom tomatoes, basil, olive oil and balsamic was the freshest possible. That cheese was like it was made that hour. The ravolini, which is made in house like all their pasta, was beyond incredible. Cooked to perfection with a creamy tomato sauce that is velvety with such flavor.

I could go on and on but all you got to know is that what they're serving that day will be phenomenal. You won't want to go to any other Italian spot in Portland because none compare.

George and Anna have put together an east coast gem of a restaurant here in Portland. Their team is immaculate. They made us feel like we're home and amongst friends.

The wine list and drink menu was crafted around the food like an orchestra is to a theatrical play. Complementary to say the least. Exquisite to be frank. The amaro list was flawless. We had the Montenegro, Ramazzotti and the Nonino. Delicious.

Finally dessert. Ok. Listen. A cannoli is either perfect or inedible. It all comes down to that cream and shell. If the shell is soggy or to thick, it takes away from the cream. If the cream is too sweet, you can't eat it. Let's just say the cannoli they make in house all from scratch is better than most cannoli I've had on the east coast. You can tell they go out of their way to pipe that cannoli cream to order. The cream is so balanced with a hint of citrus. To freaking die for.

Last but absolutely not least the gelato. It's Pronto brand which is George's other business and let me tell you, like every thing this guy does, it's top notch. If you haven't had his pistachio gelato get it. It's like nothing you've ever had. It's hard for me to get any other flavor because I genuinely crave that pistachio.

Go to campana. I warn you though. You won't want to go anywhere else for authentic Italian food in this city.

Thank you again to the team for such an...

After seeing several positive reviews online, I booked a reservation for two on the patio. We ordered a salad, three pasta dishes, a side, and dessert. With tip, our total was just over $180. For this price, I’d expect outstanding food and service, but sadly, that was not our experience.

We were greeted and seated promptly, and both the host and our server were friendly and welcoming. Our server was knowledgeable and informative, offering their opinion on their current favorite dishes when we asked.

Our salad came out promptly, within 10-15 minutes of being ordered. The salad was described as greens with shaved vegetables, but the shaved vegetables in question were only radishes and some fried onions or shallots that were a bit on the stale side. The dressing was bland and there was no seasoning, salt, or pepper.

This is where our experience really went awry. After eating our salad, we waited OVER AN HOUR before any more food came out. Since we requested our meal family style, I assumed dishes would come out one by one. Nope. We sat there for a full hour with no food being brought out. Even worse, our server didn’t even check in with us to apologize for the delay or to explain what was going on. At one point I said to my dining companion, “Did they forget about us or what?”

Finally they brought out the remainder of our dishes all at once, which isn’t really an ideal way to serve multiple dishes to two people. None of our food was hot; it ranged from lukewarm to cold. While the pastas had great flavor and were perfectly cooked, we were disappointed to receive cold food after patiently waiting so long. The zucchini al forno was completely lacking in salt and on the bland side. Though the tomato sauce atop the zucchini was tasty and well seasoned, it didn’t save the underseasoned zucchini. The tiramisu was also just mediocre.

Once we finally had our food and were working our way through our dishes, no one came to clear plates, so we just stacked them up on the table. This was also surprising for a restaurant of this caliber.

Given the lackluster service and cold food, I’m not sure we’ll be back...

Everytime I look at google reviews, it always feels like someone wants to watch the world burn. Campana had a mix of praise and distaste, which in my opinion should have just been praise.

Campana was wonderful! Aesthetically it felt very trendy, and upscale. The service was good, and the food did not disappoint. They also have a large amount of wines and cocktails to choose from. They do not have any beer on tap, but have a good selection of cans to choose from.

For food we got the appetizer special, cavatelli, spring agnolotti, strawberry tiramisu, and the cannoli. I would highly recommend the appetizer special (if only I could remember what it was exactly), and the spring agnolotti. The appetizer special was a very soft fritter paired with a lemon aoli that gave it the perfect kick. The spring agnolotti was a very fresh and rich balance between the pea and ricotta. Don't get me wrong, the cavatelli was also pretty good, and it did grow on me as I ate more. It's a bit more subtle in flavor that left me at first wanting a bit more sauce.

The strawberry tiramisu was an interesting take on the traditional dessert. It was very light, fluffy, and had a well balanced sweetness with the strawberry jam. The cannoli I think was a little bit better in my opinion. The pistachio chocolate added a very interesting complexity to the soft ricotta filling. Unsure if it normally comes with 2 cannolis, but it was perfect for me and my partner to split.

Overall, I'd definitely recommend Campana. It's a great spot for an upscale date night. A bit more pricey compared to other options around, but it felt responsible for the experience, service, and food quality. I'd come back again if given a reason. Overall I'd give...