DeNicola's Italian Restaurant — Restaurant in Portland

I really wanted to like this place. East Coast Italian is usually my favorite. It's a comfort food with amazing memories of an old flame from my home in Boston.

But sadly, other than the staff, this place was a let down. I will say, though, that this place has still so much potential.

From the first smells, I was questioning the place as it smells like the cross between a porta potty and steamer clams. But when you get to the tables, the smell disappates.

The decor however, is distracting like a cheesy movie. Which alone I found to be irritating. But no more so than olive garden. It was cozy and provided enough privacy that a date or a family meal would be wonderful.

The prices were average for the size of the food. I was so stuffed at the end, I couldn't even fathom dessert - which is normally where I would start on any other night.

The staff was wonderful and they times the food perfectly. I wasn't left waiting for very long.

Tonight, I chose comfort foods, hoping to taste the flavors that I have missed from home. a cup of minestrone a personal serving of ceasar salad the chicken piccatta with the spaghetti and that came to the table with their complimentary breads and salami platters.

And aside from the foccacia, I was sorely let down.

The minestrone was weirdly spicy and the veggies tasted like they had been canned. Which I can forgive, because despite it not being what I was hoping for - it was good.

The ceasar salad came with the dressing on the side and the croutons were so hard it hurt my mouth to chew. This was disappointing, because as a culinarian, this is one salad that should be served tossed.

And then the main dish. I love citrus and tart - so I was looking forward to the flavors of the lemon and capers. But when it was served, this dish was soaked in the plates depth of oil. The chicken was bland and soggy. And the capers are the only flavor that was remotely okay. I don't understand the raw lettuce and tomatoes on the plate - cold garnishes on a hot dish? And what was with the parsley that still had the stems?

And the spaghetti... It's perk was that they cooked the noodles perfectly. But the sauce was a mess. Maybe child friendly. But it tasted like a cross of chef boyardee and ragu.

Overall, I had hoped it would have been better. I wanted to love thos place as a good middle price point with italian food that isn't grossly expensive nor a chain. Small changes could make drastic improvements and I wish DeNicola's another...

I'm 70 and started coming here in my mid-20's. At that time Denicola's was the ONLY place in Portland to get decent Pizza. As young men my friends and I would look forward to the weekend, when we'd pick up pizza from DeNicola's. It was a big part of every weekend! We recently ordered Pizza and Spaghetti, and had the order delivered. The Small Pizza was larger than the pizza chain's large size! The Toppings were plentiful, actually HUGE. Most of all, the toppings were so FRESH. The Feta Cheese was in giant chunks and super fresh. The pizza chain's pineapple is usually small and some pieces are so hard as to be inedible. Denicola's pineapple looked, and tasted like it was freshly cut. The Spaghetti was a delight. Seasoned perfectly and the pasta was aldente - just right. The sauce was neither too sweet, or too salty. And the portions were very generous. I highly recommend their spaghetti. The only thing that I didn't enjoy, was the Medium Thin Pizza's Crust. I haven't had a pizza here for many years, but I recall a different pizza crust. The crust was very even, lacking the air pockets that you usually get as pizza dough rises. The crust tasted rather bland, and this is where the pizza chain is actually better. The pizza chain's Hand Tossed Crust is quite a bit better. That's the only area that beats Denicola's. I will say that the crusted tasted better, the next day, for leftovers I will try Denicola's Thin Crust and Thick Pan Crust in the future. Perhaps they will be more to my liking than the Medium Thin Crust. All in all, Denicola's is the top drawer...

I have been living in PDX for about 11 years and wanted to have "real Italian" food instead of the chain restaurants. This is the place to come too. It is Old School, great food and service , the food comes out hot, you don't have to wait all night long to be served and the meat sauce is to die for.

The Hostess is great , she is busy but recognized me as a returning customer and is happy to see me. This is a family business and you will see all types of people here, hippies, Senior Citizens, punks etc, why?because the food is great.

The atmosphere is easy, you can have your meal, have some wine and chat, not need to rush ,and they will not rush you. Look this is not a place that when it gets busy, they will give you a pager so it light up when your table is ready. No this is not that place.

So lets talk about the food. The salads are cold, and on a cold plate, the lettuce is not old but fresh. the Antipasti is excellent and again the service is excellent. The is a basket of bread with butter and its enough to wipe the place clean.

The Restaurant is on Powell Blvd and can be very busy if you are trying to get to the restaurant from the east. You will have to sit in the "suicide lane" for a while until you can get over into the parking lot. But it is worth it. The portions are large so bring your appetite otherwise you can get a go box. The restaurant has a "honored citizen" menu with excellent pricing.

This is a Old school, family friendly, great food , excellent service restaurant at great prices . You will not go wrong...