Montelupo Italian Market — Restaurant in Portland

Had dinner at Montelupo Italian Market a few nights ago, and I’m still dreaming about the food. The pasta is amazing, simple, well made, and flawlessly seasoned. I haven't had pasta this good since I visited Milan many years ago. I was there visiting a friend, and we had dinner in a little neighborhood restaurant near his flat. In a back corner we saw a gentleman sitting alone with a table full of food. It looked like he'd ordered just about every dish on the menu, and he was deep into it, savoring every bite and washing it all down with the local wine. I thought about him the other night as we found our table filled with a variety of wonderful starters, pastas, wine, and cocktails, wanting to taste everything and planning to walk away with plenty of leftovers.

After watching how badly the hospitality industry has struggled through the pandemic, it was gratifying to be in a busy, vibrant spot buzzing with customers and staff. The service at Montelupo was as top-notch as the food. Regrettably, I didn't catch our server's name, but she was friendly and knowledgeable as she guided us through the menu and wine selections, and even sent the bartender over at the end to help us figure out a spritz that would pair best with dessert (an Amaro Sfumato Rabarbaro spritz with the house tiramisu is a taste sensation--the bitterness of the amaro perfectly contrasts and compliments the sweetness of the dessert).

Is the food salty, as some reviewers complain? Well sure, if the dish you ordered comes loaded with Parmesan or other salty cheeses (but gawd that Tajarin is delicious). Otherwise everything seemed to be perfectly seasoned for food that's simple, well-made, and flavorful. Is the bread underdone, as some reviewers complain? Sure, perhaps it could have used 10 more minutes in the oven, based on what I know about baking bread. Maybe that's the style in that part of Italy, IDK. It doesn't dent my 5-star review. I came to a highly rated pasta restaurant for the pasta, not the bread. Is the service terrible, as some reviewers complain? Not in my experience. If you treat the staff with friendly respect, talk with them, and trust them to guide you, and you aren't pushing entitled personal expectations onto the experience, you’ll get great service just about anywhere you go. Remember, it’s not fine dining and not meant to be. It's a small neighborhood restaurant tucked into a small neighborhood market. If you go into it looking to be led to new delicious experiences, treat the server like a partner in that quest, and go with the flow of the place, you'll have a meal you'll still be dreaming about days later...

The Market

First and foremost, the little market attached to the restaurant is a gem. In addition to their wonderful pasta selection, there are delicious and fairly priced treats, like the Italian rainbow cookies, the small jar of artichoke spread, which is a must, and glass-jarred tomato sauce, which is essential if you are born and bred into an Italian family like mine.

The Restaurant

The restaurant, on the other hand, was very disappointing. Nothing that we ate was of any noteworthy quality.

Appetizer: With the limited appetizer selection, we opted for bread and a salad. The bread was served cold, which is a cardinal sin in Italian restaurants, and we ran out of the small amount of oil it was served with before the bread was finished. The salad was a fine portion, but was so boring I can’t quite remember what it was called. To boot, we added boquerones for a dollar and were given three to split between two people.

Drinks: The cocktails we had were uneventful. The My Pear Lady was a little sticky. The Aperol spritz was not served with orange or a straw, so I was sipping on straight seltzer before I had to ask the hostess for one.

Pasta: The pastas were all bad. There’s a difference between al dente and undercooked. We had the Pappardelle, the Tajarin and the Gnocchi. The Pappardelle was fine; the meat was a little dry. The Tajarin, was the best of the three, but ultimately was undercooked. Finally, the Goat Cheese Gnocchi with sweet corn, was an incomprehensible dish. There was nothing that really tied it together (no sauce), the overwhelming amount of corn left the dish with an overly sweet flavor. It felt like a dish cobbled with a Chopped mystery basket, a dish which would have sent the chef packing.

Finally the Service: Ultimately the service was fine and fast! However, when our server asked how everything was, we told her honestly that we did not find anything enjoyable. There was no further probing as to why, which is strange. If you ask, you should be willing to hear why.

Did not stay for dessert. I honestly recommend if you visit Montelupo, take advantage of the market, but save yourself the disappointment of...

Went here with a friend for an early dinner. The overall staff experience was good. However the food was not 100%. Their menu was concise and sounded appetizing. I ended up ordering the risotto and it seemed to lack creaminess, overall flavor, and options of a protein. It was okay but I was kind of disappointed based on the reviews I had previously read. Apparently this restaurant's chefs do not allow any exceptions or addition of sides of protein to plates of food.. Which is fine by me, but I would expect the food and the original recipe to be exceptional if this rule is maintained. The arugula salad was great and had the perfect mixture of cheese, arugula, and dressing. To be honest, I enjoyed the salad more than my actual entree by a long shot. Plain bread is considered an appetizer and has to be ordered separately (it's not included like many other restaurants provide). The overall flow and hours of this restaurant are kind of confusing. Originally my friend and I had planned to go earlier in the day for a late lunch and the hours on Google indicated that it overall was open from 10AM-8:30PM, but that is not the case for the actual restaurant portion of this establishment. The market itself is open for these hours... but coffee is served from 10AM-3PM, and dinner is served from 5PM-8:30PM. I encourage you to check their actual website to clarify when it actually is open for serving, as their Google set up is not fully accurate and can be misleading. I have had some amazing Italian food and experiences in my lifetime at Mycovios in Ocean Park and food straight from Rome, but unfortunately this wasn't my favorite and missed the mark..but maybe I hit it on an off night. This also was a dinner experience, maybe the coffee hour serving experience listed on their website...