Mucca Osteria — Restaurant in Portland

I don’t usually leave negative reviews but our experience was unfortunately bad enough to warrant one.

We had the prix fixe menu here on Saturday May 4th 2024.

They were very busy and we totally understood that and didn’t mind being patient. We arrived 5 min before our reservation and waited in line. It took us about 20 min to get seated. They did offer us a glass of Prosecco which was nice.

We got sat near the kitchen after asking if that was ok as our reserved table was still occupied and we were happy to accommodate. Because of this we saw everyone’s food go out and could see the difference in ours. We were one of the last tables if not the last to be served in our prix fixe seating group which makes sense as we were the last to be seated but our food looked much sloppier than others.

The first course was fine ( I had the scallops and my partner had the burrata as they were out of the carpaccio). The second course which was the pasta was ok. Mine was incredibly salty but tasty so I ate it. My partner had the truffle pasta and that was the sloppiest dish we saw leave the kitchen. It was also not emulsified properly so was very watery and flavorless. It was like they threw wet pasta in the bowl with sauce and brought it out. My partner had the steak as his entree and it was fine. Nothing special but the cut itself was nice and it was cooked nicely. The steak was the best thing we had there. I had the polenta and it was basically inedible. I had two bites. I love radicchio so much and that was the main thing besides the polenta and it just wasn’t good. The sauce was sweet and weird. My partner tried one bite and agreed that it wasn’t good and then I stopped eating. Through none of these courses did anyone come and ask how everything was. The service was the worst part of our experience as we didn’t see our server after the greeting and delivery of drinks at all and it was about 20-25 min wait time between each course without even a friendly check in.

A different server than ours picked up our entree plates and walked off so fast I couldn’t say anything.

When they brought the dessert which was again only fine. They brought us some port and dessert wine with it. It was very basic but appreciated. The wine in general by the glass at least is not very exciting and mid range. We didn’t really understand why they brought us the dessert drinks and no one explained it.

When someone who I think was the manager came with our bill she apologized that we were served slow and took care of our first round of drinks. That was nice and we were appreciative. My partner did at that point say something about the food and specifically that his pasta was pretty bad and I didn’t eat basically any of my entree. There were very apologetic and said “ I’ll put it a note for next time”. We won’t be going another time so that didn’t really help. Our $40 drink bill I think should have been taken care of as it really just wasn’t a great experience and we already paid the $200 for the set menu. That would be the standard response in even a mid range establishment. It’s not about the money to us at all but it would’ve been nice to be acknowledged before they brought us the bill.

Again, I feel bad about submitting this but I think that future diners should know that the online rating doesn’t really match our experience or the quality of the...

I don't usually write long dining reports on here, but I thought I'd share my experience at Mucca Osteria last night. If you have the average Facebook attention span, the executive summary is: Go there!

And it didn't start off that promising. The first impression is that the place is just absolutely gorgeous. Perfect lighting, decor was gorgeous, one could even call it romantic. A perfect spot to take your love out on a date night in the big city (of which we don't get enough).

But I screwed up. My wife is pretty much 95% vegetarian. Once in a while she'll eat some chicken for protein, but that's it. And I, like an idiot, went by Trip Adviser's "Vegetarian Friendly" tag, without checking their menu. If I had, I would have known that pretty much the only vegetarian option was the green salad. That's not their fault, but mine. (Interesting though, for Portland.)

At first, I pretty much freaked out. Offered my wife to take her somewhere else, etc. But I thought, this looked like the kind of place that could help us out. So I told the Italian gentleman who had greeted and seated us, about our dilemma. He immediately gave my wife several options of things they could make for her and they all sounded great. We stayed.

The food was sublime!! The presentation spectacular. The wine list, which is very Piedmont centered, excellent. And the service flawless. (When my napkin accidentally dropped off my leg, I had a new one on the table in not 10 seconds. That's Michelin star level service!

I had the Tartare di Tonno with capers, avocado and crostini to start, and the wild boar Parpadelle alla Chinghiale. Both were incredible. And I love the serving sizes. I can almost never finish what I am served at American restaurants, but here, I was perfectly satisfied after the dinner, and no usual complaints of "I'll never eat again". I know this is controversial, as I see people on social media complaining about serving sizes that I find straight-up gluttonous, as too small.

The Dogliani I ordered was perfect cellar temperature (I can't stand 70 degree Dolcetto), like it should be, but pretty much never is where we live. The Cappellano Barolo Chinato for desert was perfectly fresh and generously poured.

All in all, it was hands-down one of the best dining experiences I have had in years. And the kicker? The place is not expensive! The whole meal for two, with a bottle of very good wine, Barolo Chinato and Espresso for dessert was $135 before tip. That's nothing these days, as you know. I've paid twice as much in recent years and eaten half as well.

So there you have it. If you're in downtown Portland, you love Italian food and good wine, you must go to Mucca. I can't...

As a hospitality industry veteran with 16 years experience, What an absolute embarrassment of hospitality.

I just arrived from New Jersey—my first time in Portland—and simply wanted a quick bite after traveling. I walked in at 9:28 PM on the dot, and your website clearly states “last seating 9:30 PM.”

Instead of a warm welcome, I was met with: “Kitchen’s closed unless you order right now,” followed by a pointed watch check. Fine. I was ready—I asked for a single pasta dish immediately. It was 9:29 and seconds. By the time the order was relayed, it was probably exactly 9:30.

That’s when the real charm began: the tall line cook (Von) and a woman in the kitchen made faces, rolled their eyes, huffed , and acted like preparing one pasta dish was the ultimate inconvenience. My food came out rushed, and for a place that promotes a 9:30 last seating, it’s laughable that the staff did this in a guest facing kitchen over seconds.

I wasn’t even the last customer in the place, nor was my pasta the last dish served! Pasta was down by 9:35, I finished by 9:43 because I felt like I was on the clock. Then waited until 9:50 if I can have dessert where I was told probably not as the kitchen is closed (I asked for it to go) and where I come from, if last seating is 9:30 that customer still gets a dessert and full service treatment! HOSPITALITY LACKS here in Portland.

My check was dropped off by a woman who walked up and awkwardly announced, “There’s a service charge on the bill, it’s split amongst everyone,” with the strangest attitude—like I should feel guilty for questioning it( I didn’t) After the cold welcome and rushed service, it felt like a forced tip for bad hospitality. Which i get if that’s your policy don’t expect anything more for sub par service.

The rigatoni pasta was pretty good The pistachio dessert I had to go tasted good but inside the moose itself, I pulled a piece of hard plastic out of my mouth.

This isn’t hospitality. It’s laziness wrapped in bad attitude.

Shame on the staff setting such a low bar with absurd prices and small portions. If you don’t want customers at 9:30, don’t say you seat until 9:30. Simple. I was in and out in less then 20 min and the couple there long before me was getting wonderful treatment by all, and was still there when I LEFT!

Stay away...