Portofino

This was our first time here, and I rarely write reviews, but needed to after having dinner here, it was delicious! Interior of the restaurant is beautiful and cozy, we sat in the high tops near the bar area and it was lovely! Our server Doug was awesome, super attentive and was great with recommendations and really knew the menu. We started with the mussels in the white wine garlic sauce, some of the best mussels I have ever had! Pro tip, ask for extra bread because we could not stop dipping it in the extra broth, it was that good! We ordered the homemade pappardelle with short ribs , and on our server’s suggestion, the eggplant parm. The short ribs were so tender, and the eggplant was cooked perfectly it practically melted in your mouth. We opted for cocktails this time, but they have a nice wine list with some great Italian varietals, something that I appreciate versus having just the basics. We were actively recommending this place to our friends while we were there, it is that good! Can’t wait to go back!

Great find to meet half way between Hoffman Estates and Naperville. The bar was wonderful, comfy chairs great drinks. Menu was plentiful and food was outstanding. A little bit noisy, but isn't that a sound of people enjoying themselves? We'll be back.

***Updated:
After a poor first experience, the restaurant manager contacted us and offered for us to give them another try on them. We were very satisfied with our amazing service, the food, and the atmosphere. Now I can see why this place is always packed! We spoke with the manager, owner, and our server and they all apologized profusely for our first experience with them. This second visit definitely made up for our first one! I had the short rib pappardelle and it was DELICIOUS. We enjoyed a bottle of wine, bruschetta and some gelato. We cannot wait to come back and try more on the menu. Thank you to all the staff who made our second visit very much worthwhile!

Original review:
My boyfriend and I were SO excited to try a new Italian restaurant right near home. Earlier this evening, I called twice in a row to make a reservation for tonight for a table for 2. Both times I called, it rang a few times and then hung up itself. I tried again an hour later and someone picked up, so I made a reservation for 7:30. We got there a little late at 7:40 and no one was at the host stand or greeted us. A server noticed us and sat us at a booth. The table and booth were very close together so it was a tight fit. We were brought bread and water right away, but were not greeted by a server for a least 10 minutes. A server finally came by and said he would give us a chance to look at the drink menu and come back to take that order. We told him we already knew what we wanted to order to drink and he said to give him a moment and he would be back to take that order. We waited for another 10 minutes while the server checked on his other tables, each more than once. We finally decided to leave because after both working multiple service jobs ourselves, we know what exceptional service should be like and this was not it. Very disappointed because we were excited for a new local Italian restaurant.

I had the chicken portofino with vegetables over linguini. ..outstanding. My husband had the grilled chicken pineapple salad and loved it. We’ll be back for certain! I always take pictures of the meal but I forgot. 🤦🏻‍♀️. Here is the dessert which was to die for.