Consistently great food and service. A Cena is a gem! I really appreciate the gluten free options and always save room for a fabulous dessert.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Polipo Grilled Octopus, Tiramisu, Affogato, Panna Cotta
Teresa Vaughan
From bolognese on pasta to nettle ravioli and delicious dessert options, we all enjoyed our meal and the cozy atmosphere. The limoncello drew several sighs of delight, too. Waitstaff are very attentive and took good care of our party.Parking: On street and side/residential parking is hard to come by, so allow a few minutes to find a spot and it's all good.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Bread Basket
yello salon
We finally visited this restaurant after so many of our clients at the salon recommended it and we were blown away. The food was incredible and the service we were given was outstanding—we highly recommend!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Nidhi Talwar
We had a reservation for 4 for a girls night. When we arrived, we were seated in a separate area of the restaurant that was actually down the street by a few spaces. That was a bummer because we were really looking forward to the beautiful ambience of the original restaurant space. Wish we knew earlier. But once we were seated, service was decent. Food was absolutely delicious - some of the best Italian I've eaten in the Portland area. Looking forward to visiting again soon!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 3
m g
The staff was very attentive and friendly. They made for a great dining experience. I’d agree with the other reviewers- the pastas are the highlight. The bread was also delicious. However, some of appetizers were quite salty and overcooked, especially the calamari. The food was presented beautifully, and again the level of service was exceptional.
Went here on recommendation from a foodie friend and we could see why he likes it. Good fresh pasta with good flavors and good service. I had the agnolotti which would have been amazing had the lobster not been over cooked. It was a bit rubbery but the flavors were on point. Would come
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Adriene Lierheimer
Very very delicious food you could tell made with much thought and passion. Waitstaff very attentive and atmosphere perfect ?
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Haley Miller
A Cena is truly a gift to Portland. Everything we ate was absolutely incredible. We started with the fritto misto and the Caesar salad- the fritto misto was perfectly crispy and loaded with impressively large prawns and calamari. The Caesar was one of the best I’ve ever had. We tried the steak, the trout, and the lamb, and all of them were outstanding. The best part of our experience was our server, Joshua. He was so charming and funny, and extremely helpful with food and drink recommendations. He went out of his way to recommend a custom cocktail for me, and made my mother feel special and celebrated for her birthday. We will absolutely be back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Bread Basket, Fritto Misto
Rene Ovalle
Food is amazing, but my favorite part is they seat you on time.
A real Italian gem in the neighborhood. Have never ordered a single bad thing and the service is just spectacular. Great wine selection. If you want authentic, give them a try!
Thank you for the lovely dinner my wife and I had last night. The a Cena team were all pros, kind, courteous, and helpful. The food was super delicious, we especially enjoyed the fried cauliflower, special brussel sprouts, and special mushroom raviolis. We will definitely be back. I recommend this as a great place for any occasion!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Carter Mattig
I don't know if I have had better Italian and I love Italian constantly! Everything was a home run!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Affogato, Lobster Ravioli, Burrata, Garganelli Alla Norcia
Mihaela Erler
The food was good but the tiramisu was the worst I have ever had. I couldn't eat even half of it. It was too sweet and lacked the tiramisu flavor. It seemed to be a fluff of just eggs and sugar...no mascarpone, no espresso. I do not recommend!
Consistently great food and service. A Cena is a gem! I really appreciate the gluten free options and always save room for a fabulous dessert.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Polipo Grilled Octopus, Tiramisu, Affogato, Panna Cotta
From bolognese on pasta to nettle ravioli and delicious dessert options, we all enjoyed our meal and the cozy atmosphere. The limoncello drew several sighs of delight, too. Waitstaff are very attentive and took good care of our party.Parking: On street and side/residential parking is hard to come by, so allow a few minutes to find a spot and it's all good.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Bread Basket
We finally visited this restaurant after so many of our clients at the salon recommended it and we were blown away. The food was incredible and the service we were given was outstanding—we highly recommend!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We had a reservation for 4 for a girls night. When we arrived, we were seated in a separate area of the restaurant that was actually down the street by a few spaces. That was a bummer because we were really looking forward to the beautiful ambience of the original restaurant space. Wish we knew earlier. But once we were seated, service was decent. Food was absolutely delicious - some of the best Italian I've eaten in the Portland area. Looking forward to visiting again soon!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 3
The staff was very attentive and friendly. They made for a great dining experience. I’d agree with the other reviewers- the pastas are the highlight. The bread was also delicious. However, some of appetizers were quite salty and overcooked, especially the calamari. The food was presented beautifully, and again the level of service was exceptional.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Bread Basket, Tiramisu, Arancini
I enjoyed the food, friendly staff behavior.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Went here on recommendation from a foodie friend and we could see why he likes it. Good fresh pasta with good flavors and good service. I had the agnolotti which would have been amazing had the lobster not been over cooked. It was a bit rubbery but the flavors were on point. Would come
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Very very delicious food you could tell made with much thought and passion. Waitstaff very attentive and atmosphere perfect ?
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
A Cena is truly a gift to Portland. Everything we ate was absolutely incredible. We started with the fritto misto and the Caesar salad- the fritto misto was perfectly crispy and loaded with impressively large prawns and calamari. The Caesar was one of the best I’ve ever had. We tried the steak, the trout, and the lamb, and all of them were outstanding. The best part of our experience was our server, Joshua. He was so charming and funny, and extremely helpful with food and drink recommendations. He went out of his way to recommend a custom cocktail for me, and made my mother feel special and celebrated for her birthday. We will absolutely be back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Bread Basket, Fritto Misto
Food is amazing, but my favorite part is they seat you on time.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
A real Italian gem in the neighborhood. Have never ordered a single bad thing and the service is just spectacular. Great wine selection. If you want authentic, give them a try!
Great place for large party'
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Butterscotch Pudding, Budino, Lobster Ravioli, Burrata
Thank you for the lovely dinner my wife and I had last night. The a Cena team were all pros, kind, courteous, and helpful. The food was super delicious, we especially enjoyed the fried cauliflower, special brussel sprouts, and special mushroom raviolis. We will definitely be back. I recommend this as a great place for any occasion!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I don't know if I have had better Italian and I love Italian constantly! Everything was a home run!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Affogato, Lobster Ravioli, Burrata, Garganelli Alla Norcia
The food was good but the tiramisu was the worst I have ever had. I couldn't eat even half of it. It was too sweet and lacked the tiramisu flavor. It seemed to be a fluff of just eggs and sugar...no mascarpone, no espresso. I do not recommend!