50 Best Italian Restaurants in Portland

“Staff is very nice and it’s a cozy restaurant. Pastas and steak were amazing, my only critique is that the ricotta cheesecake was not advertised as containing lemon and it tasted very citrusy. Would definitely go back and recommend this place!“

“This is one of my favorite places to eat downtown. Staff knows the menu so well. And is kind to make sure everything they prepare meets your dietary needs. Drinks are wonderful. And while the main dining room is great the bar behind the restaurant is a good hack with the same menu on a busy night.“

“I had one of the most sumptuous dinners here. As I watched the chef prepare our meals, I was amazed to see the precision they use to give each dish the perfect taste, color, and temperature. I simply loved the wonderful flavors of the freshly made pasta and the recommended wine pairing. I loved the food and the entire experience. I hope the management franchises this restaurant to more cities!“

“Fresh pasta and inventive salads“

“Legitimately some of the best pizza I've had in Portland, and that's coming from someone who's been to almost all of the heavy-hitters in town. Tastes obviously vary, but I don't think anyone who likes wood-fired pizza will leave disappointed.
We started with the fresh baked palloncino bread, which was warm & delightfully chewy with a subtle lemony bite. However, it was super salty (and I say this a habitual over-salter). Thankfully the flaky finishing salt was easy to brush off, which tamed the saltiness. We also had the Belgian endive caesar. The crisp endive mixed well with the creamy dressing & the croutons were out of this world (not shocking, really).
For pizzas, we had the leek & hazelnut and the salami supremo. While the cheese and toppings were top notch, the doughy crust was the star. Perfectly charred, yet soft and chewy. Just excellent.
The tiramisu we had for dessert was also very light and dare I say refreshing.
Service was friendly and attentive. The atmosphere left something to be desired, but wasn't bad & didn't diminish the experience at all. Just maybe not quite up to par with other places in that price range.
Overall, a great experience. I will certainly be back!“

“I cannot say enough good things about Lilla this place is absolutely phenomenal! The fact that it's an all vegan Italian restaurant that has delicious food would be enough but they also have a TON of gluten free options. The food truly was amazing. The kicker was the services our server Abbey was literally a dream, she made the whole experience an absolute delight. She even drew our seating neighbors daughter a coloring page on the spot (it was so good too). This is a new favorite I can recommend this place enough you HAVE to try it, even if you are not Vegan, trust me. I had the mushroom risotto and I highly recommend the Crocchè di Patate(GF). The drinks are also amazing. Ask Abbey for a homemade sprite (you won't regret it)“

“Excellent real Italian flavors and presentation in a comfortable neighborhood location. All you can ask for Italian taste with pretense.“

“Great foods and great waitress!“

“This is my favorite restaurant in Portland. I finally went into the restaurant after hearing about it for so long and every single time I’ve been here, I’ve had the most exquisite food with ample portions and the most satiating flavors of Italian food and wine that you could get in Portland. It is comfort food at its finest with the best local ingredients and everything is off The chart delicious. I’ve had the pizza, I’ve had pasta, and I’ve had steak twice. Everything is delicious and I can’t get enough of it. The decanting of the wine, the sides to the bread with olives and oil/vinegar. Every single thing I eat, seems to be at the highest level of ingredients with a lot of attention to detail put into everything. The vibe of the place with the uplifting atmosphere, the decor and the righteously amazing vibes of Chrissie the head bartender…makes me keep coming back for birthdays and special occasions. I actually don’t eat out very much with fast food or takeout because I save my money for this place. I can spend $20 at Taco Bell or I could spend $20 here and usually go home very full with leftovers. Chrissie can make the most delicious concoctions and she literally looks like she’s creating something magical when she comes up with something new. Her cocktails are on point yet she’s always innovating her craft. Attention to detail for every single drink. The best recommendations for what they have that night. She informed me that they bake their bread fresh every day. Foods are sourced locally and every single dish makes me want more. I’m trying to get some variety in what I order yet. The steak does it for me every time. The pizza is the best I’ve had in town and sooooo good. I’m very picky about pizza as it’s my favorite food yet this crust and the delicious cheese and greens and everything they put into their pizza is so tasty. The flavor of every single thing I have eaten makes me want to have it again and again and again. If the Italians that I know in my community, make this a regular spot, then I also know it’s good! It’s authentic righteously on point delicious food every single time I go. All my people come with me to this restaurant for special occasions. Do yourself a favor and visit Cibo! If somebody’s coming in from out of town… Take them to Cibo! To celebrate my children’s accomplishments, I take them to Cibo! I already have two reservation reservations for the first week of January and I went there last night. It’s this good! A lot of people post pictures of the food there and I’ve had every dish that I’ve seen online… But what means the most to me about this place is the whole experience of bringing My special people here to experience, uplifting vibes, delicious and exquisite food, the most incredible drinks, and an atmosphere that takes us out of our daily life and gives us such joy and pleasure to experience. Seriously. Just eat here once and you’ll know.“

“Elegant setting for a romantic date or a family dinner. Highest quality ingredients, ethically sourced meats, handmade pasta, always a delightful experience.“

“Amazing food and service! Love love this place!!!“

“This is one of the best pizzas in the city. They use top quality ingredients and have an amazing oven. Cooks the pizza to crispy perfection. They will work with anyone and make an excellent pizza just the way you want it. I have tried several of the specialty pizza combinations and absolutely loved them. I hope he opens more locations so more people can experience this unbelievable quality pizza.“

“Amazing food, great prices. Not to be missed.“

“We loved our service and the food was so delicious! We ordered the filet mignon with blue cheese, pasta spec, and the eggplant parm. Would totally come back. We wanted to sit outside to enjoy the evening and the staff brought out a heater and got the wood stove going so we would be comfortable.“

“Loved this place, great food!!“

“Great food! Our first visit and we were very happy with everything. Enjoyed our waiter’s knowledge of menu items.“

“Deli made good food restaurant, outside frescoe atomosphere, good Italian food!“

“We had a great evening! Celebrated our adult son’s birthday! Excellent food and a very good and friendly server! Love this place! And our six year old had his front tooth fall out into a plate of pasta! Don’t worry, we found it :) He was so excited!“

“Charming ambiance, phenomenal meal, and excellent service. Thank you Abigail for waiting on us. I regret it's taken us so long to find our way back here. Still as great as it was a few years ago. That's a testament to a great owner and team. We really enjoyed the bruschetta appetizer, creative mocktails, the king salmon and Dungeness crab pasta specials, and the best tiramisu in all of Portland! See you again soon!“

“I walked up to order and saw loads of basil in front of me getting ready to be turned into something delicious. I ordered a small order of arancini balls. I was delighted that I could choose different ones on the same order. They had 4 varieties and all sounded amazing. I ordered the original mozz and the pepperoni and mozz. Then I could choose from 4 different sauces and I chose the original marinara. These were so good along with the sauce that I can’t wait to go back and try all of them but next time I’m ordering the large for sure! Additionally I ordered the Italian chopped salad and added grilled chicken and soppressata dry cured ham. It was an explosion of flavors! The grilled chicken was so good along with the ham. I can’t wait to go back and try more. Next I’m trying either the eggplant parm sub of the vegan pesto pasta, especially after witnessing the mound-o-basil. I won’t be forgetting the large aracini balls either ;)“

“Best tiramisu around. Love this place.“

“Long live Ooh Pasta! I got the #4 peanut sauce dish and my husband got the #1 clam dish, both were 10/10! Fresh, perfectly cooked ingredients, the most delicious sauces made fresh to order, and big portions for the price. We used to come here often when we lived in the area, moved out of state many years ago but still have to come eat here whenever we’re in town!“

“Incredible food, funny and personable hosts. Our new favorite restaurant!“

“Love love love this place. The server was fantastic. He described everything perfectly. Great communication. The food was so creative and tasty. Italian - American with a creative twist. The owner was so lovely. He gave us limoncello. We are going back for sure.“

“Beautiful venue, amazing food, attentive staff!“

“Lunch pasta dishes were yummy and generous portions“

“I just had a birthday party for 17 friends at this fantastic neighborhood restaurant! It was absolutely incredible! The service was top notch. The food, 7 courses, was amazing! Each served in a timely manner. The cocktails were finely crafted! My friends can’t stop raving about their evening at Allora!!!!“

“Good good and service. Great lunch special“

“Excellent food. Great staff. Very nice experience“

“Scout and Kyle really brought the evening to a bright and beautiful finish, their truly exceptional customer service was appreciated and seen by a fellow service industry worker… your food and beverage program is fantastic, I look forward to trying more options and those specials look divine!

Also the Cherry Manhattan with the Tawny Port was a beautiful build, I loved all of the components that made that classic with a subtle twist 👌🎯❤️‍🔥“

“Basically my favorite kale salad ever.
But I warn you get ready to have the worst garlic breath until the next day 😂😂😂
So worth it. I always order one to go.
As for the pastas I like simple here.
I skip the lasagna and go light.
Great wine selection.
Parking could suck.
Good service.“

“Burrata and heirloom tomatoes !“

“Love this true family restaurant! The service is impeccable. When we went the servers and hostess were speaking Italian. It’s been in Portland since the 1970’s! The founder’s adult son was cooking the night we came. The pasta was amazing, especially the “linguini by the sea“ dish. The minestrone soup was homemade and fabulous. The cannoli filling is homemade and suburb! I would have given it 5 stars but the bread wasn’t the best and the antipasto could improve. The side salad was excellent with robust Italian dressing- pucker for the vinegar! I also appreciate that this restaurant serves dinner late- they close at 10pm on the weekends!“

“Best Papa Murphy's in the portland area. Always get my order correct, never had a problem with this location and I've been going here for over 16 years.This is my favorite location the staff is always nice and they know who I am when I come in.“

“great service with a sense of humor, and the food was absolutely amazing! Try the special, if they are all as good as tonight's, you will be thrilled.“

“I love the food the atmosphere is super cozy“

“Legitimately one of the best Italian restaurants I have ever experienced in the US. I have lived in Italy and my husband is Italian and we thoroughly enjoyed everything about our dinner. The wine selection is varied and thoughtfully curated. We enjoyed a bottle of Sardinian Carignano which is a rare find in the states. The prices are more than reasonable. We had a lovely locally sourced steak that melted in the mouth for $32. Bread is homemade fresh TWICE daily and the meat and cheeses were top quality If you’re looking for AUTHENTIC Italian in Portland, look no further. Nero Gallo has it all; great food, prices, staff, atmosphere and we will most definitely be back.“

“I had to say I was very sad to see Bollywood go in the neighborhood bc it was one of my FAVORITES, but I was anxiously awaiting the arrival of Maglia Rosa since the same chef was reinventing the space. We finally had a chance to dine there Friday night with a bunch of girlfriends and it was DELICIOUS. We tried almost every salad on the menu (beet/avocado/cucumber, chopped salad, and the Raddichio, all were yummy, perfectly dressed, fresh ingredients. For the main I ordered the cavatelli with beef ragu, was the perfect balance of sweet and savory, the pasta was perfectly cooked. We shared the fresh corn fritelle (corn fritters) that came with the yummiest peach chutney which felt like a nice nod to Bollywood:) For dessert I had the sorbet of the day (peach, yum!). I can't wait to come back and try some other things, I've heard the crespelle fiorentina is a favorite. I will also be back for some quick to go meals that come in handy during the busy week, and they have a lovely wine selection. They even let you taste some wines when you order your dinner. It's a bit funky ordering at the counter but that was how Bollywood was before, and it actually works, and the staff took note when the line was getting long, to add another person taking orders. Once we were at our table, several different servers checked in on us regularly and we could order additional drinks and our dessert without standing back in line which was awesome. I also just love the vibe in side with nice lighting, tall ceilings and tables of various sizes depending on your group. They also great seating outside with a lovely patio and covered area with heat lamps. Great addition to the neighborhood.“

“The Mediterranean pizza was delish. It just happened to hit the spot for me. I will definitely go there again and highly recommend it.“

“😀Today a group of nine of us former colleagues had a most pleasant lunch. The wait staff were very well organized and tuned in to our needs, while being in the background in our conversation. I am very impressed and recommend this place, despite their need for a restricted parking lot.“

“Good place we just got off our flight and was hungry for a light dinner. My wife ordered Chicken & Gnocchi soup, I ordered fried shrimp dinner, my younger son had chicken nuggets and fries, and his brother had Ravioli Carbonara, and his sister ordered spaghetti with meat sauce.
The service was very good and fast . The price total was $102.“

“I’ve been here many times before and have always thoroughly enjoyed my experiences. However, when I went today with my family, the food was overwhelmingly salty across all of our different pastas and their sauces (pesto, red sauce, carbonara). I loved the crunch and texture of the nuts but could not finish my pesto dish.

I am disappointed and hope this is a fluke where kitchen staffing was negatively affected by the holiday weekend.“

“GREAT food. I've only been here twice, but everything we tried was delicious both times. I've been here with a group of 4 and a group of 6, and we elected to order family-style both times. Great for sharing. The Sunday sauce is outstanding, as is the eggplant parm.“

“This place is a new fun addition to Sellwood Everything is intentionally approachable level of Italian food that is delivered well and the salads are crazy good, and the service is bar none. The pastas are consistently good and the atmosphere is always vibrant and lively, but you can always enjoy the conversation with whom you are with a solid experience that it's worth having.“

“The only thing my daughter and I don't like is the bread that is served with the pasta, and is also used to make the Panini. The bread is so bad… I don't recommend the Panini.
My favorites are the Carbonara and Gnocchi.“

“stellar slices, whacky workers and endless hot chili flakes, what more do you even want?? The pizza is great and the people are even better! Conveniently located by the river, high potential for a romantic slice in the park. RUN don’t walk here folks.“

“An Outstanding Experience!

The service was excellent, and the owner runs the food truck with great professionalism and dedication. The welcoming attitude and passion for providing the best experience make every customer feel valued and appreciated.

As for the food, it was absolutely delicious! The Chicken Carbonara was made with fresh ingredients, perfectly balanced, and full of flavor. A truly exceptional experience—I highly recommend it!

Thank you 😊 🙏“

“Food is top-notch! You can always expect to leave full in spirirt, mind, and stomach. Italian classics elevated and some of the best pizza on this side of the Mississippi. The chefs are cooking like they have something to prove. Can not recommend this place enough! Eat at Scorfana“

“Enjoyed lunched with my daughter and granddaughter today. So many delicious choices, great kids menu. Everything was so fresh. Planning to have dessert next time! We ate inside, outdoor seating is available.“