Osteria La Porta

A true hidden gem in the chic, stylish and historical town of Pienza. The menu was outstanding and the quality, taste and delivery of each dish was a delight! Wonderful views from the patio - charming inside, cozy… it’s a breathtaking place and the staff and especially the chef ensure a memorable visit.

My brother’s wedding was at a nearby villa. We came from Canada. It was arguably the best food I’ve had in my life, seconded only by dishes I enjoyed in Rome and Como. It was my first experience with real Italian dining. We had a group of at least 11 and reserved ahead. The view, the service (I have many allergies, and they were fantastic), the town. Osteria La Porta was the cherry on top of our marvelous week long stay in mostly Montichiello and Tuscany. We enjoyed some gnocchi bolognese, delicious beef cheek and many a glass of delicious wine and bruschetta. Our photo of the view was taken just below the balcony of the restaurant; which also has a stunning view.

We had lunch at Osteria La Porta and the view alone is worth the visit—absolutely stunning, looking out over the Tuscan hills. It’s a perfect spot to sit back and soak in the scenery. The atmosphere is lovely and relaxing, but unfortunately, the food didn’t quite live up to the setting. I had the ragu, which was fine but nothing special. The tuna steak, though, was very dry and almost inedible, which was disappointing. Service was decent, and the place itself is charming, but I’d say it’s probably better to stop by for a drink or a light snack just to enjoy the view, rather than planning a full meal.

The food and wine is top notch! Highly recommend it . Was there for lunch . The wine selection is great !

10/10 for location, ambiance and food quality, taste. Super service and friendly waiters who accommodated our request for change of table (for a better view). Food is prepared from ingredients that are locally sourced (especially the olive oil, Pecorino and ricotta). Definitely recommend for a special day or your holiday!

The restaurant is situated on the edge of town and a great place to watch the sunset. If you want seating outside during sunset I’d recommend reserving in advance. Their caprese salad was not the typical caprese salad. I can see how they were trying to be creative but wouldn’t order it again. The homemade ‘pappardelle’ pasta was delicious but I thought the pappa al pomodoro was peculiar. The Florentine steak was cooked perfectly and was a big serving size for two people.

Lovely restaurant in a beautiful little Tuscan town. The town is sleepy, but beautiful and this restaurant is absolutely wonderful. The food was delicious and the service was outstanding. The staff was kind, extremely willing to help, and very efficient. On top of all of that, the view from the outside terrace is incredible! Will absolutely come back on my next trip to Tuscany!

My colleague recommended that Osteria La Porta is a good spot for lunch in Montichiello. The place turned out to be a somewhat mediocre restaurant. I ordered Pici with summer truffles, steak topped with summer truffles, and tiramisu. Overall food and service were okay, but nothing impressive.

La Porta (as the name implies) is right in the main gate of the old castle walls surrounding Montichiello. It has both indoor seating and (weather permitting) outdoor terrace seating with killer views looking towards Pienza and over the Val D'Orcia. This is one of several noteworthy restaurants in town that have put Monticchiello (back) on the map as an "it" place. The cuisine is anchored in traditional Tuscan dishes, but upscale and prepared with panache and creativity. Our dishes were quite good, expertly-executed, although just a bit pricey. They have a great winelist, (predictably) rooted in all the great local wine districts, but also focusing on both Val D'Orcia wines and other areas of Italy. Service is very attentive, friendly and knowledgeable. It's become (justifiably) quite popular so reservations are likely a must, especially if the weather isn't great and the only available seating is indoors. We enjoyed our meal there, without being absolutely amazed or entranced. I think we're also very glad people are flocking to Montichiello again. I'd certainly take a look at this place if you're staying nearby. And...if the weather gods favor you, by all means get an outside table for the view!

Ordinary food. So-so service. Fantastic sunset view if one is lucky enough to have one of the three terrace edge tables. There is a small park right in front of the terrace where one can enjoy the view without dining at the restaurant. FOOD: 3.0. Ordinary. One diner described the taste as pre-made and then warmed up. Later when our agriturismo host heard that we dined here, he frowned and said "micro-waved" food. - Risotto orzo: 2.5 - Gnocchetti di patate: 3.0 - Guancia di manzo: 3.0 SERVICE: 3.0. One server was very considerate and worked hard to provide a good experience. When we entered the restaurant he had us wait while he cleared an edge terrace table that had just been vacated. The other two servers were indifferent. That balances out to 3 stars. AMBIANCE: - for those without an edge terrace table: 3.0 - for those lucky few who have an edge terrace table: 4.5

You might think from appearances on first approaching this place that it would be the typical touristy restaurant with merely routine and uninspired cooking. Wrong! In reality, this is an outstanding little gem, well worth the visit. We got here early for lunch, and were lucky to get a table at all (all the outdoor tables - with the fabulous view - were booked, and the place basically filled up in minutes after our arrival). Very thoughtful, modern takes on traditional dishes. Great cappuccino. Beer on tap was an unfiltered Moretti, which was something unusual and remarkable in and of itself.

Tartare was alright. Otherwise, good food, great wine, enjoyable service. Recommended!

This was a late dinner for us. We started with a mixed salad and a chickpea soup. Very fresh and tasty. For the main we had the Porchetta and the Beef Cheeks. Amazing culinary experience - an adventure for the senses. Friendly and courteous service. Very comfortable setting and quaint little restaurant!

Amazing restaurant, we were in the higher restaurant "La Cantina de la Porta". Great food, incredible wine list that you can enjoy in a wine testing during the lunch and the service was unbelievable nice and polite. One of our favorite restaurants in Tuscany 2017.

Got a seat on the patio for a late lunch and took in the sights of sprawling rural vistas. Excellent service, you probably want a reservation as the inside was packed and we came off season just before closing. The Nobile wine was amazing as were the pasta dishes we ordered - gnudi with basil and ricotta, pici with beef and pork. Delectable!

We foud this place by accident, but we are coming back here every time we are in Tuscany. The owner is very friendly, lovely person, the kitchen is one of the best in Tuscany for sure. The pici with pomodoro might sounds simple but that is a plate you will remember for long if you try it, pick the vine from the family cellar.

This is one of those places you really want to love, however really falls short in several areas. While the views are quite amazing, the servers make the experience weird while food is only average. Contrary to other reviewers I found the communication to be a substantial barrier even for basic things like letting the servers know about what name I reserved under or what we are looking to order. I had booked the restaurant reservation two months prior but was basically dismissed at the door. After pleading to the other server they finally figured out that I had actually reserved a table. The waiters took the order and several mistakes during dinner we gave up and cut it short. For all the hype but has been built up by good reviews, the dishes were simply average. So just go here for the views and maybe a drink and an appetizer but don't expect top-notch stuff for dinner. In fact the little restaurant across the street is much better value so look for la guardiola next door for a tenth of the price and the same view !

Great food! Why no 5 stars? Well the standards here in Tuscany are very high, so great with average prices only gets 4 stars from me! Very popular so bookings are essential. If you can't get a table here, try their sister restaurant in the same village, which is equally good. Menus are different though. Parking is outside the walls, either in the yellow boxes or on the white lines.

The high overall ratings are for the view which is unparalleled. Reserve ahead to sit on the terrace. The food is very good, on par with many places in the area. The lamb and panna cotta were highlights as well as the ability to get an 0.5 liter of excellent Brunello for 29 euros. The town is adorable as well...

Awesome food and great service. We were even greeted by a friendly fox when we left. The food was amazing. This was our second time here on vacation and we can't wait to come back.

We came to this restaurant after we got a tip to come here. Everything was just amazing, service till food

My family and I were there visiting last September. We came in at 6:30pm and were seated at a table in the terrace. At the time we were told that food won't be served until 7 but we could order a drink if we like. We ordered a bottle of wine. At 6:50 we were informed that they needed the table for dinner service at 7:00 we were surprise that we were were not informed about this prior to us ordering but we acknowledge that we needed to leave around 7pm. All the people in our party were done except for one that needed to have a sip or two to finish his wine, Instead of waiting one more minute one of the waiters (none of which were waiting at us) decided that the best wait to tell us to please leave was to snap his fingers at my father and telling us that he needed the table for dinner. That was very rude, because we were not told we needed to be out by 7pm until 10 minutes before and quite honestly what are we his servants to snap the finger at us? The behavior is irreprehensible. We are of Latin American decent and non-white I hope this is not the reason we were treated that way, but just in case if you are a person of color please be aware.

SO GOOD! Service was great, and we sat right out on the balcony for lunch and enjoyed the views. The house wine was delightful and the thick-rolled pasta (their house specialty) was amazing. We also had some sort of ricotta cake with lingonberry jam that was TO DIE FOR good. Highly recommend. Fun little town to walk around, too. :)

What a great little restaurant, small and charming, and a very Tuscan decor. We did a wine pairing here. This restaurant gets quite busy for dinner. I recommend reservations. The owner, Daria, was absolutely wonderful, and a fountain of excellent information on local wines. The first course was a mushroom soufflé which was absolutely amazing this was paired with a Franciacorta Sparkling wine, next was a ravioli from Maremma with a mascarpone cheese sauce with truffle, paired with the vino Nobile di Montepulciano wine, that was belisimo! Later we had the Peposa stew with tender chunks of beef. Paired with the Brunello di Montalcino, then Panna Cotta served with Ceraso wine. This place is definitely worth the effort. Good food, great wines, great service. Ciao

Amazing little restaurant, the most excellent food and a wonderful selection of local wines. The atmosphere was very relaxed and I haven't had a meal of this quality in a long time. Ask them for their ossobuco or the breast of duck. If you happen to be in val d'Orcia, make sure to eat there. La Porta gets our absolutely highest recommendation!

Average food, and prostitution ring run from one of the tables at dinner! This restaurant is hyped as being great and is recommended in some guide books. However, we had a very different experience. First of all, they forgot about our reservation. Second, the food was average (not great) - of the four restaurants we ate at in Tuscany, the food at this one was the least appealing. What was most astounding was that, during the course of the night, we noticed that prostitutes were seated at a nearby table and served a light meal. There was a balcony just above this table where men could climb a set of stairs from the street, stand on the balcony, and give the "thumbs up" or the "thumbs down". If a "thumbs up" was given, the woman got up (without paying), went up to the balcony and left with the man. The table was then reset by the restaurant staff for the next woman to sit down - this went on and on over the course of the night. Clearly the restaurant was in on it and possibly running it!

Situated in the middle of Tuscany as you know iy from postcards near Pienza in a small village. The dishes were as we expected it for this region of good food: the Buscetta was amazing, the local pasta nice. But really mind boggling was their meat and their local dumplings... We loved the panacota.