Portico Restaurant

Elias was our server, and he was friendly and offered great menu selections. The Arancini balls were crispy and filled with risotto, capers, and mozzarella, with a touch of vodka sauce. The fried artichokes were filled with goat cheese and accompanied by balsamic vinegar. The lasagna served with mixed vegetables was absolutely delicious. The lasagna was moist and the meat sauce was full of delicious flavor.

5 stars every time! Only valet parking offered so the tipping was a surprise there! The regular menu is excellent but the specials make this restaurant exceptional! Ordered the yellowfin tuna special and it did not disappoint! Fresh tomato soup and salad for my friend! Cannoli for dessert, easy to share! Our waitress was amazing and helpful with menu suggestions-always a plus! The ambiance of dining on the patio is what makes the experience of dining at Portico!

Delicious lunch on the outdoor patio. I ordered the half sandwich and salad and hubby ordered half sandwich and soup. The lemoncello cake for dessert was awesome and was recommended by our server, Rock, who gave us excellent service.highly recommend this charming restaurant on River Road. \

My daughter and I went here last Saturday night- What a true Gem 💎 this restaurant was! We called- they were booked- okay how about Bar seats 👍. We had a fantastic meal and the bartender ( female) was exceptional. We ordered one special and the Ravioli as our main entrees. Both were Amazing. Honestly we plan on driving back for dinner one night- from Chesapeake VA ( it was that good!). Loved the meals and took a dessert home that was outstanding.

I would give zero stars if I could. We booked a table for 4 adults and brought our 10-week-old baby. Upon arrival, the host was incredibly condescending, lecturing us that 'a baby is a person' and therefore we were a party of 5. We didn't say anything at the time; we were hungry and just wanted to eat. ​Despite there being plenty of empty tables inside (maybe some reserved - lets give the benefit of the doubt), they proceeded to seat us outside in below-freezing temperatures. They simply turned on a patio heater, but trying to keep a newborn warm with a subpar heater in that climate is close to impossible and unsafe. We actually tried to make it work because we were hungry, but it was just too cold. ​When we finally got up to leave, the staff simply smiled. There was no solution offered, no care, and zero empathy. It felt like our business wasn’t wanted. When a business is this indifferent to a family's safety and comfort, especially with a newborn baby, makes you wonder why - we left with a really uncomfortable feeling as to why we were treated that way. Would it have been different if we were not obviously foreign looking? Absolutely disgraceful service. Save your money and go somewhere that actually values its customers.

This was our first visit to this remarkable restaurant. We enjoyed the experience immensely. We sat outside in the yurt-type tent with heaters, since it was still a little cool out. We shared the calamari which was very light and cooked perfectly. Both sauces were delicious. I had the special which was salmon/crab cake over a salad. My husband had the pizza rustica. We both enjoyed our meals very much and had plenty to take home. The service was impeccable. We will be back!

Our family was driving through this very quaint and lush residential neighborhood when we caught a glimmer of this restaurant out of the corner of our eye. We looked it up because if you know us, we're always looking for new and exciting places to eat. We found that Portico is a gorgeous Italian restaurant with a surprisingly large indoor dining space and exceptional outdoor dining option. The ambiance is exquisite. They have a respectable bar and their menu, which may be seasonal, has quite the innovative menu with no shortage of delicious options. Their attention to details did not go unnoticed. The taste was refined and the presentations were spot on. We highly recommend this place for memorable and intimate family meal.

I have been wanting to eat here for years. After one visit, I probably will not go back again. Here are the pros and cons. Let’s talk about cons first. Difficult to get a table, my best option was outside sitting at 5:15 PM on a October Saturday night when I made reservation one week prior. Very expensive. We ordered two appetizers, one cocktail, four entrees, one dessert, plus 17% tip (we normally tip 20% for a good service, but in this case, it would be and tax, it was $55 per person. It was too much for family dinner. Not to mention the food was not memorable. It would be fine if the dishes were better, nothing was exceptional. Lastly, the restaurant offers mandatory free valet parking. For two cars, it was an additional $10 in gratuity. Now, let’s talk about the pros. The restaurant was very charming. Outdoor tables were surrounded by herb garden and heat lamps. Service was top notch, our waiter Billy deserves a five star. My disappointment was with the food. The quality and flavor did not meet the price tag and my expectations. There is no options for vegetables, same sautéed vegetables for every dish. I ordered the Grilled Shrimp, Franco's Lobster Caper Cream Sauce was just OK. My husband had Seafood Crepe. It was an innovative dish, but did not have a wow factor. My son had Lamb Risotto, it was cooked well. The lamb was tender and full of flavors. My daughter ordered the Petite New York Steak medium well, it was bloody when cut into the steak. Our waiter Billy took the dish back immediately and gave her a Caesar salad while she waited. They cooked a new piece of steak for my daughter. The only issue was we all finished with our meals and had to wait for her. The presentation of appetizers was beautiful. We ordered the Grilled Artichoke & Crab, it was delicious! The Caprese was nothing special. Our friend we met up with ordered the special Arancine Siciliane, it looked very appetizing. Tiramisu hit the spot. This is just my opinions, you should definitely give this restaurant a try since it is so popular with locals.