Portola Bistro

Review summary

1. C

   Caroline

   VIP

   San Francisco

   1 review

   2.0

   1 review

   Dined 5 days ago

   1. Overall 2
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 1
   4. Ambience 1

   Trying to be fairly fine dining. Staff not trained to that level. Venue definitely not: very bright white with unattractive battery LED lamps on each table. Odd location opposite grocery store. Previously was more casual family fare which was much better suited to space
   

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2. L

   Linda

   San Francisco

   5 reviews

   4.0

   5 reviews

   Dined 6 days ago

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Our waiter Max was terrific. My eggs royale were excellent. My guest had the beet salad and the roasted Brussels sprouts. I sampled a few of them, and we both agreed the sprouts were nice and crispy and cooked just long enough to be tender and neither too hard nor mushy. This is my second visit to Portola Bistro. My guest is from San Francisco so it was her first visit. Our only complaint is the NOISE! It’s almost impossible to carry on a conversation when the dining room is filled.
   

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3. a

   alan

   VIP

   Hawaii

   11 reviews

   4.0

   11 reviews

   Dined on December 9, 2024

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 3
   4. Ambience 4

   It was lunch. Nice not noisy conversation perfect. Drink and meal service a bit slow. Suspect kitchen slow. Had a burger.
   

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4. R

   Rosemarie

   San Francisco

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined on November 29, 2024

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Food & service were excellent! Beet salad was especially amazing. Beautiful presentation & flavorful selections. Our waiter was exceptional! Definitely will return.
   

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5. a

   art

   VIP

   San Francisco

   17 reviews

   4.0

   17 reviews

   Dined on November 23, 2024

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 4

   Very good food, excellent service, but the noise level was deafening.
   

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6. A

   Amy

   Hawaii

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined on November 22, 2024

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 4

   Second time testing this anchor to the Ladera scene. The pappardelle with lamb ragu is excellent —enjoy the mushrooms and the surprise olives. The pizza is outstanding. Served piping hot but not burned, this is thin-crust pizza at its best. More ingredients on top than a true Napolitan pizza but an excellent compromise between Italian sensibilities and Silicon Valley taste buds.
   

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7. K

   Kathryn

   Hawaii

   2 reviews

   3.0

   2 reviews

   Dined on November 17, 2024

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 1
   4. Ambience 3

   The food was very good at Portola Bistro, and had the service been better our review would have focused more on what we ate. We were seated for a long time before anyone visited our table to check on us or take our orders. The meal came relatively quickly, which was nice, but once our plates were cleared, we waited again and eventually decided against dessert. There seems to be a staffing or training issue, but weʻll likely try it again, hoping for better service to go with the food.
   

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8. C

   Catherine Giurlani

   VIP

   San Francisco

   13 reviews

   3.0

   13 reviews

   Dined on November 17, 2024

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 4

   We were excited to try Portola Bistro as we loved the previous restaurant and looked forward to seeing something new. We were initially disappointed upon arrival in that they do not have their full bar liquor license yet, only beer and wine, which we didn't know at the time we made the reservation. We had been looking forward to relaxing and enjoying a cocktail before dinner but were told it will be *2-4 months* before they get full licensing. We started with the "roasted" beet salad which was very good, lots of great flavor however a bit disappointing as it was mainly lots of arugula (and even a little goes a long way, flavor-wise), and not much of very thinly sliced beets that only rimmed the plate. Our main course was the Quattro Stagioni pizza which was also very good, bit soggy towards the middle but the taste was good. All in all we did enjoy the restaurant, I know they have just opened so things are new. There are many things on the menu that we'd like to try so we will definitely go again in a couple of months and hopefully it will be on our go-to list of favorite restaurants!
   

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9. K

   Kevin

   Salt Lake City

   1 review

   2.0

   1 review

   Dined on November 13, 2024

   1. Overall 2
   2. Food 2
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 3

   French onion soup was the worst from an awful broth and limited presence of onions to the quantity of bread and cheese that was not Gruyère. Calamari was soggy. Schiacciata Pizza had fresh ingredients and crust was fine and the sea bream just okay. The purported “Vibrant Bar Seating” must have referred to vibrant lighting since they could only serve beer and wine. Disappointing. Party of five not rushing back.
   

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10. T

    Toni

    VIP

    San Francisco

    79 reviews

    5.0

    79 reviews

    Dined on November 13, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 5

    The new Portola Bistro is lovely. The remodel has made the restaurant brighter and more inviting. Chairs are comfortable and decor is understated but very nice. Menu is well balanced (fish, pasta, beef) with nice side dishes. My group had the Beef Bourguignon, Pan Seared Salmon, Double Cooked Pork Belly, Pumpkin Soup, Calamari, Beet Salad (which was really, really good) , the Market Salad and the French Onion Soup. Everyone liked their choices very much. Waitstaff was super friendly. We will definitely visit again.
    

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