Portola Bistro

Review summary

1. R

   Roy

   VIP

   San Francisco

   107 reviews

   4.0

   107 reviews

   Dined 1 day ago

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

   The staff is trying really hard and is very friendly and helpful. The menu is all over the place and execution is inconsistent. Our second visit and we'll go back.
   

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2. M

   Mariquita

   San Francisco

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined 4 days ago

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

   Large varied menu covers both full dinner dishes and lighter fare. Spacious, light, excellent service. Food great!
   

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3. A

   Anita

   San Francisco

   3 reviews

   4.0

   3 reviews

   Dined 6 days ago

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

   Their lunch / brunch menu was varied and had good options for egg / pancake / french toast dishes without being overwhelming with breakfast choices. Our table had the avocado toast, eggs royale, and warm cabbage salad, and we finished with affogatos. Everyone enjoyed their meals.
   

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4. C

   Claude

   VIP

   San Francisco

   11 reviews

   5.0

   11 reviews

   Dined on January 3, 2025

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

   This was our second visit. The food and service were very good. This place is much better than the Parkside Grill and we recommend it heartily. We had a 7:30 reservation on a Thursday night. The place did not have many customers and the waiter told us they had had many earlier reservations. This is consistent with our observation that dinners frequently start around 6:00 pm.
   

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5. J

   Judy

   VIP

   San Francisco

   4 reviews

   5.0

   4 reviews

   Dined on December 28, 2024

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

   Wonderful casual but elegant restaurant! Food was amazing and the staff were warm and welcoming!
   

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6. K

   Kathy

   San Francisco

   18 reviews

   5.0

   18 reviews

   Dined on December 26, 2024

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

   Excellent server and dinner for Christmas with our party of 7. Apps included, ahi, deviled eggs, calamari… Entrées of lobster ravioli, beef bourg, cabbage salad, burgers (they loved!) lamb chops for me - we all loved everything! Desserts, affogatos, and tiramisu, our server was so good, balance of friendly & professional, great work! Very memorable Christmas dinner! 🎄
   

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7. M

   Megan

   Seattle

   3 reviews

   5.0

   3 reviews

   Dined on December 25, 2024

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

   We were very happy to find this lovely place open on Christmas Day. They served us a lovely meal with generous portions. The service was impeccable. From the minute we walked in and throughout the meal staff were helpful and attentive. Hope to come back soon.
   

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8. M

   Michael

   VIP

   San Francisco

   6 reviews

   4.0

   6 reviews

   Dined on December 21, 2024

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

   Lamb chops and lobster raviolis were good. Pizzas were okay. Service was good. Restaurant was nice inside.
   

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9. C

   Caroline

   VIP

   San Francisco

   1 review

   2.0

   1 review

   Dined on December 13, 2024

   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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10. L

    Linda

    San Francisco

    5 reviews

    4.0

    5 reviews

    Dined on December 12, 2024

    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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