Cafe Portobello in Southampton

We had heard good things about Porto Bello, so we decided to try it. Most of the tables were empty, but they wouldn't seat us - they said it would be a "few minutes". We were supposed to wait in their tiny vestibule, along with another couple who showed up. Then a group of 6 showed up, expected to wait outside, DESPITE all the empty tables. They could have at least let us sit down. They don't seem to care about the customers who are arriving. So after waiting a little while, we, and the party of 6, left - they lost 8 dinner sales. It seems like a terrible way to run a business.

Nice small family restaurant. Only cash but the food is very tasty!

Great place. Got an early table. Food was great, thier special tonight was amazing. All at a very good price. Cash only but worth any inconvenience that may or may not create.

We were in town for a conference, last minute needed to be by the library. All hungry decided to give it a try. Very friendly and cozy family atmosphere. Food was fresh and delicious, pasta cooked to perfection. We were greeted by the owners (a testament there is still great people in America), Prices unbeatable. Nice business, all patrons dining in became instant Bostonian family. Definitely will come back again. PSA pizza is amazing, better than many expensive Italian bistros at little Italy in NY.

A small homey Italian spot. Went to celebrate my girl’s birthday and we had a good time. This was our first authentic Italian food experience so the menu was a bit confusing, but the waitress was a big help she was friendly and answered all of our questions. It’s a smaller space and cash only. So you might wanna bring cash next time!

I had the most amazing pasta at this restaurant! The waitress was incredibly friendly and we had a wonderful time with the family.

The bloom is officially off the rose. Terrible inattentive service, overcooked pasta, and really poor quality wine. At one point in time this was a nice little find. Now it’s less than mediocre, and not cheap. Went for dinner the other night with my wife and some friends. The server was completely absent (place was DEAD btw) in fact my wife had to go into the back on three occasions to track our server down. Meanwhile the socially awkward busboy interrupted us and put his hands on my shoulders like he knew me (I hate when strangers put their hands on me and consider it a violation of my personal space…pet peeve). He was completely clueless not taking any social cues and continuing to ask the same stupid questions about the food. We just wanted him to leave, but he really had no sense or situational awareness, and showed a complete inability to read the table. They should keep him away from people. He needs work. The food was utterly subpar. My eggplant parm was a soggy mess, and the pasta seemed like it was boiled forever. We’ll never go back. I’ve never been to an Olive Garden, but it’s probably better than this place. You should dine elsewhere.

Great food and service. Restaurant is small only seats up to 36 people. When it's full it gets quite loud from people talking

Cash only mom and pop shop that never disappoints. Their quality and portions match any spot in the North End with neighborhood prices. Our favorite dishes are the eggplant rollatini app, homemade fusilli alla vodka and veal Marsala.

Just had the best sandwich ever.

My friend & I stumbled upon this place while I was in town for a conference and wanted pasta nearby. The server was friendly and answered our questions about vegetarian options. Let me tell you, the pasta HIT THE SPOT. I got the cheese ravioli with pesto cream sauce and I HAD to take the leftovers with me — another friend & I ate them later that same night at our hotel! The cherry on top for us was that towards the end of our meal, the server came to tell us that one of their regular customers, a gentleman seated across the restaurant, paid for our meals! He and his friend, came by to our table on their way out to tell us that they noticed my friend & I having a great time laughing, eating, and talking and just appreciated seeing that and decided to pay for us; then they left — how kind! My friend that lives in Boston will probably be back soon and I’ll be back the next time I’m in town.

Quality of food, level of service and value are all high scores here. Susan was excellent and welcomed us warmly for our first visit here. The menu boasts a strong offering so we will be back many times in the future as we want to enjoy it all.

Wonderful little place in the heart of Southie on Broadway. One of the best pizzas I've ever had! Nice crust, baked properly and just the right amount of toppings. The server/hostess/manager was delightful!

Food is amazing! Atmosphere is warm and old school. Staff is the best.

Cozy little old school Italian restaurant. Classic pasta menu with daily specials. Only about a dozen tables so arrive early or prepare to wait. Staff is friendly and attentive, and the food is so good! Cash only, so come prepared!

Excellent food service was impeccable and the price was reasonable. Loved it!

Our meals were really delicious and they served us very late in the evening.

My coworker and I had lunch there for the 1st time in November. The food was delicious, price are reasonable and the waitress was great! Definitely going back.

Best red sauce in Boston, better than anything these days in the North End. Hidden gem.

A great treasure. The food is amazing, the service is perfect.

No nonsense family owned place with great Italian food! Unless you want the North End experience, I recommend Cafe Porto Bello to my family, friends and out of town visitors. Their portions, prices and quality of food is excellent, especially their homemade fusilli. Have never had a bad meal here! Cash only and no reservations for parties under 5/6 people (will need to fact check me on that one)

My husband and I came from out of town. We stumbled into this hole in the wall with the best Italian food we’ve tasted in Boston. Unbeatable prices, great portions, amazing service from Susan. Heads up, it is Cash Only, the place is very small, no reservations unless a party of 5+, but let me tell you it is absolutely worth it.

Little hidden gem in South Boston. Great food, great value, tiny dining room. Amazing pizza.

Wonderful food. Very pleasant and polite staff. Great buzz.

I was visiting town and a colleague recommended this Gem. Best Italian food I've ever had! Everything was cooked perfectly, fresh, so much flavor, I couldn't stop eating. It was a Tuesday night, not too busy but everyone there was oooo'ing and ahhhh'ing while eating their good and there was a steady flow of to go orders the whole time I was there. Highly recommend! Service was wonderful. Staff was great! Prices were great! I'm coming back just to eat here again!😋

Very good family style italian restaurant. Garlic bread is good, pasta dishes, especially the ones with seafood, are also good. Great neighborhood service, artichoke appetizer is also good. Worth checking it out!

Food was great. Good service as well.

Kleines tolles italienisches Restaurant mit superleckerer authentischer italienischer Küche. Pasta wurde auch glutenfrei angeboten - super. Haben so gar ohne Reservierung einen Tisch bekommen. Service war auch toll. Leider war es aufgrund des kleinen Raumes schnell sehr laut und die Akustik war dann recht anstrengend, so dass wir auf den Nachtisch verzichtet haben, leider. Wichtig - nur Barzahlung möglich, aber es lohnt sich

Food was awesome first time there it was quite when we got there around 5.30 6.00 around 7.15 7.30 as we were leaving that's when it was getting busy I would definitely go there again

,Simply AMAZING!!! This restaurant is a must. We had 6 people for dinner and OMG everything was delicious. We started with carciofo francese, calamari fra diavol and Melanson Parmigiano all were unbelievably yummy! Dinners were scrod alla Rosa, Pollo carcinoid, 2 fiore del mare and 2 Pollo boscaiola. I can't recommend this restaurant enough! FOOD, SERVICE 10 PLUS and so so affordable!!

Legit hole in the wall. The food was amazing. Ordered the shrimp scampi and it was phenomenal. If you are in the area and want north end Italian without north end pricing and going to the crowded north end, I highly recommend. BEWARE: CASH ONLY.

This was is amazing the food was delicious. It's a very small location so call ahead. However, I highly recommend this place.

Fabulous place with amazing food and a terrific atmosphere

Amazing food thanks Bridget for great service! The Tiramisu was out of this world with a touch of raspberry and the drunken Irishman coffee hit the spot! Will be back again

Best Italian in Southie as far as I’m concerned

Jae Lynn took care of me, despite me sticking out awkwardly like a sore thumb lol lovely restaurant 👍👍

Do not go near the end of the evening, many of the staff acted like they didn't want us there and refused to make a vodka sauce that was ordered by 3-4 people because the cooks were "too busy" or "wouldn't want to" Appetizers were great, but when dinner came out it was extremely disappointing. Just very uninspired, my pasta sauce had the oil and sauce separating on the plate, and the pasta did not seem fresh or high quality. Food was forgotten, desert ordered ignored.

Simply the best. A hidden gem of Southie.

This place was surprisingly very good. Don’t judge it by it’s appearance. It’s a very modest looking place because I think it’s family owned and run and they’ve kept the original set up the same. But the food here is quite authentic. We ordered cheese ravioli in fra diavolo sauce which wasn’t on the menu but we requested our very friendly server and she ordered it for us. It was excellent. Overall taste is much better than places we’ve eaten in north end. Plus reasonabley priced for the serving size. Had enough left over. Will surely visit this place again.

If you want to see old-school southie, come here... If of course you go at the right time.. lol. You have less ans less true locals coming in... they all moved out. The food is always good and more importantly, consistent. They do a ton of take out. The newer folks walk in with a sense of entitlement for no reason. Lol.

I looked for an hour or so trying to find a place to go with my boss for a decent, affordable Italian meal, and this place paid off the effort. Delicious 100% without paying an arm and a leg. One of the few places around Boston that is still allowing dine-in and reasonable prices. Dinner came with bread and an olive oil dip to die for, and I would absolutely recommend this place, any day of the week!

My husband and I were visiting Boston and found this restaurant just a short walk from our hotel. The staff were lovely and the food delicious. It was obviously a big hit with the locals. I highly recommend it

As an executive chef myself, if you are looking for Authentic Italian, this is the spot to do it. Everything was on point. The pasta was perfect and everything was flavorful and absolutely amazing! I recommend and will be returning myself!!

Amazing small family run Italian restaurant. Would highly recommend.

Amazing food and great service, always have a great time here

Cafe Porto Bello IS open for dine in! ~cafe porto bello staff :)

5 stars is credit to their hot and sweet pizza (hot pepper sweet sausage). Great slice great price

We did not enjoy our dinner. Service was okay, but, my pork chops were unremarkable to say the least. Very small, not a full bar.

Best place to have a decent lunch in S.Boston

Food is great atmosphere very friendly I will recommend that place to anybody who is looking to eat some good food

Great party trays, lasagna, chicken parm

Amazing one of the hidden treasures here in Southie

Fine Italian dining, Italian music playing in the background. Best meal I've had in weeks! Lobster ravioli to die for!! 😍💗👍🎶

The food is all homemade and it is delicious! Very affordable and friendly staff. Their GF pasta was fabulous.

Just ordered two pizzas; Cherry Peppers + Sweet Italian Sausage and Smoked Mozzarella Prosciutto+Arugula. Just speechless. The dough crunchiness was spectacular, you could think that the dough was fried on the edges which I found awesome. The tomato sauce on the Italian was out of this world, I guess is La Receta de La Nonna, it was rich and so dense, you really have to try it! And the smoked mozzarella left me wanting more. I found the pizzas really well executed and the idea of mixing those ingredients was from someone who obviously has excellent taste and knows about food. I live on the same street and never saw it until now that they put tables on the street. Cannot wait to go back and try something else! Absolutely recommended!

AMAZING AUTHENTIC ITALIAN FOOD💜‼️

The food was delicious and the waitress was very friendly and pleasant.

BEST chicken picatta !! Don’t forget to try their homemade fusilli 😍

From appetizers to dessert. Everything was very good. Birthday celebration.

I had dinner there Monday night. They have pasta mondays. I had the Ravioli parmigiana and it was delicious. The special comes with cup of soup, small salad and the entree. It was only $11.95 There were quite a few options a friend had the cheese lasagna and meatball. Both were delicious. Of course bread and butter also. Place is small but good. I would recommend it, worth trying. Enjoy!

This spot is wonderful and broad, the food was enchanting and the rates were very reasonable. quickly, efficient service and very personal staff members. Will definitely recommend this restaurant.

The food and the service is excellent

Cool small neighbor old school Italian restaurant with Italian music playing in the background. I got the Apple, Prosciutto, Gorgonzola, arugula pizza which was outstanding, flavors all meshed deliciously together. it was greasy in the middle probably due to the Gorgonzola and prosciutto but I just put a paper towel under it and it kept the rest of the crust from getting soaked.

We have been going here for 15 years! Perfect in every way

Very friendly, cozy local place. Food is delicious, service is great. We've tried many different things here - love the fusilli with broccoli rabe and amazing homemade sausage. I wish they had more wines by the glass

This is mark thank you so much Thanksgiving was wonderful everything was so delicious

Solid Italian restaurant that’s been in the neighborhood forever. Food is always delicious and affordable. The wait staff are friendly. Minus 1 star because the red wine is always warm. They need to find an alternate place to keep it other than next to the fridge that spews of heat.

Awesome Italian food, tastes like it was made by your Nonna from Italy

Excellent food and service. Michael treated me like family. Will definitely be back!

I’ve always found wait staff hit or miss. Sometimes kinda rude and sometimes super kind. It’s a little pricy and to be honest the price ALWAYS changes every time I go. Sometimes X meal is 20, then 23, then $15...

Consistently good ...I've been going for over 15 years.

This place was a great find! The food was amazing, the service was friendly, and the atmosphere was comfortable. You could tell that the staff knew most of the Costumers and everyone seemed to be laughing and enjoying themselves. When I didn’t realize it was a cash only restaurant the waiter was super nice and pointed out the neatest atm! No issues no stress. I ran to the atm and came back to pay the tab! The food itself should get 5 starts! If you are looking for good Italian food and wine with quick amazing service you need to visit here! It’s a quick lyft from the seaport area of you are in town for business!

INCREDIBLE Chicken Parmesan. Light-years better than Capo's food and dining experience.

You get what you pay for at this little Italian cafe. Very nice and quick staff, but the food was underwhelming. Wine was served very warm however, they have some decently priced cabs. I recommend filling up on bread and skipping the rest of the meal.

Friendly service. Absolutely ordinary Italian food. Caprese salad tasteless, claimed to have buffalo mozzarella but didn't taste like the real stuff, at least not from Italy. Chicken marsala overcooked and lacked flavor. Home made pasta with red sauce lacked flavor. Three stars generous.

My husband contracted food poisoning from the seafood dish. Three days later he is still out of work.

We love this place! It doesn’t look like much from the outside but it’s so quaint and lovely on the inside. One of our faves. Cosy, great atmosphere, great food and great prices!

Pollo Alla Richie is the best around. Saltambuca is amazing too. Can't beat the bottle prices as well. Wow.

Cash only. Meal is always very very good, not too crowded. Cozy atmosphere. Good prices

Love it food is always fresh and delicious and staff is so pleasant I know you will love it

Great food, nice staff but pride themselves on being cash only which speaks to the old school Southie vibe and attitude.

Take your time and dine in. The pasta dinners are excellent but the pizza is to die for. You will eat the crust it's so good.

The food is always good! You can tell the cooks are professionals. Warning you might get drowsy after. Happens a lot.

Probably one of my favorite restaurants. Food amazing and staff very friendly. My mom and I love the atmosphere and spending time there together eating way too much :)

Don't forget to tip who ever is putting together your to-go orders..... They work just as hard as the wait staff

Excellent restaurant. Reasonably priced, cheap table wine, friendly staff, exceptional food.

Food great, great ,great can't say enough service great I love this place

I had eggplant parm, which wasn't good at all, specially compare to other Italian restaurants in Boston. Bread was pretty bad as well. Cash only. However, no signs about it. Service was fine.

Nice little Italian place. Loved their food. They don't take credit cards, cash only.

Pretty darn good. Small and quant. Also cash only. NP...

Enjoyed our meals, great prices! Enjoyed talking to the owner! Just what we were looking for on our last night in Boston!

Amazing Weekday Lunch Specials until 3pm.

Tiny restaurant with great service and delicious food.

I LOVE THIS PLACE❤ I'VE TRIED JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING ON THE MENU, EVER SINCE THEY OPENED, MY HUSBAND & MY ENTIRE FAMILY COME HERE. IT'S FUNNY AT CHRISTMAS, WE ALL END UP WITH GIFT CERTIFICATES TO PORTO BELLO FROM EACH OTHER😁 THE STAFF ARE SO NICE, COZY ATMOSPHERE👍

Incredible meal we had! Great service - prompt, accommodating and courteous. This place is one of those hidden gems in Boston. You won’t be disappointed - guaranteed!

Love this place. Great food at an awesome price. Dine in or take out - it's great any way you can get it. Staff is top notch too .

Once you find this place you've found the gold mine for impressing people with amazing food and atmosphere.

Excellent meal...Can't wait to go back!

Always wonderful Shrimp scampi pizza Bracciole special.... It's a must visit Sue and james

Good food. Not very big portions. Dated decor. No bar. Cash only.