Portofino in Newcastle upon Tyne

Had lasagna and it was cold and burnt at the same time felt like an oven ready supermarket meal. I will never set foot in again as there are better options Cheers Rob

Lovely intimate setting for a night out. The service was excellent. The food, divine. Superb choice available. The amarone is superb, the limoncello awesome.

First time to this restaurant and it won't be the last. Everything was really good from the staff, the service and the atmosphere. Food was very nice and reasonably priced. So no complaints from us and would recommend to friend's etc.

We ate here before going to a performance at Theatre Royal which we have done a few times before. Service was speedy and friendly and the food was great as always and reasonably priced. There is a real buzz about the place and booking is advisable even at 5pm when we went.

We were in Newcastle for the day for a university open day and booked this place online beforehand. We were not disappointed!! Fast and friendly service, excellent tasty food and really good value for money! Lovely building too! It’s somewhere we will remember for future visits.

Enjoyed a starter and main with the lovely red house wine. The staff are friendly and very efficient.

Very good, as always. Excellent service.

Lovely food, reasonable prices, lots of choice, very friendly staff and a great atmosphere.

Visited on Saturday night. Despite being busy food arrived quickly and out server was excellent. However, my pizza was burnt and way to hard to eat.

After talking to my son this morning ( Sunday 29th September 2024) , telling me all about his Italian meal out , where here lives . I decided to go shopping and then to Portofino's... Newcastle .. They s have a great Menu. And special boards and desserts.. I chose Pasta alla Scoglio ,Linguine with Prawns , Mixed Seafood and Cherry tomatoes in a light tomato sauce. and a glass of wine .. and a coffee ... Had a lovely chat with the staff too. Thank you. Delizioso .!! .

My friends and I visited Portofino for the first time on Friday night and the only thing I can say is that it is not to be missed. It was easily the nicest meal we have ever had, with the most delicious food, enthusiastic staff and perfect vibes, great value for money too. Maria was our waitress and she made our experience 10/10, she knew the menu well and gave us brilliant recommendations, she was also the sweetest, bubbly soul and really did make our evening special. We enjoyed it so much we returned the next day for a lunchtime bite. I highly recommend the Gamberoni pasta with tagliatelle. I will definitely be returning the next time I am in Newcastle.

Excellent experience with reasonable prices

Visited today 11.12.23 for lunch with friends. My pizza was absolutely delicious, the best I’ve maybe ever tasted! Staff very professional, the building is beautiful, a lovely place to dine. Prices very reasonable too. Thankyou. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Visited three times since my first review. Each time food has been amazing. Dined today 25.9.24. The risotto was absolutely delicious. Staff always welcoming and extremely professional. What a beautiful building to dine in. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The food is always delicious, an excellent variety of choices on the menu with a choice of desserts that will leave your mouth watering. We enjoyed the atmosphere which was greatly influenced by the amazing staff who were lovely.

Lovely old building with bags of character, very friendly quick service and lovely food , we both had the vegetarian pizza which was tasty. We go here every couple of months for a pizza!

What a great place. Stunning architecture, buzzing atmosphere, friendly and professional staff, good choice in wine and superb, affordable food. What is not to love!

A great venue for a meal, good food, reasonable prices, central location and an amazing old building. Love the tiles on the ceiling.

Beautiful building but we found the service was slow even though it wasn't busy. Unfortunately the food was bland and lacked flavour.

Had a lovely meal here this evening. Each course was delicious, the waiting staff were lovely and the building is beautiful. Thank you

Visited on a busy Saturday with a pre booked table. From the start the atmosphere was amazing and very beautiful with welcoming service. I ordered the scallops and cannelloni al forno. These dishes were not only cooked to perfection. But also a very generous size and excellent value for money. For a great dining experience with real authentic and tasty Italian food with good service and price I recommend this place the most in Newcastle. It beats any of these overpriced chains in eldon square and surrounding shopping alleys by a mile.

Always the most wonderful food, the best service and a wonderful atmosphere! If you're in Newcastle this is the place to eat!

Our favourite Italian in Newcastle. Always friendly with great food and a decent selection of wines.

Great meal in a magnificent setting

Never disappointed when we visit Portofinos. Our table is always ready for us when we arrive and the staff offer a friendly welcome. The food I s much better than many similar restaurants and is delicious. Lovely atmosphere in a grand old building.

Lovely Italian restaurant with the usual selection on the menu plus a daily specials board. Food was good, service was good and although it was busy it still had a relaxing atmosphere.

Best pizza I've ever had in Newcastle and very reasonable price.

This is a top notch Italian, I must say. First of all, the restaurant is situated in a beautiful Victorian building with wonderful architecture. The food was the best bit as it tasted absolutely amazing! 😋👍10/10! Spot on!

hearty comfort food on a windy night, reminds me of the days in Italy.

Had lunch here was good value for money, and was excellent. Amazing decor would definitely recommend and go back!

If one has to stack rank all Italian restaurants in the UK, this place will end up in the top 90 percentile.

Great food, lovely staff and unbelievable atmosphere. The building and style is stunning.

Service is excellent. Food is very good and reasonable prices. It's worth a visit to see the interior decor. Well recommended.

This is the best pizza I have ever had - absolutely delicious and so well priced. We also had the vesuvius pasta which was also incredible, definitely would recommend.

Good authentic Italian with realistic prices. Good selection of specials so you can ring the changes. Drink prices seemed fair.

Authentic Italian flavour! Cozy atmosphere and reasonable prices!

Very enjoyable meal and ambience. Mr G

Brilliant food and friendly staff, reasonable price for great food. In well decorated restaurant

Best Italian restaurant in Newcastle. Great food, great service and reasonably priced.

Came here with my partner and it was absolutely amazing. Drinks and starters came out very quickly and were amazing. Waitress was very friendly and accommodating suggesting alternative drinks options around my tastes. Mains were very good I got the fungi risotto which was so creamy and my partner got the branzino which was literally melting apart. We both thoroughly enjoyed the meal and will definitely be back!

The place was really busy which is always a good sign. Service was fast, and food was delicious. Really good price. Definitely worth it. Will be back again.

Great place , fast and friendly service. Food delicious 😋, vibrant and happy. Central to bars , shops, great location along from train station. Great value for money and good wine list 👌

What a brilliant atmosphere! The restaurant was absolutely packed, but we still received excellent, prompt service from the waiting staff who were so friendly and attentive ( and all Italian!) Will definitely return again! Stunning building, and an absolute jewel in the crown for Newcastle ! Lonely that the restaurant is still all family owned and run. You can tell the difference! x

I love portofinos. The staff are always friendly with impeccable service, great tasty food and a nice good choice of drinks. They bend over backwards to look after you no matter how busy they are. A jewel in the Italian restaurants in Newcastle.

Fantastic food and service in beautiful surroundings. Absolutely no pressure to decide what to order or pressure to leave. Highly recommend it.

Love their tiramisu 🍰 But servers are pretty slow

The restaurant has a beautiful environment and the food is of high quality. The seafood pasta and Italian pizza are delicious.

Great value, excellent food & super service - highly recommended

mariaaaaa what a server!!! absolutely amazing!! maria made us all feel so comfortable and welcomed! can’t wait to come back soon! 🍝💕

Maria is a star!!! She made our evening 10 times better and is incredible. Such a good meal

Great place, exceptional food & service. Fantastic value for money.

Lovely food and good service staff welcoming and polite. Only negative is they can be a little quick taking plates away after each course.

food came out extremely quick would definitely recommend

Surprisingly deliciously authentic tasting food in a warm, comfortable environment which did not cost an arm and a leg. Definitely a ‘must return’ restaurant.

Good food as usual..One not so good, a waitress tried to tell me that a tart cooking apple crumble is the norm, sorry nope it ain't, you need sugar or sweeter apples..

Everything was great except the sirloin steak which was overdone and under seasoned. Not cooked as asked for. My dining companion also has the same problem. This was very disappointing as the staff, ambience and other dishes were otherwise great with the wine being excellent.

The restaurant isn't terrible, but basically every element is underwhelming. There are far better Italian restaurants in Newcastle, so this would definitely be one to avoid.

Absolutely incredible venue, truly authentic Italiano. Fantastic service from an amazing team of staff, all are welcoming, friendly, approachable and very knowledgeable about their products and ingredients. Superb selection on the main menu and a huge specials board for extra enticement. The food, unforgettably stunning! This place has nailed it when it comes to authentic Italian cuisine. Everything is cooked to perfection and the portion sizes are certainly generous. We felt like we had just stepped into the grand dining hall of an Italian family who just wanted to welcome you into their family with lots of great food and wine. An outstanding experience from beginning to end. I would only highlight one negative I observed, the toilets were down a flight of stairs which were accessible for us - however I wouldn't be too sure if there are facilities accessible for those who cannot use stairs - worth an ask in advance because I might have missed something. Definitely revisiting very soon, very well done team Portofino. You're amazing 🤩

I normally don’t review restaurants, but this one I feel I have to. We went into the restaurant without a reservation on a weekday. The restaurant seemed very lively mainly people drinking I didn’t see much food being eaten. However, we were rushed to order by the waiter who is Italian and a little bit older. He would come to the table every minute to ask for the order. So in the end, we ended up, giving him an order while he stood next to our table, whilst we decided what to order. After he took the order and left I saw him smirking at his colleagues. At the end of the meal, he never came to ask if we were doing fine or take the bill payment. We had to physically go on the counter and pay. I don’t know if he has a personal bad experience dealing with Indian crowd as that would explain the level of rudeness we had to deal with. We wanted to leave, but couldn’t, as the waiter had already taken the order. The food was also average, nothing special.

Excellent restaurant in a great setting Food was lovely and great value 3 courses with a bottle of decent Zinfandel all for £38.00

Walk in and we were accommodated without any fuss, thank you!

Loved the place.. despite being fully booked we were accommodated by the Manager/owner without hesitation. Even though there were 12 of us.. Really tasty food, served with precision and not too expensive.

Waiter brought the wrong order (I don't eat meat). Food quality and taste is average at best. The place was busy and guests very loud. Service is fast - about the only positive thing I can say about my first experience there.

Thoroughly enjoyed dining in this restaurant. We just had food from the happy hour lunch menu. Pizza and pasta meals were only £9 and very tasty. We didn't have a starter or dessert. There was a vibrant atmosphere and the service was very good. Absolutely loved the building with the numerous arches and ceramic tiles. The toilets are down steep narrow stairs so you have to take care although there is a handrail. Well worth a visit.

Great cheap spot for a speedy classy lunch

Great service. Booked a table for 7.15pm. Shown straight to table even though very busy. Obviously a very popular restaurant. Service was swift. Food was delicious. And reasonably priced.

Excellent food, great prices, perfect service and in a really special space.

Lovely place, lovely atmosphere, lovely staff, lovely food, lovely wine.

Excellent food, service & value. Recommend arancini starter, lasagne & spaghetti arrabiata. Lovely staff & beautiful surroundings.

The food and service was absolutely fantastic here and would definitely recommend to all.

Fabulous city centre Italian eatery with stunning interior, great food and very attentive staff. Super place for an authentic night of cucina Italiana.

Food and ambience always great. Small & very busy restaurant. The quality of the food is great, in my opinion the best Italian in Newcastle. Happy hour is ideal but normal menu is good too.

A beautiful place to eat Italian food and where there are some interesting promotions on some dishes during the weekdays. Excellent attention.

Booked for a pre concert meal early evening. Lovely surroundings and excellent service. Starter of chicken wings was delicious, lovely pizzas and coffee. Would return.

Had a lovely experience!! Definitely book a table here as was super busy, did visit on a Saturday night. Service was super quick with staff being so helpful with suggestions. The food was amazing and so well priced! Can’t wait to come back for more food!!

An absolute little gem of a restaurant, the food is way above anything Gordon Ramsay could knock up. The service is first class too. Food like your mum made it, bootiful!

Just great friendly service and the food was outstanding love the interior. We are regulars and definitely be back soon..

More of a posh cafe but classic Italian done really well. Seafood was outstanding. Cooked really well - great flavours. Brilliant lunch, thank you

As always great value 😀great food 😀 pleasant helpful staff 😀brilliant for pre theatre food 👍I would definitely recommend.

Our first visit to Newcastle. We hadn’t pre booked and fortunately a table was available. Very impressed, excellent and speedy service, great food at a reasonable price in a lovely building. Couldn’t ask for more.

Really enjoyable meal and service was great, would have been a 5 but our starter was only just warm and cheese not fully melted. There wasn’t much time between courses, we like to sit a while, some may want next course quickly so personal choice. Location is great and loved the interior. We will definitely be back as despite the above had a great time and main course and dessert were excellent

Fabulous restaurant in attractive Grade 2 listed building. Lots of atmosphere. Food and service all excellent and good value for money. Thank you!

The setting is beautiful, tiled walls, columns, family photos on the walls. The service was excellent, attentive without being intrusive. My wife had the seafood platter starter, which is amazing value for such a variety of 'catch of the day' I had the garlic mushrooms which were lovely. Main course was also lovely. A fantastic restaurant which we would recommend to anyone visiting Newcastle, thank you, Phil

Fell upon this place when looking for a meal late afternoon before going to get ready for early show at O2 City Hall. Fabulous atmosphere, staff , environment and well the food, the tastiest we have shad in a long time, tuna in creamy garlic and prawn sauce was divine as were the herby potatoes and calzone pizza, oh and the mushroom starter was fantastic

Great venue for pre theatre meals. Staff very helpful and polite. Really good choice of meals and wine. Quickly served and efficiently

Always excellent, always friendly and such a superb room with the tiles - we come back here again and again. The lunchtime deal is such great value.

Lovely meal in a beautiful restaurant with my mum prior to cinema. Chicken in a lemon sauce of special menu was beautiful as was my mums pasta. Reasonably priced and great service. Highly recommended

Excellent food, good value and beautiful building. Will definitely be returning. Prompt service even though the restaurant was full.

Great food and service! The Gamberoni Tagliatelle is a must try.

Lovely atmosphere busy place but not crowded excellent food and lovey staff.

I expected better, my wifes meal was spot on, unfortunately mine was mediocre at best. I don't think I will be returning. As I'm not sure how you can mess up a pizza when in theory they were cooking 2 at the same time.

Great buzz of atmosphere when you walk in. Attentive and professional staff. Good varied choices on the menu. Served at the right pace. Tremendous food. Definitely will go back. Try it.

Came during the happy hour at 4:30pm. Drinks were a great price and the portions were decent. The gamberoni Al aglio were the best dish of the night. So flavorful and a great size, it’s a must order. I had the Piemontese risotto which was delicious. The pesto tagliatelle and lasagne was amazing as well. Highly recommend and will be back soon. Lots of gluten free options too

Food was normal. I can cook better spaghetti to be honest. Service was not good. My friend’s English is not that accurate and the server just purposely don’t listen to what my friend talk. I find it rude and arrogant.

Always fantastic and quick service when we come here. Food is just delicious and really reasonably priced. The decor reminds me of many an Italian restaurant from back in the day. Lovely venue.

I ordered garlic mushrooms for my starter . Bread was deep fried and mushrooms also deep fried. I could taste the oil in my bread and couldn't taste the garlic at all. I got a refund for my starter. Main course I had steak I ordered it well done and I could see blood on my plate. £22 for steak and chips. Service was ok but the tried to short change me. Toilets were downstairs not good for someone in a wheelchair or couldn't walk far

Absolutely fantastic Italian. The calzone rustica was the best calzone I've ever had. Properly full, not the usual folded over but half of it is air when you cut into it. Daughter had an adult margarita and polished it off completely much to my disappointment! Wife had a chicken salad which was also delicious. For desserts we had a tiramasu, sticky toffee pudding and profiteroles. These are sizeable desserts and honesty could be shared between 2! Staff were extremely friendly and service was great. Would absolutely go back again. The building interior itself is beautiful with intricate tiling throughout, however it did create quite an acoustic chamber as the restaurant filled up.

Great food, great atmosphere,great service and good value

Lovely Italian restaurant, great food and service in a very traditional setting 😀

Food delicious. Staff so good😋🤗

Beautiful interior and very tasty food. It was very busy when we visited so appreciate staff were working hard but never got the water we asked for at the start.