portofino

i have never ever had a bad meal here and while there are other restaurants in lexington i want to try, i find that i keep returning here for special occasion dinners. try the homemade ravioli with the garlic sage butter sauce. you will dream about it.

not too shabby. their wine list is extensive. my wife and i shared a nice bottle over dinner this week. service was attentive yet not intrusive or rushing us to turn over the table. nice job, rusty.
the risotto was delicate and cooked perfectly. somehow i went to an italian joint and ended up with steak and potatoes but it was really quite good.
is it expensive? a little bit.
is a good dinner and a bottle of wine with your sweetheart worth it? yes.

perfect evening. portofino tops our short list of “nicer” restaurants in lexington. we dined here with another couple, and everything was perfect! our server, dean morton, was very personable, suggested dishes to try, and was very attentive. we started with mixed drinks and a nice malbec, and ordered two appetizers: the bruschetta appetizer along with the pei mussels appetizer. the bruschetta was very nicely prepared with roma tomato-basil relish, garlic, and gorgonzola cream atop grilled bread. this was the best bruschetta we have ever had, including in italy! there were plenty of mussels steamed in kentucky ale bourbon barrel stout, and were gone quickly. the caesar salad was served next along with fresh baked rolls. our entrees were the grouper special, tagliatelle roma, seared sesame tuna, and grilled filet mignon. the vegetable was asparagus, and all were prepared perfectly. the menu is new and different from the last time we ate here, and everything sounded delicious. we were all happy with our choice of entrees, and had a wonderful time. the ambiance and energy in this renovated building are perfect for a memorable dining experience. you should definitely make reservations.


-----30 oct, 2011-----

one of lexington's best. portofino's is one of lexington's finer upscale restaurants. their wine selection is abundant, although the mark up seems a bit steep. our table enjoyed the home made ravioli with marinara sauce, the grouper special, and the daily risotto special. service was attentive, and the evening was very enjoyable. wayne does a wonderful job with this restaurant!

service. my wife and i just got back from lunch at portofino and i am very disappointed. we were there celebrating a special occassion and the lunch made it a very unspecial occassion. my wife ordered pasta bolognese and when it was served it looked fine, once she put her fork to the sauce it was very very dry. at this point the waiter was gone and no where to be found. i asked the bartender to please find him. she asked if there was anything she could do and my wife explained about the sauce, the bartender asked if there was anything else that she could get her, and my wife declined. when the waiter did come back he made no mention of the pasta no apology and no conversation what so ever. all in all the service or lack there of and the food were less than what i would have expected. we have dined here many times, but after this experience probably will not be back.

they will never get my business after what the manager did to those 2 females. i am disgusted. this establishment should be shut down. there should be no reason why an adult male would assault to female teenage girls. left one of them so badly i hired she had to be taken to a hospital.

so i'm mixed on this one; i had my wedding rehearsal dinner here in 2009 and was beyond pleased. salmon and steak dinners were superb. desserts were some of the best i've had. fast forward to 2014 and we returned for our anniversary dinner; not happy at all. food was subpar and service was lacking. we had to ask another waiter for help. my duck was over cooked and the plate was messy; their prices do not allow for this at all.'sorrily disappointed and have not returned since (no plans to do so again).

excellent food, good atmosphere. my girlfriend and i ate here last night, portofino was a great choice for valentine's day. i had the seafood buccatini and it was exceptional. solid service; there when you need them but not over the top. the wine selection was extensive, and the choices my girlfriend and i had were delicious. the art displays in the room we dined in were unique and eye catching. the aura of the restaurant itself was envoking but not overpowering. i highly recommend portofino for any occasion or fine dining experience.

order the specials. i like this place. good service and great food.i find it difficult to actually recommend any of the standard menu items that i have tried here. however, i have no reservations about recommending the outstanding specials. they are well above standard. amazing taste and presentation, the chefs here clearly have high standards and know what they are doing.

wayne is the ultimate host. his staff is first class, audrey served us and she is one of the coolest, while classy servers i have run across. enjoyed the patio on a nice lexington night. i'm from atlanta and love great restaurants and the scene in lexington is great. this is a classy approach to making great italian food with fresh local resources.

another great meal. i've been to portofino's many times over the years, and despite the food being a little pricey, it has always been worth it. i have learned over the years to order the specials--for they often outshine the regular fare of the restaurant. last week i started with the arugula and watermelon salad, which appeared to be fresh arugula, small bites of sweet, ripe watermelon, sunflower seeds, and rasped parmesan cheese. this simple salad was light and surprisingly delicious, perfect for summer. for the main course, i ordered one of the specials, ruby red trout which was served with fingerling potatoes and sauteed corn and red peppers. the trout was seasoned perfectly and was served with a soy-ginger sauce with asian spices, absolutely incredible. everyone at the table had a bite and said they wished they had ordered it. i believe the bluegrass bakery makes the portofino deserts. i had the chocolate torte which was served with a raspberry, chocolate, and cream sauce....a very satisfactory torte. overall, with the excellent service that was provided, it was a very enjoyable meal. i will be going back again. oh, and if you like mussels, this is one of the better places in lexington to get them.

wonderful. we are visiting lexington and enjoyed a lovely evening. for our family, it is all about the food, and this did not disappoint! the bruschetta and apple with goat cheese appetizers were our favorites.

private dining is not private here. held corporate client/prospect event in one of the private dining areas. the restaurant owner thought it appropriate to "crash" our event and bring some of his restaurant guests in to meet some of our attendees with a bottle of wine and glasses! completely disrupting our opportunity to socialize with the folks we worked so hard to get there. unbelievable! even if he had asked the folks who had just paid the bill for 15, we would have said no. guess that's why he didn't ask.

old reliable. never had a bad meal, the servers are best in town, extremely knowledgeable. food is awesome!!! if you are complaining about it being over priced, you clearly aren't accustomed to fine dining. no, you will not get a 5 star meal for $30. i got the bruschetta (a menu favorite), arugula salad, filet served over a bed of mashed potatoes and grilled asparagus, 2 glasses of the house cab, tiramisu (to die for!), an a frangelico after dinner $75. you get what you pay for!!!! if you want a $20 dining experience, go to applebee's! i will continue to frequent this establishment with clients after the sales and races as long as the doors continue to be open!!! a must try if you like steak or italian!!!!!


-----21 jun, 2010-----

hit or miss, but service is best in town.... while i will admit that portofino is arguably one of the better resturants in downtown lexington, sometimes the food is hit or miss. my co-workers and i go there often for appetizers and drinks (i highly reccommend the bruschetta or calamari and rock shrimp). dress is business casual and the servers are always very timely, knowledgable about menu items, and a pleasure to be around. the first time i went, i raved about it for weeks, but was very discouraged my second time. i ordered the shrimp and scallop pesto linguni and it tasted as though it had been doused in fish sauce. the next time, i had a lovely dish with summer vegetables, but the bruschetta was a bit soggy. i think the entrees are overpriced and you can get the equivalent at bellinis or malones. they do have a great wine list and you can't go wrong with any of their desserts.

the idea of the place, and the ambience, is outstanding. the prices - foolish! the steaks and tiramisu come off the same us foods/sysco trucks as does the places everywhere around - not much here is worth the prices! however it does taste good.

our server was awesome! we had caesar salad, bruschetta, chicken marsala, grilled salmon w/ lump crab & for dessert tiramisu and chocolate torte! we gave each course an a+!!