Portofino Italian - East Merrimack

I was told this place was fantastic, however I do not agree! My lasagna noodles were hard, impossible to chew! The flavor was none existent! Also for $20.00 i expected a good size serving. Nope a small portion for $20.00 and they don’t even give a bread to go with it! A huge disappointment!

My wife and I made a reservation at Portofino’s for 6 o'clock on July 3rd to celebrate our 51st wedding anniversary. We have always enjoyed our meals at Portofino. We were taken back by a young woman who did not greet or speak to us at all and we were seated at the table immediately adjacent to the door to the kitchen. We asked to move to a different table and she was reluctant even though there were many empty tables. She finally pointed to a table and left, never saying a word. We sat there for 15 minutes without anyone ever coming over, not even with water. This was a horrible way to celebrate our anniversary. We stood up and walked out without ever speaking to a person. I don’t know if we will ever be able to return to your restaurant. I hope this feedback will be of help.

The food has always been amazing. However when we arrived they asked if we had a reservation I did not. The actual dining room had maybe 4 tables being used but they sat us in the lounge area instead. The bartender was our server which was fine she was pleasant. The ambiance was horrible having to listen to the loud guests sitting at the bar. We got our food and The bartender then proceeded to get sat 5 more times with 4 of them being party’s of 4 and more bar guests service then became lagged. Had to wait wait wait and absolutely no hospitality. Meanwhile the dining room was still empty. We came back here because the last time we were here the staff treated everyone like family. Probably won’t go back just for the hospitality alone. And again when we left the dining room was empty might have been a better experience if I sat in the dining room and had a server that didn’t have 7 tables at the same time

Fantastic! Having lived in the Mediterranean for 9 years I’m really picky with Italian food and generally find my homemade recipes much better than anything a restaurant makes but I think I finally met my match! My husband and I popped in for a late dinner. The waitress was over immediately with water and drink orders. When we told her it was our first time she quickly jumped in after asking a few food preferences with some fantastic menu suggestions. Almost immediately their fresh baked bread and dipping oil appeared. We started with the caprese with eggplant. I usually hate eggplant but this was sliced so thinly with a perfectly crisp exterior I actually liked it! For our mains we got a spread of everything: Alfredo with paparadelle, mushroom ravioli and the lasagna. It was perfect! The lasagna was a massive portion too it lasted for another 3 meals and just kept tasting better! For dessert we had the tiramisu. It was delicious but also so light and fluffy. Too many restaurants use a heavier cream which makes it not sit well. This was perfect and it had the right balance of sugar too. It left a delightful aftertaste. We ended up finishing our meal after closing time but we never felt rushed. Our waitress was absolutely delightful and we really appreciated her taking the time to explain the history of the restaurant. We will definitely be back!! Dietary restrictions: Gluten free and vegetarian and vegan options Kid friendliness: Good kids menu and flexible food menu for customizations

Fried calamari cooked perfect shrimp Fra Diavolo was cooked just right with the homemade Pasta.