My family and I were excited to visit Portofino. We all love Italian food and had hoped to visit in March to celebrate my son’s 3rd Birthday, but then Lockdown hit. So, when the opportunity came up to visit last week, we were overjoyed. And what a fantastic visit it was.
We were greeted at the door by lovely friendly staff and my contact details were taken – one of the many covid-19 procedures in place to keep you and other guests safe. There is a hand sanitiser station on arrival and Perspex screens up around the booths, so you feel safe in your own area, but can still enjoy the atmosphere of the restaurant.
Right, on to the food!
We had a delicious Homemade Fresh Flatbread & Olives, with garlic butter to dip into. I am not normally an olive fan, but they were delicious, so I quickly converted. It was a generous size too, so we were all able to have a decent amount each. The menu is extensive. There is plenty of choice and if you are not a huge fan of pizza or pasta, there are plenty of other dishes to choose, from steaks to burgers. There really is something for everyone.
Salmon Fetta
To start we had Salmon Fetta & Calamari Fritti. The Salmon Fetta was made up of smoked salmon, mascarpone cheese, baby prawns and a mango coulis with toasted bread to eat it on. The Calamari had a light and crispy batter and we even managed to get our mini mumbler to eat it (he is rather fussy about trying new things). Both were beautifully presented and tasted amazing.
They have a children’s menu (Bambini Menu) and it includes a choice of kids drink and ice cream. The mains are served with chips or salad & beans or peas. They can have Fish Fingers or Chicken Nuggets or Sausages or Any Pizza or Pasta. Our mini mumbler loves Pizza, so it was an easy choice for him.
I chose a dish from the speciality menu, Risotto Alla Pescatora (creamy mixed herb and garlic sauce with chicken, baby prawns and mixed peppers). They also do this dish with Linguine pasta instead. The menu itself said “You’ll regret not trying this”. It was heavenly and so light.
Risotto Alla Pescatora, Diavolo Pizza and Spaghetti Amatriciana
My husband couldn’t decide, so opted for the brilliant half pizza, half pasta. He chose the Diavolo Pizza (pepperoni, Jalapenos, parma ham, mozzarella and tomato sauce) and the Spaghetti Amatriciana (bacon, onions, mushrooms, cream & tomato). The pasta was beautiful, so tasty and fresh.
The portions are generous and if you cannot fit it all in, they will box up the leftovers for you (we took home some of the yummy pizza and enjoyed it later).
With regards to value for money, I think it is excellent. They have a Happy Hour Two Course Offer and are also taking part in the Eat Out to Help Out Scheme.
The service was excellent, very quick and with staff checking on us throughout the meal, always friendly and eager to help. The restaurant itself had a lovely relaxed atmosphere and you felt safe and at ease. I am already planning my next visit….
Portofino Ristorante Italiano
2-4 Albert Street, Harrogate, HG1 1JG
01423 507700
Opening Hours
Monday – Saturday
11:30 AM – 10:00 PM
Sunday
11:30 AM – 09:00 PM
Reviewed: July 2020
Disclosure: Mumbler was lucky enough to receive this for free however we pinky promised to only write a truthful account of our meal. Phew, we really enjoyed it! (otherwise that could have been awks!)
