Al Porto Ristorante Review

Very charming ambience, excellent food for a decent price. Very good service, friendly waiters.

Our office has gone in for lunch many times, we love the food when we dine in restaurant. However, we ordered take out one day and it was disappointing. We ordered a variety of pizzas and when opened the boxes, the toppings were considerably less than what other pizza shops around the area would give. Would definitely not order take out pizza from here again.

Delicious Italian food in a spacious tidy restaurant served by friendly staff. Special thanks to the chefs and cooks as well.

Amazing service, good atmosphere good for fitting big groups

We were early (6pm) and had great service (thanks Nate!)

We had calamari (huge and tasty -- but eventually it was too much fried stuff and we didn't finish), halibut (not bad), and osso bucco (my first one and I didn't like it -- it tastes like irish stew from a can).

Bill was $70 + tip (but we had the $40 groupon).

The best thing on our plates was the spaghetti squash.

I might come back and give it another chance.

My friends and I came here to try their dine out menu. Pleasant staff, delicious food, good portion size. Both their veal and salmon dish were tender and juicy...absolutely delicious. Why not 5 stars? The washroom facilities are in much need of some maintenance.

Decent food. Good service. I had salad with the steak. It was cook perfectly. Through the window I could see the cruiseship which was nice.

Excellent and varied invites! I will return for sure!

Really lovely atmosphere! And the server was super friendly! Thank you for making my Valentines Day special.

We order the mussels and it s not fresh at all. The chef uses a strong source trying to it taste better. Not recommend this restaurant.

Came here for a company function and the food was great. Amazing to see them handle almost 100 guests so well.

Favourite place I ate at while in Vancouver (my wife and I went there twice), if I ever find myself back in Vancouver, I ll be sure to come back. Great wine, exceptional food and fantastic staff as well, loved the bruschetta. My wife said it was the best Caesar salad she s ever had, and she d eat Caesar salad every day if she could.

Hostess was friendly as well as the support staff. Server was an older gentleman, he was not pleasant or friendly. Food was very bland, veggies were not fully cooked and unfortunately there was a small fly in one of our mains.

One of the best Spaghetti in Vancouver! And great pizza.

Excellent atmosphere. Unfortunately the food fell short of expectation for the price and wait.

Very nice setting, music and staff. Food, although not real Italian was nice with a good selection.

Solid Italian food with good lunch specials. Unfortunately, they appear to have very little idea of what a pint of beer is (a common problem in Vancouver).

An absolutely fantastic restaurant. Do not miss the quick lunch!!!

Loved our dinner. The servers were all friendly and helpful. Our young waiter in particular was pleasant and mature beyond his age. We sat downstairs. It looked like there may have been a better view upstairs, but the decore downstairs is nice and the place has a great feel. I had a simple four cheese pizza and it was delicious. My wife's steak tasted amazing too!

A tourist attraction in Vancouver's Gastown.
A sightseeing bus stops in front of the mechanism clock that steams once an hour. I was able to see it slowly. It looks like it was in front of a famous Italian restaurant.

Excellent food, great atmosphere. We couldn't eat on the upper floor, as it was reserved, so I can't say anything about the view. Favorite was the caprese I ordered or the creme brulee.

I usually don't write any reviews, but the experience was so bad that I felt obligated to do so. The food was good and the overall atmosphere was great, but the service was really bad.The food took long and when the food finally came they had forgotten several things such as a spoon for the soup or bread for the table. Honestly, I wasn't that upset because I knew they were busy. The worst part however, was trying to pay. We were a large group and the majority of us were using cards to pay. Instead of getting it done in ten minutes the waiter left 10 minutes between each transaction even though each transaction took about a minute each. The worst part is, it wasn't him who came back, it was us calling him back each time. The person who did pay in cash gave a involuntary tip to the waiter because he didn't give her full change back. We understood that it was a busy night but when we looked at what he was doing when we were trying to pay we saw him talking to the bartender. We got annoyed, so we stood up planning to pay the rest upfront if we had to, but then he finally came. This time he finally got them done. We said thanks, but he replied with a sarcastic "no...thank-you..." After thinking about it a bit more we went back to the restaurant to tell the manager that we didn't feel very happy with the service, but he was apparently on his "off day".

Ocean was our server and she made it all worth it. Food was amazing as well.

Brought here and it was really good food! Good service.

Love it! Simply AMAZING, and one the most friendly customer service that I ever saw. You're awesome guys!

Atmosphere was nice. Had beet risotto. Not the best choice. Risotto was raw, tenderloin was overcooked. Flavour of risotto was sweet and sour, quite overwhelming. Maybe not the chef's best day.

Solid italian restaurant. Food is good, prices are reasonable and the service was good.

Food was very good, historic feel, could use a good cleaning

Fair service for how busy it is and great food for special occasions.

Service is really slow. Servers are friendly, but its 2 hours since we sat down, and we just finished entrees. I'd like my dinners to be done in 2 hours.

Tl;dr: all negative parts of my review can be avoided by reserving a table further in the restaurant.

Cute little alley entrance, makes it feel secret and it definitely has that European charm/aesthetic.

The older man at the entrance was obviously used to tourists wandering in to check the place out then leaving, because after looking at the menu for a few minutes at the entrance he asked if we'd "had a good look around." He'd seen us waiting there and staring pointedly, and didn't attempt to seat us.
But my sister had recommended it so I charged on. I asked if we could be seated, he asked if we had reservations. No, we didn't, but they had a spot available. I can't remember that I've ever had to /ask/ to be seated.

We were seated, and obviously forgotten in a corner because we were poured oil in a plate and after waiting 15 minutes we asked if there was bread to go with it (There was).

$$$$ The minimum you can spend there is probably $30. This is an expensive sea food oriented restaurant with a decently large liquor selection. Definitely reserve a table, people were constantly being turned away. I recommend a window seat, and maybe going during lunch hours for a bit of a discount.

My partner and I had a Caprese salad and the Insalata Mista, which was well thought and filling and we could've almost left happy with that. Our main dishes were Veal Lasagna and the Gnocchi. The lasagna had prominent brown mushrooms, and tasted normal. The Gnocchi was tender and flavourful.

I appreciated our waitress a lot. She made a real effort to make us feel comfortable and welcome. Atmosphere was ruined a little by TV's, and was probably better further in the restaurant with maybe a window seat. Unfortunately I was disappointed with the condescending man at the entrance, our unstable table, and the unimpressive food at its price. I don't think I'll go back.

Edit/update: I'm not alone in my experience at the entrance

A very good itlalian restaurant in the mid of Vancouver downtown... They specialize in Sea food and have a variety of wines... Although I would say there are not many vegetarian options but can be custom made...

Overall
Food: 3.5
Service: 3
Ambiance: 2.5
Value: 2.5
Recommend or Repeat: N

Excellent service! Will definitely be coming back. Our server was just wonderful

The food is mediocre. It s a hit or miss, I ve been twice and I hoped better the second time around. A neat first date spot. Not too expensive, but also not really the best. Definitely paying for the location and ambiance. Calamari is fresh, pizza is okay, the pastas are a little dry. Try it once and see how you feel.

Amazing! It was my first time with my Boyfriend. He wanted to take me somewhere romantic and special. I had no idea what he had planned. The atmosphere was perfect, service was very friendly. The food was delicious, best seafood pescatore I have ever eaten. And when the Tiramisu came, my boyfriend had a lovely smile on his face as he pushed away a berry to reveal a beautiful ring hidden inside the delicious dessert. This will be our anniversary place for many many years to come.

I organized a company dinner at Al Porto for about 125 people, and we rented the entire restaurant. The staff were wonderful and very helpful throughout the night. We had wine tasting, dinner, dance and game activities for kids upstairs. The ambiance was lovely, food and wine were delicious, kids' meals were amazingly huge, and staff were friendly and attentive throughout the night. The long table (20-24 people) seating worked out very well. Originally I thought it would be too many people at a table but it worked out really nicely. Lots of conversations and fun at the tables.
Good location as there are numerous parkades located around, it's a 2-minute walk to Waterfront skytrain station and taxis pass through Gastown all the time.
My only complaint would be the washrooms, they were quite messy. The restaurant was undergoing washroom renovations during our event, so the timing wasn't the greatest for that. Hopefully once the renos are done, the washrooms will be much nicer.
Nice venue for a company event. Thanks Al Porto!

I love this hidden place. Atmosphere is nice, clean and food is good.

A group of my friends and I went to celebrate a friends birthday party but the whole experience was awful. It was the worst service ever. The waiter who served us , his name Nav M , he was not professional at all. In the beginning of the night he greeted a friend of mine by saying "Yo" I mean let's talk about common courtesy! It's not like we are buddy buddy or acquaintance at the matter. Greeting us with slangs is a bit disrespectful.

Moving forward into our night, we all started ordering our food and chit chatting with one another . Our server comes back to refill our empty cups of water. He seemed like he was in a rush to go back to the kitchen to do whatever he does there. He goes to pour the water into our cups but as he was moving to the next cup of water he would pass the jug of water over our heads and then making the water drips onto our hairs, neck and clothes .

At the end of the night we wanted a group picture so we asked if he could help us with it. Two of my friends wanted to use their phones to take the photos so they handed the phones to him, Nav M said loud and clear that "oh yah why don't everyone just give me their phones yah!" So rude! And further more the photos were taken like he didn't care how it turns out! Might as well not take pictures because it turned out horrible! I felt like because we had a big group and that the gratitude of 18% was automatically added onto our bills he can treat us like we are wasting his time!

Bottom line is that food wasn't all the great and the service is terrible! I would never go back!

Always friendly and inviting. Good food. Service was not as functional this last visit, but friendly.

so disappointing! Bread, pizza, pasta, risotto all sucked at this Italian restaurant and crappy service!!! It's our first time here and definitely will not return, so expensive for such crappy food :(

Absolutely great find! The happy hour deals are fantastic! The food is amazing! I'll be going back many times, my wife and I both love it. Highly recommended!

One of my favorite places in Vancouver, I like its decoration design, hidden in the restaurant of Basement, I have felt mysterious for many years. It is like being in a vineyard manor. It s not good enough. The food to be improved is pizza or salad. They all taste better than the main course.

Best pizza in town. Service is really nice, it's a Vancouver staple been around a long time.

Amazing service and great food. Wonderful ambience.

Good size lunch portion, quality taste and friendly staff

Wonderful lunch menu and selection of wines. Recomend visiting al dente italian food.

Great!
Nice place, extremely friendly and helpful staff.
Fast service. I ordered spaghetti bolognese and it was excellent! And the good price
Wonderful!!! I highly recommend it.

Very nice decoration. You'll enjoy dining here. I've been to Al Porto three times and I've enjoyed each time differently. Twice in the dining area and once in the wine room.

Food is delicious too. Food 4/5 but decoration and service 6/5, so it gets a 5 star review

As soon as I walked in I had the feeling that I would regret coming here and I was right. The restaurant had a really nice atmosphere but their food needed some real improvement. I had the clam linguine and it was subpar. My pasta was really dry and a bit too salty. Although the service was good, the food did not impress me so I will not be going back.

Food was fantastic. Was here for an early dinner and they have great deals for early dinners. Recommend saving room for dessert, the lemon tart was delicious!

Excellent Italian food that doesn't break the bank. I highly suggest the beet risotto with the medallions.

Lovely atmosphere and great food. Server was very nice and chatty :)

Al Porto has now become my favourite little hideaway. Actually, it is a rather sizable restaurant but feels so homey and comfortable that I always have a feeling of elegant coziness inside. The service is exceptional and professional, the food is delicious and beautifully presented. I am not Italian, so I cannot speak to its authenticity but it is simply excellent food, so you might as well try it. Everyone I have invited to meet for lunch have been equally impressed and I know they will return. Please keep up the excellent work!

Absolutely fantastic. They have too much seafood on the menu for Valentine's however, so for someone like me with anaphylaxis, maybe not so great during specials, but the service, atmosphere and quality is there. Brilliant.

BEST RISOTTO IN VANCOUVER!
Good service and awesome food. Our server took a while to do our order, but all plates were beautiful and delicious!

Very good food and the waiter gave us happy hour drinks just after it was over. Excellent service!

Eating here is like a trip to Italy. Great food and ambience. Their pasta carbonara is mouth watering

Service was excellent food great. Decro is white table clothes and an old world charm. Great place will go back again.

This place was lovely. My friend and I arrived pretty late after the hockey game and they were more than happy to rustle us up some grub. The pizza was really good, as was the wine, and the guy serving us was a real seasoned pro. Would definitely go back again.

Great Italian cuisine... best ciippiono !!! Great ambience and service.

It was our favorite restaurant, during our stay in Vancouver. Food was very delicious.

Everytime we have dinner here we have a wonderful time. I make a reservation for my Husband's Birthday, and it's always a great experience.The delicious food, and great prices on the before drinks and of course the fantastic tasting wine.Also the staff has always been good to us and very knowledgeable.
See you soon.
Wendy C

For my combined 25th birthday (last one in Canada before I get married and move overseas) and engagement dinner, I looked tirelessly online for a week for a restaraunt that was classy, delicious and suitable for a young ladies' celebration dinner. I had high hopes for Al Porto to come through for me in this very special event, and I must say, I was very disappointed. We had a two hour limit at our table which was fine, except we ordered at 6:40PM and our food came at 7:25PM. Not only that, but four of us ordered pizza (not cheap, might I add) and they were ALL BURNT. ALL FOUR! They were literally brown, and very hard. I have never eaten burnt pizzas at a restaraunt before, and I was shocked that it was the classy "Italian" restaraunt did this. I felt so bad that my friends were disappointed with the food, on the one night that I was reuniting them for a celebratory occasion. Of course by then we only had 30 minutes before we had to leave, so we sucked it up. We very politely and gently "complained" to three people about it, one of them being the manager, and all of them just said "sorry" and didn't try to compensate in another way. Stephany was definitely a lovely and kind waitress and made sure I got a birthday cake with a candle, but she was visibly overwhelmed with the very poor staffing and this negatively impacted our experience. On top of that, we asked for our bills and this took about 15 minutes to get to us, within which the other big party arrived and were seated at a cramped table and STARING US DOWN the entire time, which was also an uncomfortable experience that the manager and waiters could have accommodated for better. We grudgingly paid full price for our burnt pizzas and I felt bad that this was my last ever birthday experience in Vancouver before moving to the UK. I wouldn't choose this restaraunt for a weekend special event again, or recommend for others to do so. The people who work there were very stressed and it clearly affected the customers' energy and...the pizzas. Felt very guilty for bringing my friends here.

Lots of options on the menu to choose from, good gluten-free options, and location in dt! Cute restaurant, very accommodating for large parties, even on a busy evening like NYE!