- Restaurants |
- Nightlife |
- Shopping |
- Movies |
- All
Amalfi's Italian Restaurant
Categories: Restaurants Italian Restaurants Pizza Italian, Pizza
4703 NE Fremont StPortland, OR 97213
Neighborhoods: Northeast Portland, Cully
(503) 284-6747
- Hours:
Tue-Thu 4 pm - 10 pm
Fri 4 pm - 11 pm
Sat 3 pm - 11 pm
Sun 3 pm - 9 pm
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Romantic, Casual
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
79 reviews for Amalfi's Italian Restaurant
Review Highlights
-
"The Happy Hour offerings are plentiful." In 16 reviews -
"Forget Olive Garden, this place is what old Italian..." In 10 reviews -
"Their pizza is great, thin crust and plenty of toppings." In 3 reviews
Loading...
79 reviews in English
-
Review from Brandi G.
Portland, OR
4/17/2012 1 Check-in Here
I've only been for happy hour and it was a fantastic experience!
My girlfriends go regularly so when I was going to order one item from the menu, they informed me that I should at least get two if not three things. So I thought, what the hell... I'll go for it and ordered three. Ha, one would have been plenty. Not a single one of us finished any of our food. I have no idea what they were thinking... maybe it's the whole eyes being bigger than your stomach thing, but either way the happy hour portions are extremely generous.
Their happy hour starts at 4 on the weekdays and 3 on the weekends so it's earlier than most, which I kind of prefer.The food was tasty and the service was great.
The thing to remember is that you can't get any of your leftovers to go, so be sure to only order one thing at a time. You can always order more if you're still hungry. -
Review from kelly s.
Portland, OR
4/30/2012
Amalfi's is the sort of Italian restaurant that is trying hard to bridge several generations of customers. The building and interiors are freshly updated in a new but by no means avant garde fashion. Fresh stone coutner tops, a flashy fire table to sit by and plush tables make for a cozy happy hour bar. But there's nothing visionary that begs you to come back to Amalfi's more than say.... a macaroni grill might do
Overall this looks like the kind of place you'd take your family if they wanted a solid stand by. The food is good, although regarding quite literally everything we ordered, my biggest criticism was that it was either too rich or too salty on all counts. That's not always a bad thing, like say if you're 80 and you can't taste anything, but word to the wise, don't order the happy hour mushrooms and expect to be able to eat more than 2 without pursing your lips of salt overdose....
Which brings me really to my biggest issue with Amalfi's.... we did, in-fact, expect to finish the modest assortment of dishes we ordered (which were incidentally, VERY well priced during happy hour), but after realizing how rich and fatty it all is, we wanted to take it home to repurpose for left overs.... No such luck. I thought the waitress was going to punch me out at some point when I was like, "seriously, I can't just get a box for this perfectly good food I already paid for?" (It's not like we were expecting to have take out orders of this stuff, we ordered plenty of booze and lots of plates). But no, in fact, she told us that her boss "has us on camera, so even if I wanted to, I just can't bring you a box, sorry"
Crazy? We thought so, and unless my grandparents come to town, I don't see future visits to Amalfi's on the horizon... just don't really like feeling that I'm on secret surveillance while I'm eating butter poached mushrooms, so sue me- (but don't feed me to the fishes).Listed in: Ecstatic Hour
-
Review from Chris A.
4/1/2012 2 Check-ins Here
Better than olive garden, not amazing.
If it has been years since you were last in Amalfi's you won't recognize it. They have updated the interior and it is very nice inside.
Happy hour is worth it, great deals and the bar area is the best place to sit. I must say I have always been very impressed with the bar staff, very friendly and very good at their job.
The food is filling and reasonably priced, but not amazing. They claim to have the best pizza in town, it is good pizza, I will leave it at that. -
Review from Stephanie J.
Portland, OR
5/12/2012
Amalfi's is close to where I live, so figured what the heck, give it a try. I had the garlic herb foccacia bread and magherita pizza. The bread was ok - plain, not herb-y or particularly garlic-y. The pizza, too, was ok. The crust was a bit mushy still, especially in the middle and the cheese on top seemed barely melted. Tasted all right, but nothing I'd go back for.
The waitress was new (did not know the menu) but nice enough and attentive.
And yes, there was definitely an "older" crowd here. Nothing wrong with that, but if you're looking for a hip, cool, young place, this is not it. -
Review from Nichole W.
Portland, OR
4/21/2012
We went there last night and the food and service were exceptional! Authentic Italian food with a great happy hour menu. Our servers were attentive and very friendly. It's a great atmosphere for dinning and I highly recommend them. Soo Good!
-
Review from Lesa D.
Portland, OR
11/22/2011 1 Check-in Here
I have lived in the shadow of Amalfi's for 10 years and had never been (that's the "problem" with Portland, there's always something new and exciting to check out instead). A friend recently suggested it for happy hour, so I was game and excited - I love Italian.
I got there first and a bit early, and was glad I did - we got a table, but the last one in the bar. I was surprised how packed it was. Warning to Hipsters - Amalfi's is great, with a big happy hour menu, but it was gray in there - I didn't see anyone younger than 50 (It's nice to know there's a place for us oldsters!).
As I said, the menu was large, and I wanted everything on it. We ordered 4 small plates - that turned out to be not-so-small. The meatballs (you get two) were huge and incredibly filling - and delish. The bruschetta was wonderful, filled with olive tapanade. We ordered an antipasto platter that provided great snack foods, and a pasta plate. Way too much food for the two of us! I'm looking forward to going back and am already making menu plans (Shrimp scampi, anyone?). -
Review from Rick I.
Portland, OR
12/12/2011
Great and fun happy hour!
http://www.facebook.co... -
Review from Tricia H.
Canby, OR
1/17/2012 1 Check-in Here
Great food, friendly service. The waiter got a little overly friendly when he realized we were not the typical stiff patrons ... he crossed the line a couple of times. I don't mind a little friendly banter, but he got crude at times. Still a good experience and I would most definitely go back.
-
Review from Holly K.
My husband grew up coming in here, so he remembers it before the remodel. I love the decor, and the food. It makes for a great date night or just dinner. If you are all jacked up on Olive Garden, you should step away from the bread sticks and come try this place out.
They are crazy packed on Friday and Saturday night and I do mean crazy packed. We waited 45 minutes for a table on a friday not too long ago and only because my sister's flight was late coming in, otherwise, I am not sure I would have waited, well, to start with, I wouldn't have rolled in here at 7pm on prime date night hours.
Their pizza is great, thin crust and plenty of toppings. They average out to be about $25 or so depending on what you get. I always get the spaghetti with mushrooms or the veal parm. That comes with a side of spaghetti and they will throw the mushrooms on it for you.
Now, the wait staff here is hit and miss and can be moody, but the food is worth it. About a year ago, they were packed and were seating people upstairs, we agreed to go.. I was instantly sorry because it was hot outside and this was like eating in the forgotten hot attic. The chairs are fold out and uncomfortable. Definitely not the downstairs vibe at all, and I guess the waitress who was on upstairs duty thought so too, she never came back. There was one other table besides us up there eating, so my husband got his cell phone, after not seeing her for over 25 minutes and needing refills, called downstairs to the main number, to ask if she was coming back. Let me tell you after that, she was practically sitting there with us.
The greek salad is one of their best things, they toss it in a light vinaigrette, but if you ask for the ranch, you can add just a smidge to it and it takes it up a notch, because ranch is just that magical.
Don't let reviews scare you off, give them a shot and you may have a new favorite place that isn't corporate Italian. -
Review from Shawn L.
Portland, OR
4/11/2011 14 Check-ins Here
I love coming here for their happy hour as it is one of the better value Italian happy hours in town. That being said the food here is never
consistent. I've been going here at least once a month for over a year and have never had the same consistency with the food. The happy hour portions are really generous and in my opinion the only way to go here. The regular dinner menu is just not worth the price due to the fact you never know what quality you are going to get. The service here is always great and the staff is always very helpful. Although on another note this place fails miserably in their beer selection. They had Stella Artois as their seasonal beer for almost a year. In a town with such a wide variety of breweries to choose from I'd like them to choose some other breweries on tap besides Widmer and Deschutes. -
Review from Toni M.
Portland, OR
9/8/2011
Amalfi's has been a family tradition of mine for over 50 years. My parents found Amalfi's when they started dating in their 20's. Then of course when they had kids we got introduced to the amazing pizza.
So I have seen this amazing place go through some changes, but they continue to never disappoint. It's been the same wonderful sauce and crust every time. -
Review from Tony S.
Portland, OR
6/7/2011
Had never been here before until the Yelp event last night. What a pleasant suprise. I think I have found my new favorite haunt. Food was really tasty and the staff was really fantastic.
They have a killer happy hour! -
Review from Michelle S.
Portland, OR
Updated - 7/1/2011
I have been back many times. The service was very slow in the bar once during Happy Hour. Forgivable, as they apologized profusely and made it right.
Food is always reliably delish. The price is reasonable. The Happy Hour offerings are plentiful. Everyone accompanying me has been equally satisfied.
I love their Spumoni. I prefer Spumoni with candied fruits in it. Their Spumoni DOES. Made me very happy.Listed in: Top Restaurants
1 Previous Review: Show all »
-
11/23/2010
Me & my favorite partners-in-dine completely enjoyed our meals.
Thanks to Groupon this was our… Read more »
-
-
Review from Cristie M.
Portland, OR
1/13/2012 1 Check-in Here
Amalfi's satisfies my hankering for good, suburban style Italian food. It's my definition of comfort food: hearty, no-frills, and hefty portions of golden baked mozzarella. I know and love other, more authentic Italian restaurants in town, but sometimes I just want a giant, super-cheesy portion of Chicken Parmigiano. Abbondanza!
-
Review from Stacia B.
Portland, OR
1/7/2012
Great pizza the crust was so crispy best crust I have ever had. We were there for a 20 person birthday party & service was great. Everyone seemed to like their meals. It was very busy. Beautiful decor & nice atmosphere. We had a reservation which I recommend.
-
Review from Lynsey S.
Portland, OR
7/19/2011
I have been to Amalfi's several times and I have yet to have a negative experience .
It's a great date place, but I would highly recommend reservations on the weekends.
The food & service have always been wonderful. The portions are large enough to take home leftovers.
I have yet to try their Happy Hour but have heard nothing but amazing things about it.
If you've had one bad experience at Amalfi's I'd suggest giving them another chance & also informing the owner, as she's quite involved & encourages feedback. -
Review from Kristine B.
Vancouver, WA
4/3/2011
Visited for the first time thanks to getting a groupon. We'll definitely be back.
The inside is modern-cozy, really nicely decorated. The food was really good - we both tried baked pasta dishes with the full meal option to test out the garlic bread. It all was delicious.
Skimming the reviews, I really want to go back and try the pizza next! -
Review from Tim E.
1/1/2011
Let me start with an initial quote from our little family visit to Amalfi's.
When my wife asked if it was possible to get a side of vegetables, the waitress responded, " . . . the only vegetables we have are pizza toppings."
I really wanted to like Amalfi's. It's got such an old-school feeling to it, but the food was so overpriced and bland that I could never justify a return trip.
My wife ordered the chicken parmesan. The chicken was uncoated and plain, and she thought it tasted tired. In fact, she thought all the proteins, including the italian sausage in my lasagna, were bleh.
The only thing she and I liked was the marinara, which was tangy and sweet and quite delicious.
It was the only thing good about my lasagna as well, which tasted of paste, due to the ricotta containing no herbs or flavor whatsoever.
I ordered a glass of house chianti, and I would not recommend it.
One saving grace of our dinner was that it was served minutes after we ordered it, which was nice because we were in a bit of a hurry, but also kinda telling. Obviously their food is premade. There are no custom options, aside from adding proteins to their basic spaghetti. To me, that means Amalfi's doesn't serve anything fresh, that they demand fifteen dollars a head for some rote, crappy, and bland "Italian" food, and that they cater to the senior set who think of the place as an occasion destination.
To top it off, the waitress pulled one of those classless moves by asking if we needed change from the cash we paid, suggesting we might want to toss another dollar or two onto her tip and round up.
Her service, up until then, was very good, but that really solidified my bad review of Amalfi's. It's sad to say, but I'd rather go to Olive Garden than spend another dime at this neighborhood trap. -
Review from Chris O.
Portland, OR
1/26/2011
Look the service is without honor or respect for the customer.
My favorite part is their Blue Ribbon Pizza.
Did I miss the pizza booth at the fair?
If your idea of Marianna is Ragu or Prego, your going to love this place.
Prego, Prego, Prego! -
Review from Jennifer L.
San Diego, CA
12/20/2010
Almalfi's has very nice dimly lit cozy ambiance and great seating with ample romantic little booths along the wall for a great start. It's easy to feel comfortable and you won't need to dress up here.
I started with a house salad and their garlic blue cheese dressing which was amazing. The garlic bread that came with the dinner was also delicious. I ordered the lasagna and my friend ordered shrimp pasta.
After one bite of lasagna I put the fork down. Not good dude. Watery, sweet and flavorless.
My friend liked the shrimp pasta but it was pretty heavy and greasy but hey, he didn't have to worry anyway since he weighs 150 pounds and hey - he's a dude and you all know how dudes can eat anything they want without gaining weight right... oh, back to the review.
Being around Italians for years and eating authentic Italian fare I know good Italian food. Yes, I do. And yes, that makes me somewhat more of an expert than normal people who do not hang out with Italians for years. From Italy. Not just Italian. Off the boat. From Italy... Does this give me any more respect here? Okay, I'm done with that rant. This food at Almalfi's is good in the American Italian sort of way but not in the al-dente noodle, light delicate sauce with attention paid to details sort of way. More in the heavy, overcooked and super-oily sort of way.
The waiter brought me pesto pasta to replace my lasagna. It was extremely heavy, oily and thick. I lovvvve all things butter, cream and cheese and this stuff was like eating the food version of wet cement. I even took it home to reheat it and the oil that pooled on the plate was overwhelming. I threw it away at home. Now that's saying a lot for me who will rarely waste anything cheesy.
We also ordered a pesto pizza to go and the pesto gave me heartburn.
I give the food 2 stars and the ambiance 4 stars so I'm going with an even 3 stars on Amalfi's. I still have one more Groupon from here and don't know what I'll order if and when I return. I guess I'll just get the house salad. -
Review from Brice L.
Portland, OR
3/24/2011
My dine in experience was positive, but nothing to write home about. The server was friendly, but didn't refill my glass as often as i would have liked. The atmosphere has been rightly criticized by more than one Yelper as wannabe fancy, and Olive Garden-esque. Fair points.
I had a basic salad as an appetizer. The garlic blue cheese dressing was good, but nothing adventurous or out of the ordinary. The combination pizza was the best part of the whole experience. I am not a fan of the way they cut it into squares, but I suppose that is just a picky preference. As a family restaurant, it's probably the bees knees. I'd never take a date there. It just isn't my scene.
Lastly, the woman who took my order for takeout on the phone was not exactly friendly. She wasn't rude per se, but she was very brass tacks, and both times I called in she hung up so quickly that it was off-putting. -
Review from Mystery Z.
Portland, OR
10/28/2010
By far the WORST Italian food I've ever had. The proprietors should be ashamed to be serving such low quality garbage.
Our dinner took over an hour even though it wasn't busy, and what we got definitely was not worth what we paid. My ravioli were overcooked and mushy, and the sauce was extremely acidic. My date's spaghetti was also overcooked, with no seasoning whatsoever. The quality was like eating cheap Costco pasta prepared by a soup kitchen.
Needless to say we will NEVER go here again. -
Review from JIMI P.
Portland, OR
10/28/2010
This place is solid. I would suggest sitting in the bar and get their namesake pizza. The other items are good but the meat pizza is great!
The dumdum suckers are a nice finishing touch.
Check it out. -
Review from Steve B.
Portland, OR
12/3/2011
Spectacular food and very large portions. We will be back!
-
Review from s. m.
Portland, OR
5/14/2011
This place has rich history here in Portland, known for the best "Happy Hour" and delicious Italian food.
But gosh darn it the waiting and waiting for your food was too much! -
Review from Bri D.
Portland, OR
1/11/2011
I live in the hood so I really wanted to love Amalifi's. Unfortunately, there wasn't a large selection of exciting options for non-meat-eaters like myself.
The service was good, but overall the food was pretty generic and completely over-priced. -
Review from Chris B.
Portland, OR
12/14/2010
The Olive Garden of Fremont Street.
If you are looking for food that was purchased in the freezer section of Costco, served to you with a paper napkin and poor service for outrageous prices then this is the place for you!
We started with the Antipasti for an appetizer which consisted of canned ingredients - black olives, mini carrots which were brown, pepperoncinis, and bagged pre-sliced pepperoni. Essentially every canned/cheap ingredient from a supermarket aisle.
For dinner I had the Canneloni which allowed me to relive my college days as it tasted about par with a microwaved Hungry Man dinner. My girl had the Chicken Ravioli which she said was ok but again, not homemade. The garlic bread was nothing more than butter and garlic salt on a cheap loaf and was served in a plastic burger basket. With the paper napkins and burger basket I half expected plastic forks and spoons.
If your still holding your groupon for this one I would advise you to pass it along to that relative with no taste buds for Christmas like a bad fruit cake. -
Review from Michelle H.
Portland, OR
6/23/2009
I've found the alternative to Olive Garden. It tastes the same, basically, if not slightly more creative, but it's not in that fun corporate, chain atmosphere we've all come to know and love.
Clearly this place is an icon. A rock. An institution not to be reckoned with. I'm hoping that the secret lies in the pizza, or I'm just clueless (which is all very possible). That pasta just wasn't anything to oooh and ahhhh over. It was simple, smothered in pesto, and just boring. It's the status quo I've come to love with pasta in this town.
Their pizzas, however, looked pretty stellar. I'll be back for that.
The bar is where it's at as far as seating goes. That or the patio. That all seems to be a seat-yourself situation. Otherwise there is definitely a wait when you pop in. Like I said, this place is clearly an institution.
It's homey and comfortable decor screams family owned without being kitschy and overdone. It really is pleasant. The bar is equipped with a fireplace, booths, and tables. The tables are awkward as all hell though thanks to the clever use of barrels and a glass top. Now, I'm not ladylike in the slightest, but there is something just awkward about straddling a barrel at dinner. Maybe it's just me.
So next time? Pizza. -
Review from Christina Y.
Portland, OR
8/1/2011
The menu reads "Voted best pizza in Portland." My questions is by whom and when? Everything on it tasted like it came from the freezer, a box, or a can. Ok, Pizza Hut may be worse, but this was nowhere near good. My husband's panini made him sick. I don't see how they can charge this much or be as busy as they are. Maybe Happy Hour is better. But with so many amazing restaurants in Portland, why? Why?
Really disappointing because we drive by it daily and it looks nice from the outside. When they finally got a better looking sign, we decided to give it try, even though we'd heard it wasn't great. Should have listened. -
Review from Thomas W.
11/30/2009
Italian food is one of those schools where there is not much wiggle-room for me. I consider myself a pretty fantastic cook when it comes to Italian - family recipes have ensured that I can cook for a large crowd and keep them coming back, provided they enjoy rich, hearty sauce, properly cooked al-dente noodles, and a precise and subtle use of olive oil. In other words, I know my way around a proper tomato sauce, even though I am by no means a master of the art.
It makes sense, then, that I set certain standards if I am going out to pay for someone else to cook an Italian meal for me. I am looking for that masterpiece, those flavors that shout out that this is something more than I could cobble together at home, an understanding of spices that accentuate the ingredients and bring it all together for a truly savory experience.
With the score I have given Amalfi's, I am sure that it comes as no surprise when I say that I did not find that experience here. Not only could I have made the dishes that were prepared for us, I am pretty sure that anyone with a rudimentary knowledge of cooking and a can of store-bought marinara could have, too.
My eggplant parmigiano was a perfect example of this - overcooked to the point of sogginess, the eggplant had been hastily breaded in what I can only imagine were ready-made breadcrumbs and a stingy portion of parmasean, fried almost to black, and then coated with a river of unflavored marinara and mozarella. My best guess is that this saturation of my meal was done in order to hide the sorry eggplant beneath it, as were the oddly-placed chunks of whole tomato that lined the dish.
Then, as if by way of apology, the dish comes with a side of spaghetti, lightly coated in the same flavorless marinara. Sigh.
To be fair, my Greek salad that came out before it was very tasty - a terrific balance of traditional Mediterranean flavors tossed with a mindblowing vinegrette, but is that enough to save the meal, especially when it sets you up for such a fantastic main course?
Definitely not. I felt very let-down by the whole ordeal, and can only muster up a half-hearted "meh" for the whole experience - especially considering the cost. Were it not for the dilligent and friendly service of our waiter, I might have been tempted to lower this one into single-star territory.
So, we gathered ourselves up and said good-bye to the waiter after he brought back our check. I suppose I will try some of their pizza at some point to really get a feel for Amalfi's, but when it comes to their entrees, well, I have a feeling that I may have said good-bye forever. -
Review from Robert N.
Portland, OR
Updated - 8/22/2011
Anyone else getting threatening messages from one of their staff rergarding taking down your bad review?
"C-Mon Man...admit that your were being cheap. Got a little buthurt and now hold a grudge. Its people like you that make me despise Happy Hour. You come in, want the world handed to you on a silver fucking platter"1 Previous Review: Show all »
-
7/11/2011
NO HAPPY HOUR IF YOU BRING A MINOR! Went for happy hour with my family. They would not honor their… Read more »
-
-
Review from Nader A.
Portland, OR
2/2/2009
I've been to Amalfi's a handful of times and every time it seems just on the cusp of 4-star worthy...maybe even with the potential to be a 5-star joint...but they always come up just a little short. Not that this should discourage you from giving them a shot.
Big props to the fact that's Amalfi's has been family owned here in Portland since the 50's (now owned/operated by the 3rd generation). From the outside you can tell it's "old skool" with the borderline corny neon "tower of Pisa" sign; somehow it doesn't come off too cheesy though, as it shows that Amalfi's gots roots.
Inside though is a different story. It is rather elegant and contemporary, though still inviting. The rough cut stone pillars in the patio near the entrance, are repeated inside the lounge. Wine bottles are displayed vertically behind the nice granite bar. I gather they remodeled in recent years and I've got to say the owner either has a great eye for design or they hired a good decorator. This place will still look great 10 years from now, long after everyone finally gets tired of that over done "industrial-chic" trend that has infected so many other restaurants here in pdx.
Style aside, there's a lot more to Amalfi's that makes it worth a visit...particularly at happy hour/late night, where their bar menu features a wide assortment of snacks and small plates from $2-5, plus reasonably priced martinis and cocktails. Their beer selection is a little thin - pretty much just Bud and Widmer brews on tap plus a few bottles - and at $4 per pint/bottle, it's not deeply discounted for HH. Their house Chianti also underwhelmed, but they have Sangria, as well as a decent selection of other wines to choose from if you're not feeling the spirits.
By and large food is very good, though it's not without a few surprising stumbles. On our last visit I had a Spaghetti and Ravioli combination, with a traditional meat sauce. I was blown away by the smoky-herby flavor of the Rosemary Chicken & Provolone ravioli, but was a little surprised that the spaghetti seemed over cooked. I can't tell you how often I've been to Italian restaurants that seem to mess up your basic pasta - boiling that stuff ain't rocket science, it's about the first weapon in every college kid's culinary arsenal.
My Lady's Eggplant Parmesan was nice, and thankfully NOT terribly oily for a fried dish - but again, since it was accompanied with the same underwhelming spaghetti, it's going to fall at least 1 star short of perfection.
I can't complain about the prices though, as our full dinners (including soup or salad and ice cream) averaged a little over $15 each. Since the portions are quite generous you can save a few bucks going a la carte; which I might recommend as My Lady thought the minestrone was really no better than quality canned stuff, and my salad, though nice and fresh (with plenty of chopped black olives) was served on a comically small plate. I pride myself on precise salad tossing (...insert off-color joke here...), but it was impossible to not get bits of lettuce and onions all over the table.
So, given the nice ambiance, better than average food, and very reasonable pricing, why didn't I give that 4th star? The service was seriously sub-par. I'll be totally up front here: this was not, I repeat NOT the fault of our server.
The maître d' really screwed the wait staff here by seating a large, loud, and (dare I say) obnoxious party of about 16 celebrating a birthday right in the middle of the dining area. Our server had to squeeze between chairs and around tables every time he visited any of his tables, which meant things took a long time and were not terribly convenient; plus it was hard to even hear myself think, never mind have a conversation with My Lady.
I know, it's harsh to ding a place when the biggest problems stemmed from other guests dining there, but when you run a restaurant I believe you have a responsibility to not take on a large party unless you can accommodate them without ruining things for other guests. Supposedly they have a banquet room there...why they didn't seat that huge party there is beyond me.
Anyway, that really put a damper on a dinner we had been looking forward to for a very long time. After enjoying our first few trips to Amalfi's, we had back-to-back abortive trips. The first was a Monday (they close Mondays) and the second was a few weeks back when they had closed the entire restaurant down for a family vacation.
While our last dinner there wasn't ideal, there are enough bright spots here for me to recommend it, and we certainly will return - and hopefully Amalfi's will earn 1...maybe 2 more stars.Listed in: NE Portland
-
Review from John E.
The Wife has been trying to get me here for a while since she knows I love a good italian restaurant and they can be hard to come by in Portlandia without paying a monster chunk of weekly pay. We tried to go when the weather turned bad in December but didn't make it. We tried after the weather but our paychecks had taken a hit from the lost hours. Now, at last, we had a chance to have a family dinner with the Tax Deduction in tow.
We left from our workplaces, I work in the south of Portland and she, more sensibly works in Vancouver where we live. We met at the restaurant; we walked in and her eyes were wide, which I, as an attentive and caring husband asked what was up. She said they had remodeled, it used to be a real dive, but a dive with good food. Nubile young hostess showed us to our table, followed quickly by young attentive waiter, menus, water and a drink request. Since we both drove there would be no alcohol tonight.
We ordered an Antipasti platter as an appetizer and then two pizzas, the Wife ordered the American Bacon & Tomato while I ordered the classic with Pepperoni, Salami and Sausage (I had them hold the mushrooms, mushrooms are the devil's playthings). The Tax Deduction had tortellini with Alfredo sauce (he is allergic to tomato).
The antipasti platter was very large and piled high with many good things like pickles, olives (lots of black and only a couple of kalamatas), salami, pepperoni, mozzarella cheese cubes, baby carrots, pepperocini, and some green and red bulbous pickled peppers of some kind (the green were ok, the red were odd). Did I mention it was huge?
The pizzas arrived, and as you can see in the pictures I added they are gorgeous, and they taste better than they look. The crust had actual flavor (are you listening chain places!), the cheese was thick, the toppings plentiful and the sauce was perfectly spiced and not ladeled on too thick. The Tax Deduction dug into his dinner as well and part way through lost his grip on a water glass and washed his dinner away. We managed to save the bulk of the tortellini, the bread took it in the shorts and his pants didn't fare too well either. What's dinner without a show? Luckily our pizzas were upriver and safe.
Obviously we couldn't finish our pizzas, they lay in a small box on our kitchen counter awaiting a midnight raid. The Wife will eat hers cold and I will need to warm mine slightly, such are the spicy little differences that make our love interesting.
I wanted to give Amalfi's five stars, the service was worth five stars and the food was really worth a larger sliding scale of maybe six stars. But a couple of things bothered me just enough to withhold a star.
1. I ordered iced tea and asked for sweetener. I was brought a box with sugar, raw sugar and sweet & low. I asked for equal or splenda but was told that was all they offered. I made due with the pink stuff but couldn't believe a restaurant in this day and age wouldn't expand their selection.
2. The water we were left at our table to dirt tasted like dirt. Really, it had a dirt after-taste. I never have never run across anything like that.
3. When we had the water glass accident we were only given three extra napkins to sop up the mess with. They knew the bread was ruined, and the pasta took a hit; I would have paid for more, but was never asked if I wanted anything replaced either gratis or for an extra few bucks. Sure, it was our fault and I don't expect them to give us free food, but it would have been nice to be at least asked. Such is the hazzard of being waited on by someone who probably doesn't have a kid.
We'll be back, but maybe we will get a babysitter next time.Listed in: Best of the Best, Date Night, When The Moon Hits Your Eye…
-
Review from jimbo a.
8/24/2009 2 Check-ins Here
The prerequisite to work here must be that you live and die by the teachings of Ron Popeil's infomercial for the Showtime Rotisserie.
"Just set it, and forget it!"
I've been here twice now and I've had the same experience each time.
The host seats you at a table. "Set it, and forget it!"
10 minutes later someone brings you water. "Set it, and forget it!"
10 minutes later your server gets your drink and food order.
5 minutes last your server delivers your drink. "Set it and forget it!"
20 minutes later you get your food. "Set it, and forget it!"
20 minutes later your server returns to check in and see how the food is, but its all gone, you are dying of thirst because your water ran dry 10 minutes a go and you're angry.
5 minutes later you get your check. You're ready to leave NOW, so you just had the server your card. "Set it, and forget it!"
12 minutes later she bring you back your card and a receipt to sign.
The food is GREAT here, but the service? Damn man. The service is bad. I still want to try their pizza that they have won local awards with, but I will NOT dine in every again. I will call, place an order, drive there, pick it up and then drive my happy ass back home!
5 star food + 1 star extra slow service = A hard to swallow 3 star review. -
Review from Anna N.
2/19/2010
What happen to my waitress???
I lived in this neighborhood my entire life and I've been to Amalfi's numerous time. All i can say is as the years go by I don't know if they're becoming senile and decided that their food is soOOO delicious (this is not the case) that people wouldn't care that your waitress has been abducted by aliens or fell into the toilet.
Anywho, my service there was poor. It took me about 1.5hrs before i left the place, and it wasn't because my conversation was great, but that it took that long to get my order, food and check! Plus, my chicken fettucini used to taste so much better in the past. I don't know what happened to the chef's taste bud, or perhaps it was just one of those days where they screwed up. Either way, I don't think i'll be going back here anytime soon. They didn't make it seem like they wanted my service and the food isn't all that great.
I must admit, they do make good pizza. =) -
Review from Tanna W.
Happy Valley, OR
7/20/2011
I have to say that I am shocked by all the negative reviews. I've only been to Amalfi's once, but I have been waiting to go back. We sat in the bar for happy hour so I guess I can't attest for the dinner menu, but everything on the happy hour menu was really good. There were four of us so between us all we tried just about everything. I loved the mozzarella ala caprese and we ended up ordering a second round of the buffalo prawns because the first went so fast. The mini pizza was good along with the ravioli and the garlic cheese bread. The only thing that we didn't really like was the minestrone. The drinks weren't on special, but that's typical of a lot of Portland happy hours. The service was perfectly decent. We will definitely be going back to Amalfi's.
-
Review from Amy H.
Portland, OR
11/16/2008
I have been coming her for over 30 years (ouch!) and I always leave pleased.
We love going as a family and they always remember our children's names and what they like to eat. With the new addition of the central bar, my husband and I LOVE sneaking away for an inexpensive Happy Hour date.
We are not that fond of the pasta dishes, but the pizza is one of the best in town. I highly recommend the Amalfi's signature pizza with pepperoncinis. Mmmm.......good times. And we also enjoy the Happy Hour choices. Amalfi's does NOT skimp on the portions!
I truly don't understand the reference to Olive Garden...this place is so friendly, quaint and I never feel rushed or get the feeling of mass prepared, tasteless food that you'd get with O.G.
The friendly factor definitely keeps us coming back! -
Review from Halle W.
Portland, OR
5/11/2011
Why eat at places serving bland food off the Sysco truck, when we have so many great places in Portland serving foods with local ingredients and complex flavors?
-
Review from Amy C.
Portland, OR
1/18/2012
This is what I want when I think of Italian. Just a nice joint with great old fashioned Italian food. This isn't a hip, new age type of place. Huge portions of perfectly normal and delicious Italian food. The atmosphere is casual, clean and warm. Not pretentious. This is a place that I could take the kids and my grandparents! A place where anyone can feel comfortable.
-
Review from Stephanie E.
Portland, OR
11/25/2008
Forget Olive Garden, this place is what old Italian restaurants should be. It's such a cozy date-friendly environment, low lighting, lush booths, and entrees you can easily share with your honey. They're even kid friendly with free spaghetti and coloring kits for tots.
They've got killer outdoor seating (if you catch them during summer + fall) that's great for people watching.
I love this place and it's one of the only places I'll go for ravioli.
