Portalli'sGood experienceBeen there a few times for dinner which is always excellent. First time for brunch and it was great. Lots of choices from steamed shrimp to sliced ham and fresh fruit. Piano player was excellent and did not overpower with sound. Only 4 stars for service because our two plates sat at the corner of the table with shrimp shells for at least 10 minutes although there was plenty of wait staff. We will definitely return.5/12/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat Food!Food was delicious and atmosphere great for dining.5/11/2013 12:00:00 AMPre Mothers Day BrunchThe selection and quality of the Sunday brunch is just phenomenal. Wait staff is friendly and courteous while non intrusive.5/5/2013 12:00:00 AMVery nice place. ReasonablyVery nice place. Reasonably priced. Creative, tasty dishes. Nice that the food is not exclusively Italian - makes for a wider selection of dishes.5/4/2013 12:00:00 AMOur waiter gave very helpfulOur waiter gave very helpful input on the menu and drink selections, did not 'hover' and promptly brought us the check when asked. The food was wonderful. It was a great experience!5/4/2013 12:00:00 AMMy husband and I enjoyed ourMy husband and I enjoyed our dinner very much! Service was excellent, just the right about of attentiveness for my taste. Good variety of wine and specialty drinks. Crab cake appetizer was delicious as well as the seared scallop and cioppino entrees. We have been to Portalli's at least three times and will definitely return again.5/4/2013 12:00:00 AMNice restaurantThis was the first time I had been to this restaurant. The staff was friendly and attentive. The food was prepared nicely.
Be prepared for arriving early to find parking in this area.5/3/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat Dinner!!always enjoy dinning there. Food is outstanding and always interesting.5/1/2013 12:00:00 AMUUUUGGGGHHHHHH I just LOVEUUUUGGGGHHHHHH I just LOVE this place!!!!! I never get tired of the brunch buffet and ONE day soon i hope to try their actual menu!4/21/2013 12:00:00 AMWe enjoyed the wide selectionWe enjoyed the wide selection of breakfast foods at brunch. The service was unobtrusive. Both of these qualities led to an enjoyable experience.4/21/2013 12:00:00 AMBrunch was great!I have been there for dinner before but never for brunch...I was totally impressed! Great food selection and loved the bottomless bloody marys. A little too pricey for a weekly brunch but well worth it to splurge once in awhile!4/21/2013 12:00:00 AMTasty & original dishesWe have dined at Portalli's at least half a dozen times, always a pleasant experience; and our latest visit topped them all. We are most appreciative of the creative offerings, such as an appetizer that combines portabella mushrooms with spaghetti squash, and desserts such as an eggless pana cotta and a special variation on the classic Black Forest Cake.4/20/2013 12:00:00 AMThe only comment I have isThe only comment I have is that, although the food is good, it gets cold very quickly. Maybe they could find a better way to keep it hot.4/7/2013 12:00:00 AMPretty good Easter BrunchWe decided to try out Portalli's for the first time for Easter Brunch. Overall things were pretty good. The service was great. The bottomless Bloody Marys and Mimosas were nice (for about $5 extra.) The only complaints we hard were that the main buffet is on the bottom level so you have to go up and down a narrow set of steps a lot. Food wise the omelets were excellent, most of the stuff on the buffet was pretty good except the French toast was extremely hard. They kept the buffet well stocked. The only complaint about the selection was that my wife expected that an Italian restaurant would have at least one pasta dish on the buffet. We will probably try them for dinner in the near future.3/31/2013 12:00:00 AMA great brunch spot!The brunch was spread across two floors....with some duplication but not total. We started with mimosas and omelettes made to our order. The fruit, breads, and desserts were all delicious. The singer-pianist playing classical, easy listening favorites (e.g., Moon River) was really nice; it's worth going back to listen to him. We took two hours for our brunch, and left really happy. Our waitress was attentive without being around too much, and the young ladies helping her with removing dishes and the like were very accommodating for photos. I'd like to return for Mother's Day.3/31/2013 12:00:00 AMMy wife and I enjoyed thisMy wife and I enjoyed this restaurant with two other couples. All of the dishes were excellent and the deconstructed cannoli was a notable end to a great evening. The staff is generally very young, but they did a very nice job handling us. Great job Portalli's!3/23/2013 12:00:00 AMPortalli's: Old Town Go-To!This is a go-to spot for us on Historic Ellicott City's Main Street. We like the indie ambiance, friendly staff, great food & lighting.3/21/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat brunch. Pleasant atmosphere.Wonderful brunch. We will come back and try Portalli's for dinner.3/17/2013 12:00:00 AMWill Def Be Back - Fantastic MealMy gf and I had never been to Portalli's, but she just got into a competitive graduate program and we wanted to go someplace nice and Portalli's really fit the bill. I asked our server to pick his favorite entree and side dish since everything looked good. He came out the with lamb shank and brussell sprouts with bacon. The lamb was very good. I generally eat steak when I go to a nicer restaurant, but this was really good. The steak equivalent would be a bone in rib eye, only this lamb was about as tender a piece of meat as I've ever had. My gf got the chicken piccata (however you spell it) and meatballs. She was very pleased as well. I took a couple bites of her chicken - it was solid too. Overall, Portalli's is a new favorite.3/16/2013 12:00:00 AMExceeded our expectationsHad a Friday evening dinner for 7 friends / former work colleagues. Our table was ready on time, the staff was outstanding, and everyone was more than pleased with the food as well as the menu choices. We were not rushed through the meal. I would certainly recommend Portalli's for anyone looking for a fine dining xperience in the Ellicott City area.3/15/2013 12:00:00 AMWe rarely venture outsideWe rarely venture outside the City for dining, but met up with friends who live all over and was pleasantly suprised. Risotto terrific and dessert to die for!2/26/2013 12:00:00 AMVery RomanticAwesome place. Went for Valentines day and me and my girlfriend had a great night. Nice food and service. Totally worth the price.2/14/2013 12:00:00 AM