We arrived at 7 on a Saturday night. We were told they were out of bread and pizza. We should have left then. We ordered a couple of small plates - meatballs that were heavy on the fennel and a caprese salad that was $13 for 1 tomato sliced 5 ways and some cheese. The waiter kept wanting us to order entrees even though the restaurant was almost empty. We got simple pastas. One of us was sick that night from the food; likely the boar ragu. When the table was cleared the server brought along the dirty bowl of mussel shells from another table - ugh.
This was not a pleasant experience and explains why an Italian restaurant in the Pearl was near empty on a Saturday.
Very cute little restaurant. We made a reservation but got there early and we were still seated without any issues. Server was very knowledgeable with the wine list and the food was AMAAAAAZING! Would definitely come back!
Excellent service. The food, as always, was terrific!
my entree was bland, under seasoned. it was disappointing.
Very accommodating and nice staff. Wine and food selection was excellent.
Date night
We started with the spinach salad which was great and very large - so glad we split it! I had the scallops and I agree with the other reviews - the pasta is very under cooked (I couldn't eat most of it because it was so chewy). But the scallops were cooked perfectly and practically melted in my mouth! My spouse had the laseagna and it was great also. I just took one star away because of the under cooked pasta issue.
Our server was a great source of information on the wine list. When I couldn't decide he asked what I usually had and brought me a glass which was perfect with the meal.
Overall--extremely disappointing. I have no idea how this place had the star ratings it did. One give away was the number of empty tables after 6:30. They have a happy hour and it too was empty. Portions for first courses and salads were small. Calamari was pedestrian. The pork ragu was literally awful. Some of the worst Italian food we've ever had. Anywhere. Italian cuisine is not complicated, generally. Simple, yet wonderful. This food was awful. We will not return.
This may be the worst restaurant we've visited in Portland . The time to get water on to the table was 25 minutes. We ordered but within 5 minutes the waiter returned to explain that one of our three entrees was not available. We re-ordered but once again the waiter returned with more bad news. Our order had to be changed a second time. The food was apparently not available. Whatever was left in the kitchen was available. The food was terrible; poorly prepared and with no significant taste. With this quality of food and service this restaurant will surely fail. We cannot understand how previous Open Table reviews could possibly be so good. Maybe the restaurant had a bad night. Maybe all nights are bad. Portland has hundreds of good restaurants. All are better than Nicoletta and Beppe. Save your money.
Wonderful neighborhood gem. Wonderful food and excellent service.
Love the atmosphere and the food. We always have a fun time and the staff are really nice!
Great happy hour prices. Attentive staff. An enjoyable evening.
Great innovative octopus appetizer… Very good wine selection and value. Knowledgeable and cheerful service.
Went here on a whim after having happy hour elsewhere. The appetizers (we has the octopus and the scallops) were amazing! The seafood was tender, perfectly cooked, nicely spiced. Based on the appetizers alone, the food would get 5 stars. My husband and I both got the pasta with wild boar ragu for our entrees. It seemed like the pappardelle wasn't stirred after being thrown in the boiling water. It was still folded over on itself and stuck together. The wild boar could have stood a little more braising. It was still a bit tough and chewy. The tomato sauce itself was excellent. Finally, friendly service and a well curated, reasonably priced wine list.
We had a wonderful Date Night - wonderful favors, Duo salad, bread basket, butternut squash ravioli was amazing, Margarita pizza was delicious. We can't wait to go back soon!
Amazing Italian and great wine and service. A little cold inside and kind of cramped though.
Impressive! We had the octopus (difficult to cook well!) appetizer, and very tasty. Not rubbery at all. Phillip was an amazing server. Will definitely be back.
Nice dinner. Waiter was great when he was at our table but gone for periods of time... waiting for him.
Awesome place! Our server was amazing, the food even better. Definitely recommend the baratta salad.
I loved the food but I felt the price for the portion was a bit high. I would go back- but only for a special occasion.
My mother and I came to have dinner here on Saturday prior to going to the Oregon Symphony, so we arrived at about 6pm. The atmosphere was lovely, it feels like being in an art gallery with those long white walls. The noise level wasn't bad at all, and we were sitting close to two parties on either side of us. My very picky mother, who's number one rule is the food MUST BE HOT, was very happy with her food choices. We ordered the meatballs and polenta fries for a starter, we felt the fries were excellent and the meatballs were ok, nothing special. Next, we shared the spinach salad for the second course. Everything was seasoned nicely and the spinach was perfectly wilted for the salad. I had the boar ragu and my mom had the carbonara for the main course, which she thoroughly enjoyed. Her dish was rich and decadent, while the ragu was hearty and maybe slightly undercooked but still tasty. The wine choice was excellent and the staff were knowledgable about pairings. This place is an excellent find and we plan on coming back soon.
Great food and service. Love the salads and carbonara.
Lasagna was good. Gluten free pasta is always a good thing. Bread was really good!
Beautiful restaurant. Amazing wine, bread and seafood. Yum.
Loved this restaurant. We went on a quiet Tuesday and had the best service and waiter - fun, enthusiastic, loved taking great care of his customers, knowledgeable. At the same time was very good about pacing, not intrusive but intuitive. The food was great and we loved their wine selection!!!!
This was our second visit there for dinner. We enjoyed the first time so much we brought two close friends to have dine with us last night at Nicoletta & Beppe's. We met them in front and their first comment was how charming the tucked away spot the restaurant was in. It would almost be easy to walk past. That's part of the appeal, the restaurant is low key and comfortable. When we went inside we were seated promptly and enjoyed the ambience. The openness of the restaurant is very inviting along with the professionalism of the staff. The menu was varied with several appealing choices for my wife, a vegan, and plenty for my more traditional tastes. The salads and appetizer were excellent in both flavor and proportion. The wine list had many selections but we ended up with a bottle suggested by our waitress that was exactly what we wanted. Our main courses included fresh house made pasta and full flavored, robust sauces. It was easy to talk at our table and we definitely look forward to returning again. We had reservations which I suggest making as the restaurant was full when we left. We highly recommend Nicoletta & Beppe's.
We had good service and pleasant atmosphere. My husband had one of the specials, a meaty lamb shank with risotto. I had sablefish with a sauce that resembled puttanesca. Both were excellent. Our only complaint was when a waiter knocked over the olive oil bottle, which then caused my drink overturn and spilled it all over my sweater, pants and coat. The restaurant comped our drinks but should have comped my dinner. We have a son who owned a restaurant in Denver, CO. He said he would have comped the entire bill!!
The atmosphere was relaxing and the staff was attentive and helpful in the wine selection. The food was excellent and look forward to returning to try other dishes.
Nice intimate setting and the food was fantastic! Staff were friendly and helpful as well.
This is a great Italian restaurant! Have been twice, both times a party of four. The cocktails are fun, love the Italian 75, and the wine list is amazing and it is arranged by region. The pastas are delicious, generous servings and nicely priced. Favorites were the lamb ragu, wild boar, lasagne and carbonara. Favorite salad is the warm spinach, pancetta and hazelnut. Service is spot on. Will be back soon!
Limited menu but food excellent
The atmosphere is nice and it's in an excellent location but my takeaway was that, though the menu sounded good, the food was not prepared well. The boar pasta was too smoky, the lamb tagliatelle was mushy and unappealing - it looked and tasted like leftovers. The Caprese salad claimed Burrata mozzarella when it was definitely not and when I asked the server about it, he just lied to me. The Brussel sprouts were bland and undercooked. My friends liked the sable fish and the lasagna and we all liked the warm olives. I just wouldn't go back and I wish there was something better in that location.
We love their sister Lake Oswego location and are so happy with this “hole in the wall” in Portland! The cheese plate was fabulous and their Italian wine list is amazing. The waiter knew his wine and guided us to a couple of bottles we loved! The food was delicious (veal chop, & spicy sausage and clam risotto). Will definitely be back!!
This review is no different than the ones already posted. The food was AMAZING! All four of us could not stop talking about how our fantastic our dishes were and shared little bites with each other. We will definitely go back for more of that wonderful food and great service.
First visit and we already decided to show up again day later. Outstanding service and delicious italian food. We tried the octopus..yummy, the calmari, a pasta and a steak. All done to order and pasta was frsh and al dante . Do not skip the tiramisu or cannoli.
We will be back.
local restaurant. Fresh ingredients. Handmade pasta. reasonable prices. Great italian wine list.
Comfort Italian food. Delicious. Generous portions.
Excellent food in an elegant and chic italian restaurant. Service is fantastic with prices of food and drink pretty fair considering the location and quality of food. Overall, a wonderful dining experience for a date night, friends get together, or a group event. 10/10 would recommend!
Love the wines from italy, the foods are great, the service is great too. We sure enjoy ourselves their and would go back for sure. If you like it spicy, ask for it. So good.
Very nice restaurant. We went in for lunch and it wasn't very busy so it was nice and quiet. Food and staff were great. Actually, we used to love Fratelli when it was in this spot many years ago. The new layout is much better (enter directly from the street as opposed to walk down a narrow hallway). We live out in the western suburbs so we don't often make it to Portland, but will definitely eat here again.