Portage House

We try to dine at Portage House as often as we can. The menu changes seasonally, while also keeping favorites like the baked goat cheese appetizer (so, SO good). Not only is the food consistently excellent, the ambiance and view can't be beat!

Arrived at the time of my reservation was seated promptly. Excellent food and service.

Quick service and the food was yummy

The food was delicious. The atmosphere and the view was great. Our waitress was delightful! It was a bit pricey, but overall I loved it!

It was great. Service was a bit slow. Otherwise it was great.

Great food. Great atmosphere. Great staff.

The food was absolutely amazing! The risotto was slightly gritty and starchy (IMO), so possibly a little undercooked, but aside from that, everything was cooked perfectly. The flavors of each dish were true and fresh. The chef did an amazing job pairing the foods, and there was so much food with each dish that we were already full by the time course 4 all-in-all an excellent value for the money and a great intro to new flavors. We were a party of 2, and there was only one downside to our visit; the dining room is well lit, cozy, and open-concept, with a simple green decoration on each table, but we were placed in a booth off in an awkward corner of the dining room where it was freezing cold and isolated from the rest of the room, and no decoration to even try to make it feel like part of the event. Due to the way the booth is set up, our backs were against the dividing wall and the dining room was always behind us, we had to literally stand up and walk out of the booth to even see the dining room. This prevented us from ever feeling part of the warm and inviting ambience of the rest of the room. From our prespective, it looked like a pushed together table for 4 (that only seated 2 for the event) could have been split to accomodate us more appropriately. This would not prevent me from eating here or attending another event, but I would look into requesting a table that was part of the dining room in future.

We snagged reservations for the second "Eat Your Veggies" 5 course dinner and it was even better than we anticipated. Portage House has such a quaint vibe and we love the laid-back ambiance. We were seated on the second floor and had a great view of the Ohio River and the Big Four Bridge. It felt very romantic, as we got engaged on the bridge and walked into Jeffersonville for a post engagement lunch at Portage House over the summer, so it was nice to be back and experience that day all over again.

The first course was an arugula salad with roasted beets, goat cheese, pistachio crumble, and champagne vinaigrette. The bitterness of the arugula paired really well with the sweetness of the crumble and beets.

The second course was a pea and caramelized onion risotto that was cooked perfectly al dente. The peas had a great crisp outer shell and the sauce was creamy and delicious.

The third course was the one I was least looking forward to as I don't care for eggplant or tomato sauce but whoa, was I taken for a loop! The North African tomato sauce ain't your grandmas red sauce. It had a perfect balance of sweet and acid. Golden raisins and (I think) curry gave it such a delightful flavor that I almost wanted to lick the plate clean.

The fourth course was by far the best. A zucchini and potato cake atop curried chickpeas and topped with tzatziki sauce. It was like a wonderful blend of Mediterranean and Indian spices. Truly the menu progressed and got better with each and every course!!

Dessert was a giant cream puff with dark caramel and hazelnuts. By this point I was nearly bursting at the seams because the portions were HUGE for each course but somehow I managed. :) I'm not a big dessert fan because they are usually too rich but this has a nice balance, not too overly sweet.

Complementing our meals were two cocktails, the Ginger and Tonic and Italian Bramble. Both are similar, but the ginger one was our favorite. It had a nice punch of ginger and the fresh rosemary

This place is a hidden gem in plain sight!food service and view is awesome.try the fried chicken!

Excellent food. Pretty “noisy” diners at next table

Great food, good atmosphere. My wife and I went here for Valentine’s Day. I would recommend.

Server did not acknowledge us for over 5 minutes after sitting down, despite servicing tables around us. Expect better service for the venue.

Great food and great service! Took my wife for a Valentines dinner and we both thoroughly enjoyed our meal. We will definitely be back again!

Service slow. Waiter pleasant. Alcohol high priced. Food very good.

Had a wonderful date night! The dinners were delicious and the signature drinks, also great!

The food was absolutely incredible and the service was superb. We had a late reservation on Valentine’s Day and though it kept us beyond closing, the staff never acted like it was even a slight imposition. The food was just as fresh as if it had been at opening. It’s a historic home on the river with a quaint yet eclectic feel and The view if the Ohio at night was stunning.

Service was great.

Food and drinks were way overpriced.

Allergy awareness was non existent.

Overall disappointing.

It was great. Good food, good atmosphere

braised beef tasted good but extremely small amount
duck the skin was very rubbery not rendered enough
to much garnish on the plate I guess to make it look like more
the canoli filling wad so thin it just ran out of the canoli
for what it cost we excepted much better.
The wait staff was very good.

Last minute reservation. Drove from Frankfort ky. We often go to Louisville and/or Lexington to eat. Stumbled across The Portage House on the Internet. Thought we would go somewhere we had Never Tried.
It was Good. Not anything outstanding to justify our drive. If we lived closer I would try again. Or go back when warm weather so could sit outside and watch the river.

The food and service was very good. Portions and quality of the meal was excellent. The bartender Irvin was outstanding and the cream puff was wonderful. Should have ordered two. A must for dining in southern Indiana.

My wife and I had dinner at Portage House on Valentine's Day. I had an open-faced barbecue sandwich that was tasty, and my wife (who is a choosy eater) had an elegantly plated burger that she enjoyed. From the bar, I had a well-made old-fashioned. We also shared a fresh, warm, chocolate-chip blondie with a perfectly sized scoop of vanilla cream. Our server (who was apparently also -- temporarily? -- tending bar and made my drink) was friendly and knowledgeable about the menu (which ranged nicely from fancy to tried-and-true), about the building (a historic home with a nice view of the Ohio through the generous front window), and about the experience of the executive chef and owner. The only thing I'd have changed was the situation of our table, which was against a wall and close to other diners, so that private conversation was hampered. The seating would not keep me from returning, though. All things considered, we found Portage House a good value and pleasing dining experience.

From the moment we walked in the door it was pleasant experience! We were politely greeted and directed towards the bar where we had a drink before going to our table for dinner. Dinner was amazing from the starter to dessert. We definitely enjoyed our evening and will return!

Great server and view. Food as always was fantastic!

Poor service, not the greatest food. Way better options across the bridge in Louisville.

We ate shrimp & grits entrees + 2 appetizers: fried oysters and truffle fries. OMG! Food very fresh, delicious, perfectly seasoned, outstanding. Also tempted by beef short rib, Caesar salad, & beef burger. Full bar. Servers attentive. Restaurant is in a nice old house w/dining rooms on 2 levels + big outdoor seating area. Spectacular view of downtown Louisville right across the river. Free parking on street in front or on side lot. Not noisy - you can have a conversation. We’ll return!

Ambiance was quaint and intimate. Food was unique and outstanding! Service was attentive and friendly. We'll definitely be back.

Thanks Katie for serving us on our anniversary. We enjoyed our meal at The Portage.

Service and food were good. The short rib dish was a little lack luster in flavor, but my parents thoroughly enjoyed the brussels sprouts and we all loved the oysters. I had the shrimp and grits and they were delicious.
It did seem almost all menu items included Sriracha powder...

This place was great. The staff treated us awesome and even made sure we had a great table with a view because they knew my wife and I were going there for dinner on a mid-week date night. The food came quick and was delicious. The prices weren't cheap, but you didnt feel like you weren't getting what you paid for. We will definitely be going back.

Fantastic fresh flavors
Service excellent
My new favorite place

It was a nice quiet experience on the river on a Friday night. I expected a better dish for the price. Nice eclectic setting with the ambiance and alright service. Nothing super impressive . . .

The duck is delicious. Best duck in town hands down!

This is a great spot - views of the river, excellent service and friendly staff. Food was delicious!

Great customer service and food will definitely be coming back

It was just ok. My short ribs weren't anything to brag about. I've had much better in Louisville. I dont think we will be back

Excellent dinner. The grilled meatloaf was so good. Love this spot on the sunny side at the foot of the big four bridge in Indiana.

My food (the scallops) were so salty I could Barely eat them and the accompanying greens. It was clear that my plate was MOSTLY full when the waitress (very nice young Lady) took it away. I didn't complain - because I was on a FIRST date and didn't want to make a bad impression. I AM a foodie. Too, too, many roasted red peppers and the greens - as I said, were so salty I really almost spit them out on the first bite. I was sorely disappointed and embarrassed that my date paid over $90 for a dinner a could not eat. Just saying. Janet duPont (502)377-9783

Great food, good portions, excellent service. Nice little spot on the river.

Service was great, food was great, outside seating was great.