Portola Bistro

Name: Portola Bistro
Address: 3130 Alpine Rd, Portola Valley, CA, United States, 94028-7549
Telephone: (650) 800-7248
Price range: $30 and under
Rating: 4.5

4.5 (92)

$30 and under

European

3130 Alpine Rd, Portola Valley, CA 94028-7549

Make a reservation

2 people

Jun 15, 2025

7:00 PM

Booked 11 times today

About this restaurant

Neighborhood gem
Great for outdoor dining
Charming

Portola Bistro is a vibrant new dining destination offering a blend of European flavors with an emphasis on French, Italian, and Mediterranean-inspired cuisine with a California flair. The restaurant features a warm and inviting atmosphere, an indoor space, heated patio, and bar, and wood-fired pizza oven. With a carefully crafted menu, Portola Bistro is poised to become the go-to spot for memorable dining experiences in Portola Valley.

The restaurateurs are well-loved for their other popular Bay Area restaurant—Barbayani Taverna in Los Altos.

Additional information

Dining style
Casual Dining
Price
$30 and under
Cuisines
European
Hours of operation
Mon–Thu, Sun 5:00 pm–9:00 pm Mon–Fri 11:30 am–2:30 pm Fri, Sat 5:00 pm–9:30 pm Sat, Sun 10:00 am–2:30 pm
Phone number
(650) 800-7248
Website
https://portolabistro.com/
Dress code
Casual Dress

Location
3130 Alpine Rd, Portola Valley, CA 94028-7549
Neighborhood
Portola Valley
Parking details
Public Lot

What 92 people are saying

Portola Bistro reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.5

4.5 based on recent ratings

4.5Food
4.6Service
4.5Ambience
4.2Value

Noise • Moderate

Loved For

Peninsula
Most Booked 1000-Point Tables

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews

Portola Bistro offers a delightful dining experience with a "relaxing, inviting atmosphere" and "excellent service." The food is consistently praised, featuring dishes like halibut and lamb pappardelle that are "outstanding." Although some found the menu "a little pricey," the ambiance and friendly staff make it a neighborhood gem.

92 Reviews

K
Kim
San Francisco Bay Area9 reviews
3.0
Dined 6 days ago
1. Overall 3
2. Food 3
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 4
Although the staff tried, the service was spotty at best. The timing of dinners and salads was completely off. Only one of the five entrees ordered was very good, the others were marginal. The seafood linguine in particular was subpar. Given that the restaurant is new, we may give it some time and try again.
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L
Linda VIP
San Francisco Bay Area1 review
5.0
Dined on June 7, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
We dined outside and it was lovely; comfortable seating and a relaxing, inviting atmosphere. The service was excellent. I had the halibut, which was beautifully prepared with a golden sear and just the right crunch. A great spot for a relaxing evening with delicious food.
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J
Jon VIP
San Francisco Bay Area15 reviews
4.0
Dined on June 5, 2025
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Will always "walk in the shadow" of Portola Kitchen. Glad to see the menu is expanding. Good/Great service - good food. Wine (red) noticeably served warm!!! Strange
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D
David VIP
San Francisco Bay Area11 reviews
5.0
Dined on June 4, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
Our dinners were remarkably tasty and presented. We’ll be back soon and often.
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R
RODNEY VIP
San Francisco Bay Area213 reviews
4.0
Dined on June 1, 2025
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
Portola Bistro is a welcome addition to the Ladera Shopping Center. The dining room is lovely with natural light from skylights during the day and the best and numerous ceiling lights we have ever seen. Service was attentive and gracious by Carlos. The portions were generous, and had oyster, then we shared a beet salad and the veal Milanese. While tasty the breaded, thin veal cutlet was difficult to cut even with a steak knife. If we were not enjoying ourselves so much, we would have sent it back to the kitchen. Cocktails were excellent and reasonably priced. Our only significant complaint was the too loud background music. We dined at 5:30 PM and despite there being only a few in the dining room we had a hard time talking with one another. This is a consistent problem in many restaurants wanting to create a vibrant vibe. I do hope they will tone it down for our repeat visit. The outdoor terrace was very appealing.
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F
Fred VIP
San Francisco Bay Area153 reviews
5.0
Dined on May 28, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 5
Second time to Portola Bistro. Food OUTSTANDING both times. Sat outside this time on a delightful night. Only issue was server, while good, let us spend too much time waiting...especially for the check.
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Y
Yvette
San Francisco Bay Area19 reviews
4.0
Dined on May 28, 2025
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
Even nicer than our first visit a few months ago. Full bar now which is good. Love that there is a happy hour, however, IT SHOULD be extended to beyond the bar (since it is from 4-6 when the restaurant is not busy during dinner hours. Some items are a little pricey. Food is very good, nice ambience. Great service.
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r
raquel
San Francisco Bay Area1 review
5.0
Dined on May 26, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Very good experience even for families with kids. Good quality and environment
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G
Gary VIP
San Francisco Bay Area52 reviews
5.0
Dined on May 25, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
This restaurant is such a fabulous neighborhood gem. The food is outstanding and the service is excellent. The restaurant is beautiful and offering outside dining when it is warm is fantastic.
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C
Cheryl
San Francisco Bay Area14 reviews
3.0
Dined on May 24, 2025
1. Overall 3
2. Food 4
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 3
This was my second time at Portola Bistro. The first time was quite lovely. This time did t measure up.
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FAQs

Portola Bistro is rated 4.5 stars by 92 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a reservation

2 people

Jun 15, 2025

7:00 PM

Booked 11 times today

3130 Alpine Rd, Portola Valley, CA 94028-7549

Additional information

Neighborhood
Portola Valley
Hours of operation
Mon–Thu, Sun 5:00 pm–9:00 pm Mon–Fri 11:30 am–2:30 pm Fri, Sat 5:00 pm–9:30 pm Sat, Sun 10:00 am–2:30 pm
Price
$30 and under
Cuisines
European
Dining style
Casual Dining
Dress code
Casual Dress
Parking details
Public Lot

Website
https://portolabistro.com/
Phone number
(650) 800-7248

Portola Bistro

Make a reservation

About this restaurant

Additional information

Menu

Food

Drinks

What 92 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Loved For

Review summary

FAQs

How is Portola Bistro restaurant rated?

Is Portola Bistro currently accepting reservations?

Make a reservation

Additional information