Portage

Name: Portage
Address: 128 Water St, St. John's, NL, Canada, A1C 1A8
Telephone: (709) 552-1100
Price range: CAN$31 to CAN$50
Rating: 4.8

4.8 (1015)

CAN$31 to CAN$50

Contemporary Canadian

128 Water St, St. John's, NL A1C 1A8

Make a reservation

2 people

Jun 15, 2025

7:00 PM

Booked 21 times today

About this restaurant

Good for special occasions
Innovative
Hot spot

Located in historic downtown St John's, Newfoundland. An upscale casual cuisine of family - style dishes that share between 2 - 4 people. An eclectic selection of wines from around the world. Reservations of 6 or less can be made through OpenTable. We do not take reservations of groups larger than 8. Walk - ins welcomed when seats are available. We do not reserve the bar seats and Chef's Table. Thank you.

Additional information

Dining style
Casual Dining
Price
CAN$31 to CAN$50
Cuisines
Contemporary Canadian, Bistro, Farm-to-table
Hours of operation
Dinner Mon, Thu–Sun 5:00 pm–10:00 pm
Phone number
(709) 552-1100
Website
https://www.portagenl.ca/
Payment options
AMEX, Mastercard, Visa
Dress code
Casual Dress
Executive chef
Ross Larkin/Celeste Mah

Location
128 Water St, St. John's, NL A1C 1A8
Neighborhood
St. John's
Cross street
Water Street and Job's Cove/Prescott Street
Parking details
Street Parking
Additional
Bar/Lounge, Beer, Chef's Table, Cocktails, Counter Seating, Gluten-free Options, Non-Smoking, Vegan, Wine

What 1,015 people are saying

Portage 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

4.8

4.8 based on recent ratings

4.8Food
4.8Service
4.7Ambience
4.6Value

Noise • Moderate

Loved For

Atlantic Canada
Innovative
Atlantic Canada
Contemporary Canadian
Atlantic Canada
Most Booked
Newfoundland and Labrador
Best Overall
Newfoundland and Labrador
Best Food
Newfoundland and Labrador
Best Service
Newfoundland and Labrador
Best Ambiance
Newfoundland and Labrador
Best Value
Newfoundland and Labrador
Good for business meals
Newfoundland and Labrador
Gluten-free-friendly
Newfoundland and Labrador
Great for creative cocktails
Newfoundland and Labrador
Healthy
Newfoundland and Labrador
Hot spot
Newfoundland and Labrador
Neighborhood gem
Newfoundland and Labrador
Great for fine wines
Newfoundland and Labrador
Romantic
Newfoundland and Labrador
Good for special occasions
Newfoundland and Labrador
Vegetarian-friendly
Newfoundland and Labrador
Most Booked

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews

Portage in St. John's is celebrated for its "outstanding" food and "engaging service." Diners rave about the innovative, shareable plates and the "knowledgeable" staff who guide menu choices. The "creative and delicious" dishes, such as pork dumplings and Arctic char, make it a "must-try" destination for both locals and tourists.

1,015 Reviews

L
Lesley-Ann
Atlantic Canada1 review
5.0
Dined 1 day ago
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Outstanding food and excellent staff. We have dined all over the world and Portage is one of the best! Highly recommend.
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K
Kevin
Vancouver / British Columbia5 reviews
5.0
Dined 3 days ago
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
Creative plates with sizing options, extremely helpful staff who are friendly, warm and welcoming and flavours that really pop! A wonderful experience. Only comments around improvement, the dining room was quite warm which did subside after the cooler evening air came in. I’d also like to see a larger custom cocktail menu… but that’s personal preference.
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c
christine VIP
Calgary / Southern Alberta35 reviews
5.0
Dined 6 days ago
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
What a wonderful way to end our stay in Newfoundland. The food was excellent and our waiter was very helpful in building our menu. We started with Foccaccia with burrata, then carrots roasted in romanesco, then a wonderful halibut and mussel dish. The wines were outstanding thanks to the very knowledgeable sommelier. The restaurant has a charming ambience and mix of patrons, from families to friends to locals to tourists. Will be high on my list when friends ask where we would suggest they go on their trip to St John's. Thanks for a fun evening!
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M
Max
San Francisco Bay Area1 review
5.0
Dined on June 7, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Great food, great service, the whole restaurant is very lively, highly recommended!
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C
Christopher
Atlantic Canada1 review
5.0
Dined on June 7, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
The food is always delicious and the drinks were great. Our favourite restaurant in town!
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S
Susan
Atlantic Canada1 review
5.0
Dined on June 6, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
Highly recommended you dine here. The food was creative and delicious. It’s a shared menu and our server Paris was excellent in helping us choose from the menu. Our favourite (but everything was so good) were pork dumplings, steak salad and Arctic char. The carrots with ginger plus other tasty ingredients are a must. You can do 1/2 orders to enjoy more on the menu thank-you Paris for suggesting this option! So far the highlight in St. John’s!
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E
Esther
Toronto / Ontario11 reviews
5.0
Dined on June 5, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
Family style restaurant, we can share dishes. The food ingredients are fresh and the menu is inspiring.
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L
Lori
Toronto / Ontario3 reviews
5.0
Dined on June 1, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
Thoroughly enjoyed our meal here! Amazing experience- if you like fine dining and tasting many things this is the place for you. We started with the kale salad- dressing was fabulous. Then the focaccia and burrata (so tasty). Then we shared the halibut (came with rice on the side), the carrots, and the cavatelli with moose bolognese (first time to try moose meat). Every dish was elevated to perfection! I thought maybe the carrots would be usual fare- wrong! Best I’ve ever eaten. Serving sizes adjusted to small plates so we could try many things. Still, we couldn’t eat all of it bw the two of us. Service was quick and friendly. I highly recommend this restaurant - for locals and tourists alike.
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T
Tim VIP
Atlanta6 reviews
5.0
Dined on May 31, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Portage might t be the most quintessentially "Canadian" restaurant I've ever experienced. Friendly service, not-too-stuffy, but fantastic quality food focused on Canadian ingredients and dishes, with some multicultural/fusion touches.
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S
Stephen VIP
Toronto / Ontario2 reviews
5.0
Dined on May 29, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Ver interesting menu focussed on sharing plates. Absolutely awesome food. A real treat!!
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FAQs

Portage is rated 4.8 stars by 1015 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 21 times today

128 Water St, St. John's, NL A1C 1A8

Additional information

Cross street
Water Street and Job's Cove/Prescott Street
Neighborhood
St. John's
Hours of operation
Dinner Mon, Thu–Sun 5:00 pm–10:00 pm
Price
CAN$31 to CAN$50
Cuisines
Contemporary Canadian, Bistro, Farm-to-table
Dining style
Casual Dining
Dress code
Casual Dress
Parking details
Street Parking
Payment options
AMEX, Mastercard, Visa
Executive chef
Ross Larkin/Celeste Mah
Additional
Bar/Lounge, Beer, Chef's Table, Cocktails, Counter Seating, Gluten-free Options, Non-Smoking, Vegan, Wine

Website
https://www.portagenl.ca/
Phone number
(709) 552-1100

Portage

Make a reservation

About this restaurant

Additional information

Menu

What 1,015 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Loved For

Review summary

FAQs

How is Portage restaurant rated?

Is Portage currently accepting reservations?

Make a reservation

Additional information