Piazza Italia

Food is good. Service is horrible and staff is rude. The only thing they are interested in is turning over your table. more

The service was fantastic, friendly and quick. The food was amazing. more

I had the worst experience last night ever at a restaurant. We went here for a birthday party. From the moment we sat down the waitress was asking us to order and get done so they could turn the table. We ordered wine and appetizers right away as our guest were arriving. The waitress brought us a different bottle of wine then we ordered but we did not complain just said we wanted the right one when we got the second bottle. We never questioned the cost of any bottle. Most of us got our order in and were visiting when the owner came over and said you are going to have to leave. We had ordered a 3rd bottle of wine and several other dinners prior to this and they were never brought them to our us. The bus boy then came over and started taking all our glasses off the table and we were forced to leave. I have never had such a rude experience in my life. This is the first review I have ever done. My husband and I also had been there one other time and they sat us in the back corner next to the deli and next to a water fountain and we fought fruit flies the whole dinner. We could see behind the counter where they put the bread and cheese plates together and it was anything but clean in their preparation. I would never recommend this place to anyone. more

I had the worst experience last night ever at a restaurant. We went here for a birthday party. From the moment we sat down the waitress was asking us to order and get done so they could turn the table. We ordered wine and appetizers right away as our guest were arriving. The waitress brought us a different bottle of wine then we ordered but we did not complain just said we wanted the right one when we got the second bottle. We never questioned the cost of any bottle. Most of us got our order in and were visiting when the owner came over and said you are going to have to leave. We had ordered a 3rd bottle of wine and several other dinners prior to this and they were never brought them to our us. The bus boy then came over and started taking all our glasses off the table and we were forced to leave. I have never had such a rude experience in my life. This is the first review I have ever done. My husband and I also had been there one other time and they sat us in the back corner next to the deli and next to a water fountain and we fought fruit flies the whole dinner. We could see behind the counter where they put the bread and cheese plates together and it was anything but clean in their preparation. I would never recommend this place to anyone. more

There is no bar or area to have drinks while waiting for all to show up, so we made a reservation for 9 people at 5 PM to celebrate my 62nd birthday. A bunch of us women get together every month to dine. It takes a good 1.5 hours just for everybody to show up. We usually wrap it up by 9 or 10 PM. From the moment the first of us sat down we were told to order soon as our table was reserved for 6:30. We let them know we had every intention of staying much later than that. At 6:50 the owner had her waiters take our plates and glasses off the table, even out of our hands, and we were told to leave. None of us will be recommending this place ever again. more

Before we went to Italy people told us that the worst meal there was better than the best meal here. We did not find that to be true, and tastes can vary, but I will say that Piazza Italia reminds me of the more satisfying meals in Rome, and for the price, it can't be beat. Good wine. Good minestrone. Good salads. Amazing antipasti. Very good pasta. Good coffee, and sidewalk dining for those rare nice Northwest days. more

We Love Piazza Italia.. the Food, the Staff, the Wine.. more

After my first bite of bucatini all'amatriciana, I was plotting my move to Portland to be near this... more

After my first bite of bucatini all'amatriciana, I was plotting my move to Portland to be near this restaurant. No, I am not kidding. We fell... more

Small, open room family restaurant with authentic food and Italian speaking waiters. Great place to pick-up orders to go since restaurant is situated amongst downtown condos. Would recommend. Pros: Atmosphere, food, service Cons: Small dining room, lunch prices too high more

Just wanted to let all of you know that this ""owner"" fellow you've all spoke of, is anything but. I have it on good authority that Alessandro (the eighty year old man who kicked you out) is not one of the owners and is not under any instructions to kick you out. By his own volition, when he can see that line out of the door, Alessandro opts to tell you to leave. To put it simply, tell him ""no."" He has no weight there beyond singing happy birthday, giving kisses and dancing. That is what he is payed to do. He is a piece of that restaurant to make people happy, not to cause them any anguish. Also people, you may want to take what he says (at his age) with a grain of salt. Sometimes he throws a fit and doesn't know why but he is the genuine article and I swear he means well. Finally, if you want alternative atmosphere then go to Il Piatto, but I can tell you right now that the pasta there isn't half as good. Yes the Lasagna is bland and probably on the menu for kids who don't want ""real"" Italian food. Try the seafood! P.S. Why the hell do you people order salads when you go out to eat? Every salad I've ever had at a restaurant is a disappointment because they get their ""Spring Mix"" bulk and probably from mexico. Eat your salad at home, then put your grown-up clothes on and go out for a MEAL! Pros: Good pasta. Great service. Cons: The management. The accordion player. more

We live about 42 miles from Piazza Italia. We go there every other Sunday. We have visited Italy three different times for a total of 9 weeks. We have eaten in large turist areas and small out of the way (no turists) areas and Piazza Italia is the only place that captures most of what we experieced in Italy. Traveling and eating in Italy is differant in differant regions. Since the owners and staff are mostly from Rome, you get the 'Rome' treatment. The food at Piazza Italia is the best you will find in Portland if you want the real thing. Let's face it, Olive Garden and The Spaghetti Factory are 'America food' Resturants. Pros: Food, people and atmosphere Cons: none at all. more

I will never go back to this restaurant. I have been to places where they make you feel like they are rushing you out the door but I have never actually been told to leave because they need my table. This happened here. It was not like we were there 2 hours drinking water after our meal. We had a reservation and were already home an hour an a quarter later. (across town), after being asked to leave because they needed the table. The food is simple and good. I have been to Italy and I would say it is more like street food or from one of the tourist places. I have told all my friends not to go to this place if they want any form of customer service. Pros: Good Italian wine. Cons: Service, Ambiance more

made reservations for 2 at 7pm thursday yesterday..have been here lots of times know the owners et from costco...brought my niece greeted and seated promptly...had an antipasto..two glasses of wine great bread with wonderful olive oil..we ordered our food and some more wine i got a box to go and ordered a cappucinno...they brought me an americana which i did not order and a cappucino ..then one of the owners came to my table and said you need to leave we need your table...well that was soo rude my niece cud not believe it well there are plenty of fine restaurants in portland and i am sorry but i hope they never do this too another person rude..wont be back friends or not jt Pros: excellent authentic italian cuisine Cons: parking more

We have eaten here several times in the past and have loved it. Sadly, today was a baaad experience. We were seated quickly, took a few minutes to decide, but ordered relatively quickly. Once we ordered, we waited and waited and waited. The table next to us, seated later, were paying to leave before we ever got our food. We ordered a salad and lasagna to share...yet the people next to us, who arrived after us, were finished before we even got our food, and they each got full meals and appetizers. What took so long? While we were waiting, we were about ready to pull our hair out. The restaurant was looping the same song, with loud horn sections, and yelling, over and over and over. Finally, after hearing it 6 times, we requested them to please change it! Finally, our food arrives. The $10 salad was full of wilted, brown rotted lettuce. Something in the salad was so salty we could not eat it without puckering. The lasagna was ok. It was not very flavorful. The waitstaff should have had an easy time noticing how gross the salad was that he brought us. It never should have been served that way. When the lettuce is a dark brown, that is not good. After waiting such a long time, to get what tasted like a plate of salt was beyond a disappointment. We decided to skip coffee and dessert, as by this point, we had no trust left for what we'd be served. Previously, the wait staff have seemed very attentive and professional. Today they seemed a mess...dropping our silverware off our plates onto the floor when they brought us our food, bringing us drinks that were meant for another table.... Thankfully, the waiter took the salad off the bill. The whole thing was quite a disappointment. I hope this was a one-time thing, but I'm afraid we won't go back. Pros: usually a nice comfy atmosphere Cons: unprofessional waitstaff, rotten food more

If you want the unhurried casual neighborhood experience of a Rome cafe, this is the place. Great food, good banter with the owners and customers. Fun, boisterous, engaging - always great - ever since they opened . If you are looking for the quiet intimate dinner or having a perfectly choreographed multi-course experience with no attitude, perfectly scheduled with your reservation - pick somewhere else (and you probably won't like Rome either - don't go). Pros: it's like being in Rome Cons: it's like being in Rome more

The pasta is what you come here for. They have perhaps the best lasagna I've ever had. It just melts in your mouth. The prices are also very reasonable, with the exception of the salads, which are priced almost as much as the pastas and not that good. We also have found much better antipasta at other places. Try to get a table outside as it's pretty crowded and noisy inside. Pros: Pasta dishes Cons: Crowded, noisy. more

My husband and I have been dining at Piazza Italia since it opened. Every time it is excellent, we have never had a bad meal. The food is just like what we had in Italy, perfect. The servers are gracious and prompt. My husband mispronouced a dish and was served the wrong meal, they replaced it with the correct dish, no questions asked. I highly recommend Piazza Italia for true Italian food. Pros: Everything Cons: n/a more

My wife and I have been searching for the ""taste"" of European Italian food. We lived in Europe for 15 years returning to Portland in Oct 03 and have been searching for ""real"" Italian. Well, here it is! Food to die for with a European flavor, not like the imitation tastes of Portland's Italian chain restaurant (Past....). This is the 2d restaurant (the first was La Dente in Vancouver with a Hungarian cook) we have found in the Portland metro with the ""taste"". Our son's have confirmed the ""taste"" and now we all eat here often. If you don't see what you want ask. I love spaghetti aguli e olio con frutti de mare and they had no problem making if for me. Wonderful! Pros: Great food, table for the night Cons: A bit too sports bar for the food level more

I love this place! It's busy and a little crowded, but feels cozy and festive. You can even catch customers dancing. If you can catch the spaghetti with mussels as the special, order it! It's amazing, but so is everything else. There is a wait, but it's totally worth it. You can make a reservation, which is probably a good idea. Pros: Fun and tasty Cons: I can't eat there every day. more