Restaurant Review: Portofinos in Queens, NY

Portofinos restaurant on Queens Boulevard in Forest Hills, NY has the look of a fine Italian restaurant and when you enter the restaurant you're not disappointed. Portofinos is a pizza and Italian food restaurant and thus, the restaurant is divided accordingly.

The pizza restaurant section is full of kids and families who are enjoying their pizza which is pretty good but nothing spectacular. Prices are slightly more per slice than your average pizza restaurant because after all, Portofinos is still a restaurant instead of a fast food place. Plus, keep in mind that a waiter or waitress will be serving you the food which means that you have to leave a tip on the table which is an added cost.

The pasta and Italian section of the restaurant is also nothing spectacular but the food is still good. I guess the phrase "good but not great" really sums up Portofinos restaurant. Several of my colleagues and friends who have been to Portofinos have had raving reviews but I really wasn't that impressed. Perhaps it's because I've eaten at much better restaurants with better food and if I wanted an ordinary slice of pizza, I would've went to an ordinary fast food pizza shop.

Portofinos restaurant is located near a giant church in Forest Hills so many people like stopping by the restaurant after they pray on Sundays.

The ambiance is very nice at Portofinos, as tables are candlelit at night and it's still considered to be one of the better restaurants in the Forest Hills neighborhood. As for the pasta section, their best dishes are pasta alfredo. They also have a good fillet of sole which is in a buttered sauce. Portofinos also gives you bread on the table, as do most restaurants for customers.

As for seating, it usually isn't a problem and the food comes out pretty quickly. I'd say that within five minutes of you sitting down, a waiter or waitress will take your order and upon placing your order, your food will come out around ten minutes later. Parking isn't much of an issue because Portofinos is located in a residential area with a lot of side streets. Make sure you bring quarters for the meters for parking.

Portofinos has been around in the community for the last twenty years so it's very common to see townspeople have business meetings at the restaurant or for birthday parties. Portofinos also has a separate portioned room which is often used for private parties.