Restaurant Review: Portofino

Portofino restaurant

Portofino

1306 Olympic View Dr Edmonds, WA 98020
425-771-4788

‘Portofino’ is a northwest Italian town on the coast of the Italian Riviera, just below Genoa.

This Italian trattoria has been an Edmonds fixture for over 30 years. Located just off Puget Drive, north of the Edmonds Bowl, in an unremarkable strip mall, it warrants your attention.

The décor is modern, and the interior is deceptively large. The allure is the in-house, homemade dough, sauces, dressings and meatballs, and a specialty for pizza. 

At a glance, the menu has a Greek/northwest twist with Italian favorites. There’s a good selection of salads – Antipasti, Caesar, Caprese, Greek, and various other greens. 

Starters on offer are Bruschetta, Calamari, sliders, buffalo wings, poutine, fried ravioli, and more. 

The entrees feature a wide selection of pastas and sauces, such as Lasagna, Rigatoni, Fettuccine, Gnocchi, Linguine, Tortellini with Marinara, Bolognese, Marsala, Alfredo, Carbonara, Pesto, with perhaps a touch of basil and butter. 

In addition are the Grinders, Gyros and Calzones, filled with chicken, beef, Italian cold-cuts, meatballs, Canadian Bacon, with cheeses and sauces. 

Some surprise, if not incongruous, dishes are wild salmon, Thai prawns, Hawaiian French bread, but most intriguing, the pear stuffed pasta. 

However, the main attraction must be the fresh-made pizza, with basic toppings of Mozzarella, Pepperoni, black olives, Pancetta, mushroom, Italian sausage, Canadian bacon, pineapple, beside the Specialty and Gourmet options, apart from the 27 other toppings you could customize – pizza galore! 

And if you want to indulge, the desserts feature cheesecake, crème brulee, Tiramisu, chocolate ganache, and Italian doughnuts. 

The array of dishes on offer is dizzying, produced efficiently, and well-executed. Though I wouldn’t waste my taste buds on Thai prawns and Alaskan salmon here (although I’m sure are pretty good) but given the choices in pasta, sandwiches, and pizza, why would you? 

Or you could return again and again in order to experience the entire menu.

--TCA