Cafe Portofino

Classic and authentic Italian food. Fresh tasting with minimal ingredients. Loved the tartness of the marinara sauce. Didn’t feel over stuffed after our meal. Everyone enjoyed their entrees, appetizers, and drinks. We had a night cap of the profiteroles. Nathaniel was a great server with great recommendations and friendly service. Took the time to answer our questions about sightseeing along with helping decide what to order from the menu.

Pasta was so fresh, fish as well, amazing spot, and good service! 10/10!

We dined here 3 times in a week! Definitely will come back every time in Kauai! The lasagna should win an award, with meat bolognese then topped with Alfredo sauce. My husband loved the spaghetti and meatballs too! There are plenty of vegetarian options, from spaghetti with basil marinara, to pesto with pine nuts, cheese ravioli in pink cream sauce and Fettuccine Alfredo. Good salads too, and appetizers (pupus). Good wine selection and full bar. End dinner with a delicious Italian dessert and the best lemoncello ever! Oh, don't forget to try the pizza for a low cost option. The parma topped with prosciutto and arugula was amazing. Thanks for the friendly service Nicole! And lovely Italian music from harpist on Saturday evenings 🤗

Four of us all agreed. Our pasta was the best we ever had! We came back 3 times in 10 days. Lasagna and carbonara were the stars. Ivy, Becky, and Patricia were lovely knowledgeable waitresses and such enjoyable personable people. We had 5pm reservations each day and had our meals served quite quickly. Linen tablecloth and napkins quality restaurant over a gorgeous bay in Hawaii, so $22-25 pasta dishes and $35 and up for steaks and fresh fish seems reasonable for the level of location, service, and quality. Thank you!!

Delicious restaurant! I am not exaggerating when I say that the lasagna is the BEST I have ever had. AMAZING! The chicken marsala is also yummy, as is the carbonara. All of the shrimp options are also top tier. Service is very good as well - highly recommend!

Had Fish of the day in caper cream sauce & substituted veggies for what tasted like fresh made linguine. 3 other ppl at table had the Steak & Shrimp Special with veggies. 5 stars all around. Had bad experience with Dukes extremely slim menu at overly high prices & bad service so walked to Portofino & got instant service with a smile. Food was AMAZING & half the price of Duke's. Highly recommend!

We ate here while we were on vacation and staying at Royal Sonesta in Kauai. It’s right on the ocean and you can see the water, hear the waves, watch the sunset, and enjoy the tropical atmosphere while eating. We absolutely LOVED it! The food was phenomenal from the minestrone soup, entrees, dessert, and wine! We had chicken Marsala, lasagna, and fettuccine bolognese…each one was incredible and so tasty and delicious! We also tried 3 different desserts including tiramisu, chocolate mousse cake, and the profiteroles which was cream puffs with ice cream and chocolate and almonds…all were absolutely amazing! Nicole was our server and she was outstanding and treated us like family and even called us ma familia each time she came to check on us…her attention to detail and care was absolutely fantastic and she made the dinner even better! We highly recommend this restaurant and will definitely go again when we return to Kauai! Thank you Cafe Portofino and Nicole for the amazing experience! It truly was delicious!

Food was over the top! Great Oso Bucco. The sauce on the Mahi mahi was the best we have ever tasted. Enjoyed the atmosphere and excellent service. The best experience of our visit.

Absolutely fabulous! Wonderful atmosphere and service, terrace view is beautiful and the violinist added the perfect touch. We were so happy to find a fine dining experience after a week of casual food choices- the escargot and salads, we had veal and steak, house made desserts, all delicious. The wine list was extensive and the espresso was perfect. Beautiful service, our servers were attentive and personable. We even came back for takeout pizzas to enjoy on the beach, which were amazing. We highly recommend this beautiful spot!

My wife and I both ordered different pizza and both were outstanding. We have a trip to Italy planned next year and I hope the pizza there is as good as what we had tonight. The price was very reasonable and the staff were all great. When I read the negative reviews, I’m thinking they were at a different restaurant, as this place was fantastic.

We celebrated Christmas here. They had a wonderful violinist and the service was great. Food and wine were wonderful too!

Very authentic and delicious Italian food right on the ocean. Everything is top-notch with a great array of options. My husband loves the seafood Diablo with homemade pasta. I love the eggplant parmesan, shrimp scampi with garlic and lemon, and the pizza. Top-notch service and setting. A nice change from all the seafood only restaurants.

We had one of the best dinners here in Kauai. Forester, our server was great. We had the escargot, calamari, seafood diavolo and clam linguine. It was pricey, but worth it Enjoyed the live music

We came across Cafe Portofino and immediately fell in love with this place. From the moment we walked in, the atmosphere felt warm, welcoming, and full of heart — and that feeling only grew stronger thanks to the incredible team working there. A very special mention goes to Nat, who was truly amazing! Nat helped us in every possible way, always with a smile, genuine kindness, and a level of hospitality that made us feel like family. People like Nat are the reason places like this become unforgettable. The food was delicious, and we especially loved the calamari — perfectly prepared and full of flavor. And the bread… absolutely incredible! Please do yourself a favor and try it with a mix of olive oil — it takes it to another level! Every visit was delightful, and Cafe Portofino quickly became one of our favorite spots. Wonderful people, amazing food, and a beautiful, welcoming atmosphere — truly a gem. If you’re in the area, don’t miss Cafe Portofino. You’ll be glad you tried it!

We came in later when the kitchen was closing in 20 minutes. Juan our server was amazing and told us that don't worry even thought the kitchen is closing soon there is no rush. Juan was so nice and offered to help us with anything we needed or if we had any questions about the island. . The pizza was amazing, Honestly it reminded us of pizza we had in Rome. We even had one guest that complains about pizza. Particular person couldn't stop raving about how good it was. The truth is he's never had good pizza before only the chains like Papa John's. Highly recommend I have no idea why the Google reviews were low because this place was excellent.

Juan was our server tonight. He was on point very excellent service. He recommended the ravioli with the pine nuts and they were delicious and divine! He also recommended great places to visit and great beaches as well! We are looking forward to seeing Juan again hopefully! Thank you so much for the great atmosphere as well. The music was wonderful. Live music as well.🤗💕

This restaurant is classy (not pretentious), friendly with great service and wonderful Italian food. The dishes are authentic Italian (like your Nona made). Throw in the beautiful outdoor terrace and live music (jazz violinist reminiscent of Stephane Grappelli) and you have a memorable evening. AND the prices are reasonable. Highly recommend this restaurant.

Kasey was GREAT. Not even a server (bartending) but saw that we had been seated and waiting awhile for our server, came and took great care of us. She was so kind and attentive. Even while tending bar. Made the experience great for us

Ate here multiple times on a recent trip and fell in love. The pasta was amazing - felt like we were back in Italy. Staff were friendly and remembered our order from the previous night. The violinist also added to the atmosphere. Such a relaxing spot to eat.

Honestly you come here for the view more than the food. The food was decent but nothing special. The waiter was nice. Make sure to not get the pasta because it was so bland. But the steak and salad slightly better.

Really really really good service. The ravioli was delicious. The sword fish was lacking in flavor in my opinion. My husband ordered rack of lamb. Was really rare but they were happy to cook longer so it was editable. I honestly thought the potatoes were the best part of the meal, better then the protein portion of the meal. Would not recommend trying the mushroom souffle. Was very sponge like and mushy.

Cafe Portofino brings real Italian to Lihue. They use real ingredients and legit recipes. The bread was well made but lacked flavor. My wife had the ravioli, which was good but not outstanding. She also has a side of meatball, which, in out opinions, were rolled too tight. I had the lamb. They cooked the whole 4 rib rack, then cut it, and served it, leaving the outer two chops overcooked and the inner two raw. I didn't mind the raw ones because I did ask for it as rare as they'd served it, but I terribly minded the out two being cooked medium. They also knocked off most of the crust, which was a shame because it was delicious. The highlight of the meal was my wife's chocolate mousse cake.

We have been going to Portofino for many years, starting when it was located across the street from its current location. It is one of the must stop dining locations for us. The owner is always pleasant, the service is good, the food better than average, and a spectacular view. All the outer tables have a wonderful view of the water, it is peaceful and relaxing. Because it is open, it is relatively quiet. The pricing is comparable to other top restaurants. All seem a bit high, especially for desserts and drinks. It is best to make a reservation. Plan on arriving a bit early because finding a parking spot may be a challenge.

Great Italien food. But so weird that you cannot order a pizza for the out door dining. It does not make any sense that you have to move inside of you want pizza? Even though we had to hook a tavle, we were still standing and waiting for our table. The dishes are not big but tasty and also a hit expensive. I can highly recommend the desert Profitiroles, which is the dessert with the ice cream and whipped cream in the pictures.

Read some prior reviews that made us worry, but overall the food and experience was worth trying. It was busy (Christmas Eve) so service was a little slow with large groups of family seated before us, but the staff was top notch. Great view especially at sunset!

Ordered a pizza to go. Was directed to the bar area. Only one bartender to make all drinks for the restaurant, take to-go orders and service the bar customers. Pizza was good. A little burned but ok. Took 43 minutes to get our order. Again pizza was okay but not worth the wait.

Average service, like to upsell. Spaghetti noodles were not al dente. Bolognese sauce was oily. Bread wasn’t very good. Need to have a better product to stand behind for all the upselling that is happening. We had better Italian when visiting Kauai.

Got an opentable reservation for Sunday evening - 8th October Get seated by a gentleman who looked tired in a back corner outside Get hustled by the waitress to order quickly as there were 2 large groups she has to handle as well We ordered a bottle of Abruzzo which arrived after the main course :( All this while the large group behind us got their bottle on queue with bread Unacceptable as we are paying customers too, service is key and there is no room for different standards for different folks - this is the 21st century Food was good but the service was shoddy, we won’t be coming back

Food was really good except a couple of raw potatoes. We were in and out in less than 40 mins. Waitress bought over mains while we were still eating starters and when we were eating mains she asked if we wanted to order pudding to which we said not sure so she bought us the bill! We thought they were closing but this was at 7.30pm and people still being seated. Was not happy with service at all! We were going to order more drinks and listen to the live music but decided to pay the bill and leave and go else where for drinks!

Food is really bad. Bread is dry and out of a bag. Frutti di Mare was sub par. Ordered the chicken piccata and it was by far the worst I’ve ever had, and it’s not even close. Basically boiled chicken breast and piccata sauce was basically a gross gravy consistency and taste. Lasagna was more edible but nothing was handmade or fresh, sauce was clearly out of a jar etc. Place is below Olive Garden quality but for north end of Boston prices. If you’re craving Italian just wait until you go home because you aren’t going to find it here. And for the price go to literally anywhere else on the shore for better food

My wife and I ordered from the pizzeria tonight and the food we got was overpriced and inedible. When I came to pick up the food, the bartender looked me up and down and said “we don’t have an order from you.” Once I said my name they remembered I ordered a gluten free pizza for my wife. The pizza tasted terrible. The sauce tasted sour and the cheese seems to have turned bad. For $27, I can’t believe how horrible the food was. We both tried 1 slice and couldn’t make it through the rest. My wife spit hers out. From the rude staff to the very gross food, would not recommend.

Ordered the Miata salad minestrone soup and garlic bread to go it was disgusting! The soup was watered down chicken broth with oil and the only vegetables were carrots and a few pieces of potato! The salad was supposed to be mixed greens with tarragon vinaigrette and it was wilted oily spinach with no flavor! The garlic bread was barely toasted and again no flavor! Worst food ever threw it all in the trash!!!!!!!

We went there because we heard the food is great. But from the moment we sat down the white table cloth was full of crawling insects! They were everywhere on the glasses, silverware and all over the table! Nauseating and disturbing! The food portions were unbelievably small! The salad was good. The garlic bread wasn’t fresh and unpleasant. I don’t recommend it —very gross!

The location has a beautiful setting, it’s unfortunate how rude the employees are. Maryellen was our server, we waited 20 minutes before she came to the table. Once she came she did not greet us at all, or ask if we’d like anything to drink other than water. She said, “let’s get this going hurry up so I can get you out of here.” She never once came back to ask if we needed anything and threw out plates down on the table. It’s too bad they do have good food and we’ve been a few times over the years. The man at the front is always rude as well, but I have never had a server tell me to order fast and eat fast because she’s busy. Do not recommend spending your hard earned money there, the island has plenty of great locations where you’ll be treated nicely.

They took over 30 minutes to pour coke. While having a slow night. apparently "easy there" is hawaiin for "im sorry" go to Fukes next door. They are incredible, friendly and awesome!

Quite possibly the worst customer service in Hawaii I could have ever experienced. This is a vacation destination where everyone should be happy & nice:. Cafe Portofino was not helpful, had poor service and gave no accommodations. If I could give them zero stars I would. So sad.

Service was horrendous, waitress showed little interest in her job. Took 15 mins for her to even say hello. Ordered a diet coke, rook half hour for it to be delivered and that was after reminding her twice. Didn't offer us water, Didn't mention the specials and basically didn't do her job at all and placr wasn't even busy. The lucky ones were the couple that split after 10 mins of being ignored. Food was mediocre at best. Do yourself a favor and skip this place. Screw this place.

Be careful here. Looks can be very deceiving!! This establishment is unworthy of a cover charge for night activities. Great scenery, poor service. The owner clearly has low priority over crowd control due to his unprofessional security staff. There are a lot better options anywhere but Cafe Portofino in Kauai, Hawaii. No, Thank you 👋🏼

What you would expect is a special experience with the view & setting is destroyed by lack of management and ineptitude from staff. The combination of rudeness & total disregard for service standards was a killer 1-2 punch for a bad experience. When we tried to appropriately provide feedback, the manager wasn’t having it and preferred instead to keep his head buried in paperwork. With so many other good options available, I’d recommend not having your night ruined by these people & stay away.

Food was terrible and service was even worse. My wife ordered chicken piccata and the chicken came out clearly undercooked. When we notified the waiter, he copped an attitude and replied “well I didn’t cook it”. We were floored. Then on top of that, he came back and then got mouthy again with us saying we were coming at him. Unbelievable. The chicken was raw bro! We left immediately. This place is terrible- go somewhere else! Should have known better than to go out for Italian food while in Hawaii. Go support a local vendor and don’t waste your time at this restaurant.