Portofino

Someone from this business manages this listing.

353 reviews

#1 of 85 Restaurants in Gisborne$$ - $$$, Italian, Pizza, Mediterranean

+64 6-868 5700+ Add website

Hours

Sun

11:30 am - 2:00 pm5:30 pm - 9:00 pm

Tue

5:30 pm - 9:00 pm

Wed

5:30 pm - 9:00 pm

Thu

11:30 am - 2:00 pm5:30 pm - 9:00 pm

Fri

11:30 am - 2:00 pm5:30 pm - 9:00 pm

Sat

11:30 am - 2:00 pm5:30 pm - 9:00 pm

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What is Travellers’ Choice?

Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.

Ratings and reviews

4.5

353 reviews

#1 of 85 Restaurants in Gisborne

Travellers' Choice 2024

RATINGS

Food

Service

Value

Atmosphere

Details

Someone from this business manages this listing.

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CUISINES

Italian, Pizza, Mediterranean, European, Sicilian, Southern-Italian

Special Diets

Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options, Gluten free options

Meals

Lunch, Dinner, Drinks

features

Location and contact

12 Peel Street, Gisborne 4010 New Zealand

+64 6-868 5700

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Does this restaurant offer delivery?

Yes

Unsure

Details

Manage this business?

CUISINES

Italian, Pizza, Mediterranean, European, Sicilian, Southern-Italian

Special Diets

Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options, Gluten free options

Meals

Lunch, Dinner, Drinks

FEATURES

Takeout, Reservations, Seating, Highchairs Available, Wheelchair Accessible, Serves Alcohol, Full Bar, Table Service, Gift Cards Available

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4.5

353 reviews

Excellent

288

Very good

Average

Poor

Terrible

Hannah B

Hamilton1 contribution

So friendly and generous!

Jan 2020 • couples

We only came in to fill up our drink bottles but the staff went above and beyond for us. Our bottles were filled with ice cold water, and we were given free juice and coffee. The manager/owner? was so friendly and generous giving us these extras on a hot day. It absolutely made our day. Next time we are in Gisborne we are definitely returning for a meal.

Written 2 January 2020

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

jazzamm

Woodinville26 contributions

Very good Italian fare

Jan 2020 • couples

I’m always surprised by how some restaurants get some startlingly opposite reviews. We were in Gisborne for 4 days just at the start of the New Year and ate two fabulous meals here. The service was attentive, reminiscent of our trip to Italy, and accommodating of my vegetarian needs while my spouse ate meat, lamb and fish. My request for various soup, gnocchi, and pasta type foods without cheese was not greeted by scorn and the pasta cooked to perfect al dente. I would definitely seek out this restaurant if we visited Gisborne again.

Written 19 January 2020

Hix

2 contributions

Lunch on a whim

Mar 2022 • solo

I have always heard great things about this place and often thought about going but never got the chance. After a solid morning of meetings and covid related enquiries, I was eager to take a break from the noise of it all. As I exited the workplace building, a sidewalk sign caught my eye. It was inviting me to enter, almost luring me in. I kinda floated to the entrance and got excited about finally being able to dine at this fine establishment. From the moment I entered I was impressed by the beautiful layout, the crystal clear glassware sparkling in the sunlight beaming through the windows. The sound of Italian opera adding to the ambience and the sound of italian voices echoing from behind the scenes, preparing for service as if they were expecting me. I was then greeted by a lovely masked man welcoming me in his handsome Italian accent. At the time I was the only one in there, but I think even if the restaurant was full, I've got a feeling each and every person there would have received the gold standard customer service that I was being shown. I sat in a booth and reading over the menu I was impressed by the choices available and the reasonable prices of this authentic Italian experience. I ordered the Spaghetti Marinara "I love seafood" and a Rocket Salad. In no time at all I was presented with my beautiful food and the most highest standard of service that I have received in a very long time. If that wasn't enough, the food was not only delicious but it satisfied my craving for good quality Italian cuisine. I thank you William and team for providing such a fine establishment and dining experience and I'm grateful to have received that here in good ole Gizzy. I'm glad I decided to treat myself and will definately return soon. I will be recommending you to all I know. All the best to your business, especially in these uncertain times 🙂 Nga mihi, Hikihiki

Written 10 March 2022

William

Dear HixLovesKai Wow, what an amazing review, we are so grateful for your wonderful feedback! Thank you so much for your support, and we look forward to welcoming you back as a new regular guest :) We try our best to set a great ambience by adding the touches in the décor and background music. So lovely so see its been noticed. We take pride in our customer service and make use of the finest local ingredients when preparing our dishes. Thanks again for your kind words Warmest regards William

Written 11 March 2022

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Foodlover

Gisborne90 contributions

Small Arancini

Jun 2020 • couples

Ordered entree and mains, mains came out and we advised we were waiting on entrees, chef thought they were a different order(but it’s written on the same piece of paper??) so ate entrees while main sat on our table getting cold. $25.50 for 3 scallops that were rubbery and with the poo sack attached. Arancini balls had been changed from cheese to bolognese filled and they were as small as cheese balls chips but still full price and were very hard. My ravioli was alright but filling tasted like the basil, Parmesan, spinach pesto from pak n save. Pumpkin on the veal was raw. The table next to us had the same veal dish and left her pumpkin too. No one came to ask how our meal was. I didn’t dare stay for dessert. We advised the manager the issues with the meal and no apology was given, just an excuse of short staffed, and no compensation was offered. Pretty disappointed, horrified and shocked to be honest if this is considered acceptable.

Written 8 June 2020

Edwinaozy

Singapore12 contributions

Terrible experience

Dec 2019 • family

Saw the glowing reviews and decided to give it a go. The pastas were soft and the sauces were thin, seafood was smelly and steak overcooked. Decor is run down with a lot of huge flies. Service was passive even though we were one of 3 tables there. Wine list was ridiculously created, tells you the price and the grape type but not even with prices at $130. Usually I won’t bother posting if the review is not good but decided to post this as a public service announcement. Unless you’re past 80 and have dentures, you’re not gg to enjoy the food there. Interestingly that seemed to be their main client base when we visited.

Written 4 January 2020

Gillian B

1 contribution

What a shambles!

Jan 2020 • none

Made a phone booking at 5pm and arrived promptly at 7pm as agreed. On arrival we stood waiting for someone to great us for at least 5 minutes. We were showen to our table and waited a further 20 mins before being offered a menu or wine list. It was another 25mins later before our drinks order was taken. Drinks and first course eventually arrived. When the main courses arrived one was not what was ordered but the person, pointing out the mistake and totally exasperated by now, agreed to accept the the meal in preference to waiting for the correct meal to be delivered. There were two staff on the floor and about 50-60 people dining, they did apologise stating that they were short staffed. On leaving we again expressed our disappointment and were offered an ice cream in compensation!

Written 13 January 2020

Heidi014

Buffalo76 contributions

Decent food, unacceptable service

Mar 2020 • none

The service staff were friendly, but utterly disorganized. We ordered starter salads, which took 45 minutes to arrive, and only came when we inquired. Our mains arrived just as we finished eating the salad. We ran out of water and were never offered more; my empty wine glass sat on the table for an hour without an offer of a second. The food was OK. My husband had a beef dish, and the beef was of poor quality (lots of gristle). My smoked salmon pasta was OK, but quite salty. I would skip this restaurant.

Written 6 March 2020

Laura

1 contribution

Beautiful Dinner

Jun 2020 • family

We had the eye fillet steak, Hawaiian pizza, cream prawn and salmon pasta. They delivered it so fast, food was hot and delicious and our steak was cooked to perfection. Would definitely recommend and we will be back again 😊

Written 25 June 2020

Chai Views

Gisborne3 contributions

Last Minute Enjoyable Stay

Sept 2020 • friends

Twice, my friends and I made a last minute call to eat out and ended up at Portifino, both times we were greeted nicely with friendly and happy staff and enjoyed our meal. The meal was piping hot, medium-large portions and of excellent quality. You get more than what you paid for and a really nice atmosphere. Thanks again

Written 8 September 2020

Odyssey57461909450

Dear Itschai Thanks for taking the time to place your valuable feedback and we are delighted to hear you enjoyed your dining experience with us, We sincerely hope to see you back again soon. Regards William

Written 10 September 2020

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

HeatherG488

34 contributions

Delicious food, great service

Aug 2020 • none

Don't miss this restaurant when you visit Gisborne and be sure to book a table so you are not disappointed. Delicious filet steak acompanied by a cheeky little red wine which had been recommended "Romeo and Juliet" Wonderful service. Highly recommend and I will be sure to visit again when next in Gisborne.

Written 9 August 2020

Odyssey57461909450

Dear Heather Thanks for your review and kind words of encouragement. We are delighted to hear you enjoyed your meals and we hope to see you back again in the not too distant future. Regards William

Written 31 August 2020

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

680helen50

Christchurch9 contributions

Casual Sunday Dining

Sept 2020 • couples

Stumbled upon this gem of a restaurant for a casual Sunday evening meal. The wonderful smells and warmth as we entered the restaurant was the first sign we were in for a great experience. The restaurant was abuzz with other diners. Service was swift and helpful and our choices lived up to the authentic flavors of Italy we should be currently enjoying had we been able to travel to Italy! My risotto surpassed any I have previously sampled. Well done Portofino!

Written 20 September 2020

Odyssey57461909450

Dear Helen Thanks for taking the time to place your valuable feedback and we are delighted to hear you enjoyed your dining experience with us, We sincerely hope to see you back again soon. Regards William

Written 23 September 2020

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

GlobalGerbil

Napier70 contributions

Yeah, Nah

Dec 2019 • none

First impression was very good. A nice welcome from front of house. However, table service was not sure about the flavour of daily changing arancini. My main dish was macaroni with spicy sausage, which was average. I am neither a chef nor do I have Italian blood going through my veins, but I do a pasta with sausage dish that has put more effort and flavour to it. I expect more from an Italian restaurant.

Written 19 January 2020

Jay

Gisborne1 contribution

Sadly a bad experience

Jul 2022 • friends

Very disappointed. 8 of us went for dinner at Portofino. The staff were young children who needed to be trained on how to wait tables. They handed meals out to the wrong people in our group, gave us soup spoons for dessert and had no idea what the meals were that they were serving. When I'm paying almost $40 for a main I expect better service and the meals were not great either. The veal and chicken meals were over cooked and the sauce was way too salty. We spent about $500 and don't think any of us will be rushing back anytime soon.

Written 5 July 2022

Chris Heswall

Gisborne7 contributions

Forgotten about !!

Sept 2022 • none

After eating at Portofino restaurants elsewhere, my wife and I were looking forward to Portofino Gisborne. Arrived 7 pm and shown to a nice window table with a warm greeting. Ordered entrees and mains, wine was superb and food ok. Waitress came and cleared our mains around 8.15, but she never returned! 15 mins later, we saw her walking up the street holding drinks and takeaways and then got into a car to go home! By then it was 8.30 pm and a couple of other tables of guests had just left, and the chef was suddenly starting to close down the kitchen. We looked for other waiters for another 10 - 15 minutes to offer us a dessert menu but we’d been forgotten about. In 40 years of dining, I can’t recall having main plates cleared and not being asked if we’d like to see the dessert menu, or have another drink. If the waitress/waiter had finished a shift, you’d expect to be advised she was leaving and/or the kitchen was closing. By 9 pm we had no option but to pay and leave, so advised person at the till we’d been sitting at the table for 45 mins without any service and he apologised, but blamed a junior waitress for forgetting us. I don’t know how this restaurant ranks number 1 in Gisborne and definitely won’t be returning based on this experience!

Written 2 October 2022

William

Dear Kiwirecruiter Appreciate your feedback. First of all, I want to thank you for choosing us for your evening out, I'm saddened to read that you were just left after your meal. We have been struggling to find quality workers and trying our best to get them trained up to our standard. I have spoken to the team as is was unacceptable behavior to leave a table without checking in or notifying you prior to finishing a shift. Please accept my sincerest apology. Warm regards William

Written 1 December 2022

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Stacey M

6 contributions

Excellent service, Delicious Cuisine, Great Atmosphere.

Sept 2020 • family

Service was amazing, we were well catered to and the food was exceptional, we are big eaters and left content and with full bellies. For starters we ordered the garlic and cheese pizza pane it was that good we asked for more. Mains we ordered spaghetti bolongise, a penne pasta(can't remember the name as our daughter had it) ,the seafood platter and spaghetti and chips for the 2yr old. We all loved each dish but for us the seafood platter was definitely the star course. The deserts we had were the perfect finisher. We were delighted that the wait time for our food was not long at all overall it was a beautiful experience and we will definitely be back.

Written 10 September 2020

Odyssey57461909450

Dear Stacey Thanks for taking the time to place your valuable feedback and we are delighted to hear you enjoyed your dining experience with us, We sincerely hope to see you back again soon. Regards William

Written 10 September 2020

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

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