Top 16 Best Italian Restaurants in Portland (tried and tested)

This Italian spot on NW 23rd  Place offers just the right mix of casual yet elegant food from the old country – lots of homecooked food including different kinds of pasta, including lasagne and ravioli. However, there are plenty of other dishes with a unique spin on your favorite Italian foods.

It’s a cozy authentic place in the style of a traditional Trattoria and the staff are exceptionally friendly, I love it. The dishes have a traditional style with hearty portions that won’t leave you hungry. Popular dishes include Salmon Toscana, Linguini Fra Diavolo, and the incredible bruschetta. 

Dine-in or take-out from 4:30 p.m., but closed from Sunday to Tuesday. I’d recommend trying my favorite dish the incredible Eggplant Parmigiana. 

They are striving to be the best Italian restaurant in Portland, and with the praise they get, they’re doing pretty well with their aim!

Degario’s Ristorante is a charming place that prides itself on serving handmade pasta and pizza as well as drinking craft beer, and wine, and I suggest trying their incredible cocktails, Italian, of course! 

Located in NW West Union Rd, they also offer vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free options, and the happy hour is very popular too.

The murals on the walls lend this restaurant plenty of old-world Italian charm and ambiance.

Located on Morrison Street, you can satisfy almost any Italian food craving here – pasta, pizzas, and plenty more, and Gilda’s focuses on local, sustainable ingredients when making its dishes.

Open Wednesday until Sunday, from 4:30 on.

Located on SE Division Street, Pastini is open seven days a week, starting with lunch at 11:30.

This spot does a contemporary take on old-world favorites, like lasagne, spaghetti with meatballs, and other classics.

Pastini caters to folks with a hankering for rib-sticking Italian foods but tips its hat to modern eating habits by offering gluten-free versions of some portions of pasta.

Whether you dine in or get a big order to take home to the family, Mucca Osteria specializes in handmade pasta that delights the taste buds and doesn’t break the budget.

The restaurant has a lovely, romantic feel, so take time to sit, sip a glass of Chianti, and order a steaming bowl of spaghetti. Open every day but Sunday, from 5 until 10 p.m. Located on SW Morrison.

 This family-run establishment has been a hit with Portland residents for nearly 24 years, and it’s now doing indoor dining once again, along with pickup orders.

Located on 13th Avenue in Sellwood, Gino’s offers up classic Italian fare like Caesar salad and other expected dishes but also has some delightful surprises.

Try the sausage on polenta, or if you’re really hungry, go for “Grandma’s Jeans,” a dish of pork ribs, beef, and tomatoes spooned over penne. The portions are generous so you may be taking some home! Open daily from 4 p.m. until 9.

Ava delights its customers with a chic atmosphere and plenty of inventive cocktails to start, then dishes up everything from a beautiful beet salad to more substantial and traditional Italian fare, including gnocchi fritto and lamb ragu pasta.

While Ava Gene enjoys hosting romantic diners, it makes a point of welcoming families, too. Located on SE Division Street, open on Thursdays only right now.

Luce is a small place filled with big flavors. Open daily from 4 until 10 p.m., Luce makes its pasta and has a grocery store on site so you can stock up on your favorites and take them home!

Dine in, take out, but no delivery. Located on Burnside Street, Luce features seasonal ingredients in many of its dishes, so the menu varies from month to month.

This eatery, located on Division Street, is known for the fabulous pizzas that emerge from its wood-fired pizza oven. Whether you want one piled high with meat or chock full of veggies, Cibo no doubt has a pizza to fit your preference.

The cocktails are famous for their originality with locals and visitors alike – the perfect kick before the pizza arrives! Open daily from 4 until 10 p.m.

The menu at Mingo is big enough to satisfy even the most discerning Italian food lover, and the restaurant has a wine menu to match – big, bold, and offering something for everybody.

After having a glass of red, try the gnocchi, or the warm roasted beets with herb and yogurt dressing, followed by the scallops with risotto and herbs.

For the meat lover in the crowd, there’s the Chianti and espresso braised beef, or perhaps the lamb chops with pumpkin puree? As we said, there is something for everyone.

If you’ve got any room left when your meal is finished, there is a dessert menu that’s almost as big as the wine and entree lists. Mingo is open Tuesday to Sunday, from 11 a.m. until 10 p.m., Located on NW 21^st.

Situated on 13th Avenue, this Italian eatery lets you dine in or order takeout and is popular for making homemade pasta with locally sourced ingredients.

The room has a chic and elegant vibe. Though it’s closed on Monday and Tuesday, it opens at 5 every other night so that you can sit down to an early feast of dishes and traditional dishes like eggplant parmigiana, Caprese salad, or polenta.

If it’s meat you’re after, try the Bistecca – grilled hangar steak with pine nuts and peppers. There is also an extensive wine list and dessert menu.

At this popular Italian restaurant, the meatballs simmer all day long, and the pasta is homemade. Every day has a different list of specials, all of which make the most of local, seasonal, and fresh ingredients.

Start with a charcuterie board to share with your fellow diners, then move on to favorites like Fettuccine Alfredo.

This spot has gluten-free pasta options for a small fee. Located on the waterfront, on SW 2nd Avenue, Mama Mia also hosts private events, including corporate dinners and family birthday parties.

This is one of the city’s most chic establishments, with a long copper bar and private dining rooms to host any event on your calendar.

The food is a lovely balance of Italian with French influences, but you can also get their take on a good, old-fashioned hamburger if that’s your craving.

There is just about everything Italian on Serratto’s menu, too, including fresh pasta and seared sea scallops. Located on NW Kearney Street, open seven days a week starting at 4 p.m.

 When it’s time for something a little more low-key than some of the swankier locations in Portland without sacrificing an ounce of flavor and zest, Gumba’s is the spot.

This cart, located on NE Alberta Street, specializes in Italian sandwiches and plenty of homemade pasta.

Take home an order of ricca pasta with beef, a fried chicken sandwich, and a few slices of olive oil cake, and let the family relax and eat in tonight. Closed Tuesday, open from 4:30 until 9:30 other days.

 This eatery is hugely popular with Portland’s Italian food fans, so that tells you how good the dishes are.

Billed as an “authentic Italian bistro,” Gallo specializes in the cuisine of Tuscany and offers spaghetti with seafood, antipasto, lasagne, and risotto, along with plenty of other Italian traditional entrees.

Also on the menu is fish stew and pasta sauteed with prosciutto and garlic. Dine-in or order for pickup, open Wednesday and Thursday from noon to 8 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from noon until 9 p.m.

Located on Apple Way, this establishment’s generous portions of many Italian classics, along with a salad bar, make it the ideal locale for a night out with the family or a big group from the office.

Open daily from noon until 9 p.m., Ernesto’s serves up everything folks love about Italian food – rich, cheesy sauces, garlic bread, filling, delicious pastas, and plenty of other fare that delights the senses without breaking the wallet.

There are desserts, too, and good wine by the glass for the grownups in your group.