Piazza Italia

We Love Piazza Italia.. the Food, the Staff, the Wine..
To us it is our Romantic Night out.. We love to sit outside in the summer.. the warm Porland Night air, the delicious pasta prepared perfectly, the lamb on Saturday night which melts in your mouth, the wine, the conversation, the neighborhood.. WE LOVE PIAZZA ITALIA!

After my first bite of bucatini all'amatriciana, I was plotting my move to Portland to be near this restaurant. No, I am not kidding.

We fell in love with bucatini all'amatriciana when we were visiting Rome recently, to the point where the restaurant that served it became our neighborhood spot while we were in town. It was that good. When we returned to the US, I promptly found bucatini and got to work recreating the sauce as it blew us away with it's simple, yet amazingly savory and luscious taste and texture. As an aside, I'm still perfecting my recipe.

So, imagine my delight when I was searching for a good place to try in the Pearl and I came across a fellow Yelper's review of their bucatini...oh boy, we must try this place! We made a reservation for that evening.

On leaving our cab, we were immediately greeted on the sidewalk by a gentleman asking if we had reservations. Yes, we did! We were seated at a two-top adjacent to the bar...I'm sure they didn't mean it this way, but it was a onus for me to be seated near the menu station as I am a dessert-a-holic and the dessert menu was within reach!!! Muahahahaha. I love being able to plot dinner choices with an eye toward dessert.

I had no idea prior to entering Piazza Italia, but yes, Virginia, there IS an all-futbol-all-the-time channel. Actually, pretty cool in combination with the futbol jerseys hanging from the ceiling. Even cooler, everyone there that night appeared to be fluent in Italian. Fantastic. I am HOME!

We decided to split everything and ordered the Gino's salad, mushroom bruschetta (cannot remember the exact name) and bucatini all'amatriciana with a notion of saving room for dessert. Gino's salad came out first. It was a wonderful combination, and yet the peanuts in there kind of took away from the overall taste. Not to knock Gino's tastes, it was just different that I expected (which is my bad).

Next up, the bucatini. The kitchen was nice enough to split the portion and we each dug in. As soon as the first bite hit the tongue, the talking ceased. And nirvana was attained. Mama mia.

The mushroom bruschetta never appeared, and after savoring the salad and pasta honestly wasn't all that missed (not to say that I won't be back to try it later...). So, after overhearing the server sing the praises of the hazelnut gelato at the table next to ours, we went with that for dessert. OH. MY. Love in a sundae glass. I am surprised the hubs and I didn't end up spoon-fencing over the last little bites of gelato. He was quite the gentleman and my new name became Hoover. After basking in the glow of amazing pasta, we decided then and there that we needed to come back to Piazza Italia. We made a reservation for the following evening with our server, and left feeling truly blissful.

Next night, we're back and we manage to nab a window side table. Knowing that we were ordering the bucatini all'amatriciana again, we plotted our second dish. After smelling and hearing of the pesto dish from the night before, we went with that. However, first things first. We started with a caprese salad this time and while the Roma tomatoes weren't in season, the mozzarella and basil were delicious and carried the tomatoes. Okay, on to the main event. Since we ordered two pastas, we had to make a choice when they hit the table. Hubs nabbed the amatriciana and I got the penne with pesto. Not such a bad deal, as it turned out. The pesto was absolutely amazing. We both kept alternating bites between amatriciana and pesto and back, until all the pasta was gone and we moved to Plan B and used the bread to sop up ALL of the sauce. We were clean-plate-clubbers that night! Amazing, amazing stuff.

I want to move to Portland to be near Piazza Italia. That, or move to Rome, and Portland just seems much closer. :)

Small, open room family restaurant with authentic food and Italian speaking waiters. Great place to pick-up orders to go since restaurant is situated amongst downtown condos. Would recommend.

Pros: Atmosphere, food, service

Cons: Small dining room, lunch prices too high

Just wanted to let all of you know that this "owner" fellow you've all spoke of, is anything but. I have it on good authority that Alessandro (the eighty year old man who kicked you out) is not one of the owners and is not under any instructions to kick you out. By his own volition, when he can see that line out of the door, Alessandro opts to tell you to leave. To put it simply, tell him "no." He has no weight there beyond singing happy birthday, giving kisses and dancing. That is what he is payed to do. He is a piece of that restaurant to make people happy, not to cause them any anguish. Also people, you may want to take what he says (at his age) with a grain of salt. Sometimes he throws a fit and doesn't know why but he is the genuine article and I swear he means well. Finally, if you want alternative atmosphere then go to Il Piatto, but I can tell you right now that the pasta there isn't half as good. Yes the Lasagna is bland and probably on the menu for kids who don't want "real" Italian food. Try the seafood!
P.S. Why the hell do you people order salads when you go out to eat? Every salad I've ever had at a restaurant is a disappointment because they get their "Spring Mix" bulk and probably from mexico. Eat your salad at home, then put your grown-up clothes on and go out for a MEAL!

Pros: Good pasta. Great service.

Cons: The management. The accordion player.

We live about 42 miles from Piazza Italia. We go there every other Sunday. We have visited Italy three different times for a total of 9 weeks. We have eaten in large turist areas and small out of the way (no turists) areas and Piazza Italia is the only place that captures most of what we experieced in Italy. Traveling and eating in Italy is differant in differant regions. Since the owners and staff are mostly from Rome, you get the 'Rome' treatment. The food at Piazza Italia is the best you will find in Portland if you want the real thing. Let's face it, Olive Garden and The Spaghetti Factory are 'America food' Resturants.
The only thing American about Piazza Italia is the large portions compared to Italy. Piazza Italia is what it is and I hope it never changes. The people who complain about the service, we have never had bad service, would be in for a heck of a shock in New York at a NY Deli.

Pros: Food, people and atmosphere

Cons: none at all.

I will never go back to this restaurant. I have been to places where they make you feel like they are rushing you out the door but I have never actually been told to leave because they need my table. This happened here.
It was not like we were there 2 hours drinking water after our meal. We had a reservation and were already home an hour an a quarter later. (across town), after being asked to leave because they needed the table. The food is simple and good. I have been to Italy and I would say it is more like street food or from one of the tourist places. I have told all my friends not to go to this place if they want any form of customer service.

Pros: Good Italian wine.

Cons: Service, Ambiance

made reservations for 2 at 7pm thursday yesterday..have been here lots of times know the owners et from costco...brought my niece greeted and seated promptly...had an antipasto..two glasses of wine great bread with wonderful olive oil..we ordered our food and some more wine i got a box to go and ordered a cappucinno...they brought me an americana which i did not order and a cappucino ..then one of the owners came to my table and said you need to leave we need your table...well that was soo rude my niece cud not believe it well there are plenty of fine restaurants in portland and i am sorry but i hope they never do this too another person rude..wont be back friends or not jt

Pros: excellent authentic italian cuisine

Cons: parking

We have eaten here several times in the past and have loved it. Sadly, today was a baaad experience. We were seated quickly, took a few minutes to decide, but ordered relatively quickly. Once we ordered, we waited and waited and waited. The table next to us, seated later, were paying to leave before we ever got our food. We ordered a salad and lasagna to share...yet the people next to us, who arrived after us, were finished before we even got our food, and they each got full meals and appetizers. What took so long?
While we were waiting, we were about ready to pull our hair out. The restaurant was looping the same song, with loud horn sections, and yelling, over and over and over. Finally, after hearing it 6 times, we requested them to please change it!

Finally, our food arrives. The $10 salad was full of wilted, brown rotted lettuce. Something in the salad was so salty we could not eat it without puckering. The lasagna was ok. It was not very flavorful. The waitstaff should have had an easy time noticing how gross the salad was that he brought us. It never should have been served that way. When the lettuce is a dark brown, that is not good.

After waiting such a long time, to get what tasted like a plate of salt was beyond a disappointment. We decided to skip coffee and dessert, as by this point, we had no trust left for what we'd be served. Previously, the wait staff have seemed very attentive and professional. Today they seemed a mess...dropping our silverware off our plates onto the floor when they brought us our food, bringing us drinks that were meant for another table....

Thankfully, the waiter took the salad off the bill. The whole thing was quite a disappointment. I hope this was a one-time thing, but I'm afraid we won't go back.

Pros: usually a nice comfy atmosphere

Cons: unprofessional waitstaff, rotten food

If you want the unhurried casual neighborhood experience of a Rome cafe, this is the place. Great food, good banter with the owners and customers. Fun, boisterous, engaging - always great - ever since they opened . If you are looking for the quiet intimate dinner or having a perfectly choreographed multi-course experience with no attitude, perfectly scheduled with your reservation - pick somewhere else (and you probably won't like Rome either - don't go).

Pros: it's like being in Rome

Cons: it's like being in Rome

The pasta is what you come here for. They have perhaps the best lasagna I've ever had. It just melts in your mouth. The prices are also very reasonable, with the exception of the salads, which are priced almost as much as the pastas and not that good. We also have found much better antipasta at other places. Try to get a table outside as it's pretty crowded and noisy inside.

Pros: Pasta dishes

Cons: Crowded, noisy.

My husband and I have been dining at Piazza Italia since it opened. Every time it is excellent, we have never had a bad meal. The food is just like what we had in Italy, perfect. The servers are gracious and prompt. My husband mispronouced a dish and was served the wrong meal, they replaced it with the correct dish, no questions asked. I highly recommend Piazza Italia for true Italian food.

Pros: Everything

Cons: n/a

My wife and I have been searching for the "taste" of European Italian food. We lived in Europe for 15 years returning to Portland in Oct 03 and have been searching for "real" Italian. Well, here it is! Food to die for with a European flavor, not like the imitation tastes of Portland's Italian chain restaurant (Past....). This is the 2d restaurant (the first was La Dente in Vancouver with a Hungarian cook) we have found in the Portland metro with the "taste". Our son's have confirmed the "taste" and now we all eat here often. If you don't see what you want ask. I love spaghetti aguli e olio con frutti de mare and they had no problem making if for me. Wonderful!

Pros: Great food, table for the night

Cons: A bit too sports bar for the food level

I love this place! It's busy and a little crowded, but feels cozy and festive. You can even catch customers dancing. If you can catch the spaghetti with mussels as the special, order it! It's amazing, but so is everything else. There is a wait, but it's totally worth it. You can make a reservation, which is probably a good idea.

Our server was very friendly and helpful, all of her recommendations were right on. I've heard bad things about the service from friends, but was pleasantly surprised.

Overall, if you want great, authentic, italian food without pretensions, check this place out!

Pros: Fun and tasty

Cons: I can't eat there every day.

We went to this place last night on the recommendation of one of my Italian friends. I wish this place was a good as she said because I was really disappointed. We had reservations for 8:45 and arrived a little early. There was a line waiting for tables which confused me since we had to make reservations. We were waved forward to a super small table wedged between two other very small tables. I couldn't hear my husband talking to me over the conversations at the two tables not more than a foot away from us. It took them 10 minutes to get us a menu and the waiter practically threw it on our table. In the meantime, these 2 women walk in and tell the waiter they have reservations and they get a nice big table without strangers piled on top of them. I told one of the waitresses we had reservations and that I was confused as to why we got such a small table and her reply was that they needed to fill the small tables. What?!?! That makes no sense especially because there were small tables open when they sat the 2 women at the larger table. It took at least 1/2 hour to get a wine list and when our waiter finally came to take our order, not once did he look directly at us but kept looking around the room. He was rude and arrogant in his demeanor and attitude. Our food came out quickly, too quickly after the appetizer. The food was exceptionally good, nice portion size, al dente, hot and tasty. But when I asked to take my leftovers home, the older gentleman there took my plate and gave it to the guy behind the deli counter and I never saw it again. Long story short, if you want good pasta, these guys know pasta. You want to be treated like a lowlife, eat in the restaurant. It sucked.

Pros: Good food

Cons: TERRIBLE servers, crowded, bad attitude, hurried

I "heart" Piazza Italia to my core. The food they put out is an expression of my very being. The fresh pasta, cheeses, meats....Oh my! Get ready to get your grub on if you are planning on eating as this hunble joint, as every single item on this menu will rock your socks off. Literally. The caprese salad is fresh from heaven and Gino's favorite can't I repeat, can not be missed.

What are you waiting for?....Don't forget to bring your best Italian accent.

Pros: Delicious food, delectable wine, gorgous waiters= wonderful life

Cons: You can't try everything in one visit. :(

The service and the food was authentic and fun. Great food and wine. We sat outside on a funny fall day in the middle of the afternoon. So, no rush and lots of sunshine. One of the owner's sons was our server and he was wonderful. Really cared about the food and our experience. Lots of pride in ownership.

Did I mention the great pasta and gelato? We'll be back.

Going to piazza Italia is like going to Italy. the food and the atmosphere make you want to be there permanently. i had the Gino's favorite and it is by far the best pasta dish i have ever had in my life. my guests were pleased and happy and specialy flurting with grandpa Alesandro. great experience and service with generosity. i would come back at any time and everyday if i can.

We had heard a lot about Piazza Italia and were looking forward to eating there. I don't have the time to get into all of the details, but we were very unhappy with the restaurant overall.

? our main dishes arrived 5 minutes after the appetizers were placed.
? the staff began clearing plates before we were even finished with those dishes
? we felt rushed the entire meal, like they just wanted to turn the table over to the next customers

? the menu was unimpressive
? the food was bland and tasted cheap, even though simple dishes were almost $20 each
? we could have had a much, much better meal with an italian cookbook and fresh ingredients - and at half the price!

we will never go back and will certainly not recommend this restaurant to anyone who asks.

Cons: poor service, overpriced mediocre food

We first found Piazza Italia a few years ago when they were closing between lunch and dinner. We didn't realize they were closed and wandered in...true to their Italian heritage they weren't going to let us go hungry so Alesandro made us a sandwich and we sat and ate while they prepped for the evening crowd. We love this place, the food is great (the eggplant parm is to die for) and the owner and staff are friendly and real. It's like going with your Italian grade school friend to her grandma's for Sunday dinner.

Pros: food, service and staff

Cons: didn't find any

We hadn't been in a long time & dropped in for a late lunch, mid week. It was fabulous. Amazing, simple, beautiful food. Great service. Wonderful Italian conversation in the background from patrons and staff alike. I brought my five year old son and he loved it, got to choose his own gelato from the case - with the help of our waiter. Mille grazie & a presto!

Pros: amazing food

Cons: a bit of a wait but worth it.

I do not know what the other reviews encountered at this pathetic whole in the wall in the Pearl. Whoever thinks this is a gem tucked away in the Pearl needs to rethink or rewrite their review! This place is a joke! We ate dinner their evening, if you can even call it that. We waited a half hour for a server to greet or even acknowledge that their were customers waiting at the table. No wine list, nor did she ask us if we wanted anything to drink. The food was undercooked, and the pasta was terrible. After countless efforts to get our orders correct, a short man who seemed as if he has Napoleon's complex came out from the back with his chest all puffed out telling us that he is the owners son, and that this was a "Family establishment" and they do not serve classy people? So now the restaurant discriminates towards their customers? Rather, this guy threatened us further and becaome more aggressive. All we wanted was to have our order correct, rather fully cooked. No attempts to bring resolve or satisfy the customer. Rather we were asked to leave, and not come back. You got that right. Other customers who were waiting decided to leave after watching the interactions of the owner and his behavior. This place needs to take a lesson in customer service, culinary skills, and overall business ethics. Go take a class in all! Rude service...Terrible food...NO CLASS AT ALL!!!

Pros: None

Cons: Everything

What a great italian restaurant tucked away in the Pearl District! We decided to try this place with recommendations from a friend and were pleasantly pleased with everything here. Every day on our trip was cloudy except for our last day which was also the day we decided to go to Piazza Italia. The weather was so nice that we sat on their outside patio which had a quaint and cozy atmosphere. The service was a bit slow and the waiters seemed a bit distracted, but they were pretty busy. The food was great! My fiancee and I shared the caprese salad and pasta al pesto. The portions were a little small to split, but it was perfect for us because we had been eating like pigs the rest of our trip. The pesto sauce on the pasta was definately full of basil which was great because most are just full of oil. We were also looking for a nice clean un-oaked chardonnay and we were brought the tenuto di blasig italian chardonnay which was absolutely perfect. A harmonious balance of ripe fruit and slight butter. We also had the amaretto cheesecake which was lacking on the amaretto flavor, but was still delicous. And the price was pretty resonable especially since we split. We definatly want to go here again!

Pros: great food, wine, atmosphere

Cons: not too much

Piazza Italia is just a couple of blocks from where we live and we've walked by it numerous times without even thinking of stopping. A few weeks ago we decided to give it a try on a Saturday night, but didn't have reservations so couldn't get in. Right away we knew this place was something special. We called the next day to make a reservation and nobody answered the phone, so we popped in and were able to be seated anyway. I wish we had discovered this place a long time ago! The Italian-speaking staff were fun to watch run around taking care of the customers, and really made the experience seem authentic and not stuffy at all. The food was very good and inexpensive. The menu is mostly no-frills pasta dishes, but everything tasted really fresh and expertly prepared. I haven't stopped craving the Linguine Squarciarella since!

Pros: Excellent food, fresh pasta, fun atmosphere

Cons: Reservations recommended most night.

On a weekend get-a-way to Portland, we tried Piazza Italia. For 1/4 of the price we spent at El Gaucho the previous night we had a wonderful meal. Service was excellent, food quality, beyond our expectations. After a day touring the Willamette Valley we were a bit wined out, but the nice Sangeovese by the glass was perfect with our meal. My Bucatini amatriciana was fabulous as was my wife's papadella. Nice warm atmosphere, friendly staff. I'll be back."

From the time we stepped into this restaurant it exuded everything Italian. The lasagna was absolutely incredible. The meatballs are awesome! The service was excellent and it was a great experience. This is a must if living or visiting Portland.

What a gem! Food is amazing, pasta is FRESH and owners are fabulous! This place is very busy and small too but definitely worth the wait!

Pros: Too Many to List

Cons: Parking may be an issue, small dining room, limited space while you're waiting for a table

My husband and I were recommeded to go here by the concierge at our hotel. We are from Seattle and have both been to many authentic Italian restaurants, including several all over Italy. We both had the most amazing dishes: I had the pasta el pesto, and he the lasagna. The server recommended a great chianti and to top it off, the tiramisu was like butter. The entire bill was only $60 including an entire bottle of wine! The food was top notch, the service impeccable, and we can't wait to drive to Portland again just to eat here. If you are looking for a quiet dinner, this isn't the place. It is like being in Italy: loud, but fun! The whole experience was perfect. Everyone I saw eating their cleaned their plate. It is a must go, but make a reservation because it is a small place, but even if you have to wait, it is well worth it!

A lazy Saturday walking around the Pearl, and we came across Piazza Italia. We live close by but not in the Pearl, so we are so happy we discovered it! Here in Portland, the words authentic Italian scare me away, as they usually are not, but this place is. It's not the Florence or Tuscany that most people experience, it is the small towns across Italy that are not concerned with "glamour" and the latest trends. It is small Italian neighborhoods in New York City and Chicago - family, food and fun! The food? Roman? Northern Italian? Who cares, its simple and good and you are transported from Portland to a real city Italian restaurant, not a Bon Appetite photocopy of one. So you have to wait? So it's loud? Gosh some people are spoiled and not much fun!! Go, have a good time, listen to people speak Italian, enjoy the music, and eat some great Italian and Italian American food!!!!!

Pros: Fun, lively, good food, authentic

good looking servers, wonderful staff.
Make reservations in advance they fill up nightly.
Gino's favorite and Goretta's favorite are their yummiest dishes.
And their bread and balsamic are a good filler.
If you want to splurge get the antipasta appetizer plate. Wonderful selections of meats.
I cannot recommend any desserts since after the appetizer plate, the pasta and beer I had not more room for it.

Pros: great food and great service

Cons: Parking at night may be an issue on Fri or Sat

i have been in the states for nearly two years (native italian), and piazza italia has been like a home to me from the first time i came to portland. it is a very real example of a typical italian trattoria; and like any restaurant (of any cuisine) it has its ups and downs regarding service and menu.

but...but...what sets piazza italia apart is the staff and the food. it is not "authentic" italian--it simply is italian. take your american sensibilities and throw them out the window if you want to enjoy your meal! it's a genuine, simple, family restaurant with simple, well-done home cooking. the schettini family doesn't put on an "italian show" for you.

therefore this is NOT the place to come if you want a chic, trendy cuisine or "kiss-your-ass" type service. it is also not a typical pearl district nouveau-fusion eatery--they serve real italian here (straccetti, costini, pesce). the service is what you expect to get at any restaurant in italia, sometimes they allow you to linger, sometimes thay rush you out the door--depends on how busy it is.

the final word is this:

look around you when you are at piazza italia. what you will notice is plenty of italian spoken by native-speakers and many smiling faces. ask any italian (note: not frequent italian vacationer, italian-american, etc.) uprooted to portland and we will tell you that piazza italia is the best in town. perhaps the greatest insight into what piazza italia is like is that most of the customers are regulars; and isn't that really the best reccommendation you can get?

ciao e buon appetito!

Gino, Thanks for the wonderful food, and a great experience. It has been a long time since I have been home (Argentina or Italy) and you gave me a piece of that. The polenta I eat brought me to tears. It was like having my Mother in the kitchen.
Thank you

Pros: everything

Cons: parking, but it is worth it!

Just like a little piece of Italy! Great fun, food and atmosphere. Reminds me of the good old days in Europe, before the rules changed.

Pros: Europian atmosphere

Cons: parking

I tried making reservations at least 3 times early in the week for that Friday. It was very hard to get someone on the phone to talk to me about reservations. First, the lady said they were too busy at the moment and I should call back; I did and they were still too busy so I had to leave my phone number so the manager could call me back. He did and I made my reservation for 8 people that Friday. We arrived on time and had to wait between 30-45 minutes to be seated because there were no available tables to sit us at. We had a wonderful meal, the food was delicious as always and the service was good. What drove me crazy was that we pretty much were asked to leave our table about 1 hour and 15 minutes after we sat down because another party was waiting for our table. One of the owners or servers was literally circling our table like a shark to make sure we were paying the bills fast and leaving.

Pros: The food is delicious and having the servers and owners speak italian makes it incredible. The tiramisu is to die for!

Cons: Horrible for large groups even if you make a reservation. You are expected to pretty much sit down, eat and get out

They really have the speed of service solved. We ordered antipasto, a salad, and a main dish. The antipasto and salad arrived together, then in a few seconds, the main dish was banged on the table. It would have been nice to have had a little eating time between courses. The noise was increased to the pain level by the young lady at the next table shrieking loudly to make her conversation--"OMYGOD"-- heard over the music.

The food was pretty good, but the experience was spoiled by the ambiance. Crank the volume down a few decibels!

Pros: Authentic Italian

Cons: Loud Music!

I really liked the pesto pasta and the tuna sauce on pasta (so real Italian!!)...but I was disappointed to find out the pesto was from Costco...I paid $13 for something I could make myself for $4 max. Overall good food but I can make it at home just as good for much less. The atmosphere is very Italian with soccer shirts hanging on the walls, music and Italian personnel..

Pros: good food if you are lazy to cook it yourself, ambience, service

Cons: parking

this place had such a good feeling during my visit. i knew its authenticity when everyone who worked there was italian. our dinner came very fast within 10 minutes of ordering at the most.
the whole time felt very comfortable and the dinner was delicious! along with my italian soda. my favorite part was the refils on my olive oil and balsalmic vinegar!!! that really topped it off!
i defently will be a repeat customer!!!!!!!!

This place is very friendly and service is now swift until 7:30 at least. Antipasto and tiramisu are very good. The sauces are about average, and pasta is much further undercooked than in Italy, Slovenia, France, Switzerland, etc. Sure, that's fashionable now, but ask them to add another minute or two if you don't want it to bounce your fork. The wine list should include all by-the-glass choices available, though none are very good value, nor are the bottles these days.
In spite of these carps it's likely to be a nice enough visit if you've never visited Italian cafes outside the big cities of the U.S. or Italy and are out for a cheery interlude.

The ambience here is authentic of a true Italian trattoria. Their menu is small and simple, but their food is delicious. Try Gino's Favorite or the Arrabiata. They have a great wine selection too! The service is typical Italian too, so don't expect service to be fast or to be seated on time for your reservation - instead enjoy the atmosphere and have a glass of wine!

Pros: atmoshphere, food, wine

Cons: parking

This is a true italian tratoria. As a true italian i recommend this place to every person i meet. although i have had better italian food, the atmosphere is unbeatable!

My husband and I frequent this restaurant all the time. Have never had a bad dish yet. I like that they don't rush you, just like in Italy. It is nice to slow down now and then. I only had one mixup with an order, but what we received was still good.

This is as close to a real Italian joint that you'll find for hundreds of miles. This place is a total sensory experience. The music, noise level, language spoken, the food, the hustle & bustle, even the attitude! They were still playing back the recent world cup victory as we dined. Great classic Roman offerings here. Lasagna, Pasta Bolognese, Antipasta, Minestrone, Veal Shank you'll find them all here as well as a few surprises such as Roasted Rabbit. Large portions are the norm, so bring your appetite. Don't miss the Tiramisu... I know it's been overdone, but this one is exceptional. Almost exclusive Italian wines on the list, priced moderately to encourage consumption. Make reservations because this place is small and busy!

Pros: An Authentic Experience Awaits

Cons: Parking Might Be Tough

Piazza Italia's food reminded us very much of our recent trip to Italy, specifically Rome fare.
We've been twice and both times thrilled with the food - the penne in red sauce w/pepper flakes is so good, as was the pasta with creamsauce, mushrooms, peas and sausage...Caprese salad is great as are their selections of beer and wine.
Expect slow service - because in Italy that is how it is supposed to be. Although our first visit we were a bit too slow and the waiter did shoo us out of there. No big deal, we'd been thier almost 3 hours.
But we went Sat before the world cup and the staff was very excited for their upcoming victory.
Needless to say we ended the wonderful meal with excellent gelato and coffee.
Wonderful meal, you can't go wrong.

Pros: excellent food

Cons: parking, don't go if you ar ein a rush

I am an east coast Italian that has been searching for real Italian food since moving to PDX. Piazza Italia is fantastic. This is authentic italian cusine the way it is supposed to be. No american comercial immitation here... this is the real dea. The linguine and eggs is a family favorite and Piazza Italia does it perfectly.Piazza Italia IS Italian food!

Pros: REAL Italian food!!!

Cons: limited seating

This place has the best Italian food in the city, hands down. This is the most fresh and delicious authentic Italian food in Portland, and this notion is reinforced by the fact that the wait staff and cooks converse in Italian. This is the place to go for true Italian food and to feel welcomed and valued as a customer.

Pros: Food, Service, Atmosphere

Cons: Small

My wife and I love to eat here, so much that we held our wedding rehearsal dinner here. A typical reaction from one of our out-of-town guests was, "I'll never be able to eat at {previously favorite Italian restaurant} again!" The food is terrific (especially the squarciarella!), mostly in the Italian comfort food vein. And the atmosphere is always highly convivial -- the staff always make me feel like I'm home with family when I'm here, which is odd, since I'm not Italian. The place is usually packed, so don't bring a large group unless you've called ahead. I've never understood the people who get uptight about the service in this place. I find the servers to be extremely warm and helpful, and if they're not the fastest people in the world, so be it. The food and atmosphere never give me a reason to think about anything else.

Pros: Wonderful pasta, Great atmosphere, Tasty gelato

Cons: Often busy

Having spent a year in Italy including several months in Florence and months traveling throughout the entire country, I can say that this place is very similar to tourist destination restaurants, particularly those in Venice. And what do these places have in common? Plenty of tourists, but no locals. Piazza Italia puts on a good show for Americans looking for a typical "Italian" experience, but there's no substance and among the most wretched service I've experienced at Portland restaurants.

Pros: decent gelato, ok clams & linguine

Cons: poor service, noisy, fa schifo

This place is quaint and the people wonderful! Its so nice to find true Italian. It doesn't matter what those others may say about this and that...Italians know good food. The caprese was delicious and the gelato divine! I was also snatched from my chair to dance with the sweet older gentleman owner. I was smiling the entire time I was there!

Pros: great food, great staff, great vibe

Cons: parking

The food here is great but the service is sluggish to the point of vexation.

My husband ordered a glass of wine and watched it sit at the bar for 20 minutes.... our waiter was not busy with only three other tables, but the soccer game did seem to have his attention.

Then we ordered 2 plates of pasta and a salad and waited an inordinate amount of time before the waiter brought us a lasagna by mistake. "My compliments" he said while he went to make the plate of pasta we had actually ordered (took 5 minutes) "take it to go", he laughed about the lasagna... which we thought very accomodating in exchange for the wait.

But the bill came and he charged us for the lasagna?

We just returned from Italy- Piazza Italia reminded me of how far we are from Italian service.