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Portola Bistro, Portola Valley, CA

Portola Bistro

4.2
4.2
36 Reviews
$30 and under
European

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 14 times today
  • Neighborhood gem
  • Great for outdoor dining
  • Good for special occasions
Portola Bistro is a vibrant new dining destination offering a blend of European flavors with an emphasis on French, Italian, and Mediterranean-inspired cuisine with a California flair. The restaurant features a warm and inviting atmosphere, an indoor space, heated patio, and bar, and wood-fired pizza oven. With a carefully crafted menu, Portola Bistro is poised to become the go-to spot for memorable dining experiences in Portola Valley.

The restaurateurs are well-loved for their other popular Bay Area restaurant—Barbayani Taverna in Los Altos.

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    European
  • Hours of operation
    Mon–Thu, Sun 5:00 pm–9:00 pm Daily 11:30 am–2:30 pm Fri, Sat 5:00 pm–9:30 pm
  • Phone number
    (650) 800-7248
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress

What 36 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.2
4.2 based on recent ratings
  • 4.2Food
  • 4.1Service
  • 4.3Ambience
  • 3.8Value

NoiseModerate

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Portola Bistro is a delightful addition to the neighborhood, praised for its "amazing" risotto and "fantastic" service. The menu offers a well-balanced selection, including standout dishes like lamb ragu and beet salad. The ambiance is welcoming, making it a "new favorite" among diners. Some minor service and noise issues are noted, but overall, it's a promising spot for quality dining experiences.

36 Reviews
  1. Michael

    VIP

    San Francisco

    5 reviews

    4.0

    5 reviews

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    Lamb chops and lobster raviolis were good. Pizzas were okay. Service was good. Restaurant was nice inside.

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  2. Caroline

    VIP

    San Francisco

    1 review

    2.0

    1 review

    Dined on December 13, 2024

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 1
    Trying to be fairly fine dining. Staff not trained to that level. Venue definitely not: very bright white with unattractive battery LED lamps on each table. Odd location opposite grocery store. Previously was more casual family fare which was much better suited to space

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  3. Linda

    San Francisco

    5 reviews

    4.0

    5 reviews

    Dined on December 12, 2024

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Our waiter Max was terrific. My eggs royale were excellent. My guest had the beet salad and the roasted Brussels sprouts. I sampled a few of them, and we both agreed the sprouts were nice and crispy and cooked just long enough to be tender and neither too hard nor mushy. This is my second visit to Portola Bistro. My guest is from San Francisco so it was her first visit. Our only complaint is the NOISE! It’s almost impossible to carry on a conversation when the dining room is filled.

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  4. alan

    VIP

    Hawaii

    11 reviews

    4.0

    11 reviews

    Dined on December 9, 2024

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 4
    It was lunch. Nice not noisy conversation perfect. Drink and meal service a bit slow. Suspect kitchen slow. Had a burger.

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  5. Rosemarie

    San Francisco

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on November 29, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Food & service were excellent! Beet salad was especially amazing. Beautiful presentation & flavorful selections. Our waiter was exceptional! Definitely will return.

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  6. art

    VIP

    San Francisco

    17 reviews

    4.0

    17 reviews

    Dined on November 23, 2024

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Very good food, excellent service, but the noise level was deafening.

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  7. Amy

    Hawaii

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on November 22, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    Second time testing this anchor to the Ladera scene. The pappardelle with lamb ragu is excellent —enjoy the mushrooms and the surprise olives. The pizza is outstanding. Served piping hot but not burned, this is thin-crust pizza at its best. More ingredients on top than a true Napolitan pizza but an excellent compromise between Italian sensibilities and Silicon Valley taste buds.

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  8. Kathryn

    Hawaii

    2 reviews

    3.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on November 17, 2024

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 3
    The food was very good at Portola Bistro, and had the service been better our review would have focused more on what we ate. We were seated for a long time before anyone visited our table to check on us or take our orders. The meal came relatively quickly, which was nice, but once our plates were cleared, we waited again and eventually decided against dessert. There seems to be a staffing or training issue, but weʻll likely try it again, hoping for better service to go with the food.

    1 person found this helpful

  9. Catherine Giurlani

    VIP

    San Francisco

    13 reviews

    3.0

    13 reviews

    Dined on November 17, 2024

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    We were excited to try Portola Bistro as we loved the previous restaurant and looked forward to seeing something new. We were initially disappointed upon arrival in that they do not have their full bar liquor license yet, only beer and wine, which we didn't know at the time we made the reservation. We had been looking forward to relaxing and enjoying a cocktail before dinner but were told it will be *2-4 months* before they get full licensing. We started with the "roasted" beet salad which was very good, lots of great flavor however a bit disappointing as it was mainly lots of arugula (and even a little goes a long way, flavor-wise), and not much of very thinly sliced beets that only rimmed the plate. Our main course was the Quattro Stagioni pizza which was also very good, bit soggy towards the middle but the taste was good. All in all we did enjoy the restaurant, I know they have just opened so things are new. There are many things on the menu that we'd like to try so we will definitely go again in a couple of months and hopefully it will be on our go-to list of favorite restaurants!

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  10. Kevin

    Salt Lake City

    1 review

    2.0

    1 review

    Dined on November 13, 2024

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 3
    French onion soup was the worst from an awful broth and limited presence of onions to the quantity of bread and cheese that was not Gruyère. Calamari was soggy. Schiacciata Pizza had fresh ingredients and crust was fine and the sea bream just okay. The purported “Vibrant Bar Seating” must have referred to vibrant lighting since they could only serve beer and wine. Disappointing. Party of five not rushing back.

    1 person found this helpful

FAQs

Portola Bistro is rated 4.2 stars by 36 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 14 times today
Google Map for Portola Bistro

3130 Alpine Rd, Portola Valley, CA 94028-7549

Additional information

  • Neighborhood
    Portola Valley
  • Hours of operation
    Mon–Thu, Sun 5:00 pm–9:00 pm Daily 11:30 am–2:30 pm Fri, Sat 5:00 pm–9:30 pm
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    European
  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Parking details
    Public Lot
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