Iorio

I tell people all the time how much I enjoy this place and I haven’t written a review yet? For shame.
Iorio is a great find. Everything we’ve ever tried here has been delicious. One of my favorite dishes is the chicken with roasted vegetable risotto. Super flavorful risotto and the chicken is always juicy. Their pasta dishes are also wonderful — fresh-​made pasta is so much better. On one recent visit, we got their before happy hour ended and asked if we could get an order of fries (we saw some on someone else’s burger plate) and the waitress said she’s see what they could do. What they did is make a plate of the best homemade fries ever. Fresh cut from a ginormous potato — the largest fry was about 8 inches long. Delicious and not greasy at all. Their beet salad is also great.
Not a large restaurant so make reservations if you want to get a table without a wait. This is a great neighborhood gem that I wish was closer to me.

One of my many guilt-​ridden Caviar orders.
I ordered the butter lettuce salad with Gorgonzola, onion straws, and lemon olive oil vinaigrette, and a wild mushroom pizza.
Salad: 5 stars. There was a perfect distribution of Gorgonzola and onions on each leaf and I had the dressing on the side so it wasn’t soggy when it got to me. I just drizzled it with dressing and rolled up each leaf and ate it by hand. I’m a savage, I know. I will just order two of these salads next time.
Pizza: 3 stars max. Pizza wasn’t anything special compared to most higher end pizza joint. Maybe I’m just spoiled by the one guy’s artisan pizza.
Yep, just going for salads next time!

Nice environment, good service and tasty food all three times I’ve visited. I find the portions to be on the smaller side for the price, compared to many other Italian places in the area, however the
meals are still filling. It’s a cute spot for a date night, or with friends though it is on the smaller side.

Iorio didn’t live up to its hype for me. The ambience and service were good for a classy Italian restaurant. Where it fell short was the food side of the equation. The portion sizes were ample but the taste was quite average (We tried ragout of lamb and fresine with sausage). For a place like Portland which has much better and often less expensive Italian options, I can’t justify spending 20 – 25 bucks for eating here.
That said, if you are looking for a place with warm ambience & good service for a date night and don’t really mind the average food taste, Iorio can be a reasonable option which puts it at a 3 out of 5 in my books.

I visited twice within a two week period. During the first visit, a friend and I had great service. The Eggplant Parmesan I had, though, was… well, I was full after eating some of it, so that’s important.
For my second visit, my Vegetable Lasagna he no taste other than salt. However, because this and the eggplant dish above are gluten-​free, I’ll forgive A LOT. Unfortunately, though, the service during my second visit was atrocious. Each time I said «thank you» after being brought something my waitress had turned away before I got to, «you.» — And the restaurant was not overwhelmed with customers.
I sincerely hope others have a wonderful dining experience at Iorio and I hope my meals were the exception that prove the rule. For my part, though, I won’t be back.

Delicious food, great wine, & awesome staff with an incredible owner. What else can you ask for?! Def coming back to this place again

Party of 8
Fabulous staff!!!
All of our dishes were top notch, but the staff took it from four stars to five!

Love the food. We’ve been to Iorio many times with family and friends. The food is great with many gluten free options. It’s one of the first places we think of for large groups. Of course it is recommended to make reservations. The dishes are a great value and Chris makes it a point to provide fresh-​housemade pastas and pizzas, along with the desserts. We always get a pizza to start. Our favorite is the simple mozzarella pizza. The calamari is wonderful too.
Kids love the pasta menu, spaghetti and homemade meatballs. Of course, there is a regular kids menu as well. For entrees, I recommend the ragout of lamb (definitely very savory), roasted pork shoulder, and rib eye. I also recommend the Iorio dessert platter for larger groups to share and sample.

Really disappointed with our meal here. The ambience was great and romantic. Great date place. But the food was really lacking in flavor combinations. It’s almost like they were trying too hard. I had the braided pork which was done well, but it was paired with parsnips and sweet potatoes and was basically like a stew but without the liquid. I was served a honking pile of meat and potatoes, all mixed together, with a balsamic glaze around the edges. The flavors did not blend well!
My date had the lamb ragout which is one of the most popular dishes according to our server and again, the lamb and tomato base with the pasta was not a good flavor combination.
This was our most expensive meal in Portland and the least enjoyable. I really wish we had a better experience!

My Partner-​In-​Dine (PID) and I ate here late October 2015. We were both incredibly happy with our dinners.
I had the Casarecci Pasta and Clams. HOLY MOLY I was THRILLED!!! The pasta was perfectly cooked, the spicy garlic cream sauce was REAL cream in a realistic yet, totally filling portion. The asparagus was perfectly cooked lightly in butter. I could have died happy at this point. The bread made me very happy, too.
My PID and I shared a truly enjoyable Ceasar Salad. She had their Meatloaf with seasonal vegetables. The meatloaf was the perfect density and friggin’ HUGE portions. There were two slices of meatloaf on her plate. I hesitate to call them «slices» because each of them were a full inch thick and 3 – 4 inches long. Presented really very pretty. The vegetables were a sauteed mix of squashes that were lightly but, pleasantly, seasoned. My PID could not eat it all and took the remainder home with her.
We were both absolutely certain we would return.
The service was spot on. Friendly, and attentive. I truly never had an empty glass of water and seriously have no idea how she snuck in and filled it several times without me being aware. I mean my PID and I were in constant conversation but, I usually notice my water being filled. Not this time.
We both felt very welcomed and totally pleased with our food and friendly service.

Wow. This place is incredible! Some of the best Italian food I’ve had! Came in to grab a small bite to eat with my friend — we weren’t too hungry but didn’t want to skip a meal so we decided to split something here after reading the awesome reviews!
We asked the waiter — who was GREAT the entire night — for some recs. We ended up choosing a caprese salad as a starter and the lamb ragu pasta for the entrée. Everything was so delicious and fresh. Pasta was perfectly cooked and the lamb ragu was flavorful and not too heavy. They even split the portions into two dishes without us having to ask! Outstanding service and quality of food. Would definitely recommend and come back again!

The food was good (not as amazing as I had expected) and the portions were decently sized. Our waiter was very knowledgeable (I have Celiac disease) about which gluten free items were safe for me. He was professional and available, unfortunately not very personable. The highlight was the Gluten Free donuts (fried in a dedicated fryer) yummy, the first time in over 5 years that I have had fresh, hot donuts!
Overall a place I would return to and recommend as long as exceptional food is not expected.

My wife and I tried to get a table at this place. We showed up at 8:27PM today. The server came up with an apologetic smile and informed us that the kitchen was closed. So if you want to close your restaurant down a half hour before your posted closing time, just be honest and change your hours to reflect your practices.
I obviously can’t speak to the food, ambience, etc. because they wouldn’t seat us.

Yep, I’m a fan. I was disappointed with the «best calamari in Portland» (as decided upon by The Oregonian… according to the menu) but some of their other foods definitely left me wanting more.
I had the ravioli of the day and also tasted the kale and clam pasta. Both were excellent. If you love pasta, I think you’ll love it here. I’m not the biggest pasta fan so I’m looking forward to trying some of their less-​carby dishes. They have plenty of salads, sides and pasta-​free entrees to choose from so if you’re allergic to gluten or wheat, you might be okay here.
Cocktails were well done too. I would recommend the Limoncello cocktail if it’s available.
Street parking available, we found a spot right in front of the restaurant.

I’ve been here a couple of times in the past so this is based on my overall experience.
The beet salad is the best in PDX. Get that!
I also had the Eggplant Parmesan~This was very tasty but could of used just a bit more sauce, it kinda dried out at the end.
I also tried the Pasta with meatballs~ This was the best dish so far, the meatballs were perfectly season and the texture was on point as well.
I also tried the lasagna~ This was a little on the salty side for my taste.
Service as well as the live entertainment (Spanish Guitarist) all great !
Wonderful experience here and really I enjoyed my friends and food.
Can’t go wrong with this place.
Make reservations.

This may not be a fair rating to some folks — but this is personal opinion — so y’all will have to deal with it or take your time to understand it.
I enjoy Americanized Italian food. Not low quality junk like Olive Garden but basic fettucini alfredo and whatnot is my cup of tea. I was craving Italian food on the way home from Portland (to Seattle) and Unilocal reviews helped pick Iorio. The place is small and quaint. We were quickly seated by the window. There was one large party there and a guy with a guitar strumming beautifully in the background. The service was pleasant and the atmosphere was great. The food however wasn’t my cup of tea.
Perhaps it’s «too authentic» of Italian food for my pallet and taste buds. We started off with the calamari. It was a bit on the bland side, nicely breaded and not chewy but didn’t taste much like calamari. The dipping sauces were mediocre.
I had a pasta dish that was coated in parmesean cheese. Overly cheesed. Due to it being so cheesed up it was too salty. My girlfriend had the ravioli and it too was overly sauced and cheesed. We also shared some gnochhi that was over cheesed as well. Nothing hit the spot, it was over all too salty. Albiet, the noodles were cooked to perfection but the flavors wasn’t what I was looking for and it was just overly everything but good.
Another note is that because everything is made fresh to order, do not come here if you’re looking for a quick bite to eat or in a hurry. From sit down to check out took roughly two hours despite us being the second table there. While eating the restaurant did fill up rather quickly with mainly large parties so I’m sure the food must be good — just not my style of Italian.

Fork in the Road? Take both!
Remember when there used to be those nice family Italian restaurants around, and one by one they went away? Then Italian food in Portland became kind of a joke. Well, it’s coming back, and Iorio’s got the goods.
While on the higher end and more upscale, this cozy little nook knocks up some fine plates, so cleanse that palate, and get ready. I chose the Eggplant Parmesan, a gracious and loyal standard on most Italian menus, however it can be really really good or really really bad. They were right on the money here. Crispy outside while not overly breaded, and a soft delicate inside that soaked up the beautiful marinara… or «gravy» as Tony Soprano might say! We ordered a nice foccacia bread as well, served with some butternut squash spread that I will not soon forget. Silky, smooth, and very comforting.
4 stars from me means cleanliness was impeccable, including the restrooms.
Negatives? After 256 reviews before me, you know there aren’t many. I do feel that value wise, things could be a bit better. The entrée should come with a side of fresh pasta, which is pretty standard and helps fill out the dish. Portions aren’t large, so for the price, this could be easily included.
Overall this is just a fine place to go for a nice dinner, especially a date, or with a few friends enjoying a little ‘La Dolce Vita’. For a nice added touch, you can bring your own bottle of wine, comes with a very fair uncorking fee. So, that’s all folks. Grab a wine, polish your fork, get that napkin in your lap, and settle in for a night to make a memory. Next time I’m ordering some gnocchi and nobody will stop me!

The Calamari for appetizers were really, really good crispy and flavor-​full. I had the slow roasted pork. Tender and juicy it was. Paired well with the crispy polenta. My friends had the Casareci pasta, which was also delicious, and the lamb ragout, done perfectly.
The dessert was a bit of a letdown. The cannoli was dry and bland. And I’ve had many better affogatos.
Food was really good though. Plus they’ve a good drinks menu, including limoncello and grappa.

Wow, Iorio is my new favorite Portland restaurant!
From the quality and flavor of the food to the attentiveness of detail by the chef and server, we were so impressed!
Confession:
We didn’t actually eat in, because the time we wanted to eat didn’t coincide with an available table. When I called, the server was very upfront with me, which I appreciated; there was bar seating or a table by the door, which would be, as she put it, drafty. I love honesty! We ordered our food to go, and WOW am I glad we did!
Every single dish we ordered, including the salad (with individual containers of dressing) was carefully organized, (the containers were all lined with aluminum foil — such attention to detail!), and labeled, as well as beautifully presented!
Our server left the salad out of the main food bag because she wanted to make sure it wouldn’t become wilted from the heat from our main courses! Such attentiveness! We Even our flourless chocolate cake, which comes with vanilla gelato was organized and labeled! Most restaurants would just have omitted the frozen part of the dessert, but not Iorio!
I love that I had a divine eggplant parmesan (something that is near-​to-​impossible to find in Portland!) and that it was Gluten-​Free. The texture, flavor, and deliciousness was amazing!
My partner had the pork shoulder, which came with polenta triangles: Very delicious!!!
Lastly, we had the flourless chocolate cake with vanilla gelato. Small, but perfectly-​sized after the very filling entrees (which were generously-​portioned).
They have gluten-​free and vegetarian options, which is awesome.
The atmosphere looks very cozy and intimate, with warmly decorated walls and lighting (something I really appreciate), and I can’t wait to go back and eat in next time!
We will definitely be back! And, I highly, highly recommend Iorio. It’s foodie comfort food for the soul!

My wife and I went there with another couple who are very close friends of ours, Ruth and Steve. They just celebrated their wedding anniversary and we did too as well as Ruth’s birthday was in the same month. So we decided to get together and celebrate three great events.
We had reservations at 7:00 and when we arrived we were seated promptly. Our waiter came by and started telling us about the daily specials. When he described the food his passion and love of the food was apparent in his description of the food. I stopped him and told him that is probably one of the best renditions of food menu that I have heard. He stated he was the owner Chris. I told him that’s awesome to see the business owner so proud and passionate about what they create and serve.
As he continued his description of all the food our friend Ruth was all starry eyed and we could tell had quickly developed a crush on Chris. Hilarious!
We started with the Margherita pizza and Chris brought us an amazing Caprese salad with tomatoes grown in his backyard and hand pulled mozzarella. Yum! Next was «Casarecci pasta and clams» Manila clams with kale in a spicy garlic cream sauce; «Ragout of lamb» slow roasted leg of lamb with savory tomato and olive pasta; hand made ravioli and broiled wild caught salmon with potatoes. We ate family style so all of us got to try all the dishes. Fantastic!
All the pasta is made in house fresh too. We ended the meal with Chris bringing us a sampler of all the desserts they had which is also made in house! They get 5 stars cause the whole experience was great. Food; ambience and especially the service was awesome!
Just dined there again and it was fantastic and even better than the last time.