Portinos

I have always enjoyed the meals here but last night all that changed. I ordered chicken parmigiano as I have several times in the past. It’s always been amazing, a large juicy chicken breast with yummy spaghetti so I was really looking forward to my dinner last night. I get home, my mouth is watering if you know what I mean, I open the container only to find 3 small pre made breaded chicken patties then to make it even worse, they were so tough that trying to cut one with the plastic fork ended up breaking the fork. I ended up washing the other two pieces off and feeding them to my dogs. I probably won’t go back, why pay 17.00 with tax to get 3 little pre made patties, I can do that at home for alot less.

I hate to speak ill of a neighbor. But, when the neighbor is is insensitive to his customer’s needs and is a stubborn in making sure that the customer is wrong, that owner is putting his business at risk and it is his own damned fault.
My wife and I have lived in Valley Center or 12 years. It is a community with few restaurants, and only one serving pizza that pretends to any quality. The food served at Portino’s is erratically prepared, and frequently not very good. Further, the restaurant recently changed hands, or at least the chef left for other opportunities; and, the result has been a stark decline in the quality of the food served.
The service is another story. Valley Center is a small town and work force is manly kids. Some have been there for a while; but, even under the former administration, they were ill trained, slow, even if they were friendly and tried hard to please.
Most of the time, my wife and I order pizza to go, which appears to be the bulk of Portino’s business. The truth be told, it is rare that more than one or two tables in the main dining space store are occupied, and it has been months since I have seen anyone sitting in the space just inside the door. Always, the pizza is a crap shoot, but there are no other options in Valley Center.
Tonight was the last straw. My wife and I decided to order a «spinach pie,» which was one of the specialties from the former administration, and still is listed on the online menu, to which we referred before calling to order. My wife spoke to «Mike» who later was discovered to be the manager. She ordered a spinach pie and I left to pick it up.
When I presented myself at the counter, the manager Mike spoke to me an gave me a look, when I told him that I ordered a spinach pie. His reaction led me to open the box to inspect the pizza. It was not the «spinach pie» that my wife and I had ordered, but a cheese pizza with spinach thrown on. I told him it was not what I ordered or wanted. Instead of making some attempt to make it right, he chose the worst possible course, to make the customer wrong. Everyone makes mistakes, which can only be made worse by denial. Mike made it worse.
With my money in his hand, he muttered that he had asked the caller, my wife, if she wanted a «spinach pizza,» twice, apparently thinking that disposed of the matter. I argued that it was not what I ordered and not what I wanted. No matter what i said, he would relent an kept his fist around the money like a vice.
I left and, when I arrived at home, my wife went to the web site again to assure herself that we were not crazy, and confirmed the «spinach pie» with mushrooms, spinach, feta, and fresh tomatoes was on the menu.
She called and asked for the manager, who turned out to be the Mike I met and spoke with. My wife attempted to discuss the matter with him; but, again, he made no attempt to resolve the matter, insisting that the order was incorrect and not his fault.
I run a business myself, and this is a tragedy. Any business owner that allows staff to have discretion to deal with customers must take the time and make the effort to have the employee think and act like a marketer, and to treat the customer for the gold they are. Instead, this owner, who may be this «Mike» or some absentee, did not think that necessary.
The result is that Portno’s has not just lost me as a customer. He or she will learn another lesson that an unhappy customer is one thing, if the problem is nipped in the bud. But, left unattended, everyone the customer talks to about pizza or Italian food or looks on Unilocal for directions will see this.

Outstanding restaurant for healthy high-​quality Italian food.
The chili is amazing!
I’ve never had anything but delicious meals and the people who work there do all they can to make your dining experience one to remember.
If you eat here you will come back and that’s what every diner wants.

Seriously blown away by this place. Out in the middle of nowhere. All handmade sauces. Meat ravioli, meat lasagna and baked wings were fantastic!

Ok. Seen this place for years. Decided to try it. Wasn’t too busy. 4 tables were occupied. Some guy at the front counter was on the phone. Didn’t even get a acknowledgment we were there. Looks like there was only one waitress. She acknowledged us about 3 – 5 minutes waiting. Then another couple minutes went by. I sat in a chair by the door waiting our turn. My timing was wrong. Anther group walked up to the counter and immediately were seated by the waitress. Um. I believe we were there first and waited for a good 8 – 10 minutes. When I immediately jumped up and asked her she asked where I would like seated.
Once seated we were once again ignored. When she took our drink order we waited for quite a while and I told my wife we should just go. She said we are here and to wait and see what happens.
Finally a waiter came by and asked what we wanted to drink and I informed him she already took our drink order.
He came back a few minutes later and said she forgot what we ordered.
Ok. Ordered drinks. Ordered salad. Ordered bread sticks. Ordered pizza.
Got drinks. Correct. Wife’s salad came out. Correct. Bread sticks. Correct. Waiter said they didn’t have plates so he gave us napkins. That was ok. Few minutes later got my salad and extra plates for sharing my salad with our kids.
Pizza came out almost immediately after getting my salad. He asked us to recycle our salad plates because they still didn’t have any clean plates.
Salad was good. The fresh Bread sticks were great but they mixed in 2 old and cold ones that were hard. I don’t understand that one. Pizza was delicious.
You decide for yourself. Good food bad service doesn’t work for me.

Even though we like to support our local businesses, we have given up on Portinos.
Twice in the past year they have lost our pick up order. When we call in we ask for well done crust and they only got it right one time.
They can not seem to figure out how to get the crust done in the center and it is all soggy and gewy.

Loved the vibe and the friendly service most of all. The Sangiovese was yummy and well priced… as was the Italian beer my friend drank. My ½ cheese lasagna combo with 3 lasagna was enough to take home for lunch tomorrow!!! Piping hot and super cheesy… yummy marinara sauce! Our salads were generously sized and the white balsamic was tasty. Both of our buddies ordered pizza, which one reported was not very flavorful. However, I had a bite and found the sauce perfectly garlicky!

I went to Portinos while at a conference in So Cal. I will say that I was extremely impressed with the food.
I ordered a hamburger. The taste and texture was not something of a frozen patty going on a flat grill. The meat was actually put through a grinder and made fresh. Very impressive. The outcome was something would almost be on the level of a Hodad’s burger!
My friend ordered the cheese pizza. Being at Italian kid from Long Island, I had to have a taste of this. I might even dare say it could be my favorite pizza since moving out West. The cheese tasted fresh and not from a Kraft bag of shredded cheese. The crust and dough were cooked to perfection.
MyeKah (sp?) was on point with service and wish more staff worked like he did.
My only complaint is that Portino’s is not closer to me. No points docked for that — just forces me to be in the San Diego area more often!
HIGHLY recommended!

I love good food and everything they make is good! I have an office near Portinos and often get lunch/​dinner here. Sometimes it is fast, sometimes really slow but always Super Good. Maybe the Best Italian food I have ever had.

The food is usually delicious but the prices for the pizza are a bit high and their service is generally mediocre.

I went to Portino’s to meet a friend for lunch about a year ago and have been going back ever since. This place has great home-​cooked food and great service!
I usually get the Portino’s special salad, which is packed with a lot of taste and big chunks of chicken breast cooked fresh. That is what I like best. You will not go away hungry and it is delicious. I tend to get the same thing every time but Ashley, who usually is my waitress always recommends something I enjoy.

Wanting a break from the casino down the street, we looked for a pizza place. It’s slim pickings out here, but I’m glad we chose Portino’s. We had a simple meal of salads and pepperoni pizza. The pizza was thin crust with fresh ingredients. Our service was excellent as well (thanks, Britney!). Have a cannoli! It was delicious!

Came in for lunch with a friend who had recommended this diamond in the rough. I had eaten some leftover lasagna from Portino’s before and was very impressed.
The ambience is very family oriented, kind of like walking into my Italian grandma’s living room. Small, intimate eating area is perfect for a smaller party of diners.
We started with a Capreze with fresh local heirloom tomatoes. The mozzarella was delicious. Very good simple starter.
My friend ordered a daily special lobster ravioli. I was very impressed with the consistency of the sauce and very generous amount of lobster used. As most lobster ravioli I have seen have had runny sauce, very little lobster not only in the ravioli but in the dish period, this was very pleasant to see!
I ordered another daily special: Tenderloin steak with portabello mushrooms in a reduction on top of a bed of hand made noodles. The Al dente style went very well with the sauce and offered a change in texture from the steak which was very nice.
I typically use some sort of side sauce any time I order steaks but needed none for this, which is saying something.
The made in house cheesecake was delicious as well! At the temperature it comes out it’s almost like an ice cream cheesecake!
One thing I really appreciated was Frank, the head chef coming out to explain in depth what any item of interest was and how it would be prepared. Anyone that has a passion for what they do is what keeps me coming back to a place. And he clearly does. Highly recommended!

I rank the Portinos Sausage and Garlic pizza as one of the TEN BEST pies in San Diego.
The inside of this place is about what you’d expect out of a nicer sit down restaurant in this farming (casino) community. The menu has a wide range of offerings, but if you’re adventurous you can ask the chef what the nightly specialties are. It could be freshly made pasta, or a special protein. My experience is that you cannot go wrong with the sausage and garlic pizza (award winning according to their menu).
Another new find is their Macaroni and Cheese (½ order). Also recommended is anything with their pasta sauce. Breadsticks are also provided and smell incredible when you walk through the front door.
Check this place out before/​after your visit to the one of the area’s casinos.
— Menus are no longer sticky
— I wouldn’t wait 45 minutes for their Chicago style pizza.

I always get the Mac n Cheese. Very tasty. The salad is good with the creamy Romano dressing, but please chill the lettuce.

Surprisingly awesome meal! Was told the place was less than great by many locals but I had lasagna and it was perfectly cooked! Great taste and quality ingredients. Give it another get shot if you’ve been disappointed in the past, Leopards sometime change their spots!

Portinos has become my family’s favorite local spot in town that is closeby and has pretty decent food. I am not a big fan of diners or of places that claim to be «authentic» yet carry a million things on the menu, but it came as a surprise that Portinos is different from your typical mom & pops restaurant. I can’t say Valley Center is the host of some of the best restaurants I’ve ever been to, but Portinos really holds up well on its own and it doesn’t get as much credit as it deserves. The breadsticks here are always served hot and freshly prepared, and they’re not stingy like other places about bringing out more bread to the table.
The lobster bisque is also very good with big chunks of tender lobster, and to be honest my first thought was that it had been a recycled Campbell’s soup, but upon trying it, I realized my initial predicament was wrong. In addition, I ordered their house salad with dried cherries, candied walnuts, cheese and chicken and was pleasantly surprised that it was a very good portion, lettuce was fresh and the salad was quite good. Their gelato is also great as well, I have tried the cinnamon, vanilla and piña colada, and the latter is my favorite, carrying little pieces of pineapple and infused with the mild taste of vanilla and coconut. I’ve been to Portinos twice now and my experience with them has always been positive, the waitresses have always been kind and helpful, and not once have they been rude. I was pleased that Portinos was one of those places that overestimated my judgment and brought hope to my views on local restaurants in Valley Center.

You’d be better off skipping this restaurant unless you are stuck in Valley
Center and desperate for Italian food. Luckily the food is no worse than mediocre. The one star rating is because the staff all act like they are overworked and underpaid. I bet none of them had any training at a real restaurant, they are all winging it. Be forewarned if you are ordering to go from their web site’s menu: The prices they charge are higher, they are all aware the web site prices are incorrectly low, and there is no indication this restaurant is planning on correcting their web site any time soon.
There is one great thing to say about this restaurant: The owner gets my respect for managing to keep this place so busy. Quite a trick to get so many customers going for overpriced mediocre Italian food with less than good service.

The sausage and roasted garlic pizza is truly amazing! The kids (picky eaters!!) love it! My son says it’s the best pizza in San Diego county!

We came up to Portino’s for the first time and were really impressed. It was super busy, completely packed, but our waitress Roxanne made it alright. She was outstanding! We will be coming back!
p. s. The vegetarian calzone was awesome!