An excellent food gem hidden in a small mall! It was our first visit and certainly not the last. The three of us couldn't stop raving over our appetizers..tiger shrimps in sambuca cream sauce just heavenly, escargots w/bonconni cheese sauce and mussels..followed by our entrees veal lemone, veal Marsala and seafood pasta was amazing and very generous portions indeed! We were not rushed and the service was excellent. One little downside it was for a special birthday celebration and the cake was delivered with a lit candle but no singing of happy birthday�.
Best Italian food I've ever had. A little hidden gem in Barrhaven. Waitresses are so friendly and I've never seen staff move so fast. Highly recommend.
Superior Italian fare. Fabulous, attentive service. Chef is one of the best in the city. Better than most on Preston. In fact, chef Ozzie cooked there for years. Veal, chicken, seafood, pastas, sublime sauces. Desserts are excellent, if you have room. Go here, as I promise you will not be disappointed. Do not let the west-end folks have it exclusively. Tell them Jeffrey sent you!
Excellent service, amazing food you can smell as soon as you enter. Lots of heart goes into running this business. I brought my mom and sister from out of town, and it will be our go-to place whenever we meet in Barrhaven! Thanks!
We love this place! Food and service are great. The place is always packed. Portions are huge so we usually end up taking home a doggy bag. Great spot tucked away in a strip mall in Barrhaven. Try it, you'll love it!
I came to The restaurant last night with the teachers from my school to celebrate our Christmas staff gathering. The menu was very good and the price was reasonable. The staff were very friendly and accommodating. I would definitely come back again
We love the authentic Italian food! Waitstaff are friendly and professional. Love the fact that it’s a family run business. Reservations are a must!!
Charlotte Dorothy Belland
+5
Delectable menu choices! Delicious Food! More than adequate portions! Pleasant staff and venue! Thank You. Our first time there and we will most certainly be back!
Consistently good. Been several times and keep coming back. Working our way through the menu and have never left disappointed, or without a leftover bag...portions are generous. Small down side is it's hard to get into sometimes. Always busy, reservations recommended.
The best italian I have ever had in Ottawa! It's a real hole in the wall, hidden gem. The zucchini sticks were amazing and the tortellini bocelli was to die for. I ate my meal so slow just so it would last longer! Will be going back for sure.
Best pasta place in Barrhaven, love the lasagna!! It is always busy though, and the price is a bit high. But you will get full! It is always our cheat meal place for carbs. Service is good as well.
People giving this place bad reviews just want to be negative. I don't understand why. This place is consistent and the service is always good.
Great atmosphere and friendly staff who make everyone feel at home. The bread was served hot out of the oven and was delicious. Pizza tasted homemade and extremely flavourful and the spicy oil on the side was a fantastic addition. The Tiramisu is a must try, one of the best I have tried!
Generally I don't go out for Italian food because I'm pretty good at making it. But this place serves fresh and delicious food. The portions are huge. I had the lasagna last time I went and ate half; it was even better the next day for lunch.
I love this place. You have to have a reservation most nights so book it. Fantastic Italian food in a quaint little spot with the best service in town. I have tried at least 10 different entrees and have loved all of them. The best Minestrone soup on the planet. If you get a chance go to La Porto A Casa and you will be totally satisfied.Lise and Dave.
Surprisingly incredible food for a barhaven strip mall, low decor, no frills place. Goes to show, you don't have to spend a ton of money on dressing up a place if you're food is awesome. Make reservations well in advance. It's worth the trip time and again.
Best Italian food ever. The food is so fresh and delicious you have to pause to savour every bite. The service is a little slow but worth it for the quality of the food. Definitely recommend making reservations.
The only resteraunt where after the first bite I had to pause because it was so mind blowingly delicious! The food is bursting with flavor and freshness. Definitely make reservations if you want to go though because the place is usually packed. The resteraunt lives up to its name of bring it home because the serving sizes are so enormous! I've never been able to try their delicious looking desserts because I get so stuffed on their main courses! Is a great resteraunt, highly recommend you try it out!
Great food in Barrhaven !!. Very surprised, didn't expect much from this sad looking strip mall restaurant was I ever wrong. Service was great and the food even better.
Great spot... I like this place.. the food is always good, customer service is great as well. The only complaint I have would be on the decor.. it's a little dated. Other than that it's a must try!!
Food was fantastic! Service was mediocre...
The food was FANTASTIC! Shared the Zuchini starter, they were long, thin & crispy. Shared a usually boring Ceasar salad that was elevated with taste. Had the Penne Giovanni....loved it. Couldn't deny the tarimisu it was also superb. From the buns, to the coffee...a really great find. "I'll be back!"
Visit time 4pm on Monday. We ordered a calamari starter, gnocchi with meat sauce and tortellini gorgonzola. The calamari arrived hot and was absolutely perfectly done, tender and delicious. After the starter we were give two warm rolls which were good. When our pasta dishes arrived they were piping hot. The tortellini contained green onions which wasn't stated on the menu. When I informed the server she promptly replaced the dish with one without onions. Both dishes were fabulous. Very tasty, large portions, cooked perfectly and nice and hot. The only downfall I can find is the price. Starter was $10 and Pasta dishes are $20 on average and this does not even include a salad. We will go back but only occasionally because of the high prices.
Great night. Went out to la porto a casa. Had a little table by the door, great and shared delicious calamari followed by the best spaghetti and meatballs. Loved it!
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Nothing but great things--a hidden gem!. Date and time: Tuesday evening. (5:30-7:00pm)
Party: Five adults and a child. (Yes, a child. I heard they were family friendly. We tested it.)
I can't find enough positive adjectives to describe La Porto A Casa! I wasn't expecting to be blown away by the friendly, welcoming, and relaxed service and I had no idea how wonderfully fresh and authentic every menu item we tried was going to be. You know how you go out with a group and usually in a bunch of "hits" there is at least one "miss?" Not here. I was actually looking for something I didn't love just so I don't sound like an obsessed fan.
We ordered about a third of the menu between us, and it is quite an extensive/impressive menu, but not a single dish was mediocre. Each item was fresh, the tomatoes were light and sweet, the pasta was handmade and just enough al dente where it should be, the alfredo was buttery, the bread was hot and crispy, the pizza was thin crust but packed with flavour, the seafood tasted like it was caught in the back of the kitchen! The wine selection was affordable and paired well, recommendations from the staff were spot on with our needs, and they even offered to make half sizes or small size orders for the little one. (No children's menu but the high chairs and other families screamed "we're kid friendly, don't worry about it!") The portion sizes are generous (and that's putting it lightly) but you want to take these leftovers home to relive every bite of this wonderful dining experience.
By the time we left, there was a line forming to get a seat. I heavily recommend a reservation but don't worry, if you get stuck in traffic, just give them a call and the friendly smiles you can hear through the phone, will reassure you that they won't give away your table just yet.
If I had one negative thing to say, it would be that the place looks deceivingly like a strip mall take out joint...and it's next door to a Chinese one. Don't worry about it--it's a hidden gem and the deceptive storefront is a plus to keep away the foodies and ensure locals always have a place at La Porto.
Definitely going back.
Amazing Italian food! There's a reason you can't get a table on a Friday night.
Beat Italian food in Ottawa...especially for the price!! Lasagna amazing, seafood linguini great, and my Favorite is the pork tenderloin- makes me want it every time I go!!!
Great food!. First time to La Porto A Casa with a group of 14. Food was excellent, service great. We'll go back there for sure!
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Ignore the hate - this is a must try!. I encourage everyone to ignore the negative reviews on this site - dinner last night was AWESOME! The place was packed (as always) and the staff were on top of everything. The rolls were so hot they could barely be handled and clearly baked in house - they were happy to refill the basket when asked. We had 5 adults (all first timers) in our party while celebrating my husbands birthday. We are all pretty honest in terms of not liking something, and certainly not shy about sending something back. Everyone's food not only came out looking amazing the flavors were outrageous. Everything from the HUGE portions (a 'starter' salad is easily shared between 2), to the flavor in the sauces makes this place a must try. There must have been a minimum of 3 parties of 8+ and our waitress never faltered at filing glasses or making sure we were aware of how much longer our food would take. Dinner certainly lived up to the need for advanced reservations, and all the hype I had heard - will certainly be going back!
Quaint little Italian place in Barrhaven. Make reservations. Great flavour and choice.
Ordered take out. Food was tasty but a tad pricey
Absolutely amazing! The waitress was super friendly. The service was fast and the food was delicious. I really recommend this restaurant.
Though the decor is basic yet quaint, the food was delicious. We started off with the fried zucchini; it was very good and not at all greasy. For our main dish I had the penne caruso and I am dying to go back for more. Very well portioned and reasonably priced at around $15. I would highly recommend this restaurant for authentic Italian. Reservations are required though. Enjoy!
Very good! This is a "word of mouth" kinda place. Super small, and doesn't stand out at all from the outside, but the food amazing. Best Italian in barrhaven
Food and Service were excellent. My husband and I went to La Porto A Casa for the first time as recommended by a
colleague of mine. We were greeted by a very friendly and welcoming waitress upon
our arrival and we had excellent and friendly service throughout our visit. The food
was fantastic as well and the pasta was cooked to perfection. The price and size of
the portions were great. We will be back for sure with reservations of course because
otherwise you won't get a table as the place is always packed.
So good!. I'm sure there are "better" places in Ottawa to go to, but if you're in Barrhaven and don't want to go far, La Porto is fantastic. If you get the meals to go, you get huge portions for a pretty decent price. I usually have some for dinner then save it for lunch, so I think two meals for $16 is not so bad. Their soup and salads are great and I haven't ordered something I didn't like from there. Tiramisu is also awesome! I would definitely recommend it for takeout vs. sitting in. If you're going for the food, then by all means, but if you want a romantic quiet candlelit Italian restaurant, you're probably better off heading downtown. But for me, food > atmosphere! Great place, ignore the snotty reviews.
Cannolis 7 days a week!. In a perfect world..............oh well, we will just have to settle for Friday's and Saturday's. I think my waistline is better off.
Have to plan ahead!!. Only actually eaten in twice. I'm not that good at planning ahead and you have to if you want to get a reso! I do get take out quite often though and it's always good and lots of food too.
Excellent!. It may not be fancy, and it may be a bit on the pricey side for pasta. However, the food is fabulous and the portions are large. The menu offers a lot of choices and the service has always been good. I have been there a few times now, and will definitely be returning!
Fabulous!. After reading several really poor reviews, my friend and I decided to have dinner at this restaurant anyway. We went on a Monday night and the place was moderately full, but not packed. I have eaten at most of the Italian restaurants on Preston St. so I think I have a pretty good handle on what good Italian food tastes like. My friend ordered the stuffed seafood pasta shells and I ordered the canneloni. Both dishes arrived within 20 minutes, piping hot and absolutely delicious; no mushy overcooked pasta in sight. The service was frinedly and fast enought for us. Based on our experience last night, I know I will be back and will recommend to others. The decor is basic, but I think that kind of adds to it's charm. No big wine list, but we both enjoyed a glass of wine. The portions are quite large, so you might expect to take some of it home with you. Is that a bad thing? I don't think so!
I have read several reviews. They do seem critical of the decore. I agree. It is not great. That veing said the food has always been very good. I have eaten there many times. Is it the best italian in ottawa? No! It is very good and fresh. I can say I have eaten much worse. Price is a little high for a suburban locsl place that is not fine dining. I still love it and go often. You out there. Relax about the decore! It is clean ans comfortable.
I likes.... Ive seen a lot of bad reviews and they all seem to be towards the decor and ambiance. Really lol. Lets compare. Go to Preston and spend 25 - 40 an entree and get mediocre food at best. Or spend 15 - 25 and get real Italian food. I got the lasagna for $18 and it was hearty and guess what.....they make their own sauce. Absolutely without a doubt the best in Ottawa for Italian food. I think this restaurant would get better reviews if it was not listed as a "Fine Dining Restaurant" in this website. Oh the Macdonald's reviewer. Stick to $10 or less entrees. Hilarious
Great food, great prices and pretty good service. The amount if choice is spectacular.
The best Italian restaurant in Ottawa. This is by far my most favorite Italian restaurant in Ottawa! The food is VERY tasty. It's expensive but the portions are worth every penny. If you don't want to pay too much, there are lunch specials and paninis (hot or cold) you can order.
I always order the ravioli Monterosa, the rosé chicken penne or Nona's spaghetti and meatballs (can't go wrong with this one). I always order their tortellini e brodo soup as an appetizer.
The staff is among the friendliest I've ever met. I'm a regular customer, it's not everywhere where the staff knows your name each time you're visiting them. To me, it's like if I was going to have lunch or dinner at one of my friends' house!
If you like a relaxed atmosphere, forget it! This is not the place because it can become noisy, especially during lunch time.
Overall, I LOVE it and I RECOMMEND it to all the Italian dish fans out there!
Probably the best Italian restaurant in the city. I recommend take out over dining in. It's not the nicest looking place.
Great fresh food. This place has the best italian around. it is sometimes a bit loud and you wait a wjile for your meal, but it is well worth the wait. i would recommend going at lunch when they have some great specials on
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Great Local Italian Food. Been there at least 20 times and love it. Yes it gets crowded, reservations can be hard to get sometimes, the service, while always friendly, is at times a bit slow and it does occasionally get drafty in the winter when you've been seated near the front door (not so much since the new entrance was put in). But those are not faults in my mind. They are the little quirks of this little neighbourhood eatry that keeps 'em coming back for more. Hey, did I mention I've been there at least 20 times? And love it! Take a look in the back! You have to admire the kitchen crew who, in such a small workspace and with minimal equipment, turn out volumes of consistently fresh tasty food for eat-in and take-out patrons. The only near miss I've ever had was a very unusual osso bucco. It wasn't bad, just not what I'm used to (where was the gremolata?).
Anyway, I'll keep going back because of it's great food, friendly service and little excentricities.
Keep up the good work guys!
Absolutely Awesome Lasagna. In my previous career I travelled extensively and thus ate at so many restaurants that I couldn't even imagine counting them.
My good friend, John introduced me to this wonderful and quaint little restaurant, La Porto A Casa. I had eaten there about 15 times or so to date and everything was great, no matter what I tried.
I never or rarely order anything at restaurants that I can easily make at home so had never ordered the Lasagna. What a mistake on my part! This is the absolutely best Lasagna I have ever eaten (sorry Mom). My wife and I have now had this several times (even take out).
Should you be around Barrhaven, stop in as you will not be disappointed. If you're not around Barrhaven, drive there, it's worth it!!
Best Italian Food in Ottawa.... I've eaten here a number of times and I've never been disappointed. I think it's the best Italian food in Ottawa. It has some downsides. It can be difficult to get in without a reservation and the kitchen can be a little slow if they have a lot of take-out business but the positives far far outweigh the negatives. If you're pressed for time and you don't have a reservation this is not an ideal spot for you. If you like great food, set aside some time, make a reservation and prepare to enjoy yourself.
Something good in Barrhaven. This place opened my urban eyes and made me feel shallow. I would have never dreamed that something delicious could come out of Barrhaven, but I was proven wrong and narrow-minded.
Heavenly overflowing pasta dishes that still have me dreaming months later. And the price is super reasonable. I highly recommend La Porto A Casa.
Good food reasonable price. My wife and I have eaten there 3 or 4 times. The food has always been good. the prices are quite reasonable. And the atmosphere is relaxed.
But yes you should have reservations... the quality/value speaks for itself and the place is always busy. (And for the person who was soooo upset that they didn't get seated on a Wed even though there were tables open ... yeah that's the way it works, or at least should work., when the restaurant doesn't have staff to serve you. Having been seated recently in a different restaurant which didn't have staff to serve us let me tel you it isn't great either... and frankly they'er lucky to not have patrons with an attitude like you)
Always a great experience at La Porto A Casa. We were here for dinner on a Monday night and Clair was great. Staff there are welcoming and friendly. Service was on point, Clair was very tentative and pleasant. Food is always delicious and never disappointing. Try the caramel cheesecake, you won’t regret it!
It was our first time eating here and it definitely lived up to the expectations. The food and service was on point. We were there on a Wednesday night and the place was packed. We had the fried smelts which we're delicious. Lightlybcoated, crispy and spicy. Perfect to share with four people. I had the osso buco veal and fettucino Alfredo. The lamb shank was fall off the bone. The fettuccin was the best I've had in a long time. My wife had chicken layerer eggplant with cheese..equally amazing.
For desert we had the tiramisu and caramel cheesecake. Both were very good. Definitely worth the visit and I would highly recommend!
Server (Melissa) was amazing! Super friendly and very helpful with navigating the menu. The place is busy so reservations are recommended.
The food took a while to come out and tasted average. We didn't get our appetizer because of a mix up, but we were offered dessert to make up for the incident. The dessert was really good (especially the tiramisu), the portions are generous, but the taste of the pasta (penne Giovanni) and veal (veal fiorentina) were average.
3 stars for the dish flavours, but service and dessert are 5 stars.
Excellent house red wine! The service was very friendly and the food was all delicious. A nice slow pace with an hour and a half to eat. We had a tasty tortellini soup and a ministrone soup. For a main we both a Susanna or something like that style chicken dish. Very tasty with a side pasta. I went with a rose sauce on pasta that was a little too hard for my taste but my partner had an Alfredo sauce with a wider noodle that was perfectly cooked.
Good service, delicious Italian food. Make sure to book ahead of time because they're always busy.
Amazing and polite serves. The seafood pasta blew my mind. Generous portions of seafood and pasta. The mojito is a must!
Honestly the best resturant in Barrhaven. Everything on the menu is delious, fresh, and very customizable. You can change up sauces to better auit your preference. They gluten free pasta and the staff are knowledgeable about all the food. It is a pricey restaurant but you very much get what you pay for : large portion sizes and quality food. You can tell people love this resturant because it is so hard to get a reservation but when you do let me tell you it is worth the wait. Smaller parties are easier to accomendate without a reservation but you have to get lucky.
We love this restaurant and have for years. It is our "family special occasion" restaurant. The food is incredible and the service very hospitable. Plan in advance because they reach capacity for take-out days in advance, and rightly so because it is so good. Glad to see them doing well and adjusting during these difficult times.
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