Photo via Yelp
This Tasty Tuesday, we are switching from a cozy, Polish diner to an Italian joint near Washington Square Park. The Porto Bello Restaurant is an Italian restaurant that offers many different dishes, an array of desserts and wine, and a friendly open atmosphere. It is located at 208 Thompson Street between 3rd Street and Bleecker Street. When you walk in, the first feature that I noticed was the exposed brick, which makes any restaurant’s atmosphere more homey. The small tables scattered throughout the room made this feel like the type of restaurant you stay at for at least an hour after the meal to chat, laugh, and catch up.
Photo via Yelp
When I arrived around 7:30 on a Thursday night, the restaurant was dead silent and empty, but within 40 minutes (a more typical time for a New Yorker’s dinner), every table was full. The team who works here are almost all older, Italian men, who were kind, but not overbearing and constantly asking if we need anything-like some waiters do. Since it was pretty crowded as the night went on, it was pretty noisy and not a quiet place to talk over dinner. However, after finishing dinner, the waiters did not bother us about the check and let us stay to chat for nearly another hour. Whether for a dinner catching up with friends or a romantic night out, there was no rush to leave as soon as we set our forks down.
There is a lunch and dinner menu, as well as their specials menu. If you have a specific request, they can accommodate the dish you want. This is something they say on their website, and from my experience there, they follow through. They were able to mix-and-match two different dishes to accommodate what we wanted.
Here are some photos of the dishes and desserts:
Photo via Yelp
Photo via Yelp
Photo via Yelp
What’s your favorite Italian restaurant?
