Portovenere - Nice

In the middle of busy Nice evening dine out area. Food was excellent but the waiter and waitress got long faces, treated differently with other locals. read more In the middle of busy Nice evening dine out area. Food was excellent but the waiter and waitress got long faces, treated differently with other locals.

We were so excited about going to dinner here! We tried to make reservations one night and they booked so we made them the following night. When we got there we... read more We were so excited about going to dinner here! We tried to make reservations one night and they booked so we made them the following night. When we got there we were seated at a nice table and the waitress took our drink order. She came back (without water or wine) a few moments later and took our dinner order. Dinner came out within five minutes before we got our drinks. (The local people around us didn't seem to have this issue) a few moments later our drinks finally arrived. The food was amazing I had the bolognese and my husband had beef with a side of pesto pasta. The horrible service overshadowed the amazing food. As a tourist I definitely noticed I was treated much different than locals.

Portovenere has a family restaurant feel to it. There are locals, or even annual visitors like the couple who sat next to us, who have developed quite a rapport... read more Portovenere has a family restaurant feel to it. There are locals, or even annual visitors like the couple who sat next to us, who have developed quite a rapport with both the chef/owner and the service staff. That made for an enjoyable atmosphere as there was conversation flowing all night. My wife got rigatoni with tomato and basil, which was a very simple dish, but full of wonderful flavor. I chose the tortellini in a tomato and pesto cream sauce and was in no way disappointed with my selection. Our garden salad and grilled vegetables to start were delicious, and the house wine was exactly what we hoped for -- good quality for an even better price. The highlight, even with everything else tasting so good, was this overflowing with goodness tiramisu that we were served after hours of conversation with nearby patrons and the staff. This stuff is write-home-to-your-mother good. Finally, I want to point out that a young man walked up to the restaurant at about 11:07 p.m. and asked for dinner, but the owner pointed out that they had just closed at 11:00 and he could not serve him. The young man understood and was clearly disappointed, but as he walked away, the owner called to him and motioned for him to sit at the table closest to the door. The staff re-set the table and served him what looked like a delicious steak meal. That told me everything I needed to know about the sort of people who are taking care of you when you decide to have your dinner at Portovenere in Nice.

Friendly service. Great sea food with perfect wine combination. Excellent coffee. We will come again. read more Friendly service. Great sea food with perfect wine combination. Excellent coffee. We will come again.

Had a reservation at Portovenere for our first night in Nice. Our experience was so good that we ate here two more times during our three day stay in Nice. The... read more Had a reservation at Portovenere for our first night in Nice. Our experience was so good that we ate here two more times during our three day stay in Nice. The food was delicious and, as a coeliac vegetarian, it was so good to have delicious and safe gluten free choices available. I tried the mushroom pasta, mushroom risotto, the tomato and basil spaghetti and, of course, the delicious homemade pavlova (a few times!! Our waitress was helpful, welcoming, kind and funny. We ate outside and it was warm and sheltered. Would highly recommend this restaurant and cannot wait to return the next time I am in Nice.