Via Vecchia - Portland

We had a lovely early dinner on New Year?s Day. We arrived right at 4 when they opened and they were able to seat us immediately without a reservation. The food was fantastic (risotto and squid-ink pasta, a special for the day, were cooked perfectly), cocktails inventive and well-balanced, service was spot-on and the the vibe was quaint, but fresh and sexy. Definitely recommend and will be back!

The decor is so romantic and beautiful! we went for Valentine's dinner (3 weeks advance reserve) and it didn't disappoint us. My pasta was just perfect, tasty, and a great portion! the ossobuco was very good and abundant too (maybe a little expensive about 50us).

The food is amazing. We had a burrata and the pancetta arancini. The arancini is a must! For the main course we tried the shrimp and the Bolognese pastas. Both very tasty and cooked to perfection. Service was just normal. Not bad, but not outstanding.

This place isn't too bad, but I think it suffers from the classic problem of having broad appeal and so the food quality doesn't need to be perfect for it to be successful. I reserve five-star ratings for restaurants that are truly exceptional for some reason or another. Via's food was okay. The portion I got for the price I paid was pretty rough and felt like I finished it in like 5 bites (and I've had better bolognese). The short version is that this is just another Italian restaurant where the price just doesn't quite justify what you get. It's not bad, but it's also not exciting. If you want to go out for Italian, this is a place you can go to, but don't be surprised if you find it just a bit underwhelming.

We walked in on a Friday without a res and got seated at this beautiful lounge area! Shared some apps and drinks which were both great! Love the atmosphere. Will be coming back!