Porta

I have been here several times, and I finally have the time to do a review, so here it goes… First I will start off by saying I have no idea how table service is here. Each time I come, I eat at the bar. I will, however, mention that the host are always courteous and helpful when I encounter them. Now, the pizza I’ve had here is delicious, the 14 ½ is my favorite. For the most part the bar tenders are also friendly, and attendant.
I guess by now you are wondering why I only give them three stars, right? Well it is because management enforces major stipulations!!! My friend ordered a Long Island ice tea. It shouldn’t be a problem because they have a full bar right? Wrong! We were told they couldn’t make it because it was too strong of a drink, and if they did make it, it would cost $ 40!!! Really!!! Second, I wanted light sauce on my pizza. I didn’t want to add, takeaway, or even change the recipe. I simply wanted less sauce on my pizza, and I was told they could not do this because it would alter their recipe (which they do not allow). Once again… Really?! Thirdly, I sat at the bar downstairs (as usual), and I order my favorite pie (the 14 ½). I was told on this particular day that the only way I could get it would be by going to the rooftop area and ordering it. Why that makes sense to them on a business level, I couldn’t tell you! I go up to the rooftop to order the 14 ½, and I did not get it until a hour after I ordered it! Crazy!!! The frustration of all the incompetent rules/​stipulations will keep me away from this place. Ridiculous! I hope they get it together one day. For their business’s sake!

The rooftop atmosphere was fun, but the pizza was subpar. I’d come back for drinks here, but not for food.

This place is beautiful andw very big and a big plus is their rooftop. Beers are bigger and my friends say cheaper than at coffee shop. My biggest problem is I came here for food, and their pizza which is what they are known for is not very good. Ordered the pepperoni one and was burnt but saggy in the bottom, when that was too spicy for me i ordered a sausage one (which was very bland) and the same again, burnt and saggy in the bottom. So it wasn’t just bad luck the first time. Food at coffee shop is better.
This place is good for the rooftop

Came here after work with a party of ~20 on a Thursday. Warning for large parties: they don’t allow you to split the check at all.
STORE/​SERVICE: We went to the rooftop area, where they did have a mediocre live band to entertain guests. Not sure if it was the oven or chimney, but throughout the night burnt black ashes kept flying onto our food and drinks. Hard to get off skin too. The service was very slow, took 30 minutes to get our pizza. It was also hard to get the waiters’ attention when we wanted to order more drinks/​food. Some of us ended up just opening a tab at the bar for drinks.
We ordered 3 Meatball Pizzas, 1 Margarita Pizza, and 3 «14 ½» Pizzas. The pizzas were thin crust and not too big – probably could feed 1 semi-​hungry person. All the pizzas were thin style, made fresh to order. Half were a little too burnt on the bottom though. The meatball pizzas were underwhelming and not very flavorful, but the group favorite was the «14 ½» Pizza, which was a spicy soppressata (salami) pizza. The fresh homemade ricotta complimented the spice from the chiles and soppressata perfectly. Overall, the pizzas didn’t live up to their prices of $ 17 a pizza.

This place is a great place to chill for drinks, but not for food. The service was horrible!!! really! never seen such lack of attention.
The pizzas were a sad version of neopolitan pies. Some under cooked, some over cooked. The special «braised short rib» came in a extremely lonely plate. It was just the meat and sauce, no garnish, no veggies, no carbs, nothing to go with it. Just the meat. Very sad looking plate.

14 ½ was the best pizza I’ve ever had! And now I’m sad to only be visiting Jersey City and not living here bc of this place. They make their ricotta fresh daily and wow — it is amazing!!! The soppressata with chiles complimented the creamy ricotta exquisitely. If they made an appetizer of just soppressata and their ricotta, I’d get it! The focaccia is worth trying if you’re itching for some… excellent herbs, oil, and crispy perimeter. Super pleased with our food here. The margherita pizza was almost like eating in Naples! Very much Italian style from our travel experience.

This restaurant has a fantastic atmosphere and authentic Italian food. If you’re in the mood for great mozzarella, caprese, and a very solid personal pizza pie in Jersey City, you are in fine hands at Porta. I had the pleasure of enjoying a «Caprazy» appetizer (fresh mozzarella with juicy green tomatoes below) and the 14 ½ pizza with a side of anchovies. In short, everything was delicious, crispy and filling. The unique reservation of the restaurant is that they will not add any extra toppings to their pizzas, but there really is no need. The pizzas are ON POINT. Other positives include a lengthy craft beer, cocktail and wine menu. Great TVs for sports games and a nifty little downstairs bar for private parties. The customer service is tremendous. Enjoy your night :)

This place is absolutely delicious! Went here with two other couples and I was nervous about the reviews, however it was surprisingly very good!!!
I started with the caprazay salad which is comprised of thinly sliced green tomatoes topped with a huge ball of fresh, house made mozzarella. Mozzarella melted in my mouth and I literally had to force my boyfriend to finish it otherwise I would have.
For pizza, I ordered the arugula pizza which was delicious. Not too much arugula — just the right amount. The truffle oil on it really pulled every thing together. My boyfriend got the meatball (all beef) pizza which was SO good. SOO good. I would definitely recommend getting those two pizzas and sharing — a heavier pizza, and a lighter one. I got a side of broccoli raab since it’s hard to make myself, and it was good especially for my fellow garlic lovers out there. They had whole cloves of roasted garlic all over it.
Great prices and friendly staff! Our waitress Taylor was awesome and very attentive. We were super indecisive and she didn’t get annoyed and gave great recommendations. Worth the 30 minute über from Manhattan — will definitely be going back.

Here is a guarantee: if you eat at Porta more than once, especially at different times of day, you will not have consistently prepared food or consistent, professional service. Actually, regarding the latter, you should expect indifferent service unless you happen to be in the restaurant industry here in Jersey City and are friends with the waiters and/​or bartenders.
An example of what I mean. I’ve been going to Porta for lunch for a while now, since they have a (limited) pasta/​salad deal as well as what I had thought was a good roast beef sandwich. Today, however, my sandwich boasted half of the amount of meat, it was grey instead of pink, and the arugula was drenched in some kind of vinaigrette in addition to the aioli with which it normally comes. I was disappointed, having had inconsistent pizzas and pastas at Porta before, thinking that they were having an off day. Then I saw two other roast beef sandwiches go by, with twice the amount of pink meat and sprightly looking greens. I pointed this out to the bartender, who told me that I hadn’t seen what I’d seen, and that they «weigh everything» before the sandwiches go out. So apparently, in my hunger that I had been hoping to satisfy with a large roast beef sandwich, I was hallucinating.
I should mention that this kind of snide and indifferent tone is fairly common among the bartenders and waitstaff (with a few exceptions, of course). I have never seen a manager at Porta, either. Unsurprisingly, what I have seen are waitstaff and bartenders texting or socializing with one another with a great deal more zeal than doing their jobs, and food that is expedited in bizarre orders, or one person will get their food while another sits and waits for several minutes.
This kind of thoughtlessness extends to the food’s presentation: large dishes – and especially otherwise good salads – are presented on serving that are simply way too small. On many occasions, I’ve seen servers’ thumbs digging into the salad (or somethings a pizza crust), which makes me uncomfortable, given that I’ve never seen a bartender or anyone else wash their hands after scratching heads, pulling up jeans, or cleaning up messes. All dishes are presented without serving utensils, as well, leaving customers to messily scrape salads onto their plates. When you ask for serving utensils, by the way, you’ll be brought another set of forks and butterknives. Needless to say, these are not serving utensils.
If you’re just drinking in the evening or during Porta’s very reasonable happy hour, you should be in OK shape. The bartenders’ attitudes won’t improve much, though, and some of them seem to have trouble making basic cocktails that are not on their standard list.
I’ll be taking a break from Porta for a while.

Came here on a Sat evening with my girlfriends. It was pretty dead since it was MDW however it was super chill cause it wasn’t packed at all.
We got a table upstairs on the roof top and hung out for a while. The vibe was great and people were cool. The price on drinks were decent.
Just the girl to guy ratio was 1:10, and we had some odd dudes always trying to come up to us.

They do the whole wood fired oven pizza deal. It’s ok !! At best. Plenty of wood fired and brick oven pizza in the area that top it. People love to rant and rave about Omg porta pizza like its soooooo gooooood … Not Really folks. Again. It’s ok at best. Now that’s the food .
They do have a great roof top to drink beers and get a decent nighttime crowd
Enjoy

So, I FINALLY tried Porta– a place seemingly popular among Jersey City peeps.
As I’m on my health streak, veering away from simple carbs but most importantly: dairy, I knew going to Porta might be a challenge. But luckily (though I couldn’t curve the bread) they offer a vegan pizza made with «cheese» of the vegan kind so my friend and I order one, a salad (the arugula with pecorino) and the olives.
Unfortunately nothing was impressive but everything was overpriced. The 3 stars are for having a vegan pizza option and pretty great hostesses and waiters, and trying your VERY best to make the vegan pizza tasty. The pizza was not the best to be honest. The crust had great flavor but there was something odd with the consistency as it continued to get stuck to my teeth in the way only doughy pizza crust can. There was also an overwhelming garlic flavor– it was more of a garlic pizza than anything else. The salad was great: fresh, peppery, lemony, and the pecorino is awkwardly shaved onto the arugula so it was easy to avoid the cheese. But at $ 14 it’s quite absurd so although I did enjoy the salad accompanying the pizza, it is definitely not worth the price.
And lastly: the olives. The green olives were great, bright, refreshing, simply delicious but most olives were kalamata olives (which I abhor and avoid if ever forced to eat a greek salad) and we left most of the kalamata olives untouched. There was something quite overwhelming about olives drenched in olive oil. You would think the richness of that combination would be appealing but it was quite the opposite.
However, all the extra olive oil was good for dipping your pizza crust in.
Would I return here? Probably not. I also don’t think it’s a place for me and my beau’s date night as most seating was communal and that’s just annoying when you’re on a date.
ALSO there are MAD random doors. I mention this to my friend. She reminds me «porta» means door. Chick, I knew that. SO what? Mad random doors in a restaurant that looks like it’s under construction (see: the walls) is just strange to me.

Yesterday (5÷25÷2016) was one of the first days of summer (and quite unexpected), and I went to Porta on a whim. I would have given Porta more stars, but if you continue to read, you’ll see as to why.
Porta, on first impression, was very spacious. If you get seated by a hostess, you are taken to long benches. It had a biergarten vibe, where you may be seated next to strangers/​potential friends. If this is not your thing, then stay the hell away.
Upon arrival, my friend and I moseyed to the rooftop, their nifty outdoor setting. They have a brick oven set up there and two bars. There is no hostess so you can sit where you may. As I mentioned before, it was one of the first summer days so it appeared that Porta was understaffed for the overwhelming outgoers wanting to enjoy this 90 degree weather.
If you want to order food, you have to order at the bar. I went to one of the bars where there were tons of people, with only one bartender behind it. The couple in front of me told me there were three earlier but now there was one. After a couple of minutes I got the attention of the bartender. I simply asked «When you have a moment, can I place an order for a pizza?» «Honey, there’s a line.» I look around and asked «Oh I’m sorry! Where is it?!» His response? Ready for this? «It’s in my head!»
Okie bruh. I get it. You are overwhelmed, but there really was no need for that kind of sass. I turn and found the waitress that had informed me that I needed to order at the bar and asked her «is there any other way I can put in this order for this pizza because he’s saying there is a line, but I don’t see one.» She was willing to help, but asked the bartender «hey [insert jerk’s name here]! Where is the line so she can order some food?»
«IT’S IN MY HEAD!»
Well there you have it. The guy had an opportunity to redeem himself. He could have said «look, I’m sorry but I’m kinda swamped here. Can you take it?» or perhaps «I’m by myself. Can you get someone here to help me?» But nay. His moment came and went, like his potential tips because I was not the only one who had to hear this.
I picked up my friend and said, «we’re eating, just not on this rooftop». I explained to the hostess what happened and was promptly seated. I literally could have been in and out of there in 20 minutes because brick oven pizza doesn’t take long to cook since those ovens can get up to the blazing-​heat of-​a-​thousand-​suns degrees Fahrenheit.
Their pizza is slamming. Their wait staff is accommodating. That one bartender? Priceless douche. Venture there for a casual good time and slammin’ pizza, but take a lesson from me: If it’s packed at the rooftop, avoid the imaginary line, and just get a seat downstairs.

I went to Porta on a Jersey City food tour with Jersey Girls Food Tour. I was very surprised by how spacious it was inside! What a great place to have a group dinner. They make their own mozzarella and ricotta on a daily basis and it is delicious, especially the ricotta, so light and creamy that it tasted whipped.
I also really enjoyed their pizza’s — the dough rivals that of another pizza place in the neighborhood. I definitely will be back on my own and then I’ll have to write a proper review.

I’ve been to Porta many times but I’m never too adventorous with the pizzas. I’ve tried the Margherita, the Arugula, Spring Betty
And the Meatball. I’ve also ordered the meatball appetizer and that is good but it is a somewhat small portion. This time however, I tried two new amazing pizzas I had not yet ordered. The Corbonara ($ 16) is an absolute must. The egg is such a subtle delicious taste. It has the most delicious bold flavor of any pizza! My next venture was a taste of the 14 ½ ($ 17) pizza. All I can say is the soppressata is absolutely amazing on this pizza. It has the perfect spice to it! I would definitely recommend these. I always love the atmosphere at Porta. Friendly staff, good music, great food. Be prepared for a bill on the high side for a night of pizza. It is pricey but the quality can’t be beat. This place is a gem!

Popular meeting spot in Jersey City. Lots of people at the bar and comfortable seating inside, plus a rooftop. I had pizza here, it came out looking like great wood oven pizza (ordered the Margherita and one with sausage) however in about ten minutes it was cold. Since my guy was over half an hour late needless to say we were eating cold pizza with gummy crust, but I am sure it is much more delicious if eaten when it arrives hot to the table! Huge glasses of craft beer helped. Pizzas are not huge, one medium is enough for one person.
Also had drinks at the roof top bar, on a cold late summer night so no one was there, they poured my white wine into a plastic cup (?) and I ended up getting a cold:(. Again, just my fault and I hope to visit the rooftop bar again in the summer when it’s hot! I would say over all this place is good for meeting up and the pizza, the rest of the food looks so so.

I have come here a few times and really taken a liking to this place. It has a very rustic vibe that I love with long wooden tables and benches and a big bar with lots of seating. First time I came with a friend and we split a carbonara pizza and a steak appetizer. It’s almost like brick oven pizza but much better and loaded with toppings and flavor.
The next time I came here was for brunch with my boyfriend and Porta did not disappoint. We sat at the bar and started with two bloody mary’s and then I switched to the carafe mimosa for only $ 5. What a DEAL! Then got a little hungry so I ordered the French toast and he got the carbonara pizza which I highly recommended. I really enjoyed it here because it is so laid back. But the staff really knows what they are doing, everything so far has been A+

Ok. So, Porta is still extremely cool, but the food is quite delicious. Yes, one pizza will not satisfy two hungry people, but there are so many tasty dishes to choose from to add on and create a meal.
On our most recent adventure, there was a far-​too-​long wait for a table, so when two seats opened up at the bar, we dashed to fill them. We ordered a Clean Sheets cocktail which was far too sweet and not quite right for the chilly evening.
Because I was craving Porta’s mozzarella (not just any mozzarella– the mozzarella from Porta!), we started with the mozzarella and a half portion of the mushroom bolognese. The mozz was awesome, as usual, with just enough salt to counter the rich creaminess of the cheese. It’s perfect. The pasta too, was scrumptious. A fat orange-​yellow yolk sat in a nest of well-​dressed fettuccini. Its sauce was meaty without meat, savory with the handsome chew of loved mushrooms, amplified by the bite of the perfect fettuccini. The yolk acted like a thickener and added decadence, making the pasta dish a sure superstar.
Why stop there when there’s pizza? We didn’t of course. We ordered our favorite 14 ½, which is hot and spicy from cured meat and spiced oil, and cool and creamy from housemade ricotta. Delish.
On a whim, we ordered another half portion of pasta, but this time we went with the Baby Baby. This pasta was a completely different animal. It was a butter based sauce with thick bucatini, a few wilted pieces of dark green kale, crunchy bread crumbs, and salty sardines. Though this was good, it was not as good as the bolognese. It was light and slippery, and the flavors did not easily unify because of the textures.
It is definitely fun to go and try out different pasta dishes, because there will always be those thoroughly enjoyable standbys. The bar is a happening place, but with great service. Can’t wait until I taste that mozzarella again!

Porta is always a solid place to take a group for drinks — not as crowded as South House and the lighting is a bit better. Three floors of bars including a rooftop, and a wood-​fired oven for pizza. I haven’t been to the shore location, but from what I hear it’s pretty similar.
Pizza is OK (a bit pricy for what you get), and beer selection is not bad, but in the end you can’t really go wrong coming here for drinks. Prices are reasonable and they will always be able to fit whatever size group you bring.

Ooph. It’s like they have never hosted a large party before… but yet the restaurant is enormous!
Came here for a 30^th birthday party last night, a 30^th bday where the reservation was made for 20 people several weeks in advance. When you a 20-​top coming in… you save the table! Took us an hour to get seated and the hostesses were awful and rude, ruining the birthday spirit.
As a gesture. they gave us one 25 dollar bottle of wine. WTF? I waited tables for 5 years, my manager would have comped a ton of appetizers, cocktails, and dessert. Not classy.
Then once we sat down the waiter made a big deal of putting in the order all at once so it came out all at once. That did not happen. the Food trickled out and my pizza was cold. How do you have a cold pizza with an open kitchen? It boggles the mind.
In sum we got out of there in just under 4 hours. The pizza itself was fine, not terrible at all, I kind of liked.
As you read through my Unilocal reviews, you can see I very rarely (maybe 2 or so in all my reviews) go after the service. That said, this place is awful in that department. I am sure it is fine for 2 people going out, and I’ll add a star for reasonable prices and a good and cheap beer list. But otherwise, stay away!