Caffe Portobello

Out of business

Sorry to report nice neighborhood place closed. New place is Twisted Lizard.

Happy Hour… All drinks half-​priced. All appetizers too. Hmmmm… I was ok with the ½ off for a $ 5 regular price Sam Adams draft — but $ 6 (regular price) for a Stella Artois? Are you kidding? And there is a cryptic note at the bottom of the menu that says there is a $ 2 Rocks upcharge for mixed drinks and a $ 4 upcharge for martinis that applies during HH. We had to have the bartender explain that to us. So much for ½ off.
We ordered 2 appetizers… the $ 11 bruschetta and the $ 11 wings. The bruschetta was a joke…4 thin little toasted rounds of bagette with a dollop of chopped tomato and a bit of mozzarella. I couldn’t stop laughing. Even for $ 5.50 the portion was incredibly small (maybe they meant ½-​size appetizers?). The hot wings were good (tho could have used a bit more sauce for my taste) and came with carrots, celery and blue cheese.
I go by this place on the way to/​from home everyday… but have not stopped in more than a year since I was not crazy about the place under the previous owners. It is often busy now… a good location with a great view of the mountains as others have said. …but I was not impressed by the HH specials or the food.

Came here on a date last night and it was a perfect spot. Fantastic view of the mountains, a guitarist singing songs like Tiny Dancer, Champagne Supernova, Dead Or Alive, etc. out on the patio. It wasn’t too hot, not chilly. just right. It also wasn’t packed and so loud that you couldn’t carry a conversation. As for the food, I had an above average Caprese salad with roasted chicken and you will hear no complaints from me. Service was attentive and quick. Great place for a 1^st date or maybe catching up with an old friend.

I live down the street, and would love to be supportive, but the last time I was there, it was average food at above average prices.

In spite of Unilocal dubious practices of filtering all the other bad reviews for this place, the owner who caused it to dive in the dumps is gone, and have high hopes for the new one.

One is a star too many. I walked out and didn’t pay the (first and) last time I was here. Not because of the food (I never got), but because of the psychotic and inebriated behavior of the owner.
AVOID this place altogether, unless you want to be on an episode of Cops.
Oh, and CAFE only has one F, unless you are from CALIFFORNIA (note dripping sarcasm).

I am a vender of Café Portabella. A relatively new customer. The owner has been difficult from day one promising to pay me COD. We’ve been doing business now for about 3 months. Every time, he gets a delivery he is supposed to pay. Needless to say, I’ve had to collect every time by going up there waiting and arguing with him. Well tonight was the same but!
I walk in the door and spoke with his wife. The guy’s name is Bill Walsh. His wife asked to be put on terms and I explained that they have no track record of pay and no. So Bill comes storming into the kitchen and gets in my face blah blah, I said consider this your 30 notice were done (he owns me $ 1000). He head butts me and throws me against the wall. (Not hurt) I don’t have any legal ground to stand on my attorney said. I just want the community to know what this guy did to an honest business man.

I’m almost afraid to post about Caffe Portobello for fear of ruining it. It literally is perfect the way it is. One of the very few things I miss about N Scottsdale… my beloved Ports. How I miss spending every waking moment of my weekends relaxing at Ports.
BEST bartenders around, seriously! No weak pours, super attentive, and bartenders that actually pay attention. It’s rare in Scottsdale that bartenders are actually cognisant of who and how long people have been waiting for drinks, rather than serving their friends and whoever they want to take home later than night first. Wine list is small, but VERY good and quite reasonably priced for the area. 50% of bottles of wine every Tuesday as well…
Huge patio with the majestic McDowell Mountains in the background. Seriously one of the best places to watch the sun set and enjoy a glass of wine. Place gets fairly crowded during happy hour for precisely this reason.
The clientele consists locals, and not the bad kind. Everyone there lives in the McDowell Mountain Ranch area and could walk there if they wanted… of course no one walks anywhere is Scottsdale :)
And the food??? I cant believe I almost left out the best part! The food is actually REALLY good. Several tasty authentic Italian pasta dishes, but also does American fare very well for the less adventurous. Seared ahi appetizer is divine.
If you’re ever in N Scottsdale and looking for a place to grab a bite or a cocktail with friends, do not miss Ports!

This place is great! I wish I would of went here when I lived closer to the place. But it was worth the drive.
Had some great appetizers and wine with some friends AND it was happy hour so the appetizers and wine were half off!
I was psyched to see when the hummus came out it was served with a roasted head of garlic! I love roasted garlic! The hummus was amazing, by far the best hummus I’ve had in the valley. It may be too garlic-​y for some but I loved it. The portobello mushroom with crab was also pretty tasty and amazing. It was grilled to perfection (not dry!) and some crab mixture was put atop. It was just so good! The baked brie was so-​so. I’ve had better store bought. My friend, the lone meat eater, had wings. And judging from his hand and face after, they must of been pretty good!
It was a great spot for a fun get together with friends. They even had a live band playing, for those that like live music.
I will be back soon!

A huge patio AND half off all bottles of wine on Tuesday nights?! Lunacy.
If this place wasnt so damn far from my house, I would spend every evening overlooking the mountains enjoying this place. Its a bit hidden at 105^th St and McDowell Mountain Ranch Rd so let up on the peddle, lead foot, and dont miss the strip mall on the southwest corner where you’ll spot CP.
Food is excellent and the waitstaff is friendly. Great atmosphere for a date too. Ask about monthly wine tastings (I recommend the Chalone Pinot Noir) and specific hours… they are not currently open for lunch that I know of.

I dined at Caffe Portobello on Saturday night. I brought a date, and we both enjoyed the experience.
CP is tucked away in a strip mall next to a salon and a dentist’s office. Don’t let the surrondings fool you. It is a cozy spot. The wall are a warm red and the lighting is low. Seating options include table/​chairs, booths and the bar. There was one large screen TV featuring the World Series. Patio seating is available, and the circular bar is half-​inside half-​outside so that all parties can get served.
Also, there is live music at night from Thursday through Sunday.
The menu offers a diverse selection of American fare. We had the Chicken Marsala and Chop Salad. They were both good, but not great. I’ve heard the sliders are incredible.
The setting was 5 stars, the food was 3 stars. I averaged it out to 4 stars. :)

Great food and awesome service. I ordered the appetizer sliders (wasn’t too hungry) and got a huge portion — 4 sliders (cheeseburgers) with fries. My associate ordered the appetizer size mussels and commented they were the best he’s ever had (and he’s had them all over the world). Inside was a little noisy. Generous outside patio space was quieter.