Sarah S.

Joined 1 year ago

Upscale Italian which doesn't have excessively huge portions and the staff is very friendly. It's a hotel restaurant so you should expect it to be a little pricey. If you want a neighborhood pasta joint go to Pastini. If you want a more refined approach to Italian cuisine, come here.

Doesn't Recommend

Steve F.

Joined 2 years ago

Highly overrated-overpriced, in many respects. Downtown with my wife and daughter to watch the Christmas tree lighting. Afterwards we looked for a good place to eat nearby. Were not interested in the club atmosphere of the trendy Urban Farmer or the Departure restaurants. I was up for Habibi, but the girls kept walking. Ended up at Pazzo Ristorante and was expecting some decent Italian. I risked ordering the "special" crab risotto and I have eaten better chicken and rice soup! I like risotto, but this wasn't anything resembling good while the crab was barely visible, yet practically tasteless.. My better half had a ravioli dish and my daughter a veggie pizza. Tried theirs and I am not sure it wasn't something they microwaved that they bought from Costco.

Just okay food. The service was good, but the atmosphere was a little too much of the "aren't we cool" style and clientele. And the price was far too much for what we received. I've eaten at plenty of high-heeled restaurants, and I must say that very many of Portland's restaurants are highly overrated and over-priced.

Doesn't Recommend

ireland503

Joined 9 years ago

Buyer Beware Before You Order. Don't order any of the specials of the day unless you find out the price first! We were there for lunch -- lunch, mind you, and ended up paying $44 for two plates of risotto. Lunch-size portions, nothing special, no unique or expensive ingredients. That doesn't include drinks or tip. Crazy! Diner beware!

Recommends

GinaRau

Joined 2 years ago

Great lunch spot for delish food + good value. The three salad deal cannot be beat! You choose three salads, they serve up generous portions of each, along with a roll. All three were delicious, especially the beet salad!

Recommends

CSMobileUser2

Joined 5 years ago

Great price-good grilled cheese. After stopping by at 316pm on a Monday and was informed that almost all sandwhiches, salads and soups were gone...I was disappointed. But I went day 2 around 130pm and everything was available. Had a pressed grilled cheese (2 cheeses involved) with tomatoe inside on foccasia-- was great! Salad was good too. it is seat and bus your table yourself. Very quaint. Salad, sandwhich and can of soft drink $9

Recommends

mmm206

Joined 3 years ago

Pazzo Bar --warm & cozy --unwind & enjoy fine Italian food.. It was a rainy, cold and windy night when my husband and I dropped into the bar at Pazzo. We walked several blocks to get there so when the warm air surrounded us upon arrival, we knew we would be comfortable. The mood was mellow and relaxed. We found a nice cozy table with a view of the street. The room was dimly lit; so it was easy to look outside at the stormy weather as people passed by. We laughed as we saw a guy walk by with an umbrella completely inside-out. But he kept walking along as if he had no idea that his cover had been compromised... It's a great-place to people watch!! Additionally, we had two delicious meals, great wine and fantastic service. Jackie was our server; she had great menu and wine suggestions. The Natalino salad (or Ceasar) was fresh and flavorful with long 'spears' of romaine. I had the Gnocchi (which was more food than I expected), it was a rich savory dish which paired nicely with the Paul Dolan Zinfandel. My husband had the Pollo; a pan roasted chicken breast --it was very flavorful with a wonderfully crunchy skin. After dinner we were tempted with spirits and gelato (there's a pisatachio gelato dessert that is quite yummy). Plus the bar tender's recommendation; the Germain-Robin alambic brandy is well worth trying. We look forward to our next visit.

Doesn't Recommend

tstricker

Joined 9 years ago

Disappointing on all fronts. I've long been a fan of Pazzo's but after my experience last night I will never return. We went for a festive Christmas dinner with friends and it was awful. We waited 45 minutes to an hour between our salad and main. The waitress kept coming by hoping we'd order another round (we did not). No apologies, just a statement "there's a big party" when we finally complained. Well, that's not our fault; be more prepared! The risotto was bland, the spaghettini pedestrian, and the gnocchi overcooked. All in all, an awful experience that made all of us not want to return.

Recommends

cmena07

Joined 7 years ago

try it for breakfast. we set out for mothers bistro on a saturday morning and got there at 9:30 with a half hour or more waiting list. so, we headed up to broadway to see what was going on and i remembered from some time ago that pazzo's was open for breakfast as the restaurant for the adjacent hotel. my two guests had lox and bagels and bacon and eggs and i had the mushroom, spinach and fontina omlette. they also served a fresh grain/nut bread and with hukleberry and apple jam. what a treat! everything was prepared perfectly and the service was attentive and polite. i don't think many people think of pazzo's for breakfast but we will definitely be back. oh, seating was immediate and the atmosphere very nice.

Recommends

mzliz1978

Joined 5 years ago

Great food and even better service!. I went here for my anniversary a couple weeks ago and had a great evening! Our waitress went above and beyond in service and truly made it a great experience for us. The food was delicious, as were the appetizer and desserts. We missed out though, we had wanted the pineapple upside down cake and they ran out, but had a delicious alternative dessert - baked cream with berries. I would highly recommend this restaurant for a nice, romantic evening out in downtown.

Recommends

foodsleuth

Joined 5 years ago

We always bring our guests to Pazzo Ristorante. WHY?

Maybe it's the fact that the food is ALWAYS delicious.

Maybe it's the fact that the staff is competant and genuinely interested in creating a wonderful dining experience.

Perhaps it's the fact that the menu changes seasonally and is created with local, organic and free-range foods. You can taste the quality in the dishes that they serve.

If you go in the Fall, try their pasta stuffed with butternut squash. In the Winter, try their gnocchi. I usually avoid gnocchi at restaurants but Pazzo gnocchi are amazing, light and chewy. When Halibut is in season, you will find the best Halibut you've ever had at Pazzo.

Oh, and did I mention the extensive wine list. For those longing for some authentic italian wines, you will find Pazzo's wine menu delightful. The servers are knowledgeable of the wines that they serve and can help match your wines to the entrees you have chosen.

We have a server that we really like and when we sit in her section, we always let her choose the wines for us.

I hope that you will enjoy your dining experience at Pazzo as much as we do.