Finally, TRUE Italian in Portland. We went last night and the theme was Naples. I am half Italian, from NY and my family has restaurants all over LI. I am so happy with my experience at Genoa. The food was clean and delicious and true to it's roots. My favorite was the Insalata di Mare with prawns, octopus and squid. The cold antipasto featured the softest Buffala Mozzarella, fresh tomatoes and basil, 12 year old balsamic vinagar and olive oil.

I have wanted to go to Genoa for a while but was concerned that with five courses, I wouldn't be hungry by the entree. Each dish was portioned so well that I didn't even feel full by dessert so I got to really enjoy it!

It was $55 for five courses. Delicious!  View Less … View More

The servers are assassins. After alerting our waiter that I have a severe food allergy, each of the first three courses put in front of me were my wife's, and each contained my allergy food. One bite was all it took for me to get very sick. Even after the waiter knew I had eaten something that I was allergic to and had become sick, I still had the wrong dish put in front of me that contained my allergy. On top of it all, they attempted to charge us for our whole meal, including the incorrect dish they served me that made me sick. I would not go back. Too bad, as it used to be a good place to dine.  View Less … View More

New and NOT Improved, sorry to say!. This was our third visit to Genoa Restaurant. We have always wanted to like it but are consistantly disappointed in many ways. Our female server was extremely indifferent and amazingly full of herself. Three entree choices were reduced to one because they were out of the wild boar and neither of us are fond of trout. So our only choice was pigeon.

The Amuse Bouche was boring and undefinable. The potage was rather pedestrian lentil soup, with no great highlights. Our salads were a bit boring and far from unique. The pigeon was well prepared but a bit tooooo rare. The squab was on a bed of greens but the infusion of blood from the rare meat was off-putting and sitting in puddles on the greens and the plate. I like rare to medium rare but this was way over the top. Dessert was a souffle which tasted exactly like something from a cruise ship, where they are feeding 2000 or more hungry eaters. B O R I N G !

My advice is to save a little money, go to Paley's Place or Three Doors Down, and have a much better dinner prepared to order. Or so it seems to me!  View Less … View More

We're back!!!. We are pleased to announce, that after a one year hiatus, Genoa Restaurant has re-opened its doors. Under the leadership of new owners and Executive Chef David Anderson, Genoa emerges with a fresh new face after a collaborative remodel by Fix Studio, Siteworks and Works Partnership Architecture. Our new five course prix-fixe menu ($55) is rooted in regional Italian cuisine based on seasonality and continues the 38 year tradition that made Genoa one of the city's culinary pioneers and its first farm-to-table restaurant. We are proud to welcome back the devoted fans of Genoa and equally excited to introduce a new generation of Portlanders to a dining experience where comfort and service play an equal role.  View Less … View More

New G better than Old G?. Our group of 8 diners chose the newly remodeled Genoa for our annual holiday dinner. We were delighted to discover that the space has a lot of the same intimacy and charm without the darkness and fustiness that it used to have. It is now warm and elegant, which also describes the service there: our waiter was friendly and knowledgeable, and funny and engaging without being intrusive. He truly added to our dining experience. The arrival of every course was coordinated and perfectly timed, and the wines we brought were decanted and served to best suit the courses. And then of course there was the food: the pastas were light and flavorful, the salads creative and fresh, and the entrees simply outstanding. And don't get me started on the desserts.

Altogether, we stretched drinks and the five-course dinner to about 4 hours, so Genoa is probably not the place you want to go with a blind date, but it was perfect for a group to relax and catch up and really enjoy wine and food and each-other's company. Thanks again!  View Less … View More

Good bye you will be missed. 'Tis a sad day in Bridgetown... Genoa is no more. As much as Higgins takes credit for bringing fine dining to Portland, three restaurants had him beat (in more ways than one): L'Auberge, Cafe Des Amis and Genoa. Genoa was the last of the three to shut its doors when it closed a couple weeks ago. For those of you who never got a chance to try one of these three places, I am sorry; now about as close as you can get is Paley's. To those in the know before New York found Portland: Join me in a glass raised to one of the best.  View Less … View More

Very dissapointing. This place needs remodel so bad! It smells like mold in there, even their glasses, which greatly affects the wine, and if you want to eat there, you'll need to bring a magnifying glass with you...seriously. At the other hand, I've never dined at a place for Elf's, so it was quite an experience! Also, it's way too dark inside. I don't understand all the fuss about this restaurand at all! Maybe 20 years ago?  View Less … View More

Surprisingly delightful. I have been to many fany fixed menu restaurants and I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of Genoa. I honestly wasn't expecting the many delights that we received. The service was exceptional, the waiter was friendly and intelligent. I have come to expect lack luster service here in Portland and I was very pleased to have such exceptional service as we had.

The food was absolutely outstanding. The only down point was under seasoned venison, the worst part of that was that the venison was cooked perfectly, it was just very mundane. The soup course was a sweet potato puree that was rich and varied in flavor. The pasta course, an orchiette, was made more complex and interesting by the addition of currants. The truly outstanding taste of the evening came unexpectedly in a raspberry sorbet. The sorbet was not just raspberry, it was full bodied and absolutely sizzled on my tongue.

I would highly recommend Genoa to anyone seeking an outstanding dining experience. We will definitely be going back again and again.  View Less … View More

Massively overrated. I waited almost 13 years to finally go to Genoa, a place many had said would be the finest dining experience I would ever have in Portland. To say I was disappointed would be an understatement. Stunned would be more accurate. I could go into detail, but really the bottom line is the food was just not good, the inside is unremarkable, the wait staff is nothing special, and the prices are ungodly. I mean, honestly, I have had more satisfying meals at Elmer's. After reflecting on all this, I have a theory that Genoa is secretly run by the Cacophany Society as a elaborate gag and they really purchase all their ingedients at Hawthorne Fred Meyer. The joke's on us.  View Less … View More