Porto Leggero
“And it certainly doesn't hurt that parking is plentiful on the street after 5pm.”
“We ordered 3 very good bottles of a super Tuscan per maitre d's recommendation.”
“The service was great, they were very attentive & we got a free plate of fruit from the owner, Elliot before we left.”
Porto Leggero
Takes Reservations: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Accepts Apple Pay: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Has TV: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$$$ Price range $31-60
8 reviews
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It's so rare I go to dinner & the food absolutely knocks my socks off…the food at Porto Leggero completely exceeded my expectations. I thought the ambiance was really nice, upscale, trendy & perfect for a date. Our server knew the menu & specials inside & out & they had a TON of delicious specials. We ended up with the fried calamari & rock shrimp & portabella mushroom app. The portabella mushroom app came with arugula in a light dressing, it was light, refreshing & delicious. For dinner we split two specials, the duck cut thin in a port wine reduction sauce with mashed potatoes & the panko encrusted halibut, in a white wine/Francese like sauce with asparagus, it was fantastic. The service was great, they were very attentive & we got a free plate of fruit from the owner, Elliot before we left. I thought the prices were very reasonable too. For the 6 of us, we spent less than $400 including tip. I'm excited to go back!
Was a while back so review will lack detail, general editorial is that this is a very good restaurant in an accessible area in downtown JC
Service was excellent, atmosphere very warm and relaxing without being stuffy, not cheap though…~$300 range for 4 people with some wine
Dishes I can remember was braised lamb or beef on the bone which was quite good but not best I ever had, gnocchi was tasty and not ultra heavy
This is fancy for jersey city!
Came here for my department's holiday lunch in feb ? and was very satisfied with my experience. The staff were friendly.. Very friendly and really made you feel at ease. Tons of specials at this place. I had the saffron seafood broth dish. Not much broth as it was brought out on a plate but no matter.. The seafood deliciously married in the sauce. We enjoyed fried calamari and shrimp to start. They provided a regular and spicy marinara which I thought was a nice touch. Everyone at the table enjoyed their meals. The mushroom soup got rave reviews by all. Prices were decent for this power lunch restaurant that looks like it only accommodates the VIP of JC. But the food here is great and I would definitely return!
I don't have anything good to say about this place except the friendly service and they know how to make a martini.
I'll start from the beginning
the bread is not good, it tastes like it came out of a bag, so it's obviously not baked on site or delivered grin a bakery. the butter was solid cold so you couldn't even spread it.
the fried calamari appeared to be the only decent part of the meal. the other appetizer of salami and prosciutto with peppers tomatoes and olives looked like most of it came out of a jar, expert the sliced meats and tomato. absolutely no flavor there.
I ordered the branzino and they served me something that was not fresh, very fishy in taste and door and definitely not branzino! if they only knew that I know my fish! the side that came with it was a soggy piece of poor excuse of a vegetable.
we totally skipped dessert but had coffee which was served with spoiled milk. I will never return here. ever. but since I was there on business I kept all my opinions to myself. thank god there's yelp!
Porto Leggero has nailed the old school Italian vibe and food and at a reasonable price, when I thought reasonable prices in Jersey City had disappeared.
I still remember my last experience (read below) and thought never again, but so glad I went against my inner thoughts. Things were shaky at first. Our party of three was asked about reservations. Say what? The place was empty. But, within 5 minutes we were waiting while the guys in the front were figuring it out, the suits came rolling in. I get it now.
They made room for us at a nice corner table. The place is decked out, old school Italian style with drapery from the ceilings, crystal chandeliers and nice booths. Definitely a more upscale place. The waiter came over promptly with some bread and took our drink orders. Well, this was no ordinary bread. The focaccia was smothered in caramelized onions and fresh Italian bread was served with perfectly salted butter- both worth the cheat from the paleo lifestyle.
Then came the free antipasto – 3 different types of bruschetta – don't mind if I do. Warning: don't fill up on the bread like I did. So much good food will be coming.
Service was phenomenal. No cocktail list, but a great wine list with the cheapest bottle at about $55. A side note on the wine: we ended up getting individual glasses and they were extremely heavy pours at about $10 a glass. Beer list lacks – the Italian staples priced at about $5 a bottle.
We ended up going with a few special apps to start and both were phenomenal – the little neck clams and the eggplant, tomato and fresh mozzarella salad. Since they aren't staples on the menu, I won't go in to too much detail, but they were damn good. The porcini agnolotti? DAYUM. We went with the appy portion which was 3 large ravioli stuffed with mushrooms and smothered in a rich, creamy truffle sauce. Yes, yes, YES!
On to the entree's – it's split between traditional vs. Porto's take on it. At first you say – the menu is missing prices, but in fact they are same as the corresponding item listed on the other page but with a twist. Clever and I like it. I went with the chicken, sausage in a white wine sauce for about $22. A huge portion, perfectly cooked if not a bit too rich. I felt the butter going straight to the hips. Served with baked thick potato fries – I only ate a quarter before I gave up.
The man got striped bass encrusted in a potato coat and the sister got red snapper, both dishes huge portions served with fresh vegetables. Both fish entree's prices were high $20's. So much food, perfectly seasoned and cooked for such a great price.
Dessert – get that ricotta cheesecake. Yes, yes, yes. Fluffy, light, not rich and how they do in Italy.
As you can see, I'm a huge fan. I'd suggest not come when they are close to closing up. Maybe they have a different chef at the helm on different nights, but this past Thursday evening was phenomenal! Is that the night all the bankers splurge? Maybe, and maybe they're ready for it.
Bravo!
One of the best places that Jersey City has to offer, in my opinion. Had a dinner here a few weeks ago and it was still a delightful experience. On a weeknight, the place was absolutely packed and we got the last table!
There's always so much food… too much for me to ever finish! I had a delicious lamb-stuff pasta that was a special in a light tomato basil sauce. By far, a stellar dish. My companion's salmon dish also was phenomenal. Need to remember to come back here soon!
Went here for a business lunch with about 10 people. The seating was great and the windows brought just enough sunshine to be comfortable during the lunch hour. Our waiter was quite attentive and helpful in selecting the food. I had the endives salad and I thought the cheese was kind of drowning the taste/smell of the rest of the salad, but I absolutely loved the clean crisp salad.
I then had the wild mushroom risotto which was one of the specials for the day we came in, and I must say, it's one of the best risottos I've had in NJ. Wasn't too salty nor too bland – had just the right amount of creaminess and it was cooked to near perfection.
The price also seemed pretty fairly set – would love to come back here for dinner soon to try out their dinner menu.
I loved how clean this place was and the decor is just enough fancy – doesn't overdo it to make you feel like you have to sit up straight through the entire meal.
My boyfriend's family and I were delighted to see how empty the restaurant was on a Monday night; of course, we expected great service. Well… Apparently not. Our waiter only waited on 4 small tables yet left us waiting so many times that you would have assumed that he had 10 tables.
Surprisingly, the poor service wasn't even my least favorite part. I actually felt bad for my server! From the moment I walked in the door, I became EXTREMELY uncomfortable
witnessing how the manager treats the employees. The manager was so disrespectful to an employee right as we entered the door that all five of us looked at each other with our mouths open, shocked.
I'm sure that the manager didn't realize that anyone was paying attention to his actions, but I couldn't help myself after what happened when we first got there. You could see the fear in employees' eyes anytime he made a comment to one of them. This was enough to make me completely regret coming to Porto Leggero!!
The food was decent–definitely nothing spectacular. I'm usually one to eat my entire plate, but I didn't even find it worth the extra calories. If I had to recommend something, I'd pick the porcini with a white & black truffle cream sauce.
My favorite thing about Porto Leggero, and something I actually LOVED, was the decor. It was seriously STUNNING! I would have definitely returned here just because of the decor if it wasn't for the mistreatment of employees that I witnessed.
Newsflash Porto Leggero: Happy employees make happy customers…