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Clams and Prosecco at Gino's. YUMMY!!! My friend and I sat at the bar and had excellent service from Shay (Shea?) the supercute bartender. We will be back!
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Five stars from the fam for Gino's. We were looking for a Sunday night outing and Yelper's reviews helped guide us to this family friendly good food spot. We were pleasantly surprised that we didn't have to wait for a table, which automatically put one star up on the board.
Second star goes for the complimentary kid friendly (but healthy) snack prior to our meals being served. Who could turn away apple slices, cheese and raspberries? Perfect!
Third star goes for the friendly and efficient service.
Fourth and fifth stars for the fabulous food. Ohhh I can still taste the garlic and in my book, that's a good thing! They were even able to cater to my husband's picky dietary needs, half orders for the kids and splitting plates was no problem.
We will definitely make this a family favorite spot.
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For casual Italian dining, Gino's is perfect. I do recommend!
Let's get one idiosyncracy out of the way. If you want to eat in the restaurant, come in through the bar door and proceed to the dining room entry. You will not get seated if you just stand inside the bar door. Do not attempt to enter through the dining room's exterior door either.
Lots and lots of wine on their list. From the cheapest (which we ordered, of course) to bottles in the three figures.
Friendly and patient wait staff.
The shrimp appetizer is good, but maybe a little uninspired. Six or seven shrimp come in a bowl of melted garlic butter, ringed on a plate with a few little pieces of toasted French bread. More bread would have been a plus.
The pork chop was disappointing in that the chef went to town with the rosemary crust and didn't know when to stop. All you could taste in the chop was rosemary.
Fortunately, I actually ordered the chicken marsala. It's delicious and comes with a capers and very nice sauce.
Both the chop and the chicken come with a mixed vegetable selection and mashed potatoes. The vegetables are wonderful: pickeled cabbage, eggplant, squash and collard greens. A blend of warm and cool. Just the right amount of butter and seasoning too!
And what's great is that mashed potatoes are just mashed potatoes, not garlic or anything - so the potatoes provide a smooth balance to the vibrant flavors of the meat and the vegetables.
One last thing, Gino's menu is reasonably priced.
Hooray to Sellwood dining!
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As my dinner companions and I sat around the table for our third trip to Gino's in three weeks we each pondered, "Could this be my favorite restaurant in Portland?" The answer was a resounding yes, and here's why:
The food is reliably great (except for the raviolis, those sucked--twice). Best steak under $30 in town. Period.
The Grandma Jean's has the most comforting combo of pasta, spices and delicious stewed beef.
The Ensalada Mista has an awesome assortment of steamed veggies on it, and one order was enough to serve three of us (two of whom were hungry guys).
The wine selection is fantastic--they don't have the most extensive list, but they really know how to pick the best vintages from the wineries they order from and it shows.
The service is a little slow sometimes, but friendly all the same.
They serve kick-ass mashed potatoes.
The bread is garlicky and buttery and delicious.
The coconut cream pie is amazing.
The tiramisu is scrumptious, and non-rummy (probably not so scrumptious if you like your tiramisu on the boozy side).
The cappuccino is like a heavenly taste of Italy.
The atmosphere is casual, and family-friendly.
The prices are fair.
End of story.
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Likely that I will be preaching to the choir here, but Gino's, which I had bookmarked for when we actually lived in Portland, is all it is cracked up to be. After an entire day of lugging boxes & furniture, we found a couple of towels, got ourselves cleaned up, & headed over to the Sellwood for a celebratory dinner. We parked right in front & sat down at a table outside on the sidewalk (covered in the requisite red checkered tablecloth), We were quickly given beverages & the wine selection was tasty. The kitchen sent out a complimentary "snack" of cheese, bread & sliced apples along with dried cherries. This was quite a hit with the boys.
Stuart & the boys decided to share a Caesar salad (which was plenty big enough for the 4 of them to sample), and I had the chilled pea with fresh mint soup. It was so creamy & refreshing...absolutely the right thing for a hot evening. For the main course, again, 2 of the 3 Musk-a-teers plus Daddy-O ordered the Nonna Jean's sugo, made with beef rib-lets, pepperoni, a dark rich sauce all over penne. It was molto autentico & reminded me of the stuff one has on the stove every Sunday in certain Italo-American enclaves on the East Coast...Those of you who are from Italian families and/or the East know of which I speak...Really soul satisfying stuff.
I ordered the ravioli which was goat cheese & lightly grilled asparagus with toasted pine nuts. Exceptional for every bite! This...I would happily order again (and again!).
Hostess, servers, kitchen, everyone made sure we were happy, well fed, comfortable. The kids were treated well & all the other customers seemed to be having an equally fine time. The adjoining bar looks amazing, so next visit, I hope to check this portion out. Just the light fixtures in the bar alone are enough to pique my interest.
I would not hesitate to take guests here, or make this a regular family stop. It also looks like it would be great for lunch, tho' I'm not sure they serve a noon time meal. If you haven't been, it is a delightful way to spend some time. Many thumbs up...take a hearty appetite.
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Mamma Mia! L'alimento era cos buon lo ha parlare in Italiano!
...I'm still rooting for Spain tomorrow, but the decision became more and more difficult with every bite.
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I was in town for work and was craving for Italian, so by default I had to check out my options on Yelp. I saw the marvelous ratings for Gino's and was excited to give it a try. The first impression was good - comfortable space with booths and wooden floors, friendly servers, and minimalist but charming decor. Sadly I have to report that the food didn't quite match up to my expectation.
First the infamous Caesar salad - the portion is very huge and 2 of us split the smallest order as an appetizer and still had some leftover. The nods - presentation was great, and dressing was generously abundant. The "I-don't-know-about-that" - it was creamy, sure, but too garlicky for my taste. Even after my entire meal I could still taste the garlic and feel it antiseptic-ing in the back of my throat all night. Great for my health, probably, but not exactly how I wanted to feel or smell in a nice restaurant with a coworker.
Then I had the Cioppino, which for me was a big let-down. I'm a huge seafood fan and I love a good Cioppino or Bouillabaisse. This one at Gino's was quite the lazy-man version of a Cioppino - seafood cooked in a big mess served over and under and in between spaghetti. I understand that lazy-man versions of the Cioppino exist and are probably considered authentic by some (ahem...snobs!), but I do wish I saw just a little more thought on the presentation. The broth was flavorful and appeared to be made from scratch, which I appreciated, but there weren't any herbs or tomatoes in the broth. That would have been okay except the seafood wasn't top grade, and the dish ended up tasting very fishy. The only redeeming ingredient in the dish was the mussels, which I assume is the same mussels that every other Yelper is mentioning here, because they were perfect. The timing and execution was flawless - the mussels were neither over nor under cooked and had a very fresh flavor. The toasted baguette that comes with the dish is also worth a quick mentioning, but wasn't enough to save the overall mess the Cioppino was.
Coworker had the ravioli, and she also felt indifferent about her dish. Again the toasted baguette was worth a mention, but that was about it.
So the consensus was utter confusion about Gino's high 5-star rating on Yelp and his sheer popularity (the line was almost out the door on a Tuesday night!). Did we just happen to go on a bad night? We sat near the kitchen and saw pasta flying around back there and throwing of pans. These chefs were definitely stressed out, and it's hard to not draw a link between the tension back in the kitchen and the mess I was served. We also waited for probably a good 15 minutes after we were done eating the salad until the entrees came. I would imagine other tables after us had an even longer wait. If they're often busy as they seem to be, shouldn't they be better capable of handling the orders by now? I guess I will never find out. With all the great restaurants that Portland has to offer, I'm probably not going back to Gino's anytime soon, if ever.
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Looking for a nice dinner in Portland my friend and I decided to scour yelp for a saucy recommendation. Luckily we came to Gino's.
The atmosphere of the restaurant was great. It's a little confusing at first because you have to go to the bar to get to the hostess stand. Once there we were immediately sat at a cozy little table in the non-smoking bar area. The ambience is what you would expect at an italian restaurant, the tables were lit with little candles, and the lights were dim. Giacoma would go nuts in this place.
We started off with two very nice glasses of red wine. I got the pinot noir and enjoyed it very much. After a brief time my entree, a salmon dish, was served. Although I don't remember any particulars of the dish (except the salmon was cooked medium) I do remember that it was unbelievable. In fact, it was so good that I ate almost all of it before my friends food arrived! While this shows my complete lack of manners, it also shows that the restaurant committed one of my biggest pet peeves. All food, especially for a two top, should be served at the same time! After the meal we were offered dessert and asked if we wanted another glass of wine.
It's tough to not recommend Gino's to any other out of towners. The food is good and the setting is romantic. Sellwood is a nice quant part of the town and Gino's is its magnum opus.
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The Grandma Gene's (sp?) is comfy cozy and will feed a family of four. The Filet is one of the big surprises and one of the best in the city. Add a well cared for wine list and a great house salad, and it equals one of the most reliably excellent places in Portland.
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Gino's is delish. I lived in Sellwood the first month I was in Portland and I've known Mark and Deb since before the place opened and known a bunch of people that have worked there. I spent many hours sitting at the counter, peeling garlic and it's every bit as good as the first time I ate there. They do a great Caesar, yummy pastas, excellent seafood, strong drinks, a great staff and it's cozy as can be. The only bad things I can say about it is that it's way the fuck in Sellwood. and the parking sucks.
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I hope an angry mob of torch carrying Yelpers don't hunt me down for giving this previous 5 star establishment at hearty 4.. lemme splain.
Solid 4 for the hearty Italian comfort food, no fancy schmance here. Daily menus with a varied selection of steaks, pasta dishes, specials, seafood. We ordered the clam and mussel app: delicious little clams, gargantuan mussels that largely tasted of jellied salt water (coulda been a bad batch). Soup was tomato bread, very good and perfect for this freezing evening.
Main course mushroom risotto: hidden slices of gooey mozzarella in a fresh yet mellow black mushroom dish with chopped tomatoes intermixed. Very filling.
Main course new york strip steak: More fat on the steak then expected, but cooked well. Huge dolop of mashed potatoes and veggies that were excellent.
Soo....we just weren't bowled over by the main courses, they were just good, large portions, timely service.
Plus another star for decor that ranges from italian fresco tapestry to classic Barnum & Bailey circus posters, and the Black Forest looking Leipzig tavern.
Take away that star for the 2 damn fruit flies that were buzzing around our table the whole meal. And the super casual way the employees were going from bar to kitchen eating, drinking, and at times sitting around. Granted we were there for an early dinner on a weeknight.
I'm willing to revise upon my next visit.. there will be a next visit. If for nothing else but to sit in the bar and make out with the wine list, it's like a book.
And the booths are hard to get into/out of if you're over 5'9 and not a gymnast.
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Gino's dishes out delicious Italian meals in a cozy candlelit restaurant in Sellwood. It was a great place to bring my parents when they were visiting, and I was glad they were there, because it was a little pricey for my wallet.
The mussels are delicious and the pastas are, too. Expect a wait on the weekends.
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There's nothing I can really say here about Gino's that hasn't been said already, so I guess I'm just showing some love for one of my favorite restaurants. We can always count on this place for a really good meal when we don't mind spending a little extra money. I don't think Gino's is overpriced at all, but when we come here we usually splurge with a bottle of wine, an appetizer, two entrees and dessert. Everything is just so good! We usually order the steamer clams to start...huge portion for the price. My boyfriend always orders the Grandma Jean's pasta, which is sooooo good. It's totally the "man's pasta dish". I think it's got sausage, meatballs, and mini-ribs. I always order the chicken marsala. Their chocolate mousse is to die for. Last but not least, the atmosphere is really nice....I'm a sucker for those red checkered tablecloths and high, intimate booths. This is a really nice place to come on a date. The only problem I've ever had with Gino's is that sometimes the service is a little on the snippy side, but usually it's just fine. Overall, this place gets a thumbs up from me.
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Big props to Gino's! I'm a native Portlander and this place has been consistently great. My husband loves the Pork Chop that is often featured on their ever-changing menu, and I'm a fan of the mixed shells with a salad. The quality of the ingredients used at Gino's is excellent. You can taste the local difference! Leather-bound wine list with a wide range of bottles? Check. Eclectic Cheese Plate? Check. Chill bar area? Check. The list goes on! After a visit to Gino's, we always feel like we get much more than we pay for.
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Not to pile on, but Gino's is our family's favorite restaurant. We always start with the mixed shells and then move on to that amazing Porterhouse. Our oldest gets adult entrees now and I am just so happy he gets the Grandma Jean's pasta. The riblets taste exactly like my grandmother's cooking and I love that. The atmosphere is great--not super fancy, but quite romantic after one lemon drop. One time, we brought a friend and my daughter secretly tied her shoes together and when she got up, she pulled off the tablecloth, candles etc. and made a huge mess on the floor. It was all I could do not to spew my last sip of wine--so funny! The owner came by and made sure she was not hurt by the candle wax and didn't care about the huge mess. Love this place!
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The fact that I LOVE Gino's says a lot about this place since my memories of Gino's are completely tarnished by a really bad date with my ex-boyfriend who I pretty much...well...would like to erase. Just so you completely understand how much I abhor this man, please note that my claws just Freddy Kruger'd and I'm hissing right now...
Anyhoo, back to my review. Gino's is a classic Italian place that looks like it could be right out of one of the Godfather movies. The lighting is dim, but not so dark that you feel like you are in a cave. The decor is classic Italian with dark wood tables and intimate booths for cuddling (unless you happen to be on a date with a dark haired man suffering from a bad case of halitosis and clinical depression you may want to skip the booth and stick with the tables).
The dishes are hearty, the portions are huge, and the bartender behind the counter is a jolly fellow who I would have gladly exchanged for the man I refer to as my biggest mistake.
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So Gino's Restaurant has excellent food -- but a weird kind of setup. You actually enter the restaurant through the Leipzig Tavern. They have a main dining room as well as booths & tables along the walls in the "bar" area and you can sit at the bar for dinner as well. Mostly I'm easily confused by places with more than one name -- but it doesn't really take MUCH to confuse me in general so don't let that deter you.
Inside the restaurant is warm and cozy. They print their menus daily -- which I always find endearing.
The service is excellent -- the staff is pleasant and helpful and willingly offer recommendations when asked.
The food is delectible ... there are quite a few vegetarian options as well as fish and the usual meaty fare.
Overall -- good stuff!! I recommend going. It's usually pretty busy -- especially on nice days (there's outside seating) and weekends -- but on a Monday or Tuesday the crowd thins a bit.
Bon Appetito!
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This is for the moment my favorite restaurant in town. I love the brothy pasta dishes and the mussel appetizer is a money saver meal in it self. Family style size Caesar salads are awesome as well. The "Italian village" like decor makes it very comfortable in both rooms to take your time and enjoy your wine. Gino's is a great place to take the out of towner , a date or the whole family. I can't wait until the next time.
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Nothing like a cozy Italian joint
This place so reminds me of my favorite Italian place in Spokane, where I grew up. It ironically shares the same name with the same candlelit environment and friendly waiters. What's very different, though, is the amazing Caesar salad. I'm always on the look out for the best salads in Portland, and I'd say this rates amongst my two favorites. It's extremely creamy and garlicky, which is a one-two punch for my taste buds.
I heard the mussels were good, so we split those for an appetizer. Needless to say that between the salad and the mussels, I was pretty much stuffed by the time my entree came. I ordered a cheese/meat ravioli, which tasted great the next day for lunch. If you like a cozy, old-fashioned Italian restaurant, than this is your place.
Tip: Weekends get crammed and busy here, so go during the week.
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Gino's is a busy little restaurant in deepest, darkest Sellwood about which I have absolutely no complaints. The Boyfriend treated me to a celebratory dinner after I got a new job, and I found Gino's to be the perfect place for that kind of occasion - a little spendy, but definitely worth it. (With apps and wine, maybe $30-40 a person.) We started with a cheese plate (friends will know that I never, ever pass up a cheese plate if it's available - doing so gives me chest pains and an overwhelming sense of unease.) It was well-rounded and tasty, although not remarkable in the grand scheme of cheeseplatery. For dinner, Boyfriend ordered a penne pasta in spicy tomato sauce with salami and ribs - Real Ribs With Bones In Them, right in the pasta! - and declared it delicious. If you can get past the strangeness of bone-in ribs in your pasta, it's definitely a good choice, and apparently the tastiness factor makes getting past it pretty easy. (This coming from a man with a phobia of Things In Pasta which require being picked out and maneuvered to consume, like tail-on shrimp.) I ordered the shellfish medley pasta, which came in a yummy lemon-butter-fishybroth sauce. It's not really that much of a medley - only clams and mussels - but both were cooked well, tender and juicy and not too chewy. The service was excellent, prompt and friendly. They've got a good wine list. Highly recommended.
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