I discovered Portico a few years ago when a friend suggested it for lunch. The back patio is perfect for an outdoor meal in Richmond when the weather accommodates. Be sure to grab a blanket for the iron chairs because the mesh can be a little chafing and hard for some bottoms lol. They've put in some upgrades over the years to make the patio more year round so they can accommodate their increasing popularity and added valet parking on busy nights which is now almost every night I guess because we went on a Wednesday and had to valet. Not my favorite but not sure how else they solve the parking problem. For the most part service is always pleasant and perfectly paced for us. The ambience inside is cottage cozy, but can get loud from 6 PM on as it starts to fill up. For me, the specials are typically the way to go because they're usually fresh and unique. We do have some favorites off the regular menu: the appetizer meatballs, the garlic baguette, most of the pizzas, and my husband really enjoys the grilled shrimp and the linguine. One exception was the time when I tried to save money, I went with the crab and artichoke appetizer for my entrée, and that was a mistake. Not good for me because was particularly fishy. For this evening we started with some cocktails -one bourbon cherry special and the other was the short rib which I usually enjoy, but didn't quite hit the same notes and was overly spicy this time. My husband and I switched though, and I really enjoyed his bourbon cherry. For appetizers, we skipped our usual meatballs and went with the special which was Arancine Siciliane. This is a decent size portion, definitely shareable for two people and great bites when you got the crispiness. Probably would be better with the sauce on the side because the top was crisp, and the bottom was not because it sat in the sauce. Not as enjoyable without the crispiness. We also ordered the two specials of the night butternut squash ravioli with chicken saltimbocca and the South Carolina swordfish. As I mentioned earlier, the specials are usually a good bet. These both delivered and were on the generous proportion side. Would actually probably prefer paying $5-$7 dollars less for a smaller size as fish does not do as well when taken home. All in all, we enjoyed our night out and as it was a special occasion, I tried not to worry about the $140 tab before tip. My husband says I'm stuck in pre-Covid prices so whenever it's more then $100 pre-tip I start to sweat a little haha

Location: for a romantic date night or intimate celebration, Portico is your evening of low-stim away from the hubbub. A little dream cottage, with ample outdoor seating. Valet parking welcomes you & it is encouraged you have a reservation. Tip for the seating: the outdoors is still nice if it's chilly or rainy. They provide heaters and umbrellas. Food: a lovely italian-centric meal. Afterwards, I explored a little and found their herb garden where they source their ingredients. They pride themselves on locally sourced and highlighted ingredients. For added charm, the Porticat may come and welcome you if you're sitting outside!

WOW what a great Sunday afternoon for an early dinner... The atmosphere was just amazing, the outdoor Tables were great! Food and service are top Notch! You could make a meal out of the fresh Cesar salad.. the salmon was beautifully cooked, the penne with vodka sauce was probably the best vodka sauce I've ever had..the dessert was amazing but that lemon cello cake was 5 star!

Tonight at Portico was such a treat! The restaurant is small, but the patio looked roomy from where I was inside. Definitely make reservations! We sat at a table in the corner of the bar and it was great. Oh yeah, the parking situation...it's valet. Thank goodness with the teeny parking lot and definitely no street parking on river road. Service was on point. Kept drinks full/refilled and gave plenty of time between courses. Did not feel rushed and felt we had enough attention. The food was very good. We started with calamari that was cooked perfectly. Not chewy and not too fried. The aioli dip it came with was herby and delicious! The garlic baguette was also very flavorful!! Colleagues got a black bean soup and Caesar salad. Both were good size servings! They enjoyed them as well. For dinner I had the seafood fettuccine special. It had shrimp, baby clams and crab in a seafood tomato sauce that was divine. It was a large serving, and soooooo good I couldn't stop eating it! Everyone was pleased with their meals. Dessert had to be the tartufo for me and I really enjoyed it. I took my time and tasted each flavor. My only complaint is it should've been bigger, LOL. It really was a fine size, I just wanted more!! The cheesecake was a hit with my friend. I really can't believe I have never been here or heard about it from friends. It is now on the restaurant list that I keep for hubby and I to try with our best friends! Can't wait to go back!

Went here on a whim to try a new spot ! Was thoroughly surprised by the small, quaint restaurant! They are a bit pricey versus what it's labeled as online, but it's definitely still worth a trip ! The food was very good and they had a few options for vegetarian options. The desert was honestly such a great addition to my dinner. The service was lovely and quick with what was requested.

I made a reservation here a few weeks ago for my boyfriend's 30th birthday dinner (party of 2). I used the OpenTable app and someone from the restaurant called to confirmed the day before. I loved being able to adjust easily the time as I had moved the reservation back the day before to 7:30pm. I'm always hesitant to dine at establishments (bad service, lack of menu items, etc.) close to their closing time and when I moved the reservation back I didn't realize they closed at 9pm on Mondays. However, Portico exceeded my expectations. The hostess wished my boyfriend and happy birthday once I confirmed my name, loved that! The restaurant is beautiful and I can see why the patio is so popular. There were people dining on the patio as it was covered and looked heated. The indoor setting is very intimate so I think it'd be great for a date night! I had to take a picture of our receipt because I forgot our server's name at the end of the night but she, Cora was great. Cora was very patient, polite, and gave great details. She also didn't make us feel rushed once! We followed just about all of her recommendations and they didn't miss. My boyfriend got the brown buttered old fashioned and ranked it as his all time favorite cocktail and I had the Buckshot which she recommended because I like ginger. Now Italian is the cuisine I eat the least and never really crave (I ate too much spaghetti as a kid) so I wasn't sure what I wanted and went with Cora's favorite dish, the gnocchi. I wanted to add a protein and took Cora's rec for the sausage as opposed to shrimp due to the red sauce and she was right! The flavors were amazing and everything was cooked perfectly. I've had gnocchi 2 other times and this is by far the best. I also added a Caesar salad to my dish and it was big enough to split and was brought out before our entrees. I asked to remove the tomato's and kept the artichoke and both my boyfriend and I agree it's in the top 2 of best Caesar salads we've ever had, and we love those! My boyfriend had the NY strip steak and loved it, it was cooked and seasoned just right. We opted out of apps and desserts because we went to a HH beforehand. The portions were perfect as we both had leftovers for lunch today. I absolutely will be visiting here again when I can enjoy the patio in warmer months, 10/10 recommend!

Portico is a hidden gem, at least to me who rarely ventures in that area. I'm shocked by the low rating as I had a wonderful experience. The food was all great, the service was outstanding, and the restaurant itself is charming. We sat indoors and the weather was nice enough that they had the windows open. They also have a patio. The gnocchi was pillowy and saucy; I do wish there was more eggplant. The portobello app wasn't served how we pictured so we weren't exactly sure how to go about eating it at first. I practically swallowed the tiramisu whole. Our server was super attentive and checked on us several times. We felt comfortable staying and chatting since there were a few open tables. They never rushed us. They have a small parking lot. At night it was kind of difficult to find the place as it's really dark in that area. Reservations can be made on OpenTable.