Porteno

3.5 Below Average

Food  7      Ambience  3      Service  3      Value  1     

We arrived on Friday night at 630 to did out that the waitlist was closed! So back we went on Saturday right at 550. We were in a line. Then put on the waitlist. We went upstairs to the bar and had a great time.

For two hours, numerous tapas meals and $200 worth of drinks. Just the two of us! We get our table after the 2 hours in the bar, get our menus so excited to try the famous signature dishes. Pig and lamb! The waitress comes to take our order, we no sooner open our mouths to order and she then tells us that the pig And lamb are out! Your two signature dishes! We were and still are very disheartened! We continued to order and did have a delicious meal.

We actually asked the waitress for how long was the pig and lamb been run out for, she said 30 minutes before we sat down! We were furious. We should have been told upstairs when it run out, we would have eaten up there. The restaurant was booked our Friday. Surely you knew to expect such traffic on the Saturday and should have over supplied the signature dishes. These are what we all come for!

We should have been told when we were given the menus! To be so disappointed after a $300 meal is crazy! And to tell ur staff how upset we were and they just shrug their shoulders is ridiculous especially after spending so much money!

Nov 08, 2010 

7.8 Recommended

Food  6      Ambience  9      Service  10      Value  6     

We were lucky enough to be able to book our a large table on a Sunday lunch. We had a banquet and the food was good. The blood sausage was very tasty (not gluggy) and was in my opinion tastier than their churizo. The beef ribs were a little disappointing, a bit too chewy and fatty. The desserts were luscious with mango and peanut meringue (yummy - never thought mango and peanut butter could go together).

The whole place is very rustic, from the building, decoration, tables through to the appearance of the staff, we were also served by a lovely lady with a really great hair do!

Nov 06, 2010 

4.8 Average

Food  4      Ambience  6      Service  7      Value  2     

Went to porteno with a booking of seven and we were very excited to see what the fuss was about! Unfortunately it seems to be over hyped and over priced. Service was pleasant, drinks were topped up, plates disappeared when finished and the staff knew their stuff about the menu and wine list. Food was not of the same quality. Unless paying $22 for a single sausage is you idea of a deal look elsewhere.

Vegetable dishes such as grilled eggplant were tasty, but nothing to write home about, the beans with chili were ok but cold and the tortilla had an overload of dill dressing which killed any subtle flavors. The major annoyance was that the meats came out after the veg so you were sitting there with a sad slice of overpriced pork on your plate ($48) and nothing to accompany it. The lamb was so pink in places it was inedible and the Argentinian beef was tougher than leather.

People rave about the 'vibe' at this joint but apart from the very cool, bordello like upstairs bar, I can't see what the fuss is about. If sitting in a cramped room with no air con (and we weren't there on a particularly hot night) while forking out a fortune for a glorified BBQ is your idea of fun, you'll love this place. I don't think I'll be back in a hurry though.

Oct 31, 2010 

7.5 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  8      Service  8      Value  6     

What a cranking place ! Our dinner last night and we had the first sitting. Fast furious service with delicious morsels on a plate, portions on the smaller side. Under the circumstances (approx 75 people sitting down at once) our food came out consistently and the service was great. Every thing we ordered was melt in your mouth delicious, some dishes better than others of course. Only real complaint we really could've done without the Maitre D citing she had a problem with our (3) credit cards because it takes her a while and she has a backlog. Sorry lady but I'm handing over $110.00 ahead here $656.00 in total you could at least be polite about taking our money. Otherwise I think this is smashing place and a very welcome addition to Cleveland street. I will be going back for bar nibbles and drinks.

Oct 31, 2010 

5.8 Average

Food  8      Ambience  5      Service  7      Value  3     

Food: Delicious. Melt-in-the-mouth meats from all animals. Props to the restaurant for building a huge fire inside and cooking animals on it.

Drinks: Ok. Cocktails not particularly "Argentinian" though. Would go elsewhere for pre-dinner drinks actually.

Noise: So ridiculously loud that you think it must be a joke. I'm a young man in my 20s, not an old codger who complains at the slightest volume but this was so loud you had to literally Shout at the person sitting next to you. As for the person sitting opposite, forget it, you'll have to catch up afterwards at the hearing-aid clinic.

I don't suppose there's much they can do about the noise. Just be aware that it's too loud for a big group. 4 people max, sitting elbow-to-elbow, could potentially conduct a conversation, so long as they were allowed to use their hands to do some rudimentary gesturing.

Value: I dunno. $48 for the suckling pig is the price I remember most vividly. Is it worth that? Questionable. There are quite a few BBQ'd meat restaurants springing up that aren't that pricey, but I guess you don't get the 'cool factor' like you do here. Put it this way, I won't be rushing back unless someone else pays. Other than that, it's a cool space, the service is fine, I have a mild crush on the lady host in the retro dress.

Oct 29, 2010 

5.5 Average

Food  6      Ambience  7      Service  6      Value  3     

Went here a few weeks ago and thought the food was very average and way overpriced for what it is. Wines by the glass starting at $13 I think is way too much for what this place is. I was paying 2-3 hat prices in the rough end of Surry Hills.

Oct 27, 2010 

7.3 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  8      Service  7      Value  6     

Great restaurant, lovely bar. Had the lamb and pork, really great. Lovely flavour and very moist. Have to say its really noisy, you are almost shouting to be heard.
All in all great place, really enjoyed it, but cost a fortune for at the end of the day just a plate of meat.

Oct 23, 2010 

6.5 Recommended

Food  7      Ambience  7      Service  6      Value  6     

The food was good, however the restaurant space was too rowdy from a noise perspective (The high ceilings and floor tiles do not lend themselves to absorbing much noise in a bustling/full restaurant on a friday night).

Value - after trying a number of dishes and enjoying some wine the end bill was considerably high, at the levels of what you would expect of some of sydney's top restaurants although without the polish and overall finesse that normally comes with fine dining.

Oct 22, 2010 

10 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  10      Service  10      Value  10     

Have been twice now since it opened and both experiences have been 10/10 with everything. If you do have to wait for a table the bar upstairs is so inviting and friendly and they make drinks the way I like them. Back to the food however, I need to keep going back to get through the whole menu like I did with Bodega. There's not one thing that will disappoint, I just know it. As always the music is really great and you would think you were in L.A.

Oct 18, 2010 

6.8 Recommended

Food  6      Ambience  7      Service  9      Value  5     

Went with a group of 6 last night to Porteno. They do 2 sittings, we were booked for the 6-8.30 sitting (they only do bookings for groups of 6 or more) and when we arrived at 6 pm there was a very large crowd gathered at the front door, waiting for it to open. When the doors opened everyone rushed forward, so even with a booking we had to wait another 10 minutes in the queue. It was like the punters rushing for the Boxing Day sales - madness!

The venue inside is gorgeous, very unique and traditionally styled. The space downstairs is kind of awkwar, however, and the room is really humid thanks to the open grill in the corner. This did fill the room with amazing smells all night so added to the atmosphere.

Between 6, we ordered some warm olives ($8) & bread with pate ($2 a head) which were nice nibbles to start though nothing special. I'm not a white wine drinker but always start a meal with a sparkling, and here the sparkling rose ($14.5) was delicious.

Then we had some beef empanadas ($4 each) which were a flavour sensation but unlike at Bodega, there was no accompaniments. An aioli or some diced tomato salsa would have lifted that dish. For mains we had the beef ribs ($38), the suckling pig (~$50) & the lamb ($42), with sides of fried brussel sprouts ($14), polenta ($16) and beetroot salad ($14). The meats were juicy and tender, but not stand out, and the sides were average. I found the brussels sprout too salty, and no crackling on the pig! Travesty! The polenta was a joke, incredibly liquid & served on a flat plate, & just tasted like melted cheese.

The food arrived one dish at a time so it was a very disjointed meal, and the servings were less than liberal. We had a lovely 08 Malbec ($58) which was the highlight for me. Altogether the bill came to $60 per person, which I thought was not good value for the amount of food or quality. Its certainly a down-market option from Bodega, but the prices are on par.

Oct 16, 2010