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Quietest little Restaurant in Orillia
July 15, 2014This restaurant is one of my wife's and mine favorite in Orillia. It plays soft music in the background and doesn't have the loud background noises such as T.V.'s playing where you can barely hear yourself think. We are able to have a nice quiet meal and have quiet conversation. The meals and the staff are excellent. I highly recommend... more
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Glad we found Portage
June 16, 2014
We have been here three times now in the past month. First a quick bite of flatbread & wine,
second time, salmon and risotto (very good) hubby had steak ( he loved it) and then I had gnocchi; very nice with julienned vegetables in a butter sauce. Hubby had seafood linguini on a garlicy lemon cream sauce - delish! with...
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Cozy and romantic
March 04, 2014Enjoyed our 2 visits here! First time had a glass of wine at the bar with bruschetta before heading to a show. Second time had chicken parmesan with linguini, hubby had chicken with penne, salads and bruschetta with wine. Nice, cozy, dimly lit romantic dinner! Small dining area, we had made reservation at booking time. Enjoyed as much if not... more
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What a gem
December 20, 2013Wanted to let all know about the little gem I have found in Orillia, the atmosphere was romantic and service was excellent, very attentive and the food was amazing, I had the salmon and it is honestly the best salmon I have had out hands down. Hope all will take the opportunity to try this little gem, and I will... more
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38th Anniversary Dinner
November 13, 2013Meal was priced well and was excellent. Service was very freindly and most helpful. Very nice atmosphere.
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Amazing Food
November 06, 2013We love gourmet food, and the food there was as good, or better, than we've had at many fine restaurants.
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Good value, great food
November 02, 2013We liked the set menu choices and the prices. A very enjoyable evening with good food and good friends.
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Fantastic
August 20, 2013Just finished my baked chicken penne.. Amazing! Salmon was delicious and creme brûlée was one of the best ones we've ever tried. We arrived just before closing and the service was excellent (nobody rushed us out, server was very friendly and helpful, the meals were ready within reasonable time, etc.) It was my BD and after reading earier reviews here... more
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Vastly Improved
July 16, 2013
Much better Than before.
Presentation excellent. Appetizer amazing. Beer excellent. Polite waitress. Better and improved menu. Music and ambiance great.
You can tell that this restaurant is actually trying to serve good quality higher standard food, reflecting on new chefs would be my guess.
So yes I will go back! And perhaps take friends.
We live locally and dine in...
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Fantastic meal and service experience
June 17, 2013Perfect atmosphere, well trained servers, and food was excellent! Servers were polite, attentive and nice girls. Everyone should try this restaurant, you'll be returning every week. Had the steak, perfectly cooked and seasoned as well as the vegetables. My husband had the beef tenderloin and it was also cook to perfection. One of the best places to dine in orillia... more
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Bland, basic, boring
June 10, 2013
I'll keep this short and to the point...this might be one of the most disapointing meals that I have ever eaten (I left most of it untouched).
I ordered a glass of Malbec, ceasar salad, shrimp and scallop rissotto, and peach crisp. The main was brought out before I was even halfway through my salad. the rissotto was the worst...
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Favourite restaurant
May 28, 2013Fabulous food, friendly service, and a great atmosphere. The food never disapoints and we always look forward to an evening at The Portage. The service is always attentive and staff are very friendly and always accomodating. The new menu is refreshing and we have enjoyed many items so far. We would love to see management bring back the New Years... more
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New Menu Items
May 27, 2013Thoroughly enjoyed the new menu items - minestrone soup, pasta with chicken in cream sauce, garlic shrimp. The staff is friendly and helpful. A great experience.
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The best Resterant in Orillia hands down
April 09, 2013Once again I have had a fabulous meal at The Portage, the new dishes are to die for and I can hardly wait to go back. I had the Salmon with roasted potatos and a starbucks chai tea latte for dessert. I would highly recommend this amazing resterant not only for the food but for the best service and attention... more
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Ok Food, Slow Service
April 06, 2013We went on a first night of a Lake Country special menu in April ($20-30 per person for an app, main and dessert), they ran out of one of the four mains and one of the two desserts. Though a better dessert option was made available. The salad was good, main dish cream sauce may have led to a very... more
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Raw Salmon
March 09, 2013
We both ordered the salmon and it was raw inside!!! The pasta arrabiata tasted like ragu and we were not impressed with the service.
The atmosphere was nice but the food was horrible. The presentation is very pretentious, it doesn't match with the "italian dining". Terrible!!! If it wasn't attached to the Best Western, it wouldn't stay open!!!
Never again!...
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Poor Food, Disappointing Experience
January 30, 2013We stayed at the Best Western Saturday, January 24th as we were seeing a show at Casino Rama. We felt like Italian food so decided to try the Portage Bistro as it was right inside our hotel. The menu looked good. When we walked in the atmosphere was very nice. I thought we were going to be in for a... more
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Unseasoned food, and rushed service
October 19, 2012My wife and I just visited The Portage for dinner - Saturday October 20th. We arrived at 7:20, ordered our food and two cocktails. The cocktails came and then our shared anti-pasta. It had clearly been sitting in the fridge for a long time - all the bread was very soggy. We had that for maybe 10 minutes when the... more
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Delightful
August 20, 2012This restaurant is located inside best western Couchaching Inn. They support local farmers. Food was amazing! Reasonable price. Staff very knowledgeable. I was too full to try the dessert though. We were there mid week, and it was very quiet, but on weekends it can be quite busy. It is on route to the casino, and a great place to... more
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Uneducated server is a liability to the reputation of your establishment
June 21, 2012
My husband and I came to the area to celebrate our five year wedding anniversary. Worst mistake of our trip was taking advantage of the restaurant on site.
The server had absolutely no knowledge on her specialty coffees, and once I was done my drink, which was done before my entree arrived, I was NEVER offered a new one. In...
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Nice coffee and desert
May 08, 2012Cosy, comfortable lounge area. We shared the cheesecake trio and coffee next to the fireplace.
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First ever visit - probably my last
April 22, 2012As weekend cottagers in Orillia most weekends we took advantage of the Flavours of Lake Country event, to try it out. The restaurant is nicely decorated and inviting, but the food and service were average at best. A very nice, but inexperienced waitress served us and had difficulties getting the cork out of the wine bottle, which was no big... more
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Fantastic food
April 14, 2012Food was fresh, flavourful and downright yummy!! All in our party (8 total) enjoyed their meals. Definitely give it a try when you stay in Orillia!
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Great Pizza
April 02, 2012Great service, great food, and a nice place to go for a relaxing dinner. I love the veggie special pizza!
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Valentine's Dinner was great
March 15, 2012Treated my wife to a Valentine's dinner here. We were pleasantly surprised that they had a live singer/guitarist. The special menu was very unique, and we were pleased with our dishes and the overall service at this restaurant at the Best Western.
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Nice decor but the food wasn't up to snuff
December 14, 2011
We visited this restaurant based on the reviews here.
It's well presented, but you know it's a restaurant/hotel bar by the TV behind the bar.
The food was average at best, the appetiser we split: Breaded Brie with Strawberry Coulis was a small piece of cold brie with what appeared to be strawberry jam from the breakfast buffet. It was...
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Great place to eat
November 05, 2011I really like this restaurant. Good food and service, and fair prices. They had a special menu when I was there for flavours of lake country. Looking forward to going back the next time I'm in Orillia.
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I LOVE this place. Wonderful food, and its very romantic
September 06, 2011First of all, I never order steak at a restaurant because I'm very picky when it comes to steak, and I'm so often disappointed. I tried my husband's steak and ended up eating half of it because it was SO delicious. The chef is amazing! The waitress found it quite humourous when he ordered a second steak because I "wouldn't... more
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Poor service, poor quality food
August 26, 2011My husband & I shared the escargot appetizer... the mushrooms were small, extremely watery and had a very earthy taste...overall not a good experience. I ordered the surf & turf pasta... it was full of very plump scallops, 3 shrimps and an abundance of chicken breast pieces with a white sauce that was very bland. My husband’s pasta with sausage... more
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Maple Basil potato cakes all the way
April 13, 2011I recently had the pleasure of dining at the Portage while staying in Orillia at the Best Western Plus. Let me tell you, it exceeded all expectations.And considering that the full menu wasnt even available,due to a "flavour of lake country" promotion my wife and I had the oppurtunity to sample a creative and totally different dining experiencefor the great... more
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Over Priced & Poor Quality
April 05, 2011
My boyfriend and I ate here last night for the Tastes of Lake Country promotion that is currently going on. After I reading all of the positive reviews I was quite excited for our dinner date. I was less then impressed with this restaurant.
I had the "traditional" stacked boccini salad. I wasn't aware that the traditional Italian version of...
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My Favourite In Orillia
February 26, 2011The Portage Italian Bistro is always a highlight of my visits to Orillia. With a cozy atmosphere, welcoming staff and delicious food, the restaurant is a gem for locals and tourists alike. The pastas and thin-crust pizzas (including personal favourite Pesto Chicken) are almost uniformly excellent, but the real treat are the daily specials. It’s always fun to see what... more
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Cozy and yummy
December 30, 2010Enjoyed a dinner here with my parents. The bistro specializes in Italian fare. Being a lover of seafood, my Mom had the Fettucini Di Mare; so good she didn't even leave any for her usual doggie bag! My father took advantage of the Rib-Eye Steak, cooked just right with sauteed mushrooms. The thin crust Chicken Pesto pizza I had was... more
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great restaurant
December 15, 2010this was a great place, I highly recommended it!! This is a great place to go for any thing you would like!
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Hidden Gem
December 15, 2010
I can't say more good things about this restaurant. It is absolutely amazing; the setting, the service, the food, everything about it. The staff is extremely welcoming and accommodating, the service is better than I've ever received; you're greeted with a friendly smile and knowledgeable staff and your glass is never empty.
It is located outside of the downtown core...
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