Basta's Trattoria

Bastas has the most amazing happy hour menu I've experienced in Portland. The staff is always professional and friendly, the food is always delicious, and the $3 happy hour house wine is always superb. Pros: Great food and wine / Friendly staff more

I hadn't been here for a few years and came back to entertain some out of town friends. I was lucky enough to share in their dishes as well. We had ordered Pollo Crocante, Bistecca di Manzo alla Griglia and Ciuppin. The crispy chicken was perfectly seasoned and cooked as was the black angus steak. The chicken outside was crispy as promised without any hint of oil and the inside was moist, tender and flavorable, very unexpected. The black angus steak was thick, tender, juicy and perfectly seared on the outside and medium rare as ordered on the inside. It was a sizable and flavorable portion of beef. This was my third Cioppino in as many restaurants in two months. The first was at The Fish Grotto. Seafood ingredients were meager and bland, while the broth was outstanding. The second was at Dan and Louis Oyster Bar. The seafood ingredients were considerably better, but the broth (while good) was not to my taste. The Ciuppin at Basta's was overall the most favorable. Seafood ingredients were of even higher quality, quantity and taste and the broth was a good compromise between the first two. This meal was a knockout winner and I won't be waiting a ""few years"" before returning. Cost wise it compared very well when considering portion and quality. You could pay a little less or a whole lot more at other restaurants, but I think you'd be hard pressed to find a better experience no matter the price. The service was likewise outstanding. Friendly, knowledgeable and attentive, but never to the point of being intrusive. more

One of my favorite restaurants - service is always excellent and the menu delivers consistently pleasing and aromatic items - the chicken is to die for -- great cioppino too. The atmosphere is a touch dark and austere for my taste (particularly when some of the competition is really stepping it up a la Fenioulle (?) etc.. Highly recommend it to anyone. Pros: Wonderful menu, superbly cooked, good service Cons: a touch dark more

The most rude owner and service I have ever encountered. Mediocre, overpriced food on top of it. If you want a terrible eating-out experience, Bastas. and its hugely rude owner, Marco, should be at the top of your list. Pros: Location near other good restaraunts so you can get a good meal somewhere else. Cons: Everything. more

I've been going here for more than a decade and I'm always pleased. Carpaccio is delicious, lamb chops always please me but not always enough, clams with pasta are tastey, love the bread they serve with the meal. Nobody gets a 10 from me but Basta's is very close to my limit. Love them! more

I have been to Basta's numerous times and every dish (every time) has been outstanding! The service is always impeccable and the atmosphere is warm, romantic, and comfortable. This place will definitely stay on my Top 5 Best Restaurants in Portland list for a while! Pros: Fabulous service, food, and atmosphere more

Basta's is by far my favorite Italian spot in the city. The service is always fabulous, as is the food and the drinks. Whenever I'm at a loss for where to go - I head to Bastas and they NEVER disappoint! I highly recommend this restaraunt to people who are looking for something Italian besides the same old plate of pasta (the spaghetti con vongole is my favorite) and who don't want to spend a fourtune to have a nice romantic dinner. Pros: food, service, atmosphere more

Basta's has changed! Ok, it was 1996 when I last visited the place and I didn't like it. During 2004, at the urging of a local winemaker, I've had dinner at Basta's many times and I've been very happy each time. This isn't ""fill your stomach with pasta"" Italian cooking. Rather, the bolognese has been cooked slowly, the panna cotta is made light and rich, the sauces are very tasty and complete. The setting allows two to hear each other, but it's not a morgue. The wine list has many options and the bar provides a nice list of scotch selections. Being a cook myself, this is my new favorite location for real Italian cooking. Pros: Peaceful dining, Great food, Good wine list more

My friends and I would agree, we did not find much to be satisfied about our dinner at Bastas. The food was uncommonly bad: seafood didn't seem to be too fresh as did the quail. Accompanying vegetables were clumsy. Rissoto was obviously precooked - or overcooked. Service left a lot to be desired: we were not presented the same array of specials as other tables around us, the server spilled red wine over the table and failed to clean up or change our sets. The table, in the patio area, was uncomfortable. So what's good? The wine list is interesting though repetitive. The bar is nice, and dining indoor can be romantic. Pros: decor, location Cons: , food, service more

I went here with my girlfriend for Valentine's Day and we had a great time. I had the Pollo del Scallopine and would recommend it highly. My girlfriend had one of the other chicken dishes and she enjoyed it. This place, I must admit, is a better Italian restaurant then Ristorante Fratelli and a little cheaper. The dinner was topped off by a shared slice of chocolate mousse cake that is uncomparable. The only thing I didn't appreciate was paying $6/glass for wine and only getting the glass filled half way. Pros: Great food, Romantic, Chocolate Mousse more

I recently had a very large B-day party here...23 people! At first I cringed about how we'd get everyone into such an intimate restaurant, but they put us in the side room with windows draped in grape vines. Our waitress (who handled us alone), did an excellent Job! All our entries arrived together, and each dish was superb! What an elegant atmosphere! Pros: great food, good service, accomodated lg. party Cons: Parking more

It's very cozy and warm atmosphere. Friendly service. If you like grapefruit juice and cocktail, try 'greyhound'. Good mixed drink. Nice place for a date. Pros: Service Cons: Parking more

I'd opt for the many other choices for Italian; however, this place was good enough to warrant a return. We had some very good mussels in a yummy dipping sauce, some truly unique and delicious gnocchi, and some oily, sub par polenta. Don't get the mango martini; nice bar area. Pros: gnocchi Cons: polenta more

Super atmosphere and solid food. We have been going since they opened and have never had a bad meal or experience. You cannot miss with this one! more

Basta's has only disappointed me. I went there on advice from CitySearch and a recommendation from a close friend. What a waste. It would be better off as a Tastee-Freez. Cons: food, environment, price more

My husband and I go to Basta's at LEAST twice a week, and we have yet to have a bad time. The servers are nice nicest people one can know, the food is always great, and the atmosphere is the best around. We bring all of our out-of-town and in-town friends and family. Basta's is one of the best places to be in Portland! Pros: Fab Service, Wonderful Food, Best in Town! more

My boyfriend and I eat here maybe twice a year. Not that it is expensive but because the ambience is overwhelmingly romantic. I get giddy thinking about it. I recommend going on a weeknight. You will get a great seat. Have a steak...but do not skip the buttery, garlicky, melt-in-your-mouth mussels. One time the waiter was nice enough (the visit before last) to tell us that they were too small and he rocommended something else. If you don't like garlic...don't come! And if you do come...you both or all must eat garlic. more

Upon reading the reviews on this site, I made a reservation at Basta's. I asked the hostess on the phone if she would get a white rose for my wife, as it was our anniversary. She ran down the street to a florist and bought a beautiful long stem rose for me which was waiting on a secluded table upon our arrival. The food had tastes that tantalized every portion of our mouths. The only problem that I had was parking. Pros: food, service Cons: parking more

I personally loved this place. The food was excellent and the fresh breads were so good that we inquired to buy some for home. I ordered the duck in fettuccini. Very delicious. The price is average for this kind of fare and the ambience is warm and intimate. Pros: Delicious, Intimate Cons: Slow service, Parking, Crowded more

Ok, I love this place....every item is delicious. My husband always orders the linguine with clams, and they rim the outer plate with about a gazillion clams. I get a pasta/shrimp dish, and they aren't stingy with these succulent fat little shrimps, there are literally 15 or more....who's counting, I get so full! The ambiance is nice, the parking lot a veritable luxury in NW, and the waitstaff is always very nice, helpful, and in good humor, even late at night. In the winter, the duck fettucine is simply divine....I LOVE THIS PLACE! more