Portobello's moved from South Main Street to the Taylor Building in Oldtown Salinas and reopened in August. https://www.chowhound.com/post/portob... It's a half-block away from the Steinbeck Center.
A week ago I joined a friend for lunch here. For me the breaded and grilled calamari steak sandwich on the light and chewy Italian flatbread.
A cup of soup or a side salad's included with a sandwich order. From the array in the display case, I picked the black bean-corn salad, one of my long time favorites here.
My friend picked the Cobb sandwich featuring roasted chicken breast, bacon, avocado and blue cheese, that looked good to me.
The new spot has a protected courtyard for dining al fresco. Now Portobello's has a full bar and also serves dinner in addition to breakfast and lunch.
Portobello's
150 Main St.
Salinas, CA
(831) 753-0797
Portobello's. 226 likes · 49 talking about this · 3 were here. Everything is made in-house, the greens and vegetables are all fresh, sustainable and...
A couple weeks ago I had a quick lunch meeting here. I tried the tortilla soup that was unlike any other tortilla soup I've had before. Instead of adding on fried tortilla crisps to a clear chicken stock, this was bisque-thick from pulverized corn tortillas. Deeply chicken-y and with a bit of a kick of green chiles, quite delicious.
Last month I was back at Portobello's for a business lunch meeting. The outdoor patio was a welcome venue for safely congregating in these pandemic times.
I had the clam chowder, as a the soup of the day. It's quite good, better than most versions on Fisherman's Wharf in Monterey. Barely thickened, very creamy and rich, plenty of clam flavor, but oddly large chunks of skin-on potatoes. I enjoyed my roasted eggplant salad though the tomatoes were anemic for this time of year.
Fwiw, the original owners decided to focus on their catering business. Taylor Farms now operates the cafe. No longer counter service only, table service is available for indoor or outdoor seating.
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