Amalfi's Restaurant

NE Fremont and NE 47th Ave

First opened in 1959 Amalfi's is a well established Italian restaurant specializing in pizza.  For all the years they have been around, they don't make their own pasta which puzzled me and perhaps discouraged me from going in on a few occasions.  I had recently read they were voted best pizza in Portland at which point I had to see for myself.  I have read other publications claiming one place or another was "the best pizza in Portland" only to find myself horribly disappointed and halting my subscription to the magazine as I believed it was paid advertising dressed up as a review.

 Having that in mind we went to Amalfi's with some friends and found they had their own small parking lot in back, which is a blessing in NE Fremont's busy restaurant scene.  We walked in and I was amazed at the classiness of this place.  I was expecting checkered vinyl table cloths with a few photos of Italy and New York City coupled with servers who didn't know Chianti from Cabernet.  What I found was an elegant dinning experience where the restaurant is divided between an adult area and a section where you could bring moderately behaved children.

 The menu had a variety of pastas and salads (we enjoyed Caesar salad) but it seemed most people came for the pizza.  There were several selections of full pizzas which we were able to customize. There were enough toppings added to fill you but not so much they slide off the slice when you pick it up.  The crust was done to perfection with no traces of sogginess but not so done that you feel it shatter in your mouth.  In all, a very well done pizza. 



I felt the meal was good and I would recommend coming here for a nice dinner, a birthday celebration, or to sit at the bar and enjoy a drink.    Not sure it's the best in Portland but it's pretty good.