Porta Via

Been here several times with friends for lunch over the years as its a great people watching spot and the food is decent and not total stupid BH prices. All these are still true...however  I went today for the firSt time in a year. After reading the recent reviews  about the service I have to agree. It's pretty bad...and by bad I mean awful.
  Made a reservation for 2 for lunch. We  were greeted by the hostess who said "good evening"...it was 12:30pm...  Soooo once we were seated we waited about 10 minutes for a water, asked twice for our waiter and then another 10 for her to show up. No hyperbole there either...20 minutes before the server showed up. I used to be a waiter and that place is lucky to have customers with that kind of service. Service is almost as important as the food. Especially at a nice place where the prices reflect the expectation of great service.  
  So food took a little while and no issues there. Had the mushroom lasagna. Well cooked and crispy on top. Nice and moist on the inside. I was content.  Then the real killer was when I needed a water and asked a passing server " excuse me could I get...." and then he made eye contact with me from about arm distance away and just walked by.... Are you kidding me? Sorry but that's unacceptable at a restaurant on Canon.
  I used to enjoy coming here but sorry ill take my money somewhere else. Get your act together Via Porte. The Internet has no emotions and bad reviews spread like wildfire on it. Cheers.

A friend invited me to a casual Sunday night dinner at Porta Via.

Having never been here before, I was impressed by the laid-back vibe in oft-snooty Beverly Hills. To wit:

The server was friendly and attentive, but didn't bug us. In fact, having arrived at 7 pm and still not vacated the place past 9:30 pm, which is after their closing time, the server kept reassuring us that we could stay as long as we wanted (even as they were counting the evening's spoils).

As for the food, I tried two of their specials the night I was there:
- A watermelon and tomato salad with feta and basil. Perfect summer salad with just the right balance of sweetness and salt. We'd asked to split it, and they brought the salad already divided into two separate bowls.
- Linguini with shrimp and cherry tomatoes. Fresh and delicious. The shrimp were huge and cooked perfectly, and there was a reasonable number of them.

My friend and I were very pleased with Porta Via. My only complaint is that they weren't open slightly later. The lounge-y place with outdoor patio directly to the right was still lively and bustling after Porta Via had already closed.

I'd return!

Nice place to stop by for a late night drink. Bar menu affordable with many options and the music was pretty good. I stop by for a drink and chat before heading off to dinner in the area or for after dinner drinks when I am in the area. I like their outdoor lounge seating.