DeNicola's, Powell
12 people recommend, 3 warn against itvia r/askportland, r/PortlandOR16 comments cited below
What people say, in short
DeNicola's draws repeated recommendations for old-school Italian-American food. One diner particularly likes the manicotti and generous servings, another praises the Chicken Cacciatore, and a further commenter recalls an enormous panzerotti. Other customers report bland pasta, disappointing value or a meal that seemed reheated. Some prefer the homestyle atmosphere to a more elaborate date-night setting.
Address
DeNicola's Italian Restaurant, 3520 SE Powell Blvd, Portland, OR 97202
At a glance
- Signature dishes
- Manicotti, Chicken Cacciatore, Panzerotti
- Best for
- Family
- Opinions divided
- Yes
The evidence
Every point below is paraphrased from a real public comment, ordered by how much the community engaged with it. Caveats and negatives are kept in — follow any link to read the original for yourself.
- Recommendsu/Own-Anything-9521 in r/askportland · Dec 2025ambience
Recommends DeNicola's for straightforward food and an old-fashioned atmosphere.
- Recommendsu/Iballss in r/askportland · Dec 2025
Calls DeNicola's a solid suggestion.
- Caveatu/whatisacarly in r/askportland · Dec 2025value
Says the spaghetti and meatballs cost a lot and are only Olive Garden quality.
- Recommendsu/Dear_Fall_6283 in r/askportland · May 2026
Lists it among tame spots for visiting parents with simple tastes.
- Mixedu/brrent in r/askportland · Dec 2025taste
Says it fits the casual Italian-American bill but is not nearly as good as Gino's.
- Caveatu/Famous-Hold-670 in r/askportland · Dec 2025taste
Went once and was served microwaved food; doubts it was a one-off.
- Recommendsu/jkutasz in r/PortlandOR · Jan 2026portion
Notes their panzerotti is subtitled calzone and was enormous.
- Recommendsu/nerdgeekdorksports in r/askportland · Oct 2024
Always enjoyed it, though hasn't been in about 15 years
Show all 16 cited comments
- Caveatu/Panbassador in r/askportland · Dec 2025taste
Found the spaghetti bland and thin-sauced and the ravioli like canned ragu.
- Recommendsu/FrobozzMagic in r/askportland · Oct 2024value
Improved in recent years; solid meal and prices now reasonable
- Recommendsu/Unfair-Pomegranate25 in r/askportland · Dec 2025taste
Calls the Chicken Cacciatore wonderful.
- Recommendsu/royalewithchees3 in r/askportland · Oct 2024portion
Loved the manicotti; generous servings, more family spot than date spot
- Recommendsu/auderita in r/askportland · Oct 2024
Names DeNicola's on Powell as their pick
- Recommendsu/ThePrimCrow in r/askportland · Dec 2025
Also good if you're on the east side and don't want downtown.
- Recommendsu/beanislands in r/askportland · Oct 2024
Great when you need excellent pasta, also good for pickup
- Recommendsu/myusernamewasatypo in r/askportland · Dec 2025
Lists DeNicola's among places to get classic Italian.
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Freshness
Details last checked 10 Nov 2026. Recommendations reflect what people said at the time; confirm current details before you go.