Cucina Porto in Pyrmont

Good food thats just under the Star hotel

The atmosphere and the waitress are great. The food is pretty good - we had few pizzas and pastas. Overall is amazing experience, yet there is room for an improvement on food department. Cheers Food : 4/5

Terrible. Nothing about this restaurant was good. Average service, horrendously bad food and overall a huge disappointment, especially because I seldom get to take my girlfriend out. I wish I had simply left when the olives came out. The fact that they were dry was a bad sign followed by the calamari which was small nd didnt seem fresh. Certainly not juicy.... I should have cut and run. Avoid!

Amazing service, delicious food, and great vibe.

+ Nice, large restaurant conveniently located across from the theatre and suitable for a pre-show meal + Enjoyed the Margarita Pizza + Efficient and friendly service Food : 4/5

Food was amazing and great service from all staff but in particular Vinnie.

We are from Ballarat and came here not knowing what to expect . The food was lovely but the service from miley was great . We could take away what we couldn t eat and went home with a full belly . Thanks Milley for a great night out in Sydney ! Food : 5/5

Convenient pre-show dining option right outside Lyric Theatre. The food was delicious and well priced and the cocktails yummy. Good service too

Very cool spot with excellent food. The staff was a little weak but nothing crazy. It s difficult to find from the casino but worth it.

A suprise, wasnt sure it would be any good, but great service, fantastic food and flavours, nice pace meal. Really enjoyed it.

Average food in a reasonable price. Love the pasta. Desserts are so-so. Food

Stopped in for lunch, I had the Fettucine ai Frutti di Mare. The Mussels were underdone. I had 1 octopus, small white fish, and the pasta was overdone. Friends at the table had the Ragu, where the pasta was underdone. Service was good, although no one checked in after service until we were ready to leave. Atmosphere no air conditioning, when asked we were told it would take 15 minutes... Overall an average experience.

We love the food and the service. We will def come back to try the pizza and the other food.

Excellent Italian food

Just an unsatisfying experience.

My husband and I dine there last night food was amazing,the only thing my husband ordered a steak which was a little on the small size for the price, but other than that it was a lovely dining experience. And I must mention our lovely waitress Anna, was so lovely and helpful. Great service and food.

Great service. Quick and efficient for late diners, extremely professional. The ambience is very pleasant there. An excellent dining option for after a show at the Lyric Theatre.

Hubby and I dined here on a friday night after being turned away the night before as it was booked out. Lined up for 15m before we were served and felt the service was very rushed, like there wasnt enough staff. Food was beautiful, couldnt fault it, but it all felt very rushed like a production line, mind u it wasnt booked out, that was our experience but didnt affect then food at all. Food was very reasonably priced and if u have a star card from casino u get 10% off. 4 stars

Great food and fast service!

Amazing food, ordered a very delicious pasta and pizza. Service was very ordinary. Maybe not the place to take someone for a special occasion unfortunately but the food when you get it is bang on. We were seated and not offered drink menus and no one took our order for half an hour. The drinks (a beer and wine) then came well after the food. We were keen to order more food (tiramisu for dessert :( ) and drinks but no one served us, so we just paid and left. Not the great birthday dinner I was hoping for.

This was our second visit to this restaurant. We came to celebrate our anniversary and were given a table by manager Purvang even though we didnt book a table. The waiters didnt look passionate enough and service seemed little rushed. Purvang suggested a good wine with the food and it felt like he was the only one working in the restaurant with pace and enthusiasm. Hope they hire more good staff like him.

Very Good pasta and very big portions

Would love to rate the food, however, we didnt get the opportunity to! Went to the casino and while we were waiting for our membership cards to be ready, we thought wed go here and have a nice dinner. Unfortunately, this was at 9.30pm and the kitchen had already closed for the evening!!???? Unbelievable considering this was a Friday night, casino was full of people, and no good restaurants open. They missed out on so many diners who were in the same boat as us - looking for something nice, but ended up at the horrible Turkish takeaway place around the corner.

I used to love this restaurant; it was my go-to option, but not anymore. I made a reservation for 15 people, and I understand that even if only 12 showed up, we still needed to pay for 15. However, when the staff tried to take away part of our table, saying, Only 12 people, right? why would you do that when were still paying for 15? Secondly, the customer service was really poor. One staff member told me, You still need to pay for 15 people. I understand that; its not my first time dining here. However, they should learn how to communicate better with customers. Third, all the staff were standing near the kitchen. I made eye contact multiple times with the head chef who was standing there, but he didnt even attempt to call a waiter to assist me. Lastly, we asked for tiramisu with candles for two of our colleagues who were celebrating their birthdays. We specifically pointed out which ones were having a birthday, but when one of them went to the restroom, the waiter still brought the cake for both of them. This shows a lack of common sense. And LOL, the food quality has really gone downhill. It s not what I expected compared to my last dine-in. I don t know if the chef is different or what, but its definitely not the same. We paid more than $160 per person for what? Bad food, poor service, and the worst customer service :) And to top it all off, they also pressured us into giving a tip Im very disappointed and won t be coming back.

Beautiful food, great service

Great service, great food, great ambience. Vegetarian options: Great veg options. Food : 5/5 |

Good experience overall

We came for dinner last night 12/9/2024 with booking at 0745 under the name of Hamilton. And it was for his birthday. But we were served with extra salted prawns and under cooked ink squid pasta. It was uneatable. We told out waiter when we asked for our bill. He just gave us the bill and express nothing and did nothing. We are very unhappy about your service.

Waited 40 minutes for food everybody got served within 15min . veil overcooked.

Entree was lovely and pasta was great. Our amazing waiter Florian was so hospitable.

10 out of 10 first time dinning and must say will definitely be back and highly recommend to tell all I know about this place not only is the service spectacular and the atmosphere but the food breathtaking not to forget the passion fruit cocktails ;) and live music

Probably one of the worst Italian restaurant experiences I have had. The stone bread and pizza we had was great, very tasty, lighty and fluffy but dont get me wrong, that is nothing to boast about as every second Italian restaurant does the same, most even better. The (squid ink pasta) Tagliolini Nero ai Gamberi was decent and very flavorsome but that didnt make up for remaining experience which was a total let down. The biggest let down was the Schiaffoni al Ragu and the zucchini flowers, the dishes were rushed and came out SEERING hot and oily, no taste whatsoever, the zucchini flowers were burnt in a dark batter that had fallen apart in the fryer, it was just drenched in oil, to hot to eat and when we could eat it, all you could taste was the oil. Service was dull and the atmosphere lacking, the only time we had any passion from staff was when it came to pay and luckily I had a voucher and points on my star membership to cover the whole atrocity because otherwise I would have just walked out without paying.

I quite enjoyed the gnoochi I ordered here! I also thought the prices were fairly reasonable considering this was a location in the city. The atmosphere is also very lively for dinner. Would definitely recommend if visiting the Star.

White Truffle & Hamilton season! We had an amazing time at this Italian restaurant before our Hamilton show! The truffle pasta and pizza were fantastic, and the service was super friendly and quick, even with our group of 15. Cozy atmosphere and delicious food highly recommend!

Our family had dinner at the restaurant last night and my wife had the Ocean Trout fish. She shared the dish with our son and through the night, both were violently ill, vomiting and upset stomach. They are both still struggling to recover. The other 2 diners are fine, so it can only be attributed to that one dish. This was extremely disappointing and stressful and must have something to do either with the quality of fish purchased i.e. old, or the fish must have been left out for some time. It is hoped that no other patrons will have to experience the same outcome. Regrettably, we will not be returning to this venue or recommending it to friends.

I had never gotten food poisoning before eating here. Never have I been so sick I went with my family for dinner and should have known not to go near any fish products as every time a dish passed us containing fish, it smelt old and decaying. I was a little suspicious of how quickly each meal was served after order (felt like they had pre-prepped - not freshly made). My mother ordered the trout (pretty expensive for what showed up) and was unable to finish it. I finished the last of her portion (biggest mistake I could have made). By the time I went to bed 1.5hrs later I felt like I had been literally poisoned. Dizziness, sweating and the rest of the night vomiting with intervals of sleeping on the bathroom floor. Would absolutely never recommend this place and you could not pay me money to go back.

nice place and quite authentic Italian cuisine.

The best authentic Italian food I have eaten in Sydney. So great good sized serves amazing pizzas and other dishes,and reliably priced.

Delicious food ! Friendly staff! Loved it, we will dine in there again for sure

I had an absolutely fantastic dining experience at Cucina Porto! The food was simply delicious, with every dish bursting with flavour and prepared to perfection. The service was equally impressive attentive, friendly, and efficient. From the moment we walked in, we were made to feel welcome and well looked after. I highly recommend this restaurant for anyone looking for a memorable meal. Cant wait to come back!

Amazing experience at Cucina Porto! The Burrata and Stone Baked Bread were delicious starters. The Truffle Pasta was perfectly cooked and full of flavor. Dessert was a standout with the Nougat Parfait. The staff were friendly and attentive, making great recommendations. Perfect spot for a pre-theater meal or a special night out. Highly recommend!

Thus far, they have not failed to deliver a decent experience foodwise

Excellent food and good service!

Very good service by Miley. Fantastic foods dedicated by Martino, great atmosphere surroundings! Vegetarian options: More vegan options?

Absolutely disappointment. I was a guest at the Star Grand. I called to ask what time they close, and the hotel told me 1045. I walked in at 913 and the lady at the front said they are closed. I asked what time they close and she said 930. However. Website says 10pm daily. This was on 7th July.

Food was perfect and waitress was amazing super friendly But I just want to complain about host who face customer at the first. She was rude Except for her, it was 10 out of 10 For your business, you need to retrain your staff

Amazing meal. Loved it. The service was outstanding

We had a course meal for a celebratory event with a large group of people and while they were nice and accommodating, I have very strong opinions about the food itself. I normally take photos at every new place I eat, but this time I didnt because most of the food looked unflattering. But I never judge food by appearances only, so I tried every single dish they served us. It was quite impressive... how there was something wrong with almost every single one of them, even though we had like 10 different varieties. Lets start from the appetiser/antipasti. The garlic stone-baked bread was saltier than the dead sea. The smoked ham wasnt smoked at all, it looked and tasted like straight out of a deli. The cherry tomatoes with spicy pork sausages had a mild spiciness, but no sausages in sight. The olive-oil glazed bread was soggy because it was way over-drenched with the olive oil, and had also been sitting in the kitchen for a while before served to us. The deep fried calamari with their special sauce was the only redeeming item of the whole first course. Now moving on to the mains/secondi. The two pizzas had a decent dough base, but both of them felt way too oily. They also just didnt have much flavour that stood out, so in summary they were quite mediocre. The lamb ragu had really dry lamb. The spinach ravioli had sauce that was more akin to pasta water than sauce. The salad had an overwhelmingly sour dressing. The crispy chips were the only thing that I would consider edible from the mains, but why are chips part of the main and not the appetiser...? The mains menu also just had an overarching problem of consisting of way too much carbs which made it felt too heavy to eat after the appetiser. Finally, there was no dessert course. What kind of a course meal doesnt finish with a dessert?? With all that being said, I cant in good faith recommend this place. Being nice and accommodating is one thing, but serving bad food is another. Vegetarian options: They have vegan pizzas and pastas, and salad. Dietary restrictions: They are very accommodating to those who have dietary restrictions. My friend couldnt eat gluten and they served him gluten-free food.

Great pre theatre restaurant

Ive had plenty of poor service over 20 years in Australia, this place lowered the bar yet again.

Excellent lunch deal $29 select main and glass of wine. Delicious stone bread too.

Great food and amazing service

I have been here many times, but this is my first review. Because it is delicious, I recommend it with five stars! real! The original flavor of stone bread is delicious, and I love capricciosa for pizza. The pasta is average, and the service staff is very friendly. If you have the star membership, you can get an extra 10% off. Love it

I have to admit I had high expectations for an Italian restaurant at The Star, as you have to put a card down for a reservation and a 50 dollar cancelation fee per person but for me and my mum it was a just a good experience. It was packed for having just opened at 5, and we arrived and were sat by 5:20. We immediately ordered with a busy waitress who was very patient and efficient. We ordered two pasta dishes, the porcini mushroom ravioli and the ragu, the rosemary bread entree and the side of green beans with two limoncello spritz. This all came together, which surprised me as I at least thought we would get the bread first. The ravioli was beautifully plated, generous in portion and cooked to aldente but needed salt, the green beans were perfectly salted with almonds, the bread was so soft and perfect in balsamic and oil. But the lamb ragu pasta, which tasted like rosemary, had almost no lamb in it and the portion was a small. There was little parmesan on it or any presentation. Our mains came within 6ish minutes, before even our cocktails, it felt very rushed. It was a very busy Sunday night, and as we were seated near the bar we could hear one of the waitresses yelling Service! throughout dinner for the amassing cocktails. I work in hospo, and have never had to yell that during a busy dinner shift when you have at least 8-10 floorstaff, there is a bell for a reason but I get it if its busy. It kinda ruined the atmosphere though. I probably wouldnt return especially after reading all the other reviews that have similar experiences. Also did not agree with the lack of a no tip option when paying card and the fact that 10% is the lowest option. There wasnt much service other than the waitress taking our order, no one checked back with us on our food.

Disappointing food (bland pumpkin ravioli) but fabulous attentive service.

The woman at the front desk who acted like she owned the building was extremely rude to the waitresses, even pushing one out of the way. My guests and I were shocked. I was tempted to say something but decided to keep quiet to avoid ruining our night. The food was great, and the service from the waitresses was excellent, but this womans behavior ruined an otherwise good evening. If the owners read this, I would be more than happy to identify her.

Good, wouldn t go back. Pasta was served over cooked and half the meals were served 5 minutes earlier than the rest of the table. (4 pax total) Service was slow. Food

Had the beef and lamb Ragu, burrata and bread - they were all very nice. I also had an espresso martini which was very well prepared. Service was good. I would come back.

Amazing Italian food. They dough for bread and pizza are divine. Five stars

Amazing- staff were brilliant and food was close to perfection. They did make a small mistake which they owned, and apologised with a free meal (I promise this isnt sponsored!!) Would recommend for a classy dinner before the theatre. Vegetarian options: GF and DF options ($8 extra though)

Came here for lunch and enjoyed the Burrata, dome bread, and other antipasto dishes. The food was superb, high quality, and refined. Service was impeccable with a great vibe throughout the restaurant. Would definitely recommend and return.

A quick meal before the show at the Lyric. Convenient, food was good though due to the busyness we didnt receive our alcoholic drinks until we were 3/4 through eating out meal. After initially ordering it was a little difficult to get staffs attention.

Lunch order of Cappella Pumpkin. Main meal- 5 pieces the size of 50 cent piece. Sprinkling of chopped walnut and less goat cheese, with a drizzle of sauce. On a huge plate.Really at $32. That is just extortion .Do not order this dish! Then to top it off the girl could not add up my meal $32+ my wine $13 (another rip off),as we were paying separately. Never again

Super disappointing experience for a birthday. Very inflexible business and being told different rules from different people. It seems nobody knows their own rules. Food was ok but some of the dishes were a bit of a miss. Really enjoyed the tiramisu and the kingfish though. Probably the only 2 standout dishes.

Food was reasonably good not outstanding particularly for that price point. Pleasant staff

Absolutely fabulous lunch before our show. Service was great, Miley our server was marvelous.

One of the best places Ive eaten

Great food , waitress terrible , couldn t take a simple order , entree plates and used drinks we had to ask to be removed. Would have been a nice experience but the service ruined it unfortunately.

Kelvin shared his knowledge and recommendation with a natural ease and great care. Thank you for a great start to our evening out. Dietary restrictions: We were asked whether we had any

Highly recommend thus delicious Italian restaurant. Menu was excellent and the food was amazing. The price was hugely reasonable- surprisingly. If you are at Star city - it s a must!

Ate here with a friend before seeing a show and the food was great! We really enjoyed our meals

*** Highlights: Cosy place, simple menu and the staff was very nice *** What we liked: The oysters, the bread with the tapenade!! Prosciutto and pastas *** Recommended? Yes for family or friends wanting to spend quality time in a smart casual setting

I had this amazing waitress today named Milk. Not only was the food delicious, but the service was top-notch! She was super friendly, attentive, and made sure we had everything we needed. It really made the whole dining experience even better. I would definitely recommend her to anyone looking for a great dining experience.

Amazing I had my sons 18th birthday dinner and it was perfect. Food amazing service amazing thank you! I have been back several times since and it is consistent with great too, staff and atmosphere.

Had lunch here today.. what a horror show. Our drinks were what seemed watered down, zero flavour. Then the food came out... what a waste of over $200 spent. The pizza was flavourless, wet and sloppy. The steak at $56 was 2 portions the size of a 50c piece, over cooked and chewy. The pumpkin brushetta was the star, 4 small portions though. The gnocchi was average. Extremely disappointing

Lovely. Service was very enthusiastic Food was good but as it was only a pizza can t expect it to be amazing. Looks like a diner from the 90s inside Food : 4/5 |

The food was good, not surprising though. The ink pasta was my favorite. The service was average. I booked a table for five and what we ve got were two small tables with 5 sets of cutlery. The table next to us also had 5 guests and they got the suitable size of table. When I asked if we could move to the appropriate table and I was told that no bigger table was available and the table was for five because they put five sets there! Very disappointed so we ended up squeezing together to celebrate my birthday Anyway, we liked the food there. But the restaurant could have made the night a better experience

Absolutely gorgeous food!!! But the experience was topped off by the amazing service from our waiter Romee. She made sure we always had our drinks topped up with wine and always asking if we needed anything. May seem like something simple but service of this quality is hard to come by these days. We can t wait to come back again and see Romee

Lovely atmosphere for Italian food inside the star casino. Great spot to have a meal before going to the lyric theatre

Terrific! Such a good Italian food stop! Oysters are a must and the lamb ragu is amazing! Has a nice amount of meat not like most places that are stingy and over charge! Amaretto sours

Delicious Italian food with warm atmosphere. Lovely pizzas and pastas.

Dined at Cucina Porto during a quick stay. It is a quaint restaurant with dimmed lighting worthy of a classic Italian movie. And the stars were the food - we ordered oyster degustation (fresh), zucchini flowers, calamari (tender), wagyu fillet (cooked right), asparagus (delicious), seafood linguini (pasta al dente) & pair of desserts (which were too sweet for our liking). Overall a solid dining experience & would suit a date, intimate dinner with group or to celebrate special occasions.

Beautiful food. A little too expensive!

Nice interior deco, very aesthetic. Food was lovely but not mind blowing. i liked the kingfish crudo and the antipasti was nice. My drinks and cocktails were fantastic. Overall the food was good but no flavours i haven t seen before.

Great experience

Great

A decent restaurant inside the star. Food portions were big. Fresh ingredients, service was really lovely.

A reasonable italian restaurant. Went there for dinner with 4 people from work. We all had a good time and enjoyed the food. Service was fine.

This place has gone downhill sadly. The food was mediocre this time, we felt rushed to eat, mocktails terrible. Then we were forced to leave a set price tip! There was no option on the eftpos machine to say no tip !! We won t be back again.

Do yourself a favour and give it a big miss.. nothing Italian here.. get you in and out an onto the next it seems.. food is second class we were told our pizza is meant to be served cold when we questioned it, oh sorry we were meant to advise the staff taking orders to advise people of this.. then offering it to us no charge.. ragu was average all I could taste was rosemary. Plonked down on our table, no condiments offered or Parmesan. All staff rushing around, everyone looked like they hated their job. Atmosphere very dull and my cocktail was served in a tall glass, same as the soft drinks going out. I questioned this, again met with some garbage excuse. Left and went to the local kebab shop which was leaps and bounds on this place.

Good

Great pizza! And amazing service at lunch time! The flatbreads are amazing as a little sharer and super light. Food

Average over all 5.4/10 and here is why please see full review with pictures on my TikTok Jarryn13, Staff very good but not super impressive 8/10 oysters very good got two dozen9/10, Pizza 5/10 Pasta 1. 3/10 Pasta 2. 6/10 Rib eye 3/10 too much source too western Bill $450 not worth the price for the food much better Italian around that price! Not to be harsh just honest. Wouldn t go back unless it s simple drinks and oysters before going to the CAS

Dined Friday night at 7:30pm - it wasnt overly busy but staff took very long to do anything or get drinks, take orders. Had to ask several times for water and to follow up on a previous waiter. Pumpkin bruschetta was absolutely foul, borderline inedible - untoasted bread, several table spoons of ricotta and maybe 10 tiny half cooked square pieces of pumpkin. We had to ask for salt and pepper. The rest of the food was fine, though it took over 30 minutes from entrée. We ordered 1 x pizza, chips, salad and asparagus. We would have loved to order the calamari but when we asked if it was whole octopus the waiter said yes, but it came out as a mixture of rings and pineapple cut pieces. Very disappointed overall.

Great meal. Excellent service.

Food is relatively ok but the restaurant is average at best and really not worth it. Pizzas are nice, pasta choice is limited, zucchini flowers are greasy with heavy batter. However, the atmosphere and service is dismal. We booked and was told that we could not book earlier than 7:15 because it was busy. Arrived at 7pm to find and 1/4 full restaurant. Only a third of the seating area was full and we asked to be seated in a specific area but was told we couldn t sit there. Instead they put us in the noisiest section with clanging from the kitchen, chefs giving orders and a central pint for all of the restaurant noise.. As a local, we could come down every week but not after this service .. awful ! ! If you are looking for good Italian in the pyrmont area, go to Norton which is about 10mins away .. better food, service and atmosphere and they will accomodate to requests

Well, The price was surprised as it is pretty reasonable for location and interior, but the food taste was not impressive, and I sorted or thinking price just matches... The ingredients are not special or fresh... Very nice and friendly staff, and good location for night out. I might recommend if you want to pay for the atmosphere.

Food great, no complaints. Busy at the weekends and hard to get a table if there is a show on at the theatre.

Had a lovely dinner here the food was fantastic but what made our evening even better was the amazing service give to us by Kelvin

Thats a fantastic experience! It sounds like a delightful dining experience with generous portions and flavorful dishes. Fresh oysters big size! Very great suggestion to friends looking for a tasty meal. Can t finished pizza must be share with friends! Food

Average Italian cuisine with over priced wine (350% on retail). Silly RSA rules where you can only have one drink per adult on the table. They wouldnt let a glass of wine breathe on the table while you drank your beer. Wouldnt go back

Really nice dinner, great food, great location, great service by our waitress Jane. As an Italian I was really happy to enjoy some nice Italian cuisine, I ll definitely be back!

Save your time and money and avoid this restaurant! Came to celebrate a friend s birthday. Right from the start, our waiter was blunt and rude. She had no personality nor did she have any customer service skills. For an Italian restaurant, the food wasn t very tasty at all. The baked bread was the only nice dish. The ragu pasta was mediocre. My husband took one bite of the cheese pizza and did not eat anymore. Not one of the waiters asked if there was an issue or if we enjoyed our meal. We waited for a long time to get the bill. The staff avoided eye contact so it was nearly impossible to call them over. After grabbing one of the staff members attention to get the bill, she was confused. Then, one of the waiters had the audacity to ask for a tip after the horrible service we received.

We are staying at The Star, our first night here we went to Cucina Porta for dinner. The service was slow at best, we could not understand our waiter, and it wasnt just us, I over heard other asking him to repeat himself. I ordered the Seafood pasta, which was okay . My husband ordered Veal Scallopini. He is a chef and knows his product. First he said it was not veal, second, it was breaded and tasted deep fried, to a crisp. Who would ruin a nice piece of veal, like that. Culinary Porto does. When it comes down to it, a roast chicken from Coles beat out this meal.

Kelvin was an amazing waiter! Fantastic service

Had dinner with a banquet selection for a work event recently and everything was great! The food was just delicious and service was wonderful. Well done team and a special thanks to Romee whos service was outstanding!

Dined here this evening, great food and excellent service always a treat when I m in Sydney :)

Lovely meal, wonderful service & convenient position.

Food ok, but uncomfortable in the star complex - no view Service tried hard

kelvin is an absolute champion so informative about the menu great service super kind and professional made our night. Thank you Kelvin

Nice place, quick service, great desserts and good food

Food and atmosphere was fantastic. Our favorite was definitely BK our waiter ! Awesome service relaxing enjoyable dinner. Vegetarian options: Pasta lots of vege options. Dietary restrictions: Very prompt response asking about diet restrictions. Wheelchair accessibility: Easy access for anyone.

All great except the fact that it is near casino. Not really romantic atmosphere

Kelvin was a great server !! Very attentive and made it a very smooth and lovely time. Food was good, I enjoyed the beef eye fillet and the atmosphere is very nice and made it very easy to sit and chat with my friends for a while. Lovely experience all in all!! :))

The service was great! Kelvin was very attentive and very helpful with his suggestions. I will come here again

Ist time at Cucina Porto it was good

Had dinner here Christmas night and was not disappointed.Having seen the menu and prices before arriving I expected a little bit fancier than the chairs and seating that was on display as well as the somewhat cheap paper napkins.On the good side the lighting made for a nice ambience.Ordered the Scampi and Zucchini flower as an appetizer and both were decent..The mains ordered were both pastas- one squid ink linguine Christmas night special and one seafood linguine off the regular a la carte menu- and both pastas were excellent- al dente and very tasty with fresh seafood & ingredients.The cocktails- especially the Baileys based Truffle Gold were delicious and highly recommended.Dessert was Tiramisu and a generous portion was served- perfect for 2 to share.Service was a highlight- very friendly and informative- and a big shout out to our server whos name was Tip - a very appropriate name as she certainly deserved and received one.

We booked Cunina Porto for our family Christmas lunch this year as everyone wanted to take a break from cooking and hosting at home. We booked the a la carte menu for lunch rather than the special lunch menu as we wanted all the options. The standout dishes were the kingfish crudo and the beef & lamb ragu - these were both incredible. The kingfish had a bright, zesty taste and the ragu flavours were rich. The blue eye travella was also a great options. The crumbed veal was okay but the Italian sausage and lentil main was a bit weird as it s served cold. Overall a good experience as the service was great and there is a nice atmosphere in the restaurant. Small things would improve the experience, replacing the paper napkins with linen napkins at a bit of separation between the tables as there is a fast gaps in areas and some tables are squished together. Parking: Casino parking available for guests. $30 for before 6pm and $35 if entering after 6pm

Absolutely outstanding Christmas lunch.

Fair spot for a pre-musical lunch, food and service were good.

The last 3 months I have often visited. I am disappointed that the service standards haven t improved. Twice in Nov & Dec 23, I made a booking using the portal for 9.30pm. We were taken to our seat & told the kitchen closes in 5 minutes & must order without being given adequate time to peruse the menu. we ordered antipasto & mains. The food on these occasions were good, but all the food was brought in one go stacked on top of each other leaving no room for drinks. Our order was a glass of water, a soft drink each. burrata, tomatoes, oysters, stone bread & 2 mains. Our main got cold while we ate our entree. We weren t given a chance to order dessert, coffee or soft drinks. Another day we arrived at 6.30pm with no reservation, it was empty & we were told that they are fully booked & can t stay. After pleas to management, they said pizza only We were there til 7.30pm & in this time only 8 guests arrived, yet we were told that the restaurant was at full capacity. Clearly we were lied to. The female at the front was rude & abrupt, she was a tall girl with long hair. On Tues night I went to do an online booking, there were numerous spots Available from 7.30pm to 9.30pm, I put my credit card details & the system had an error message, I tried again & every spot was now closed. I spent 30 mins with the team who told me they will make a booking for 9.30pm. We were refused entry by the male person at the front, he said the reservation is not existent & his kitchen is closed, yet we observed meals still being served from the kitchen even 15 minutes later. Apparently the kitchen closes every night at 9.15pm precisely, yet, I am able to make a reservation for 9.30pm. On Wed night I made an online booking for 4 people as the system was not showing availability for my party of 5, the lady at the front was pleasant & accommodating, the restaurant was not full, but as per the online booking system, it seemed they were. We ordered our meals & thought we would finally get proper service this time, we ordered our entrees & main meals, the meals were all delivered in reverse, our main came out 5 minutes before the entree. A huge disappointment was the size of the main meals, they were half the size of what is normally served (equal to kids sizes) When I raised my concerns about the size of the meals, (the ragu had 6 pieces of rigatoni) , 3 individual wait staff all agreed that the portions were not consistent with the normal sizes served. I acknowledge that the manager on duty offered to fill the plates to the normal level, 3 out of 5 plates were returned back to the kitchen & came back out with the proper quantity. we asked for 2 soft drinks at 10.15pm & we were told the bar was closed. our food was being delivered up until 10pm, so this goes completely against the kitchen apparently closing at 9.15pm. I have some serious concerns as how a business of this size based in a world class casino continues to operate. My recommendations as a hospitality manager are as follows. - train staff in proper customer service. - If kitchen closes at 9.30pm, ensure your last booking is at 9pm - Do not dump all the food, main & entree in front of patrons expecting them to finish everything in 30 minutes. - Advise your guests that last drinks are on offer - Ensure that even though you are nearing closing time, you continue to uphold your regular serving sizes for your meals. - Don t rush your guests. - you operate on the grounds of a 24 hour casino, that has live shows almost every night that finish around 10pm, extending your trade till 12am would be beneficial for both your business & patronage. On Wed Wicked was on, when the show finished, over 30 people (in seperate groups) wanted to attend your venue & were turned away, considering there are no other feasible food options nearby for the guests of The Star you are charging to provide goods & services, but you re not. To make matters worse, after the last visit, 3 of 5 ppl who ate at the restaurant on Wed night now have gastroenteritis. Very disappointed & hope you lift your game

Always good. But my favourite brussel sprouts no longer on the menu

I dont recommend it at all, very far from real Italian restaurants... the waitress who puts on a forced smile and sulks as soon as she leaves. Served 2 minutes after ordering, it makes you wonder if the dishes are already prepared and reheated. Tasteless pasta and pizza. AVOID

Nothing Italian in this restaurant. Bad pizza and horrible ham. Unpleasant service, a waitress with glasses seemed very bothered to serve us. We will never come back here.

Since its a restaurant inside a casino, the prices are reasonable and the quality is high. We came as a group of 7 without reservations. Its a popular restaurant that you cant enter without making a reservation, so this challenge was reckless. However, this time I happened to have a seat available and was able to eat the a la carte menu. Im not very familiar with Italian cuisine, so I wasnt sure what menu to order, but the staff listened to our requests and skillfully suggested dishes. All of the dishes that the staff served were delicious, so I ended up ordering some more. All meal orders were served fairly quickly. I was also happy that when the food came out, the staff would say things like, Please take your time, and Please enjoy your meal. Restaurants around Darling Harbor are expensive, so enjoying delicious food at one of these restaurants while sightseeing at the casino will save you time and money.

Served by Kelvin - absolutely mouthwatering food, but our favourite part was the service! And great gluten free options too. Thank you! Dietary restrictions: Plenty of GF options!

Had a lovely dinner tonight . Food was amazing . Full of flavours . Had the best customer service from Ivan . Went above and beyond to help us .

Food was quite impressive. Fresh, tasty and authentic. Definitely returning.

Overpriced restaurant at the star. I ate here before a show and was disappointed. However the pizzas people ordered looked good and were probably best value for money.

Was looking forward to dinner at Cucina Porto for our last night in Sydney. However, left very disappointed with our experience tonight. The host turned us away at 8pm on a Saturday because the restaurant closes at 9:30pm. Restaurant was not very busy and there was clearly at least 6 tables available (which we pointed out to him) but we were turned away none of the less. Can t understand why a business would turn away paying customers, rather than be accomodating. And to add to this terrible service he very snooty about it. Clearly he was not having his best day, but also shouldn t be greeting guests.

Kelvin was AMAZING! Great service, would love to have him as our server next time:

The Florentine Steak and the Waygu are fantastic. So much flavor and so tender.

Pizza is bad. I expected more.

Great service and even better food!

Service was good. Didnt have an Italian feel. The food would have been amazing if it wasnt for the salt. Ssooo salty. Not sure if this is normal as I havent seen it in other reviews. I love salt but I found it hard to finish because of the salt. Shame because it looked delicious.

Good food, polite waiters/waitresses, would highly recommend coming here Wheelchair accessibility: Very accessible for wheelchairs Food : 5/5 |

We had a quick dinner before a show and we could not have been more thrilled.

Upset with customer service and experience while waiting and serving. Delayed, served others before us several times. Food

Tonight we are going to see Wicked. We didnt book a table anywhere, this place let us have an excellent table close to the kitchen. They were prompt to help us with food and drink, without pressuring us at all. Miley, our server, has been by far one of the best servers Ive every had. The food was absolutely wonderful.

Kelvin was our server and was very good. Great food and good service. Would come back again.

Food was lovely, staff were friendly and helpful, especially Kelvin, who went out of his way to deliver us exquisite service! Would 100% recommend!

Some of the best Italian food I ve ever eaten, shame about the service. The waitress greeted us as we asked if they were still open for lunch, of which the response was of course . When we sat, the new waitress was very quick to tell us the kitchen was closing and we had to place our orders (no issues). We ordered food and a drink. When mains arrived, we asked for another drink and were told no, they close at 3 (time 2:55). When we finished our mains, another waitress asked if we wanted dessert (very confusing as we couldn t get a drink with main and it was past 3). The food though, was absolutely beyond expectations. Very very delicious and made up for the service.

Kelvin was awesome, service with a smile

Kelvin and Daniella had great customer service. Lovely people

There are plenty of better Italian restaurants here in Sydney. The service was fantastic and the cocktails were great but the food was nothing to write home about unfortunately.

We decided to dine here before a show as we had read good reviews. Unfortunately, it did not meet our expectations. The starters were good; the burrata and the bread were the highlights of the meal. However, the mains were disappointing. Both pasta dishes were bland and lacked flavor. Weve had better pasta at more affordable prices in other Sydney restaurants. If youre looking for a good Italian place, youre better off going somewhere else in the city.

My grandfather and I go to this restaurant every few weeks and we love it here! The waiters are super kind and helpful especially tip

We were bitterly disappointed with the quantity of the food served . The zucchini flower was battered and deep fried and the filling was like paste with absolutely no flavour at $9.00 each I was shocked . The calamari tasted like flour , normally my husband would finish what was on his plate but not this time. The seafood linguine was pasta with over cooked poor quality protein which was like rubber so the pasta was the only edible thing on the plate . I explained to our waitress how I felt about the food and said I wasn t expecting another meal or anything off the bill but just wanted to let them know the quality of food they were expecting their dinners to pay for. I m normally not one to write a review but felt that I needed too after reading that some dinners gave this restaurant 4&5 stars. I can only say after dinning here I wonder about the authenticity of these reviews.

Thank you Kai you made our dining experience enjoyable.

Kelvin was a great host, very diligent and helpful recommendations

Kelvin was fantastic! Thank you for the wonderful service entree to desert! Parking: Easy to get to Food : 5/5 |

Lovely food and great service Thanks Kelvin Food

Kelvin

Plain and bland food for expensive prices. But quick service

Food was delicious and we received wonderful and attentive service from the lovely Kelvin! Highly recommended A+++

Food was incredible, burrata with the stone baked bread and the calamari was AMAZING!!! But the superstar of the evening was Kelvin, he was friendly, had great suggestions and the food was soooooo quick. Definitely recommend!

How does this have such a high rating? The fish that we ordered came out within 40 seconds of ordering, no exaggeration. Impressive service, except that its clear they are just bashing the food out like its all being microwaved. The fish was dry and barely at temperature. We got a nice enough ragu, given the expectations after the fish, however the gnocchi with mushrooms had dirt in it. That was pretty disgusting.. gritty in your teeth.

Was over charged for items on the menu and when we questioned it they said it was recently updated but they hadn t reprinted the menus yet, but we were still charged the higher amount hmm not inclined to return.

Absolutely beautiful service and beautiful food every time every time Ive been!

Food was delicious, service was great, ambience was calming BK who was looking after our table was very nice and patient with us. He took many group pictures for us, with lots of effort. Had a pleasant time overall

Food was delicious and we didn t have to wait long for it. Lovely restaurant. Staff were great, especially our waiter Skinny Milk who was fabulous and gave us wonderful service. Would highly recommend this place.

Wonderful experience, upmarket but reasonably priced. Thanks for the amazing service Kelvin!!

Great great food, service is impeccable the attention of the staff is on point

Great friendly service from Kelvin! Looked after us very well!

Too many waiters on 1 table and that decreased instead of increased efficiency and attention to detail; bartender had no idea what a common cocktail ingredient was or whether the ingredients were available; prawns were incredible; pizza was stingy af with cheese - had to ask for parmesan to add flavour to the tomato.

Had an amazing experiance the waiter suphakom was incredible and the food was delicious makes me want to go again

Food was small servings, very pricey but tasty. No sides are included with the mains. Service was dreadful. We had a table of half dozen people. Staff attended to take orders and then left after only taking 3 orders. We had to chase staff to place more orders. Drink orders placed at the start of the meal had to be chased numerous times. We were missing one setting at the table and staff only attended this partway through entrees. There were plenty of staff working but it was very disorganised and managed. There was no one designated to each table. There are plenty of other food options at the Star. Try somewhere else.

Great food and the service was good.

We got takeaway some food last night. You gave me a completely different food. And we had a salad while we were waiting for the takeaway food. The long-awaited salad was another salad. The salad was eaten there, so I could eat it as I originally ordered, but the takeaway food failed perfectly. Ive already arrived home and I couldnt try to exchange it.

Other reviews about fast food joint are accurate. Turning tables as quickly as possible food arrived within 3 minutes of ordering. No great service to speak of everyone focused on getting you out the door. Pasta inconsistently cooked, bland soulless flavours, tiny portions. They tried pulling the no bottled sparkling water but we have $6 sodastream water is available . Avoid, your local Italian restaurant will be much better.

Overall a great experience. The venue was quite loud with many loud conversations happening. The only dish I have comment on is the bruschetta, the bread felt a bit so chewy & the whole thing was overpowered by the overly generous ricotta. The other flavours couldnt shine through.

A very favorite restaurant!

The food, service and atmosphere were wonderful. We have eaten here twice and found it to be excellent on both occasions. Food : 5/5

Great lunch option before a show at the Lyric theatre. The food was very delicious (especially the calamari!) and the food was very quick to arrive, which was perfect before the show started at 1pm. The desserts didnt quite hit the same level of quality as the entrees and mains, but still above average. There was a slight issue with the final bill but the way that the staff handled it was exceptional. They went above and beyond to resolve it. It is a measure of great customer service when an issue arises in how it is resolved - they exceeded our expectations.

Great dining option from when you are visiting the Star. The Italia bread with some burrata and prosciutto is delicious.

Friendly staff, Great service. Thank you BK Suphakom for giving us awesome recommendations.

Sat down in a nice restaurant, it looks great. Ready to order, I spoke to a waitress, and she said she d be back. However, she didn t return, so I had to flag one down 10 minutes later. The gnocchi was bland with no flavor, and the veal tasted like it came from Coles. It was so tough; I struggled to cut it. While it s a nice place, I wouldn t come back.

Food was so good and came out very quickly!! Kelvin was our waiter and so friendly and attentive.

Had dinner pre show and service was very attentive and food was great although smaller size serving of pasta and pizza was more on the cold side when it arrived. When paying the bill was told I had to tip? Not sure why as tipping is voluntary.

Pasta was el dente and the service was fantastic. Our waiter, Kelvin was attentive and worked diligently whilst serving us.

Tip was friendly and made our dining experience very pleasant

Surprisingly good restaurant . Delicious and consistently good . Highly recommend

I dont usually write low reviews but I think its important to be honest and constructive. The pizzas ordered from Cucina Porto had properly unleavened dough. When eating them you notice a rubbery feeling (chewy) and a raw sensation on the palate. The ingredients are fresh (ham, vegetables etc). If they can improve the base it can become an excellent pizza!

Pasta was good but also have ordered chips according to menu, it says crunchy chips however it came soggy..But service wasnt that good. Some of the staff werent friendly at all.

The food was great, the staff are greater. The toilet is outside down the mall past the gelato and the bubble tea places. It was very loud in the corner we sat.