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A longtime Mountain View restaurant has reopened with a new name and cuisine – but its future remains uncertain.
Family-owned Mexican restaurant Los Portales closed in February after 34 years, citing a decline in customers, rising costs and plans to turn Moffett Plaza, where the restaurant is located, into an apartment complex. But about a month after closing, the Puga family decided to reopen their restaurant as Il Portale, an Italian concept at a similar price point to Los Portales.
While the Pugas haven’t received word on when they’ll have to leave Moffett Plaza, they hope to continue business there for as long as possible.
“We’re definitely rolling the dice and putting all our cards on the table,” Sara Puga said. “At this point, we have nothing to lose and just wait it out.”
The Pugas decided to rebrand their restaurant to Italian, citing the high prevalence of Mexican food in the area and a dearth of Italian.
“We wanted to do something a little different … and just try something new while we can,” Puga said.
The new menu features antipasti such as calamari and meatballs ($10-$15), pasta dishes including lasagna and spinach-ricotta ravioli ($18-$23), entrees such as chicken Milanese and grilled rib-eye steak ($24-$38) and desserts including tiramisu and limoncello cake ($10). A small kids’ menu features chicken strips, pasta pomodoro and pasta alla Bolognese ($10).
Puga’s top two favorite dishes are the linguini vongole, a garlicky clam pasta with white wine sauce, as well as the build-your-own fettuccine or gnocchi option, where you can pick between Alfredo sauce, pesto or tomato sauce as well as your protein ($18-$23).
While not traditionally Italian, Il Portale still offers Los Portales’ signature margaritas. The beverage menu also now has Aperol spritz, negroni and Italian beers such as Moretti and Peroni. The Pugas also modified the ambiance to match the menu overhaul, with Italian art now decorating the walls.
“The food has changed, the vibe has changed, but we’re the same people and same family,” Puga said, noting that the staff is the same.
For those who miss the flavors of Los Portales, the Puga family is still offering the catering menu from the previous restaurant as well as a secret menu of top sellers from Los Portales. Puga would not divulge the specifics of the secret menu.
“We like to keep it that way, because we don’t want people to get it confused,” Puga said. “We are an Italian restaurant now, but we do have some of our old classics.”
While the Pugas don’t know for how long they’ll be allowed to stay at Moffett Plaza, they hope that Il Portale does well enough that they can eventually reopen the restaurant in another location. The family is also working on getting a taco truck and reopening Los Portales elsewhere.
Il Portale, 430 Moffett Blvd., Mountain View; 650-968-0453. Open Monday to Thursday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 4:30-8:30 p.m., Friday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 4-9 p.m. and Saturday from 2-8:30 p.m.
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