Portabella Pizzeria Now Open in Port's Downtown

Drawn to the city for a love of the people, the new Portabella Pizzeria & Retaurant business owners are bubbling about being in business.

The pizzeria and restaurant opened its doors, 218 E. Washington St., to the public on Monday, and Owner Izzo Jonuzi told Patch the group decided to open the new dining option in Port because "we like the people here."

"The people are very friendly," he said. "Everybody's friendly. You ask for something, they try to help."

The name, Portabella, comes from Jonuzi's Italian heritage — Italians use portabella mushrooms in a lot of dishes, he said.

The restaurant had been a bit of a to the city for the business; those did come through before the restaurant's launch on Monday, Main Street Executive Director Sara Grover said.

Jonuzi offers plenty of enthusiasm for his new business, but it's not the first time he's owned a restaurant: he's operated a restaurant and nightclub in New Jersey as well as restaurants in Florida.

He came to Wisconsin to be near family in Sheboygan, where he currently lives — though he hopes to move closer to Port after business picks up. There are also a few more upgrades planned to the restaurant, including a revamping of the outdoor patio and the addition of tables and chairs for dining outdoors.

The menu features a variety of specialty pizzas — vegetarian, 5 cheese, white pizza — as well as pastas, seafood and chicken dinners. When asked about a standout menu item, Jonuzi points to Chicken Romano, a dinner featuring sauteed chicken, fresh mushrooms, fresh tomatoes, white wine sauce, mozzarella cheese and served with homemade pasta.

The restaurant delivers to Port, Saukville, Grafton, Cedarburg and Belgium for a $3 charge. Call 262-268-6565 for more information.