Portia's - A Fine Southern Restaurant is off to a good start. We stopped in last weekend for lunch after they'd been open for only a few days…and we were quite happy with the overall place. Portia's is located on Oakland Park Blvd., just East of Andrews. They took over the space of the Wine Cellar that had been open for years, but closed with a whimper months ago.


(Portia welcomes you to her table)

The inside is comfortable with booths and tables. There is a separate room on the side so I'm sure they would be more than happy to host a dinner party. The inside looks very similar to the Wine Cellar with the same 'tiffany lamps' handing from the ceiling along with the same layout. Booths looked re-done and there appeared to be fresh paint as well. We were sat immediately at a booth and were greeted by our server to take the drink order. Soda's come with only 1 refill (per the menu) and Iced Tea (sweet or unsweetened) are unlimited.


(Inside of Portia's)

After getting our drinks, they set down the freshly made 'cracklins'. I've never had them before, but was curious. It's basically fried pig skin, but not the same as a pork rind. These were dense and quite HARD. They suggested to try some with the hot sauce that was on the table. We did and found that they did go very well together. The one complaint on these free cracklins? They are way too hard. When I say hard..I mean hard. If you have crowns…you might not want to even give them a try. I like the attempt to Portia's made to try something different…but maybe fresh bacon cheddar biscuits would be another option?


(Fresh 'cracklins'...a bit too hard)

The menu is very 'southern'. With gravy and fried options. There are burgers…sandwiches and salads as well as a whole list of side items. The specialty is the 'Fried Chicken'…so yeah…they had to twist our arms to give it a try. You can order a 2 or 4 piece meal and each is served with 2 sides. The great thing here is that you can order whatever pieces you want. We chose the 2 piece meals and opted for 2 breasts….for the SAME PRICE! You can choose 2 legs…but it would cost you the same. The Fried Chicken is said to marinated in a special buttermilk mixture and then is coated with Portia's secret spices and fried fresh while you wait. It does take 20 minutes or so…but well worth it. I chose shoestring french fries and green beans for my sides. Jeff went for the fries and collard greens. They also mentioned that rather than 'fresh cracked pepper' or parmesan cheese on your meal…they will be more than happy to sprinkle fresh bacon on top! Nice!


(Portia's Fried Chicken on the menu)

We ordered soup to keep us busy while our chicken was cooking.  I chose the Chicken Noodle and Jeff chose the White Bean with Smoked Ham.  We only ordered a 'cup' size...but it was more like a bowl.  Huge.

The Chicken Soup was tasty and fresh.  The lump chicken was a nice prize in the soup too.  Carrots were also swimming in the soup and were not too mushy.  Overall...a nice choice.  Reminded me of home-made.


(Portia's Chicken Noodle Soup)

The White Bean with Smoked Ham soup was thick and hearty.  It was a bit salty..maybe from the ham?  I'm not a fan of bean soup, but this was pretty good.  Jeff really liked it.


(Portia's White Bean and Smoked Ham soup)

Our food came out hot and man…the portions are HUGE. The fries were put on a separate plate since they came out 2 minutes behind the other food. The chicken was crisp, moist and fresh. It was actually the moistest white meat chicken I've had in quite some time. The juice was getting everywhere. The actual coating on the chicken could have used a little more 'spice'…but I sprinkled a little hot sauce on it and it made the coating pop. We both really enjoyed the meal.


(Portia's Fried Chicken - 2 Breasts, with Green Beans)


(Portia's Fried Chicken - 2 Breasts, with Collard Greens)


(Yes...this is only ONE side of Shoestring Fries!)

The service was spot on and everyone was extremely friendly. The staff really is starting things off very well. We will definitely be stopping in again…and again..and again.  At a total of $35 (not including tip)...this was well worth the price.  A great value.  I hope they can keep the prices low and a few tweaks and they will be one hot spot.


(Portia's Bill - $35)

Portia's - A Fine Southern Restaurant location:
199 E. Oakland Park Blvd.
Oakland Park, FL

FTLToday Score: A