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Ristorante Portofino at the Best Western Lighthouse Hotel

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Pacifica Wedding Location
105 Rockaway Beach Avenue
Pacifica, CA 94044
Contact: Catering
Phone: 650/359-0302, 650/355-6300
www.ristorante-portofino.com
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Ristorante Portofino at the Best Western Lighthouse Hotel

Why We Like This Place

You’re walking down the aisle, breathing in the fresh sea air. Just ahead, your betrothed watches you approach, smiling proudly. A hundred yards behind him, ocean waves crash in white peaks against a rocky bluff, then play out in gentle ripples along a secluded sandy beach. The western sky is turning an orange-purple as the sun sets. You hear a guest whisper to someone beside him, “What a view!” Without a doubt, you know you’ve picked the right spot for your seaside wedding: Ristorante Portofino in Pacifica.

The restaurant is located on the San Marlo Esplanade in Pacifica’s Rockaway Beach area. Butting up against the Pacific Ocean, this paved boardwalk gives you all the benefits of a beach wedding, minus the sand in your shoes. And while it’s close to the surf, it’s not so close that it drowns out the “I do’s.” The staff does a great job of staging your ceremony—they’ll even pull out special charts to help you synchronize your ceremonial kiss with the setting sun. Best of all, since Ristorante Portofino is in a sunbelt, the coastal fog rarely makes an appearance, leaving the view unspoiled.

Reception options abound here. You not only have the choice of renting out part or all of the restaurant, but you also have access to the event spaces in the adjoining Best Western Lighthouse Hotel. Built behind the restaurant, the hotel was designed to preserve Portofino’s charm, while ensuring that almost all of its guestrooms have an ocean view.

Within the restaurant the fireplace glows, antique red lanterns and nautical artifacts add romance, and guests have an unobstructed view of the ocean from every seat. For a small reception, reserve the semi-private area around the fireplace in the main dining room. The Boardroom, a private sunlit dining room, cries out “rehearsal dinner.” The Cove, Portofino’s most popular room, is right off the esplanade. Formerly a nightclub, it has a large built-in bar, a stage—ideal for an indoor ceremony or a band—and a tile dance floor. And there’s that vista again! If your guest list is too long for the restaurant, have your party in the Bounty Room on the hotel’s second floor. When used in conjunction with the adjacent Sea Witch Room (great for the buffet or bar), it can accommodate over 200 guests! Naturally the view plays a significant role here: Tall draped windows across the entire oceanfront wall frame the crescent-shaped beach and vast sea beyond.

Another beautiful sight besides the ocean is the food at Portofino’s. The restaurant’s world-renowned chef, Giovanni Galati, has been in the business over 24 years. His creations include 45 kinds of homemade pasta and his signature dish, a unique seafood cioppino combining crab legs, mussels, clams and shrimp in his own “Red Bone Sauce.”

After the last dance, you don’t have to get in your car and drive home. Included in any of Ristorante Portofino’s special event packages is a room in the hotel for your wedding night. Why not splurge a little and upgrade to a Beachfront Junior Suite or the luxurious Presidential Suite with a Jacuzzi tub! San Francisco is just minutes away, making this restaurant/hotel a convenient choice if you’re inviting out-of-town guests. Plus the staff make it so easy to plan a wedding here, one couple flew in from Florida to tie the knot.

Everyone likes to relive a wonderful experience, and at Ristorante Portofino you can do just that. Simply return every year on your anniversary: When you share a candlelight dinner and take a walk on the beach, those sweet wedding memories will come flooding back to you.

Capacity

Ceremony

Reception/Special Events

Meetings

Max. Seated Indoors: 150
Max. Seated Outdoors: 150

Max. Seated Indoors: 180
Max. Seated Outdoors: 0
Max. Standing Indoors: 200
Max. Standing Outdoors: 0

Max. Seated: 150

CEREMONY & MEETING CAPACITY: The restaurant holds up to 150 seated guests, indoors or outdoors.

EVENT/RECEPTION CAPACITY: The restaurant accommodates up to 180 seated or 200 standing guests.

Fees & Deposits

A nonrefundable room deposit is required to reserve your date. The balance is due 2 weeks prior to the event. Rental fees range $325–1,200 depending on space rented. Meals start at $48+/person. Tax, alcohol, and a 20% service charge are additional.

Availability

Year-round, daily, 7:30am–midnight.

Catering

Provided

Alcohol

Provided

Site Uses

Ceremonies
Wedding Receptions
Special Events, Parties
Business Functions/Meetings
Rehearsal Dinners
On-Site Accommodations

Services/Amenities

Catering: provided
Kitchen Facilities: fully equipped
Tables & Chairs: provided
Linens, Silver, etc.: provided
Dance Floor: provided (built-in)
Restrooms: wheelchair accessible
Bride's Dressing Area: CBA
Meeting Equipment: CBA
Parking: complimentary
Accommodations: 97 guestrooms
Telephone: in sleeping rooms
Outdoor Night Lighting: yes
Outdoor Cooking Facilities: no
Cleanup: provided
View: panorama of ocean

Amplified Music

Indoors
Outdoors
w/ Restrictions

Wheelchair Access

Wheelchair Accessible

Site Views

Coastline
Mountains
Ocean/Bay
Panoramic

Site Type

Waterfront/Beach Location
Banquet Hall/Events Facility
Restaurant
Hotel
Waterfront Facility

Restrictions

Alcohol: provided
Smoking: outside only
Music: amplified OK with restrictions
Wheelchair Access: yes
Insurance: not required

Contact: Catering
650/359-0302, 650/355-6300
www.ristorante-portofino.com
Email or request more information for your event from Ristorante Portofino at the Best Western Lighthouse Hotel

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