Solo Italiano

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

A Genovese Kitchen on the Maine Coast

Solo Italiano, on Commercial Street in Portland, Maine, is built on a simple conviction: let each ingredient sing. Executive Chef Paolo Laboa grew up learning the fundamentals of real Genovese cooking in his mother's kitchen, and that Northern Italian tradition shapes everything that comes out of his kitchen today. The restaurant earned "Due Forchette" — two forks — from Gambero Rosso International in 2025, one of the most respected Italian food guides in the world, a recognition that speaks to the consistency and integrity behind the cooking.

The Chef Behind the Plate

Paolo Laboa is not a newcomer to recognition. He won Best Young Chef in Italy in 1992 and took the Pesto World Championship in 2008 — credentials that reflect a deep, lifelong fluency in authentic Italian cuisine. His guiding philosophy is disarmingly direct: "Cooking is what I love and I want each ingredient to sing. Simplicity is my goal. If there are five ingredients, I want you to taste all five of them."

That philosophy plays out in sourcing that is as local and deliberate as you'll find anywhere in Maine. Daily produce arrives from Stonecipher Farm, Dandelion Spring Farm, and Olivia's Garden. Mushrooms come from local foragers. Fresh fish is brought in daily through Harbor Fish Market, Nova Seafood, and Browne Trading Co. Proteins — wild rabbit, duck, lamb, beef, pork — come from Valley View Farm and Farmer's Gate. Dairy and eggs for pasta are sourced from a rotating group of regional farmers. All breads and pastas are made in-house from scratch using traditional Genovese recipes.

Portland as a Second Genova

Chef Paolo moved his family east to be closer to the Maine coast, and the parallel was immediate. "I love having the sea in front and the mountains and forest in the back, and let's not forget the wonderful farming community," he says. Portland's geography and its serious farming culture reminded him of home in Liguria — a setting that makes the farm-to-table, sea-to-table approach feel less like a marketing phrase and more like a natural state of things.

The menu changes daily, shaped by what the farms and the harbor deliver. Gluten-free dishes and pasta are available on request. The result is a table where authentic Italian cuisine arrives not as a fixed idea, but as a live conversation between season, place, and craft — piano piano, as Paolo puts it. Slower is better.