I haven't had an experience at a restaurant that combines setting and food as well as this one. Casa de Cha da Boa Nova is nestled between the rocks right off the Atlantic Ocean, about 30 minutes outside of Porto. When we arrived at 7:30 on a summer night, we got to experience an incredible sunset. For some time, they opened the glass wall that led outside. Watching the waves ripple onto the rocks while the sea breeze washes over you is a special experience, unlike any setting I've seen for a Michelin-starred restaurant. The 21-course menu made sure we were there long after sunset. Course 1: Sea urchin Course 2: Cheese bread with cod, olive, and parsley Course 3: Seafood cocktail with shrimp and corn My favorite of these amuse-bouches was the sea urchin, which had a fantastic crunch and cool plating. The last one had a unique combination of flavors and textures. Course 4: The Spice Trade (chili and nutmeg) The server brought out eight spices, asking us to pick two for the chef to make sea bass and mussel tartare (a cool nod to Portuguese spice trade history). The seafood was pretty good, but I couldn't taste the spices much. Course 5: The Bread Sourdough and cornbread with lemon/tuna-topped butter, oil, and salt. I liked the cornbread slightly more. Course 6: Chickpea cracker and coconut over lobster Really liked the lobster. The cracker was missing a bit of crunch though. Course 7: Amberjack sashimi and crab with green jalapeno sauce The amberjack was really damn good, feeling straight from the ocean. The sauce was also fantastic. Course 8: Oyster and nitrogen, along with tuna tartare and caviar Might be the single best oyster I've had. What's absolutely ridiculous though is the tuna tartare with caviar on top. Waves of umami and saltiness wash over you like the literal waves outside on the rocks. Course 9: Sea Bass in its Habitat Cool ocean foam plating. The sea bass is cooked. Probably my least favorite of the main courses, but great saltiness. Course 10: Snow Egg with pink prawn, almonds, egg, and lime foam Wild texture of air all the way through. It's really good. Course 11: Scarlet shrimp with head in chawanmushi Squeezing the raw juices straight from the head to drink was simply outstanding. Course 12: Crawfish with smoked crawfish foam and Jerusalem artichoke My favorite main course of the night. Raw, so soft, tender, and fresh (feels like they just caught this 30 minutes ago). Course 13: Sea bream, broccoli, foam, and juices of sea bream The [fish] [foam] [juices of fish] theme had gotten slightly old, and the flavor was a little lacking. Course 14: Squid Chanel Named because the squid appears like a Chanel bag. Solid. Course 15: John Dory and Endives in a vanilla sauce I didn't know vanilla sauce worked so well with fish. A fascinating bite turned into a wonderful dish. Course 16: Brownie with whipped cream and fruit sauce This is the best brownie I've had in my life, and it's not even close. Straight up an incredible dessert. Course 17: From Algarve with Love (Goat cheese, almond, sorbet, citrus fruit gel) Another amazing dessert. Goat cheese, crumbled almonds, and citrus sorbet is ridiculously good. Course 18: Chocolate, vanilla, sweet potato puree, and corn Pure flavor from the chocolate and vanilla was outstanding. Courses 19-21: White chocolate & plankton / Coconut & pineapple / Chocolate coins The petit fours. I did enjoy all of them. The staff was amazing and explained all the dishes really well. After course 14, we got invited to check out the kitchen. Before final courses, we sat outside for our petit fours, where they let us stay and talk for almost an hour after midnight. The price came out to about 660 euros for two people's tasting menu, plus two drinks each. They specialize in seafood only and do it very well; probably the best combination of seafood I've had at any restaurant. Most of it is relatively simple, but it thrives in that simplicity. It's an experience that makes you glad you spent the money to be there. 9.75/10 read more

Casa de Chá da Boa Nova - view - Seafood Near Me - Leça da Palmeira, 13

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I honestly don't understand how anyone could leave a poor review. These poor reviews made us weary but after tasting it, we were blown away. This was, without question, one of the best dining experiences my wife and I have ever had. We had just spent a week in San Sebastián and ate at three Michelin-starred restaurants that were all excellent--and this still surpassed every one of them. The experience, the flavors, the food itself--everything was on another level. Photos and words won't do it justice. All I can say is: go. read more

Casa de Chá da Boa Nova - I have many pictures, but this is the one that we can't stop looking at - Seafood Near Me - Leça da Palmeira, 13

VI Take Tasting Menu Absolutely. Phenomenal. There is no wonder Casa de Cha da Boa Nova has earned 2 Michelin stars!!! This tasting menu is much more protein focused than the lunch I had this same day at Antiqvvm, which was an interesting point of contrast. This menu was incredible--each piece of protein was prepared and presented in a way I never had before, had never even imagined it could taste this way. Absolutely mind blowing. Not to mention the setting of the dinner! The architecture of this restaurant is beautiful, and is set right on the water. We were here for a late dinner, unfortunately, but I imagine the scenery would be incredible during the day or right at sunset. Servers are incredible--they surprised me with the most incredible dark chocolate cake! And they have a fun boat-map themed wooden drawer of mini desserts at the end too. read more

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What a phenomenal experience we had here. The food, service, ambiance were all impeccable. We really enjoyed it and highly recommend a visit if you're in the area. The restaurant is right along the water, but it was dark out so we couldn't enjoy the view as much. I'm sure with some daylight, it's incredible. We did the full 21 course menu and it did not disappoint. There are also some fun surprises along the way. The staff was knowledgeable and accommodating. I asked for a recommendation of a Portugese wine with dinner and it was perfect. I'm really surprised this isn't a 3 star Michelin restaurant, rather than 2. Overall a lovely, memorable evening. read more

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A good restaurant that delivers on its 2 star reputation although the 21 portion was a little too much food. As you'd expect, everything was exquisitely prepared and had little touches, like a dish that's baked at your table, to make the experience fun and entertaining. Most of the dishes are seafood so come prepared. The only downside was it was just too much food. The smaller offering, 12 dishes is not enough either. I would have liked an 18 or 19 course instead but otherwise it was a great meal! read more

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Did 21 courses. Service was stiff, impersonal, novice, and not attentive. I was without water for many parts of the meal, although they were keen to always try to sell me more wine. Wines were ok, very expensive for the quality and taste. Som was the only staff that had any sort of personality. Everybody else seemed like they were trying to leave the table as soon as possible. Still hungry after 21 courses. Theres a lot of foam that was just ok. The keffir lime foam was good, as was the poached shrimp. Go to the other 2 star restaurant in Porto, it's actually a quality experience. This place is desperately trying to be alinea and does ok for the first 9 courses, and then just falls flat on its face, but charges you full price. read more

I can't recommend Casa de Chá da Boa Nova enough. It's imaginative, delicious, and a fun experience. Having had the joy of trying many Michelin restaurants, it's easy to say this was my favorite meal of all. The team here is also wonderful. They are friendly, on top of things, and introduce the dishes well. I don't want to spoil any of the surprise of the menu but go for the full 21. It's rare that a tasting menu of that size is delicious at every course. Here that's true. The view is beautiful, even at night. We were able to take a peek into the kitchen too which I always love. We'll definitely be back! Thank you to the entire team for a lovely evening read more

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Hubby always says that US Michelin's just don't stand shoulder to shoulder with those in Europe, and I'm starting to agree. Our friends recommended this place when it had 1 star and they said it was the best 1-star they've ever been to and for us, this was the top 2 star we've ever been to. In our opinion, it bested almost every US 3 star (and some European 3-Stars and world top 50s) that we've been to. This place has the most spectacular view of almost any restaurant you can go to. Good weather or bad (we were here on a dreary windy drizzly day), the view itself is worth the visit. It is strikingly similar to San Sebastian's Akelarre in vibe and decor. We got there right on time and we're first in at 12:30, so we got the best seat in the house with the only fully unobstructed window view in the main dining room. We overheard some grumbling by some neighboring frequent fliers about how we were at their table, but as proof of principle, the early bird definitely gets the worm. The menu changes, but the key things are that you are going to get seafood and more seafood and don't expect (hardly) any land animals. (There was a paper-thin sliver of wagyu on a crayfish and that was it). However, shellfish allergy and vegans don't panic, this is one of the rare restaurants of its caliber with a fully VEGAN tasting menu. You should ask for it in advance, but the reason why we know it to be good is that hubby's annoying milk/cream allergy was perfectly accommodated by vegetarian substitutions and there were zero complaints or jealousy from that extreme meatatarian. The 21 courses will stuff you and ALL of it was good. I honestly think that unless you eat like a bird, getting any of the smaller menus will leave you feeling unsatisfied. I admit there weren't any mind-blown show-stoppers that I will remember the taste of for life, but the consistency of the quality of every course is unmatched by few other tasting menus we've had - there were zero total duds. I would say that we would have happily eaten 2 more of 75% of the courses we were served if we could have. Also, the desserts CRUSHED it. All three were totally delicious and this is only the 2nd or 3rd tasting where the pastry chef didn't cop out and try to serve just a sorbet to avoid the dairy problem. We thought it was hilarious that I ended up getting a sorbet and he didn't (and it was a friggin amazing sorbet made from a tawny port). I don't drink, but hubsters does, and I haven't seen him this happy with a wine pairing in a very very long time. Our Som Carlos was so engaging, knowledgeable, easy going, and made us feel comfortable. As soon as he and hubs started geeking out about booze, he stepped up the pairing and it just kept getting better and better. In terms of value, this was the best 100 Euro tasting you're gonna find. He opted for the smaller tasting option because it's freaking middle of the day and he was driving, but man it sure didn't feel like a smaller pairing. 210 Euro/pp (without wine or gratuity) may be a very high number in Portugal, but compared to places in the US of this caliber, this experience is a steal. Finally, what sold us overall is that we don't have enough superlatives about the staff and service. We are not really into super stiff and formal service where you feel like you are being served, if you know what I mean. I don't need the fork to be exactly X number of inches from the end of the table. We prefer to feel like we are visiting their place and they are showing us a fabulous time. And a fabulous time they did show us. Don't get me wrong, the service was TIGHT, but with an ease that was most comparable to French Laundry and Gordon Ramsay - it just feels like they've been doing it forever and we're in their groove the whole time. Everyone from our server to the Som, to the maitre D, and even the Chef made us feel at home. This place is a definite must visit if you are up near the Porto area, and we really do think they deserve a 3rd star - but maybe its better that they don't, because it's great just the way it is and why ruin it? read more

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Everything about this night was perfect. The food, service and wine were excellent. The restaurant was simple but beautiful. Do the 24 course dinner. The plates are small but you get the total experience. There was not a bad thing on the menu and they made the experience fun. Go you will not regret this experience. read more

An amazing Michelin star restaurant with the best view of any I have visited. We started our stay in Portugal with a meal here and were not disappointed. We tried the 21 moments and loved every one of them: The wine recommendation were spot on as well. read more

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After winding through the bluffs that separated our Airbnb from Leça da Palmeira, the coastal city where Casa de Chá is located, we decided to stop at Praia Azul to watch the sunset ahead of our reservation. From the beach, we could see the deep dark coastal rocks that surrounded the restaurant. We could tell even from afar that the restaurant's location, perched on the edge of Portugal's coast, was deeply intentional. Once the sun set, we collected ourselves and made our final journey to dinner. The driveway curved slightly before revealing the restaurant's silhouette, a midcentury modern architectural beauty standing bravely at the edge of the sea. It's rich warm woodworking details, shallow roof and wide-set windows reminded me of our own "hometown hero," Frank Lloyd Wright. We were greeted at the front door and immediately guided to our table, which bordered a huge pictured window to the ocean. Everything was meticulously placed - the place settings, the table clothes, and the glassware - and yet it felt warm and welcoming. Having only eaten at Michelin star restaurants in France, it was frankly a welcomed surprise. The server came within seconds of us being seated, and the adventure began. We chose the 12 course tasting menu with a wine pairing, and were surprised with a bonus introduction: bread toasted over coals along with a Portuguese ale. (Did they know we were from Wisconsin?...) Each dish was immaculately plated. The portions, textures and complexity all followed a steady incline until we reached a prawn dish bursting with umami, and then, the pace slowed.. the flavors mellowed and we headed towards something sweet. Maybe I'd just had too many wine pairings, but it felt like the experience imitated the ocean's tide...Yeah, probably the wine. :P What made these dishes so special was not their perfection. It was the story behind each dish, which was shared with us through our server. It was really an emotional experience tasting each dish knowing what they meant to the chef. Passion was not even a question. Towards the finale, we were given the honor of meeting the man himself, Chef Rui Paula. He greeted us, asked us how our dinner went, and thanked us for coming. We left there knowing we probably wouldn't have such an experience again. A singularity we welcomed. But who knows, maybe we'll make it back. I certainly hope so. read more

The first thing you will surely notice when you get to Casa de Chá da Boa Nova is that will you be dining in one of the most amazing settings ever, with the restaurant sitting over the ocean in the beyond gorgeous building designed by world-famous Portuguese architect Siza Vieira. Once you're done with recovering from this insane location your emotions won't have a lot of time to rest, because you're also about to experience an insane piece of travel through Portuguese traditions and flavors, with the cuisine headed by chef Rui Paula being highly deserving of their two Michelin stars (if you're visiting from the US expect the quality to be in line with several three Michelin stars in the US since European thresholds are visibly higher). You have several different dating menus to pick up from, depending on how deep your belly can go, but regardless of your choice you can't go wrong - everything is as tasty and impeccable as you can imagine from start to end, this is an epic restaurant and an epic meal, that I can't recommend any stronger. read more

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Absolutely the best restaurant and the best meal of our life. OMG. We were impressed by all, the ambiance, the service and the food. This was once in a life time experience. We highly recommend this place. Just do it read more

It's located in cliffs with great view of ocean with interesting rocks. We came here for lunch and My BF was happy that there is a La cart menu since we had tasting menu at yeatman hotel last night and going to a another Michelin star restaurant tonight. I had two appetizers one with oyster and tuna the other was prawn from Algarve and both are my favorites. There was interesting between food which involved in board game and we got 2/3 right. My main course was lobster slightly smoked over the charcoal. My BF had sea bass which was great. My dessert was corn/coconut which was interesting combination. His dessert was " nun and two angels" and I see him scraping the bottom of the plate. The staffs were very nice and attentive. I highly recommend. read more

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We have never been to a place like this, and pretty sure there aren't many place like this. The view is the main drawing point, but don't let that take away from the attention to detail service, the complexity of the dishes, and of course, the experience. My suggestion is to book around sunset time, just to experience the colorful skyline while enjoying a great meal. The 12-course was definitely the way to go for a satisfying meal. Definitely a place to celebrate for an occasion and something more. Enjoy :) read more

Casa de Chá da Boa Nova - Seafood Near Me - Leça da Palmeira, 13

Our first Michelin star restaurant when we visited Porto, Portugal! A celebration dinner for my bday milestone. An amazing time from start to finish. The beautiful restaurant is situated right on the water, hearing the waves crash as we walk in to the most amazing ambience. We were greeted by the friendly staff as they showed us to our table. I was blown away by the beauty of this restaurant and couldn't stop looking around. Once settled, they brought over the menu and told us how the night was going to unfold. First, we had to choose 12 different (pre-set tapas style) items on the menu that we would want to try (they had 24 food items to choose from) since this was a food and wine pairing evening. All were Chefs selections and he would decide the true experience. At each setting we were brought out a different dish, where they paired the perfect drink (wine, beer, etc) If you decide to come here, be sure to make reservations ahead of time and definitely choose the wine pairing go with it...it's so worth it. Oh, and make sure you enjoy seafood since this experience was all seafood related. Here is a rundown of chefs selections: The start = seaweed butter with toast ----Amazing! The middle = Scallops with Beetroot, Clams, Sea Urchin brulee, Mussel Eclair, Sea bass (my favorite), Scarlet shrimp, Lobster, Codfish Stew (another favorite) The end = Canary melon with Aloe Vera, Late Harvest (simply the best) Overall: The dinner experience was delightful! I always now search for Michelin star restaurants everywhere I go, especially when it is in another country. The service was exceptional and we left with huge smiles on our faces! A definite must to check out! Cheers~ read more

Casa de Chá da Boa Nova - Clam, scallops, brûlée - Seafood Near Me - Leça da Palmeira, 13

Unbelievable dining experience! We did the 21 moments and enjoyed every moment. The setting is beautiful and a the staff were absolutely amazing. Highly recommend for an out of this world dining experience! read more

Casa de Chá da Boa Nova - Sardines and seafood taco! - Seafood Near Me - Leça da Palmeira, 13

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An appalling experience to say the least. I would not recommend this restaurant to anyone, beware! We didn't even get to try the food here because the service was so awful. What was meant to be a special night celebrating my birthday, turned into total chaos and ended with the chef and owner of this restaurant, Rui Paula, assaulting my boyfriend. When we were seated in the dining room, we simply asked if we could sit out on the patio instead. The waiter NEVER told us that they don't do food service outside. So by the time we'd had a glass of wine and over an hour had passed, we were very confused and asked why we hadn't been brought a menu. The waiter sent the maitre'd over (we still don't know why) and he approached us with defensiveness and snark. He made ZERO apologies for the miscommunication and actually turned it on us, gaslighting us and acting like we were fools for not knowing they don't serve food outside. And I quote "did you see anyone else eating out here? You never even asked permission to eat out here or see a menu." I'm sorry sir, I didn't know I had to ASK for a menu at a restaurant! We were so taken aback by his rudeness that we decided we didn't even want to stay to eat. Pay $400 to be treated like trash? No thank you. When we tried to leave (I was crying at this point in disappointment) the host stopped us and suggested we email the restaurant to complain, and went to get us our refund for the deposit we made on the table. He also offered to get the chef on the phone so we could tell him what had happened. I don't think he had any idea how rude the chef was about to be! When he handed the phone to my boyfriend, the chef didn't even ask him a single question about what had happened- he made it all about him stating "never has anyone ever complained about my staff or restaurant" he was very aggressive and my boyfriend gave up on trying to explain the miscommunication to him. He made the mistake of calling him "man" and not "CHEF" and this REALLY upset the guy! At this point the chef was screaming and calling my boyfriend a c*cksucker (I'm not joking), and going on and on about how important he was as a 2 Michelin Star chef, so my boyfriend put him on speakerphone and went back into the dining room so other patrons could hear the insanity. At this point I'd had enough and insisted we leave. But this place wasn't done with us yet... As we were waiting outside for our Uber, the chef actually showed up at the restaurant. He jumped out of his Range Rover, a tiny man in a white jacket, and approached us and got in our faces screaming "what is the matter with you!!!!" He was so upset that his appalling behavior had been blasted on speaker. He demanded we pay him for our table, screaming "I want my f*ing money!" The sweet host and the awful maitre'd were now outside watching all of this unfold from the steps. At this point my boyfriend slowly took his phone out of his pocket to record. Suddenly the chef lunged and dove at my boyfriend, attempting to snatch his phone. Purely reflex, my boyfriend pushed him away. The guy went flying and hit the cement wall behind him. Within a split second the valet guy had tackled my boyfriend and put him in a chokehold on the ground. I was screaming and crying begging everyone to just stop and let us leave already! The chef proceeded to get up off the ground and come over and started KICKING my boyfriend repeatedly in the ribs while he was still in a chokehold until the host and maitre'd dragged him away. I have never experienced anything this outrageous and dramatic in my whole life, let alone at a 2 Michelin star restaurant! We were shaken up for a few days after this experience it was so terrible. It felt like we walked into a trap! It's no wonder the maitre'd was so rude and argumentative, once we met the chef we understood. Clearly the staff at this restaurant is miserable under the management of this awful chef and maitre'd, that they are totally checked out and forget to inform patrons of simple things like the fact that food isn't served outside! Robotic really. This could have been a simple fix with a quick apology and a smile. Instead the staff chose to gaslight, argue, and assault us. We filed a police report about the incident. I would not recommend this restaurant to anyone, beware! read more

What an unbelievably fabulous meal/ experience we had here! Can't even keep track of all the courses we had since you got 3 starters and a pre-dessert and post-dessert. Just crazy awesome. The view, the building and space-- designed by famous Portuguese architect, Alvaro Siza. I'll let the pix do the talking, because the food was beautiful- little works of art, and a deal for such an experience (give yourself 2.5 hours). We went at lunch, where we were one of three tables and it was amazing. One of the best / most fun meals of my life! read more

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We had never been to a Michelin star restaurant, let alone a 2 Michelin star restaurant before we came here. Our minds we absolutely blown. I have never in my life tasted flavors so delicious. We were so spoiled. I was giggling the whole meal. We spent 5 hours on this dining experience and it went by so quickly we couldn't believe we had been there that long. This is a must-do if you ever find yourself in the Porto area - well worth the trip out of the city. read more

Just got awarded two Michelin stars but we were very surprised as we would give it one star not two. We ate at the Yeatmans gastronomic restaurant and would rate that a step above this one. The tasting menu is seafood and if anyone is allergic to shellfish you will miss out on 6 to 7 of the tasting options out of a total maximum of 21. 12 is the normal recommended quantity of their tasting menu. Their tasting menu was good but not great more of a single note morsels compared to complex orchestrated tasting dishes that you would find at the French Laundry. Good but we did not really have any single dish "wow" us which you would normally expect with a tasting menu for the price it was good as it was €270 for 2 with two glasses of wine read more

My husband said it best, "If I ever needed to conjure a patronus, I would think of our time here." This space is something special. We did the full tasting menu paired with libations. Believe me when I tell you that we are ruined forever. We'll never have a better meal. From the service, to the architecture... the FOOD... the VIEW!!!!! When they lowered the walls to expose the sea air I was convinced that I had peaked in life. It will never get better. Every wonderful moment I will compare to our time here. If you're looking to celebrate something special; or you just simply need a joyous meal -- this is your space. This is an experience I hope all will one day encounter. read more

Honestly I hate to give a bad review because the staff was great, but me and my wife both got food poisoning after the dinner which ruined the rest of our vacation. We are absolutely sure it's from the restaurant since we had fasted all day in anticipation for the big 20+ course meal. They sent us a survey after, we filled it out letting them know we got food poisoning, and got no response. The food was pretty sub par. It felt like one of those cooking shows where each dish was presented creatively but actually didn't really taste great. I don't remember a single dish that stood out. It was one of the few times I couldn't wait for the meal to end. It was my wife's birthday and I asked if they could do something special, just a simple candle on the dessert would've sufficed but they completely ignored the request. It was also 30 mins outside of downtown Porto so was not worth the trek out read more