The portions are huge, so you definitely get your money's worth, and the food is always really…read moregood. You honestly can't go wrong with the kale soup to start it's full of flavor and tastes homemade every single time. Everything came out hot, fresh, and seasoned perfectly. The staff is friendly, the atmosphere feels comfortable, and it's the kind of spot that makes you want to keep coming back. One of the best parts is that they're open on Mondays because it feels like every good restaurant is closed that day. If you're hungry and looking for good food with big portions, this is definitely a place to try.

My daughter and I dined here last night. Our server was great and the food was outstanding... the…read moreprice though. Wow. For the taste, value and the amount of food served my bill was super low. We shared everything from the caldo verde, fried quail appetizer (six something bucks), and flaming sausage to the branzino special to the chocolate mousse desert. Everything tasted homemade and scrumptious. I will definitely be back. I love Portuguese food and Chaves did not disappoint. Run here!

Nice location and staff but spotty food…read more Came here on recommendation by a friend. Made the trek out to try some authentic Portuguese food. They were prepping for a big event when we came, so they were a bit distracted when we came in. They offered us seating at the patio or the bar and we opted for outside. Our server for the nice was very nice but clearly stretched thin. She tried to check in frequently but ended up only really dropping by a few times through the night. We get a gambit of items. The garlic steak bites, the mussels with chorizo, the picaha and get the saffron rice and salad as our sides. Food comes out quickly, along with some bread for the table. Very crunchy bread, butter was cold but easy enough to massage to make spreadable. The steak bites and mussels came out first. The mussels were cooked, but the dish was really lacking flavor. You got chicken stock, the smokiness of the chorizo, and the veggies. That's all the flavor you got though, no real seasoning and very basic flavors. It really needed salt. The steak bites were pretty good. Kind of a little open faced Philly cheesesteak crostini, but with untoasted bread. Flavors were solid but also lacking seasoning. Then we got our entree, and the thought was there but it was very much lacking. Meat was unseasoned, overcooked (probably because they threw a cooked steak onto a sizzle plate which took it right over the edge of done) but it did have a wonderful charcoal bitterness which was a welcome choice. Instead of asking for a new one (steak was tender, just well done) we asked for a sauce. They took 5 minutes to make a scratch sauce for us. A mushroom type gravy, which was the highlight of the meal. All the flavor that was missing from the other dishes brought to the forefront, with a strong emphasis on salt and acid to really pop the flavors of the meat. I really enjoyed the sauce. It showed that the kitchen can put out good food, it just was too focused on the event to put up a good showing. It was a shame, but it's good enough to try again some day. Pricing was reasonable for the quality, it's possible to get a good meal here, but your experience can vary.

This was our group's annual trip to celebrate end of school year and our favorite Portuguese…read morefriend's birthday. A few disappointments including no clams or calamari for seafood mix or clam and sausage appetizer. The two soups were the highlight as well as our beloved chorizo. The mussels were not as flavorful as I recall although portion was ample. Overall, a predictable meal with no culinary surprises. O

So sad to see it out of business! It will be missed! The food and atmosphere were great!read more

Hands down my new favorite restaurant. Killing time waiting for my knives to be sharpened around…read morethe corner so I stopped in for lunch (thanks to the Yelp reviews). Found parking right in front - a good omen. It wasn't quite, "You had me when you said 'hello.'" but I was definitely hopeful when I walked in. Small place. A working man's taverna. The bar takes up a third of the room and a dozen tables, mostly high hats, take up the rest. The owner's at the bar sipping a beer and presumably looking over things. A number of obvious locals at the tables and the bar. Portuguese intermixed with English the sounds of the house. The menu consisted of well-known Portuguese fare, and I had already determined what I would have based on the Yelp reviews. But in the back was the chalkboard with the daily specials. The friendly server came by with olives in garlic and bread and butter, and explained the specials, so I switched up and got the spinach soup and the beans "transmontana," all with a glass of house Portuguese red. Everything, simply everything, was delicious and abundant. No frills. Nothing vertical, no olive oil drizzle on the soup, just plain good food. The soup seemed to have a chicken stock base but had some thickness, spinach, nice potatoes. Warm and rich. The bean dish - if you want to call it that - was really a full plateful of hacked pork, chorizo, cabbage potatoes...and, yes, beans, with a side of white rice. The pork was to die for, succulent, melt-off-the-bone good. The flavor probably enhanced by the marrow from the broken bones. I mean, this was REALLY good. I intended to try more just to see if I happened to get lucky. They had two fish dishes worth a try and everyone seems to like the crab/fish cakes. But I had all I could handle and still took a plate home for my next meal. If I told you the price, you'd think I was being paid for this. Simply put, this is home-cooked food, plentifully portioned and priced like it was 1950, or maybe like you were in the mountains of Portugal. Thanks to the house for making this my lucky day.

Very authentic Portuguese restaurant. We were in Portugal a few weeks ago and while there are a…read morefew places in greater Hartford that have very authentic food, this place had that, plus the very authentic feel of a small cafe in Portugal with great service. My wife had a perfect grilled sea bass and I had wonderfully prepared octopus. If there is something you want and don't see it on the menu, ask and they may have it. That's what happened with my octopus. We can't wait to go back and visit Portugal in Hartford again soon!

Yup, I'm a fan of this tiny Portuguese restaurant serving up some very interesting and tasty…read morePortuguese specialties. There are only 8 or so tables, usually one waitress and a stand up bar; however, service is not a problem even if it gets crowded. Le Bijou is very typical of the traditional Portuguese bistro with good food, good drink plus Portuguese TV tuned to the latest European soccer match. The food and wine is typical Portuguese fare, large, hearty and wholesome, give them a try if you wish to step into a authentic ethnic dining experience. Prices are quite moderate.

Another stop on our recent exploration of Parkville…read more This is a spotlessly clean, entertaining bar with restaurant tables (and a pool table, too) that's somewhat brightly lit, but attractive (in a bar kinda way) and all about quality and value. We were greeted with a huge smile by an attractive, efficient bartender. Our draught domestics were served in frosted mugs -- and were only $2 apiece! We'd planned on some suds as part of our neighborhood exploration, but asked for menus because we saw a lot of folks at table enjoying some awesome-looking plates. All we had was a plate of incredible cheese (served in tiny 1/2 inch cubes, complete with picks) and "prosciutto." The meat was indeed a kind of prosciutto, but was served in 1/3 inch cubes, and set next to the cheese. The rosy, fatty, delicious hunks of meat were chewy but very good, also. Perfect for nibbling with beer. The "prosciutto and cheese" combo appetizer was $9.50. A shrimp appetizer, served in a seafood-forward, complex garlic sauce was only $7.95. The shrimp were pristine, sweet, and fresh -- and barely cooked. Perfection! We offered to pay for bread as an accompaniment. They didn't charge us. The bread was fresh, delicious Portuguese dinner rolls with butter. Every single thing we were served in our brief visit was fresh, served at the correct temperature, and was absolutely delicious. We can't wait to return. Beer, hors d'oeuvres, great service: $35 with a 25% gratuity. Value like this: priceless. GO HERE.

This is another one of the many small typically Portuguese restaurants and bars in the greater…read moreHartford area. I have been here probably 5 or six times and have never been disappointed in the food especially the soups, they are simply amazing. The service has always been good and the prices are moderate. This is not an elegant venue but if you wish to enjoy a sampling of Portuguese food and culture and be surrounded by those who speak the language, this might very well be one of your "foodie crawl" destinations.

Really not clean , really loud. You have to shovel the snow out the ground after it falls. There's…read moreonly street parking and way too many cars on the road. I can't drive to get to school and work in the morning.

I haven't been so impressed by a restaurant for a long time! We went in on a whim looking for…read moreBrazilian/Portugese in Bridgeport and was immediately greeted by a friendly server. The a la carte menu is in Portugese and it looks like most patrons eating there do speak the language so it's probably authentic? The buffet had an assortment of delicacies and you can pick and choose whatever you want (priced per plate, not totally sure the full pricing structure but the small to go box was $10 and I think the medium was $14?), so we got to try some tasty pork bean stew with bacon & tripe, ribs, etc. Regret not trying the chicken dishes too as they look great. Staff was friendly, welcoming and very helpful when we asked what was in each dish. Would most definitely come back again!

The food came out pretty quick, I thought it was slightly over priced, and I was right…read more.. The service was great! And the vibe is good too. I ordered a Medium Steak. (Most cooks tend to cook it Medium rare anyways) Had to take it to go. Steak came out damn near well done. I told myself if it's good I'll come back. If it's not...I'll just go somewhere else. Looks like I'm going somewhere else next time.

Came here for their lunch special yesterday and had a great time. The special includes two sides…read moreand entree plus a glass of house wine. It is a great value with generous portions. The quail with rice and beans was delicious. My friend loved the branzino. The cocktails are worth a visit alone! They have a spacious dining area with an outdoor covered and non covered patio. It is nicely decorated and creates a fun atmosphere.