This is an incredibly authentic Portuguese restaurant! The design and detail make one feel that…read moreyou're in Portugal, with the waitresses dressed in traditional garb. The food is excellent, the service is excellent and the décor is really charming! I don't know why I waited so long to eat here, but I won't be waiting too long to come back! I really loved my lunch here! (Did I use too many exclamation points in this review ????!!!!!)

I think I have grown tired of dining at Oficina do Sabor. I wanted to dine here primarily for…read moretheir commemorative plate ("Boa Lembrança"). We called ahead and asked if we needed a reservation, and were told that we did not, but when we got here, almost all of the tables had "reserved" signs on them and only 2 tables were left and where we were sat was very hot. I felt really bad for the waitstaff, because in an effort to monetize his restaurant, Chef Cesar Santos has changed their uniforms, which now look more like a Formula 1 or NASCAR uniform, featuring Coca-Cola and Natto (the Brazilian equivalent of Purdue chicken) logos all over their shirts. We started with gratinéed oysters, but the béchamel sauce was grainy as if it had broken--not pleasant. My main course, shrimp and octopus (named "tico tico" after the music by Carmen Miranda) was served barely warm, and actually cold in parts. My wife's main course was a fish with a plantain puree. She thought the fish was forgettable and the puree was terrible. After not having luck with the appetizer or the main course, I decided not to have dessert. While the service was still very good, and the ambiance/décor continue attractive, the food quality seems to have fallen precipitously.

We loved this place. They have a great view on their back patio looking out over the city of Olinda…read moreand Recife. It was a bit expensive but we're told that we must go and try their shrimp stuffed roasted pumpkin which was as good as everyone said. It was plenty to split between the two of us.

We recently came back here for lunch, and the experience made me eat my words from my previous…read morereview. The service was great and the food tasted and was presented very nicely. All our dishes were delicious. The crab appetizer was presented properly, the portions were decent and the taste was just right. For a main course, I had a delicious seafood risotto with squid & crab. My wife had a filet mignon with puree and both were also great. I'm glad I came back, because now I see why they've been open since 1964.

disclaimer: I'm not a Brazilian. I'm a Taiwanese guy living in San Francisco traveling to Brazil…read morefor the first time and I'm known as a picky eater. My Brazilian friends took me to this place because I wanted some meat. We ordered Casquinho de Caranguejo, which is crab head shells filled with creamy stuff and crab meat, that was good. And we had one order of Filé Trifasisaco, a steak, for four people. This dish comes with two side-dishes that has some rice and fried bananas. The steak was tender and flavorful. For desert we had Top Hat, which is warm bananas topped with cinnamon and covered with sugar. We also had the caja juice, I have no idea what kind of fruit caja is but the juice is really tasty. The service was good and so was the ambience. Overall, I think this is an excellent restaurant and if you are fresh off the boat in Brazil, you might just like this place.