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    Restaurante Varanda da Barra

    5.0 (1 review)
    PriceyRestaurants

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    Praia da Luz - Steak Tartare

    Praia da Luz

    3.8(28 reviews)
    1.9 km
    €€

    Lovely, lovely spot overlooking a gorgeous beach. We had reservations on a Sunday at 1pm for 8 of…read moreus. There were other tables reserved with full umbrella coverage, the one they offered us was in a little bit of gap between umbrellas but they scooted it over as much as they could to get under the shade more. While it was mid-70s F and lovely, the wind was strong so we were all a bit chilly. We were sharing scarves and kids were sitting on our laps to stay warm. When I was leaving, I noticed a big wicker basket full of blankets, and I was surprised they didn't offer that to us. Our server was great, offered things like replacing the potatoes in the steak dish with fries so the kids might enjoy it more. However, we waited an extremely long time for our appetizers. When I asked the server, he said he'd put it in the system but the kitchen downstairs had not received the order. Our server also did tell us that he would put in the entrees only after we finished appetizers, but we had forgotten this as the apps took so long to arrive, and I had to tell our server to please consider us "finished" with the appetizers when we were about 90% through so the entrees would arrive soon (and they did at that point). No kids menu but we found things on the menu our kids liked (penne pesto, steak). DRINKS * Passion pisco - 5 stars. My group was so impressed with this drink that 2 of the other 3 adults ended up ordering this too. * Mango Daiquiri - 4.5 stars. Delicious and dangerously can't taste the alcohol (really, I questioned whether it had any!). * Port cocktail with mango cream (don't remember what this was called but it was featured in the very top left of the cocktails menu) - 3 stars. Not great and tbh our server seemed to be trying to talk my husband out of this, but he got it anyway, the novelty was fun (it comes with a little port bottle inverted in the cream. FOOD * Bread starter with butters and dips - 4 stars * Oysters - 5 stars * Salmon tataki - this never arrived, we asked them to just cancel it when we were finished with appetizers. It still ended up on our bill, but they cancelled the charge easily. * Beef carpaccio - 4.5 stars * Octopus - 3.5 stars. Pretty good but I found this to be slightly more rubbery than other octopus we'd had in Portugal. * Portuguese steak - 4.5 stars * Pesto penne - 4 stars

    Be careful of thieves and pickpockets. Not a safe experience! My purse and passport were stolen…read morewhile my purse was hanging on the back of my chair. I was sitting in the chair when it happened, which makes it even more disturbing. Whoever did this was clearly experienced. When we informed the staff and manager about what happened, they did not seem surprised or particularly concerned. They did not apologize or make much effort to help us beyond calling the police, and the police did not answer the phone. The manager also spoke with their "security guy," but he was not very helpful. He mostly sat there, did not look around the area, and did not ask any questions about what had happened. The manager did not provide any video footage and needed to "check with their IT", which likely means they're going to do nothing. I went to the nearby Porto police station, but they could not help and directed me to a tourist police department farther away, where I had to file a police report. Even the police said this type of theft is "typical," which made it seem like this happens often in the area. In my opinion, the restaurant did not do enough to protect its customers. If management takes this issue seriously, they should consider installing more security cameras, posting warning signs about pickpockets, or having waitstaff remind guests to keep an eye on their belongings. The security presence seemed very lax, and the camera situation was not helpful at all. The restaurant was also horrible about answering the phone, and even the police station did not pick up when we tried calling, so we had to walk to the station. This lack of urgency puts other guests at risk and makes me concerned that similar incidents could happen again. This completely ruined our last night in Porto and was honestly traumatizing. While I was searching around the property for my purse, I even found another purse thrown into the bushes nearby, which made me feel like this has definitely happened before. On the way to the police station, we also saw two men being arrested for stealing credit cards, purses, and clothing. Thieves and pickpockets seem to be common here. I would not recommend this place, especially if you are a tourist. This restaurant needs to do better. Praia da Luz, how will you protect your guests?? I hope you make an effort to install more security cameras and keep out loitering/shady people who prey on tourists.

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    Praia da Luz
    Praia da Luz - Chicken, rice and veggies. Excellent flavor!

    Chicken, rice and veggies. Excellent flavor!

    Praia da Luz

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    Restaurante Varanda da Barra - restaurants - Updated July 2026

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