One of the most popular and crowded restaurants in Porto, Portugal. No matter fully crowded they…read moreare capable to receive , accommodate and serve fast and in a courteous manner. The service provided by Goreti, super diligent waitress, was excellent. We had canja (chicken soup) and sopa legumes, then bife cortador and tuna salada especial, the house white wine was delicious as all our dishes. As dessert we had molotoff with Porto, by the way, being so delicious the Porto (fortified wine) we bought same place two bottles. All affordable and generous portions. Highly recommend to visit this place in downtown Porto, be sure you will never regret.

It's a simple local restaurant, but well attended. The servers don't speak much English but they do…read moreunderstand. Didn't know they always serve grilled fresh sardine, a feast must have in Portugal during sardine season May to October. Will come back to try. The squid and prawn dish is delightful, but veal is chewy. Service is good and simple ambience

We were looking for a different restaurant, and had to give up because we couldn't find it. We…read morechose Churrasqueira instead, and were glad we did. We had one of the daily specials, and were a little tentative about it since it didn't have an English/French translation on the menu. But it was very good. It was pork (i.e., like pieces of pork chop but very tender) with fried potatoes and small clams, and a delicate olive oil-based sauce (not a gravy). The service was fast, polite given that we only speak English and French, and the price was super modest. Then, the waiter prevented me from forgetting my umbrella on a rainy day.

Words fail me. Both the service and the food offerings at this restaurant were exquisite. The crab…read morewas savoury. The shrimp were huge and has a wonderful smoky taste. The grilled cod was tender and tasty. The service was second to none. Our server was never more than 2 minutes away and was always willing and ready to serve. He served portions into our individual plates. He showed up again when our plates were almost empty to refill our glasses and plates. Nowhere else in the Porto/Matosinhos region did we experience service like this.

Porto has more than it's fair share of seafood restaurants and choosing the the right one can be a…read morechallenge for the first time visitor. Fortunately, our host, a Porto native is a foodie who invited us for dinner here. Sumptuous would be the word to describe our meal. First of all, all kinds of seafood is showcased at the front of the restaurant almost giving one the feeling that one is at the fishmonger's. You choose your choice of seafood and it is dispatched to the kitchen with instructions on how you want it prepared. For the table we ordered lobster and clams in a rich garlic broth. The clams were exquisite and the broth was to die for. While I was still sopping up the broth with a hearty serving of bread, the lobster made its entrance. And was it a grand one. The meat had been extracted and was very creatively plated on a huge platter with the head and tail repositioned giving it a very attractive look. It was heavenly. Truly a five star preparation.

December 29/1025: Dinner with my Al…read more Interesting little Portuguese restaurant in the middle of downtown. The waiter (name unknown & he didn't introduce himself) was very slow & seemed uninterested. Despite all that, he provided pretty decent service. He automatically delivered a plate of cheese/bread & butter to the table which we paid for & also charged for mustard for the sausage. I had the Italian sausage dinner. It included white rice & fries. The entire meal was hot & delicious. Generous portions as well. I would recommend this restaurant.

We enjoyed a delicious meal of grilled meat, rice, and salad. My husband and I shared half orders…read moreof the barbecued chicken and the mixed meat, which was chinos of pork, beef, and sausage with a few veggies, cooked on a skewer. The portion size of half dishes was more than we could, though the food was perfectly cooked and tasty. We received pleasant, friendly service, despite our inability to speak Portuguese. Check this out if you're ever in the area.

Eating with the locals in Portugal - northern edition (1 of 2)…read more It was later in the evening and I was laying my head down in Porto instead of Vila Nova de Gaia, which is atypical for me. I asked where to get some fairly priced and good grub that locals would definitely like. I was given this name - Capa Negra II - and, since they know they can be nasal and enunciate differently from the other Iberians, this young lady wrote it down for me. Capa Negra II was nearby and on the busy street that buses use to go from the Casa da Musica Metro over the Ponte Arrabida to the south shore. I had thus been by it numerous times. I took note that they offered many things, but are best known for their Francesinha. Even though Francesinha approximates "little Frenchie" in Portuguese, it is said to have been born in the Porto area. It is a sandwich inside which there are pressed layers of different pork and cured meats and it is covered in a complex sauce including cheese, tomato sauce, beer, port wine, spices, and then some. It is usually topped with an egg. They are very nice to look at, albeit almost decadent. I have a short history with the Francesinha. Years ago, I notice a place that looked like Capa Negra II and on that very same row of eateries that was hopping in the evenings and I went in there to get a Francesinha. (I don't know why that similar place is no longer open.) The sandwich was just like I have described above except that there were peppercorns in the meat that, in my opinion, were nasty and I had to open it up to work around them. It was thus the only time I had eaten a Francesinha. The waiter was mild mannered and I told him I only needed to verify one thing. I always try to put together some words in the local lingo because I want to ... and because I want to be far from being an "ugly American." I was adamant about there being no peppercorns in my Francesinha. I said something like, "Tem issas coisas pequenas negras e picante dentro a carne? ... nao quiero ... nao gosto." He quickly understood my issue and indicated there would not be any. Now, here, I was an idiot an asked for "batatas cocidas!" I should have just accepted the traditional fries that accompany the sandwich given how many times I've had Big Boy and Big Mac combos. I washed it all down with a soft drink. I was happy that I gave the Francesinha another chance. Mind you, you cannot do this often. It was robust, tasty, and, since you might eat only that, it will be filling without completely bogging you down. I liked the waiter and his politeness. The price was fair. The restaurant was modern, simple, comfortable, and airy, even though it was in the evening. Finally, there was a queue because it was full and you had to give the host your name. They stuck to it and got me seated quickly. I really appreciated the fairness and even handedness of all this and it's usually this way in Portugal, especially in its north. Their Francesinha is good and they have many other choices. It's not fine dining. I would almost describe Capa Negra II as a glassier modern tavern. There is another "branch" in the center and there may be more tourists at that one. I do like this newer part of the city, you will be eating with locals, and I recommend this restaurant.

October 12, 2023. Thursday. Dinner…read more Our first night in Porto and we decided to visit this joint. It was directly across from our hotel and seemed to be packed with locals. We waited about 10 minutes to be seated and every table looked to be full. Even the dining counters were full. This place reminded me of an American diner. Every waiter bustled to and fro and I think all of them were guys. Our waiter recommended a red wine blend (17 euros) called Quinta Crasto which turned out to be exceptionally delicious. The only problem was that the wine did NOT pair well with the heavy food. I ate a caldo verde (5 euros) a hearty, thick Portuguese soup with kale, chorizo, and potatoes. The soup tasted good, though I wished they included more chorizo. My wife ordered with the traditional Francesinha with egg and fries (14 euros). It looked like most people in the restaurant were ordering this. Her dish had lots of fries and was piled high. They are very generous with the food here and she left a few fries on her plate. I couldn't help her because I barely finished my bacalhau braga (23 euros). My dish came with fried cod buried in brown gravy, carrots and cauliflower, and lots of potato chips on the side. Basically a Portuguese take on fish and chips. The cod tasted light and amazing but the very filling, heavy food and wine didn't go well. I think a light, carbonated drink would go well with this food. Service was fast, food piled high and very generous, and the other diners were very comforting to see. Prices were low, so we visited here once more before leaving Porto.

Old-school European ambiance with polite and attentive waitstaff…read more The octopus filet was wonderful - tasty and very tender, however, we were disappointed with the special of the day, roasted lamb. We enjoyed the starter of ground veal-stuffed pastries, as well as the bread, dessert, and wine.

Typical Portuguese fare is what you'll find here. We had the bolinhos de bacalhau to start the the…read moretripe stew and the roasted goat to share. Both were absolutely delicious. The tripe was surprisingly soft, not chewy at all. Both entrees were served with rice and puréed spinach. My favorite part though was the dessert. We tried two, the egg almond tart and the bolo de biscoito, which I venture to say it's almost like the Portuguese version of tiramisu, made with Maria cookies instead of lady fingers and very creamy. Service is very attentive and friendly.

Extremely convenient and modern glass encased cafe on the river next to all the port houses…read more Nothing too memorable here, and mostly tourist, but still fun. We enjoyed their grilled dourada fish (aka sea bream) with some creme of cauliflower soup and great bread. And we couldn't resist downing a couple glasses of red port for dessert-- they thought we were suckers for that because you may get endless free port across the street at all the beautiful port houses. :)

OMG run to this place. It is literally inside a park garage, down a hallway and there it is, white…read moretable cloths and napkins, great menu and wine list and run by a family. Super engaged with customers, lots of suggestions and the best chocolate mousse I have ever had in my life. Found out later it's a local hangout and people have been going for yrs. We were lucky to ask a local and went. 100% PARABENS!

This restaurant was recommended by a food blogger and we were so happy that we went. We wanted…read moretraditional Portuguese food and this restaurant did not disappoint. This is a family owned restaurant with meat and seafood dishes. The owners made it an amazing experience with their hospitality and explaining the menu and wines. Carlos is one of the owners and he really made us feel at home. Fantastic food and wine. Enter the parking garage and go left to enter the restaurant. Our best meal in Portugal.