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    Cantinho do Avillez

    4.0 (62 reviews)
    PriceyPortuguese
    Closed 12:30 pm - 3:00 PM, 7:00 PM - 12:00 am (Next day)

    Cantinho do Avillez Photos

    CANTINHO DO AVILLEZ ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Loud
    Good for groups
    Dogs allowed

    Recommended Reviews - Cantinho do Avillez

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    Austin G.

    For all the hype and accolades, I was disappointed in this place. Making a reservation was easy online, but the food was bland, the device poor and the space dark and crowded. A very cold host walked me to my table very close to other guests. After a long wait, my order was taken. I got the fried green beans and the steak sandwich. After around 45-60 minutes, my food finally came. Both dishes were underwhelming and bland. I'd save your money and skip this spot. Done at Mito instead- best mela I had while in Porto.

    Duck red curry
    Taylor C.

    We had our last meal in Portugal at this restaurant, and it was the best! The dishes we ordered were all very tasty, including Sautéed Scallops with Portobello Mushrooms Risotto, Brazilian Seafood Stew, and Duck Red Curry.

    Doug E.

    I'd read reviews that were mostly positive but several saying the food wasn't creative enough, etc. I'm going to agree with those folks and say it's nothing to write home about really. It was good food but for the money there are much better values in Porto. The biggest complaint I have was the lack of attentiveness by our server. Luckily the water was right behind me or we would have never had refills during our meal. He was just bad all around and for a restaurant like this you expect 5 star service. We went to DOP the night before and the service was over the top, so going from that experience to one guy that mostly ignored us was quite the shocker. We were in Porto for 5 nights and this was the biggest disappointment for the restaurants we chose. We tried the Cantinho do Avillez in Lisbon several years ago and it was a better experience.

    Joshua B.

    Such a great local find. Stopped by this restaurant at the recommendation of hotel concierge. Was a great experience. Came for the octopus but loved every item on the menu.

    Maria Jose C.

    Everything we ate here was delicious. We had the BEST octopus here! We also tried their mushroom risotto and hazelnut dessert and everything was so good. Service was great and spoke English/Spanish as well. Tip: make a reservation in advance before coming.

    Joanne G.

    Was recommended this restaurant by a friend, and he didn't steer me wrong! I sat at the bar for lunch and had a really fantastic meal. The lunch menu is a great deal, ranging from 16 to 24 euros, where you can choose between multi courses, including couvert (get this, the variety of breads and dips were great), a glass of wine, and coffee. I had all of this, with an appetizer and entree, a much larger lunch than planned, but all incredible. Loved the prawns cooked in garlic and the rapini rice, which was like risotto. Really nice ambiance and friendly wait-staff as well.

    I see why this restaurant got a Michelin star; the food was PERFECT. The fried green beans were so good when complimented with the sauce. The scallops were good with the avocado sauce. And the mushroom risotto was AMAZING!! One of my favorite dishes I tried in Porto, scallops were seared beautifully and the flavors were all there!

    Alan Y.

    Delicious food! Great service. This place was recommended by a dear friend and we were glad that we could enjoy these delicious food! A must if you are in Lisbon or even in Porto! One of our food highlights of our Spain/Portugal vacation.

    Veal risotto
    Amy D.

    We heard José Avillez had restaurants in Lisbon. I did not appreciate he had one here in Porto until after we arrived. Originally we planned to make reservations for the second night of our visit. Instead we came across it walking between spots the first night and decided to take a chance. While booked for reservations, there were 2 seats available at the bar. Diogo, our server and bar man, took great care of us. He recommend the octopus tartare. I wasn't too sure I wanted to go there (I've given up eating octopus in the US) but Diogo reassured me this was a Portuguese specialty. Order it. It was great, like no other octopus I've had before. Diogo also had good wine paring suggestions to go with our scallop risotto and veal risotto options. We mentioned we'd be sharing these dishes and Diogo saw to it the portions were split and served one course at a time. It was a nice touch. After dinner we began speaking about traditional Portuguese dishes and I mentioned sampling ginjinha earlier in our trip. He poured some for us to enjoy to finish the night. The food was delicious. The service, spot on. The ambience, fitting for city life without feeling stuffy and pretentious. Make it a stop in your Porto plans.

    The hazelnut dessert!
    Angela I.

    This restaurant is worthy of a Michelin star chef!! The food was fantastic! The service was outstanding! We were lucky and able to get reservations within 2 days. They were for 7pm on a Wednesday. In Porto people dine later, so by the time we were done eating the restaurant had become quite full! We ordered the fried green beans with tartar sauce which were very good. The beans were crispy and the tartar sauce was tangy and creamy. The scallops and guacamole were awesome. The guac was had a strong lime flavor but it was good! Not overpowering. The chicken liver with port wine was another crowd pleaser! The port wine reduction was phenomenal! For our entrees we have the mushroom risotto, scallop risotto,and the curry veal cheeks with Thai rice. All amazing! The veal cheeks melted in your mouth and the risottos had so much flavor! For the finale we ended with the hazelnut. This is hazelnut ice cream, topped with an airy hazelnut mousse, and chopped hazelnuts! It was quite tasty! This place was fantastic and did not disappoint!!

    Joanie M.

    With such a proximity with the Atlantic, its many Affluent and the infinite valley, no wonder Portugal's unique food culture is so rich in sea food, delicate fishes and delicious specialities. However, with such a diversity of fresh products, it can be difficult to find the right things to try or the right place to experience what these lands have to offer. They say there's a thousand way to taste the traditional Bacalhau (Morue) but it would be a mistake to stick to this only. Chef José Avillez has understood the richness and potential of Portuguese cuisine which is his main focus, and succeded in pushing it further. He contributes greatly in making Portugal a top gastronomic destination. He now owns an array of acclaimed restaurant in Lisbon and Porto. I had the chance to try one of them, Canthino do Avillez, in Porto. It's a more relaxed and comfortable concept, with a menu that combines the most popular and most traditional dishes of the prestigious chef. The décor itself is very friendly. The wooded walls ornamented with traditional plates sets the tone, yet still gives a modern touch and contrasting brigh red bistro-styled benches announced the easy-going approach. We started by trying their specialty cocktails that were impressively complex and refreshing. The barman seems quiet and modest, but he deserves some praise. They also have a lovely selection of local wines including some of the best producers such as Anselmo Mendes. We then decided to stick to the best-sellers in the menu, to get the true Canthino de Avillez experience. Extremely delicate and tasty marinated scallops with avocado cream and bread crumbs as well as amazing deep fried green beans with tartar sauce were our entrées. I must say that, for the cheapest item on the menu, the fried beans are absolutely a must-try. The crunchy, soft texture with tasty tartare sauce is a perfect combo. For the main plate, I tried the veal stew risotto with parmesan shavings. It might not be the most traditional dish of the menu, but it was generous in portions and in deliciousness. We also tried the giant red shrimps from Algarve. I've never seen any shrimp that size, not even close. They are enormous. They look sharp with their huge heads. It's way less copious with the shell off than the risotto, but I'm still glad we tried it. To finish, you need, I mean you most definitely need to try the hazelnut dessert. I was astonished during my whole trip at how amazing and unique local hazelnuts are and how nonchalant and disinterested people are about them. This is the stuff and this dessert put them in the forefront as a hazelnut icecream and hazelnut foam. I'll dream about it.

    Tender octopus

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    2 years ago

    Curry dish was delicious and so was the soup. Great service in cozy setting. The bread could be a meal itself.

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    Yum yum! Good service + good food= 4 Stars. The green beans are a must, and all our seafood was fantastic. We loved our meal here.

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    Pedro dos Frangos - Frango 11.5€ + Arroz 3€

    Pedro dos Frangos

    4.3(176 reviews)
    0.7 km

    We read very favorable reviews of this restaurant, it was clearly a local favorite and we could…read morewalk to it from where we stayed on vacation. The focus here is on rotisserie chicken; they have other items but they're not the main event. It's very big inside, 2 stories and even early it's pretty busy. The chicken is well seasoned and very juicy; enough so that you know why it's So popular. Sides I can barely remember , but everything else was good- it's just that you will Always remember that chicken! Other than that, my only other clear memory of that dinner is that it was very reasonably priced. If I were in the area again, I'd return in a heartbeat. Highly recommended.

    I am delighted that I tried this place. Upon walking in, there is a diner countertop that one can…read moresit at and basically watch the kitchen prepare your food. There is also dining upstairs. As I came in on my own I opted for the one open stool at the counter. The restaurant was busy on a Monday early evening, about 5:30-6:00 pm-ish, with what felt like mostly locals. They have a regular menu, a daily menu printed on the counter top, and they also do Take-Away. Their specialty is definitely their roasted chicken, which one can see cooking on spits at the entrance of the restatruant, conjuring such amazing smells that truly open up the appetite. The staff is sweet and did their best to serve me, with my English/Spanish and no Portugese self. Everything I ate was top-tier without being fancy. Simple and flavorful. I ordered a 1/2 chicken (way too much for me by myself) that came with batatas (french fries- which I didnt love), so I ordered a side of white rice and a salad, as well as what I would call a carafe of wine (it was definitely either two very healthy pours or 3 regular ones). All in all, I paid $15 euros, which I thought was a great value for all that I was given and how tasty everything was.

    Photos
    Pedro dos Frangos
    Pedro dos Frangos - The chicken

    The chicken

    Pedro dos Frangos - Exterior photo of Pedro de Frangos

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    Exterior photo of Pedro de Frangos

    Taberninha do Manel - Fresh made tuna salad with rustic bread and salted butter

    Taberninha do Manel

    4.4(86 reviews)
    0.6 km
    €€

    This is the tourist trap but well used for a snack and drink it's got great choices. Heaters by…read morethe tables outside if you can get by one. Very busy during afternoons. The table side chorizo that they light with a flame for you along with a fantastic pitcher of sangria is worthwhile. We did not eat a lot there and weather was awful but it was a fun place to sit and people watch for a drink and snack. We even had a "flash band" set in front of us during the rain! They deserved their tip! Situated right on the main town side of the Douro river it's quite close to all the sites.

    I am combining my description of the service and Ambiance as super spectacular and so inviting…read more When we got there around 10:00 p.m. at night on October 15th the restaurant was jumping. There were two other groups before us that were sat pretty quickly within 15 minutes or so. During the time we were waiting the hostess was extremely friendly and kept giving us updates on when the table was going to be ready and was making light conversation with us as we waited. When we finally got seated you could tell that the servers were definitely busy trying to get everyone's food and drinks out and so the same hostess came to us and said don't worry I'll take your order for you and told us the things that were the most popular which from my pictures we basically got everything she said LOL. And we were not disappointed with the food that we chose. Now we know why they are considered the house specialties. The flavors of the potato fish cheesy goodness dish I cannot remember the name of it was just so warm and comforting. I was worried about a fishiness coming through when you took different bites but no all the flavor is harmonized well with each other. The tuna salad that they made was extremely fresh and again was pleasantly surprised that though it was fish the spices and bread/butter combo that came with it really didn't give any fishiness. It was also well balanced. Now I will say though those other dishes were amazing our favorite hands down was definitely the grilled octopus. It was so tender and almost melt in your mouth. We were blown away by how well it was cooked. For sure I would say if you are in the area and have a good amount of time please check this spot out and give yourself at least 3 hours to enjoy the meal because again we sat there laughing eating and talking with the people around us because it was that fantastic of a Time for roughly 3 hours.

    Photos
    Taberninha do Manel
    Taberninha do Manel
    Taberninha do Manel - Bridge near the restaurant and a example of the outside sitting area

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    Bridge near the restaurant and a example of the outside sitting area

    Taberna Santo António - assorted bacalhau appetizers

    Taberna Santo António

    4.6(24 reviews)
    0.4 km

    We chanced upon this restaurant, highly patronized by locals, as we were on our way to the Jardins…read moredo Palácio de Cristal (Crystal Palace Gardens). Glad we did. I was focused on the bifanas that Portugal was known for. I skimmed the chalkboard out the door as we passed by and my hunger instincts were right. The restaurant was small and intimate seating was at par with eateries in the area. A lot of musical instruments and trinkets adorn the walls which made up for an interesting gaze fest as we waited for our food. Lunch rush was ongoing so we had to settle being sat at the bar. That's always a plus as we got to witness the buzzing crew efficiently feed the customers. We got 4 kinds of appetizers that our server recommended. They were all good but we liked the casserole baked dish the best. My wife and I shared a rice plate of the bifanas (spicy pork steak) with fries. For drinks, I got a bottled Compal juice while my wife got her afternoon macchiato. Our bill was a grand total of €17. I even corrected them as our bottle of water wasn't included in the chit. Not bad for a hole in the wall tavern. Good food and excellent service.

    The food is OK. Nothing to brag about. Average at best. Do not order the steak because you will be…read moredisappointed. We waited for over an hour for a table and I was hoping the wait would be worth it but unfortunately it wasn't. The service was great and the ambiance was crowded. Not worth the wait.

    Photos
    Taberna Santo António
    Taberna Santo António
    Taberna Santo António

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    Brasão Cervejaria Coliseu - Steak with mushrooms

    Brasão Cervejaria Coliseu

    4.4(61 reviews)
    0.8 km
    €€

    The place has a nice wood cabin-ish motif. It has good enough space to hold large groups (we were…read more18). The staff was very patient with us. They were very accommodating and charming. We didn't have any problems with communication. It helped that they could speak in Spanish and my brother could speak it way better than me. The food was very good. All the flavors were spot on. All plates were wiped out. The ribeye, though, was not that tender. It was flavorful and the temperature was right, but it was quite chewy. So, if there is one dish that we wouldn't recommend, it's the ribeye. Everything else was great. The place is worth coming back to if you want your carnivore cravings to be satisfied.

    I came in here while on a tour and we were seated downstairs at a very long table since we were…read moresuch a large group. The whole place was very busy so clearly locals appreciate it. We had plates to share and it was honestly all so incredibly good. Pork dishes, fresh chips, and these kind of truffle croquettes fried in squid ink. The prices aren't exactly cheap, however the quality and the ambiance of the place I'd say is worth it. The staff was very friendly and accommodating. The location is also very central -- it was only about a 5 minute walk from our hotel near the Church of Saint Ildefonso. Would definitely recommend stopping in for delicious food and a great vibe all around.

    Photos
    Brasão Cervejaria Coliseu - Back basement room

    Back basement room

    Brasão Cervejaria Coliseu - Chocolate mousse with hazelnuts. Yes!!!

    Chocolate mousse with hazelnuts. Yes!!!

    Brasão Cervejaria Coliseu - Sangria

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    Sangria

    Cantinho do Avillez - portuguese - Updated May 2026

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