Good service and delicious food, chill ambiance It gets pretty busy make sure to arrive on time…read morebecause once they run out of a dish you are out of luck. .

I make it a point to stop in every time I am in Barcelos. The menu and daily specials are always…read morefull of interesting choices. The view of the river and of Barcelinhos is idyllic. We were in yesterday for lunch and it did not disappoint. From the starters to the main course everything was delicious. The next time you are in Barcelos, treat yourself to this little gem.

Outstanding restaurant with outstanding food, ambiance and service. We were there just as it opened…read moreso the food was cooked fresh. It took time but in Portugal you don't hurry dining experiences. The owner was our waiter and we had a great conversation over the food. They may not have everything on the menu because their food is fresh caught and if they didn't catch a certain type, they won't have it. We ordered the octopus fritters for an appetizer (amazing!), the baked sole, baked turbot and for dessert the delicious orange torte. The main dishes were accompanied by green beans and baked potatoes. The fresh flavors of the veggies and the fish were out of this world. It's not a large place but it gets busy on the weekends. Definite recommend.

My wife and I were here on a Gate1 tour, Optional Medieval Tour, and we had just finished the…read morebeautiful "Bom Jesus do Monte" (Good Jesus of the Mount) sanctuary. Lunch was provided as part of the Optional Tour. We had potato soup, beef stew with potatoes and a salad, with a cake dessert. The beef felt a bit overcooked, but otherwise, everything tasted good. Service was excellent and friendly

An intimate traditional Portuguese restaurant founded in 1926 and currently operated by generations…read more3-4 of the Cruz family. Note: on the small green awning it is just called Cruz restaurant. We stopped in for lunch at 12:30 with a guide to enjoy the traditional amazing cuisine. Luckily we had a Portuguese speaker as there aren't English menus or English speaking waiters-this is traditional food. There was even an old grandma in the kitchen so you know it's authentic. Most of the dishes serve two people although a few can be gotten in half portions. For the table we got 1 order of "duck rice" (don't know the Portuguese name and a half order of cod/potatoes baked in a cream sauce (like scalloped potatoes with cod). Both were delicious and of course some local Vinho verde wine with the meal. If you find yourself in Braga at lunch, be sure and give them a try. They were recognized by Michelin for quality in 2019 so that's another vote of confidence.

I come here via trusting my tour guide. With his knowledge of being a true foodie and wine…read moreconnoisseur and 35 years+ experience, his understanding of my adventurous personality, before we enter the restaurant, he already knows I will unintentionally leave my mark. One of the owners or managers cannot believe a tourist let alone an American tourist would venture out to Ponte de Lima. Apparently, I also do the "classic sustainability practice of" let's try not to waste food by asking to take home the leftovers. At this point, I don't have to ask my tour guide to do so. He helps me out with this and laughs about it and tells me that some restaurants including this one will be talking about me days after I have left, lol. I had a fried meat variety with lemon and pork and rice saucy mixture. My tour guide had tried 4 other places and only this place got it right for him. The other places, maybe some of the meat was off, or the rice mixture was off, or maybe the seasonings just didn't work the best or he just simply liked this combination the most- I am not sure. I most certainly loved the combination. If I had wanted to clean my plate, my tour guide has to keep reminding me to use the bread since it is there rather than use my utensil(s) only like a semi-barbarian. He noticed I always choose the Portuguese corn bread over the other single roll because the other single roll looks too similar to a dinner roll you can get in the States. The Portuguese corn bread has a different bready texture than American/Southern corn bread. Both are good in their own ways- no doubt. Our waiter was so bewildered by the appearance and experience I went in with food that he went to tell some of his relatives that he cannot believe such a person would come all the way to his restaurant (let alone take home the leftovers afterward). He knows his food is good but for someone to choose his restaurant and especially over 4 others in the general area. It made me feel like why can't I be featured on a foodie TV show, haha. One of the other staff who sold some alcohol at the establishment provided us with free brandy and port wine to add to our coffee. I saw a Portuguese coffee listing image with options earlier this day ironically and my tour guide told me there were a few inaccuracies about it and that coffee and brandy was not super common in Portugal. But yet "of course" we had locally made brandy by the restaurant itself to add our after-lunch coffee to and the combination wasn't bad to me. What're the chances? Haha. The brandy was very quality and I am sure I would've felt the same way with their Port Wine too but my time was limited and I and probably the tour guide did not want to abuse their generosity. I learned from my tour guide that it would be helpful for me to understand and learn more about layers of food and that these kind of things can definitely be learned.

Stumbling into places in Viana do Castelo (1 of 2)…read more Viana do Castelo is a very picturesque beach town and small harbor where the Rio Lima empties into the Atlantic Ocean, a mere 30 minutes or less from where Spain's Galicia region touches to the top of Portugal. I've been here to go to Monte Santa Luzia, which makes for one of the most scenic coastal views in Portugal. I was walking around looking for a place to eat and found Dantas by window shopping for food. Dantas is a padaria and a pasteleria, which means they bake bread and desserts, respectively. It has been around since 1915. During the lunch period, at the very least, they serve some dishes that make for a meal. I've actually eaten here twice. The first time I went to Dantas, I approached it such that I walked by here first, ate, kept on walking, and happened onto a bone fide Italian coffeehouse. On the visit being described, I went to look for the Italian coffeehouse first to see if they had offered anything to eat - perhaps a stuffed panino - and they were no longer there. That was a downer, having gone in there and spoken with the staff and some customers before. So I had lunch at Dantas, which I already knew was reliable. I was going to be looking for an Italian pasta dish or similar and settled on the lasagna. To that, I added a 7-Up. They do a decent job with the lasagna. Many North Americans make a mess out of it, using those overly thick undulating sheets of pasta. Here, the pasta layers were thinner and it was easier to eat and enjoy its good flavors. For this small establishment, the bulk of their business appears to be the baking operation. They have the small eating area with enough tables for people to have lunch here. I had a funny experience here early on. I saw these layered squares in the window called "Jesuitas." It doesn't take a genius to figure out that means a Jesuit. They almost looked like a cross between an empanada and a mille feuille, so I asked if they had meat in them. The lady here, who had a very calm demeanor, did her best not to give me an incredulous look and said, "E doce." That meant that it was a sweet or a dessert item. I bought one to take with me after eating and its flavors weren't for me, but various other desserts they sell did hit the spot. The prices are reasonable and the service is on point. That a small business that does its principal things well also puts on a lunch and does a good job with it means I'm recommending it. For a quick, casual, and satisfying lunch, Dantas is worth a look.

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.