I met a few people who told me A Despensa was an absolute must while in Porto. I struggled to get a…read morelast minute reservation during my short trip and found the system to be a bit tough, but ultimately I was able to snag one right when the they opened. The wait staff was incredibly professional and knowledgeable. I was told that since I was just one person, they could make me a half size appetizer, which I really appreciated! But unfortunately the few apps I was interested in were not available in half sizes. I ended up going with bread service and the pesto pasta. Both were tasty enough and I left feeling full. I probably didn't order the best, but I didn't find this to be a particularly noteworthy meal food-wise, especially for being on the pricier end. Nice ambiance inside!

I had read others reviews and we decided to make a reservation. The service was incredible. The…read moreowner Daniel was super friendly and made us feel right at home. He gave us great suggestions for our meals. The food was so good. I would definitely not come back to Porto without visiting this restaurant! Probably the best meal of our trip!!!

Wonderful place to eat in downtown Porto. The restaurant has a nice environment to share a meal. We…read moresat on the second floor. Our waiter was good and gave us the time we needed for such a nice meal. We ordered a bottle of wine for our meal and a caprese salad to share. The salad was wonderful with their own olive oil and balsamic to drizzle over the salad. For a main I had the filets of pork over sweet potatoes and creamed spinach. Meat was tender and flavorful. My wife ordered the cheese and onion stuffed ravioli with a wedge of cheese on the side. She loved it. One of the best restaurants so far on our trip to Portugal.

food: pretty mediocre food for the price tag, also portions aren't super large, my cod was a bit…read moretoo salty Service: staff was nice but took a long time for food to come Ambiance: best part of this establishment, very cozy

Food was really good, location was a little hard to find. Kids really liked the pasta and pizza…read more They were really friendly for a restaurant in the heart of the tourist district. Service was really good

Wow! What a great experience! Theres the outdoor seating area out front, indoor seating and outdoor…read moreseating on the terrace. The terrace is like a little secret and much more intimate and quiet than the outdoor seating in the front. The entire place is historic and incredibly decorated. Make sure you go to the bathrooms and admire the huge private dining room on your way there. The food was phenomenal, fresh cheese options, olives, pesto, artichoke spread, hummus spread... breads & croutons/crackers... light appetizer lunch on a warm Saturday was perfect. The service was impeccable, everyone was friendly and helpful. We will be back very soon! Highly recommended!

On our 3rd night in Porto and having ate a francesinha for lunch, we wanted something less filling…read moreand less Portuguese for our last night here. We decided to go with pizza and chose IL Pizzaiolo based on walking distance from our hotel. We came at 630 pm when the restaurant first opened and were the first patron that night. We got the chicken Caesar salad and the Diavolina (spicy salami) pizza. Firstly, on the table is a basket of bread and condiments. I recalled later on past review Yelp that if you eat it, there will be an additional charge to your bill. They don't say anything about that additional charge so be mindful of it. The charge you will see on your bill is Pao Cecete (bread) 2 euro and couvert pizzeria (condiment of butter, Olive oil and olives (2.8 euro) When we finished the sides, the waitress took our small plates and brought our salad and pizza. The pizza is not sliced at all and we had to ask the waitress for 2 plates to share the pizza and salad. I guess for some, the salad is their main meal. Chicken salad Caesar - 14.45 euro - delicious and had bits of bacon along with egg, Parmesan slices and croutons. Chicken breast was large pieces. 5 stars The Diavolina- got our craving for a light dish and something that had a light thin crust , light tomato sauce and tasty soft crust that hit the spot. 5 stars Yes, the price is a bit high but worth eating if you are craving for something like pizza.

I have mixed feelings about writing this review. I really want to love this place (their star pizza…read moreis a fave) but also, when you leave a place feeling a bit bamboozled by the experience, it makes you question returning. I do find that the "forced appetizer" concept is a bit over the top here. Often times the tables have bread, olives, jam/spreads sitting at the table on arrival. If you aren't familiar with "the way", most people eat them and are blind sided when they are on your bill. BUT this place doesn't stop there. They often bring three types appetizers to the table, which if you eat them, it is likely to raise your bill by 10/15 dollars (as a guess). I always turn them down. BUT just know. That bread sitting on the table has probably been breathed on by another table that turned it away. They are taken to and from the table often and I am unsure if that app is sanitary to eat at that point. Maybe? But be warned. Don't touch the apps or send them away as the arrive. You will be billed. Service is often, not the friendliest. We have gotten one lovely gentleman from Brazil once as a server and he was fab! But recently we got this woman that was less than friendly. Calling people "hey lady" when needing to get attention, and not patient. Maybe just say "excuse me" next time as some feedback. To be fair, it might be a direct language translation (Menina) which is acceptable in Portuguese. Even if so, the place had basically zero people the most recent visit except us and I felt patience and kindness could have been extended a little more. FYI: they won't give you tap water (even though legally they have to when requested) so expect to buy your water, maybe if you are a local Português things are different. I am not Portuguese but I am local and this is the first place that has ever refused me a cup of water. "It tastes bad" was the reason. As a side note: the first time we came here we arrived at 11:58. They opened at 12:00 and they told us we had to wait outside until 12...in the bitter cold and torrential rainfall. I understand not being "open" but I don't think there would have harm in allowing us the stand in the entry way for less than 2 minutes until the proverbial open gates flung open. Overall, you likely will enjoy your meal. But just be aware of the funky little quirks about this place. Oh ya, and paying and splitting bills can get funky with them too so just bring cash if you have more than yourself and you are splitting the bill.... I say this so you don't have to navigate it. There is a lot of good things about this place and I hope next time, if I visit again, things will feel different. It might have been a bad few days for them. I mean, we haven't seen the sun for weeeeeeeks so maybe we are all just blue.

We stopped here for lunch on our way back from the other side of the river. The location is lovely,…read moreparticularly on a warm sunny day when you can people watch and listen to the various street musicians. The ample outdoor seating also allowed us to bring our dogs. I had arancini, which were tasty and nicely presented. My husband had egg yolk raviolo and he enjoyed it. Prices were reasonable and service was friendly.

We got takeout from here twice as it was super close to our apartment and each pasta dish was good!…read moreWe tried the cacio e Pepe, carbonara, and the bolognese. While we did get takeout, we waited for our food each time with a glass of wine and the space inside is beautiful!

Four of us went to dinner here and it was amazing. We had the garlic bread which is awesome and so…read moretasty and then we had the Caprese salad and then we had the lasagna Bolognese. Along with two Apperal spritzer great hole in the wall location very clean, friendly staff.

Spaghetti was decent, but the pizza was underwhelming. Got it to go, so that might be the…read moredifference. Wouldn't go back and wish I had explored other options. Not a favorite while in Porto.

Everything here was great- service, food & ambiance. I was hungry for a simple pizza & they…read moredelivered! The special came with a garlic bread ball. It was amazing!

The Carbonara and Lasagna were delicious! The portions were large, so it's best to save for when…read moreyou are really hungry. Service was fast and friendly.

On our 4th day in Portugal, we made our way to Porto. (Absolutely beautiful!). By now, I was all…read morefished out, vegetable souped out, and pastried out. My tummy needed a reset, something like that of the scene in "Ratatouille" where a bite can take you back to a familiar place and time, to make up for a bit of "homesickness ". Pizza! The atmosphere was warm and cozy, the waitress all spoke fluent English and they were the most friendliest! Food was exactly what we imagined we wanted and our stomachs fully agreed! I am no longer homesick, and ready to see more of this beautiful country. "I guess I wasn't homesick, but hungry for familiar basics."

We came to this restaurant because we needed a break from Portuguese food, had been in Lisbon for…read morea couple days already. Loved the vibes, menu was huge. Got a pizza and vegetable lasagna. Both were delicious, huge portions. The cheese was very high quality and not overly oily. Loved the drinks too!

We did a walking tour and this place was on our agenda to try. We tried to local /traditional…read moreFrancesinha with the sauce that takes 6 hours to make. There are vegan options here as well. The sandwich wasn't my thing but I did appreciate it. It was very salty to me but overall meal had tons of flavor. I would go back and try something else. Their wine was great though. Service was pretty fast and they made sure you were taken care of. This is a great place to join friends to watch a game or have an office lunch party.

We found out about Capa na Baixa on Yelp. It has 5 stars so we decided to try it out. Also it was a…read morequick Uber ride from our Airbnb. The service was exceptional they even had a pay and call button at the table, and the back seating area was very pretty. I highly recommend the carbonara alla ricotta. They literally melt the cheese off a cheese wheel with a blow torch then add in the pasta and ham. My husband ordered the T-bone. I tried a bite and the quality of meat was great. The meal came with an antipasto, rice and homemade crisps. They were all large portions and we had plenty to take home.