I was with a party of 6 looking for restaurants open for Sunday lunch since many spots in Porto were closed on Sundays or were too packed. I came across this restaurant wandering the narrow roads near the riverfront, was impressed by their seafood menu and prices and we immediately were seated. They do not take reservations so it's a first come first serve. We ordered bread, shrimp, roasted peppers, sardines and sea bass. We loved the place so much that we came back another day and got the sea bass and sea bream.
Ambiance: 4/5 This is not a romantic spot but it perfectly fits the small local, family run Portuguese restaurant in Porto. Most seating are outdoors in the narrow alley but it's pretty because of the shade given by the tall structures.
Service: 4.5/5 Most restaurants in Porto seemed to have pretty slow service. This was the only restaurant where they really seemed to hustle- which we greatly appreciated. The food came out relatively quickly.
Food: 5/5 The food was delicious! The roasted peppers were absolutely delicious. The shrimp was ok- slightly over cooked. The sardines were delicious but the highlight of the whole meal was the sea bass. We loved it so much we got another order of sea bass. It was perfectly cooked, perfectly and simply seasoned, letting the natural flavors of the fish shine (I'm guessing simply olive oil, salt and pepper). And the roasted potatoes that come with the fish are amazing along with the cabbage. On our second visit we ordered the sea bass and also got sea bream. The sea bream had a more neutral flavor and was delicious but our favorite was still the sea bass which had the perfectly level of flavor and fattiness for us.
Price: 5/5 This was a really affordable spot.
Overall: 5/5 We loved this spot so much we came back again for another lunch. This may not be one of the more famous Porto restaurants but it is a hidden gem! I would highly recommend this place- especially when it's so hard to make reservations in Porto (most don't take reservations and those that do require a Portuguese phone plan). read more