Our favorite meal in Porto! Aspects of the menu are drawn from influences of flavors around the world - a making for incredibly tasty dishes. Typically, I am weary of "fusion"foods, but Tapabento does it right. The friendly staff was able to accommodate our family of 6 for outdoor seating right as they opened for dinner. The restaurant quickly became busy, so reservations are recommended if possible. We've eaten our fair share of seafood dishes on this trip, and this place has been the best for it by far. We found them to be quite flavorful, well-balanced, and fresh. The fish and seafood cataplana had us drinking up the broth. The clams and Thai mussels were great as well. However, the winner at our table was the Camarao Alho, wild shrimp sautéed in an incredible sauce that we soaked up in bread. To complete our meal, the Peanut foam dessert was perfect. Although it was one of our pricier meals in the city, it was well-worth it. read more

One of the best meals we had in Porto. Make a reservation! When you arrive in Porto, go to the restaurant and make a reservation with the owner or host. Trying to wait in line for a seat may not work well. Ordered the oxtail empanadas, razor clams from the Algarve, wild shrimp, meagre ceviche, and the foie gras toast. Ended with peanut foam. This was way too much food for 2 adults and a child but we managed to eat most of it. Everything was great and we had a mix of seafood and non seafood dishes. The oxtail empanadas were hearty and very filling. The seafood dishes were fresh and the garlic from the shrimp had a wonderful aroma. The peanut foam was a light end to the meal. Definitely worth a visit and if I ever come back to Porto, I'm eating here again. read more

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Absolutely Amazing!!!! But get ready to wait in a long line unless you have reservation in advance. Make sure you approach hostess to put your name on list. Can't trust the line once it gets busy. read more

Excellent food, friendly staff - a little busy, but to be expected for such a great dining option. Great place for meeting up with friends for a drink and tapas. read more

The owner is incredibly friendly and accommodating. She was very sweet to my two little boys, even when they started acting like most toddlers do when they've been sitting somewhere for too long. Most of the food we sampled was very good, they have a handful of options for vegetarians. We did not like the mushrooms though because they were heavily salted, to the point where we couldn't really eat them. read more

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We had the seafood and rice, along with the croquetas and the bruschetta. The seafood and rice was like a Thai yellow curry. Very flavorful, not spicy. Great service. Be warned, this place can get crowded and you may have to wait a while. read more

The best service and the best food we ate in Portugal. We had a very late reservation, 9pm, which with kids and a 2 hour drive back to our AirBnB was challenging, but worth it in every way. Every dish was delicious and inspired. The care they put into their business was apparent. I have eaten a lot of oysters but I was shocked and delighted by the creative flavors. Try everything!!! Especially the deserts. They were phenomenal. read more

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Great food and amazing customer service. I came here for the Foie gras. The foie gras toast was heavenly. One of the best if not the best foie gras dish I've ever had. I was drooling over it. I did not want to end, but I ended up scarfing it down. It was that good. I still can't get over how perfect it was. I also ordered the sparkling sangria. Wonderful! Delicious! Refreshing even. They didn't have the oxtail empanada by the time I got there. I saw others around eating the cod so I decided to try it. I found out that cod is not to my taste (never had it before). It was removed from the bill when the owner found out that I didn't like it. For dessert I had the peanut foam. It was massive and delicious and I regret not finishing it. But if I did I would have burst. Definitely meant for sharing. I miss the foie gras toast already! read more

We ate here a couple years ago, but I was thinking about it tonight because it was just THAT good. What I wouldn't give to have some of the peanut foam right now...you have to try it. But like other reviews said, be sure to get a reservation or you'll probably be turned away. We were the first time we tried to go, but got a reservation for our last night at town and are so glad we did. Hoping to return one day in the not so distant future. read more

Tapabento - Peanut foam!! Must try - Portuguese Near Me - Porto, 13

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Oh My Word! I can say without reservation, this is one of the best food experiences I've ever had! I dont even know where to begin. It is a small and intimate restaurant with a completely unassuming entrance. When you walk in, the space opens up and there is a second floor to accommodate the herds of people who try to dine here. We popped in, without reservations, hoping to be squeezed in somewhere. The lovely Katia let us know we must speak with the owner to see what might be available. There were 2 other groups waiting as well and all three groups (7 people in total) were sat family style at a table near the entrance. I absolutely loved this as this gave us all a chance to chat, connect and discuss the deliciousness that would appear before us. We started off with a delicious bottle of red wine (Estopam Aior 2011 Douro - Katia's suggestion) and dug into the menu. We had the burrata salad which was fresh, crisp and creamy with walnuts, dried tomatoes, blueberries and an amazing balsamic drizzle. We also had the salmon ceviche (YUM-MY), fish soup (chunky and delish), bread with truffle butter and two other dishes that also blew my damn mind! We took our time enjoying everything and even ordered a second bottle of wine as we chatted with the whole table and enjoyed every single bite. It was so good, we made reservations for Sunday where we got a chance to enjoy the tuna tataki (sold out the first day) and some repeat dishes. Besides the burrata salad being the star, the peanut foam (dessert dish), was ridiculously good! Its like a snickers ice cream bar on steroids - I mean just DAMN! This is a place you simply cannot miss when you go to Oporto! Happy Eats! read more

Waited 2.5 hours and it's not worth it. Poor customer service: - 1 order was missing. When we followed up, instead of checking, male waiter was arguing that we did not order the missing order. - I also Ordered coke and it did not arrive until I was done with my dinner. I ordered duck and it was salty. Just would like to add that the other staff were very friendly, specially Rita. Also, the hostess was incredible! She was very friendly and warm to the customers. read more

The food here is absolutely amazing and worth a visit if you are in Porto. It can get very busy so reservations are recommended. However, we came when it opened on a weekday (opens at noon) and we luckily got a table without any wait. We ordered 3 dishes - shrimp, duck, and foie gras. All three were extremely good and flavorful. We also ordered a citrus dessert at the end but thought it was average. Nonetheless, the main dishes were fantastic and highly recommend. The service was great too! read more

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I come back here every time I visit Porto and try something new each time- the potato tortilla, zucchini parmigiana and croquettes are a few of my favorites. It's delicious and feels healthy too. The woman that runs this place is so sweet and pours her love into it and it shows- I highly recommend!! Inside is absolutely beautiful. read more

This place is super popular and the wait is crazy unless you have a reservation. I fly solo so thought I could snag a spot at the bar more quickly yet customers lingered this night. The food was good yet not exceptional, compared to what i experience living in San Francisco so realize I can be biased. What made a difference for me was the owner's attentiveness. One example, she asked how I planned to walk back and I said the stairs (how I arrived)--she requested I walk a more Main Street for safety. read more

The best meal I had in Porto! Isabel was amazing, she took care of me the whole night, suggested the wine and the dish and she was absolutely spot on. I started with the bread and truffle butter and a fantastic glass of wine, followed by the shrimp and garlic dish and the peanut butter foam dessert. ALL of it was fantastic. I would suggest a reservation beforehand, I got lucky since I was by myself but others weren't. read more

Tapabento - Peanut Butter Foam - Portuguese Near Me - Porto, 13

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Each course was great. Very interesting to compare the two risottos. Very different but both excellent. The staff is wonderful - very efficient but also good humored. 10 out of ten! read more

Interesting, authentic Portuguese food delivered tapas style. Trust this place to surprise and satisfy. Would definitely return.

This restaurant was so delicious, that we brought our kids with us the next day for lunch! The food is amazing. No wonder it was packed! We did make reservations for both meals. We went pre-Covid in August 2019. My favorite was the fois gras toast appetizer. This place will not disappoint. read more

You want to go here, trust me. Try for reservations, or be the first to line up when they open, otherwise you may not get in to eat. That being said- the owners are so kind, they make waiting in line a pleasant experience. The space is intimate and cozy, and the food and wine match the experience. We especially loved the dumplings- the meat was so tender, and the peanut foam. The peanut foam was so good I had to go back before we left just to get some to go. read more

Somehow in my research I unintentionally happened upon one of the most high-end restaurants in Porto! Tapabento was without a doubt the best meal we had in Portugal, but many other travelers thought the same thing -- either book a reservation or arrive 10-15 mins before opening at 7pm. Otherwise, your party is unlikely to get a table. Once inside, the wait staff is extremely friendly and service is very fast. Would highly recommend the grilled zucchini appetizer and hazelnut trifle for dessert (and pretty much everything else on the menu). The food is worth the effort!! read more

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I've travelled all over the world. This is by far the best food, best service, best kept secret! Love the prawns with garlic! Love the fried wild rice! Been 2 weeks since we were here. I can't forget the wonderful experience! Eliza, the owner was awesome! I wish I knew the recipe for the fried rice! read more

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The star of the restaurant is definitely the peanut foam dessert! This was so so good! We also enjoyed the oxtail dumplings.

The restaurant is conveniently located inside SAO BENTO train station. Foods are delicious, The ambiance of the restaurant is beautiful. But most of all, the service is wonderful, especially the host Isabel! She welcomes everyone like a friend, even when there's lots of people showed up without reservations, she still tried to accommodate everyone. The warms she gave us when we were in a strange city as a tourist make us feel like home. We like the restaurant so much that we went back with our local friends. Highly Highly recommend this restaurant. You should book a week ahead or do walk-in as soon as they open. read more

Book a reservation in advance. We tried to walk in for lunch and it was booked solid, tried again for dinner on a whim a few days later and barely squeezed in. Worth the wait, great meal. read more

Located in what resembles a back alley. This is a hidden little gem with good service and plenty of items to share. We had the tuna tataki , salads, shrimp risotto and bread. We shared a bottle of Portuguese wine and had dessert. Everything was fresh and the staff was super friendly. I can't stress enough the need for reservations since there is a huge line at 7 pm when they open. Good luck!! read more

Cyndy's Bottom Line: Inventive dishes with robust flavor profiles and phenomenal service! I read all the wonderful reviews and knew I had to dine at Tapabento. We stopped by without a reservation. I asked Isabelle if she could do her magic as I trekked all the way from Hawaii. Isabelle was able to seat us...but suddenly the guest arrived. Sadness insued. Then VOILA Isabelle did her magic again and the next thing you know we were in the upstairs dining room. Thank you very much Isabelle! Our dinner started with the tuna tataki. *Wild Tuna Tataki with gherkin pickles, seaweed, samphire, soy sauce, teriyaki, wasabi, variety of fish roe, apple ice cream and cucumber. The tuna was fresh and of high quality and well seasoned. It could easily stand on its own. However, the tataki was served with a variety of roe, wasabi and soy, samphire and with apple ice cream. An inventive delivery of flavor profiles which taste delicious and challenges your plate. A first for me to have tuna takaki served this way. Yummy! *Oxtail empanadas - I've had empanadas before but not with oxtail. Another first. The oxtail filling was tasty delicious. The outer crust nice and crisp and golden brown. *Foie gra toast - another original inventive dish. Foie gra served on a delicious toast with fennel, assortment of berries, sprinkled with hazelnuts and topped with a poached pear. What a magnificent dish. Your tastebuds with be happily surprised. Robust in flavor. *Brownie dessert - decadent and scrumptious! Highly recommend: If you are in Porto you must dine at Tapabento. A fun place to enjoy excellent and inventive food in a friendly relaxed atmosphere. read more

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This restaurant possibly made my entire trip in Porto. We went close to closing and the owner was very accommodating even though she was very busy and full to capacity. The food was absolutely delicious!!!!! We had the fish soup, clams, the shrimp in garlic, oxtail dumplings, steak and the peanut toffee dessert. I was not disappointed and everything was absolutely splendid! If you're in the city, here is a must go! read more

A fine, fine meal. The fois gras toast appetizer... my son and I still drool over it a year later. Excellent meal, gracious staff, wonderful atmosphere. (Anyone saying this is a tourist trap should bugger off.) read more

Amazing! We love this gem of a restaurant. The food is the best and the staff are so professional. It was a wonderful experience but do note reservations are highly important and can book weeks in advance. read more

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The staff was very friendly and enjoyable. The food was good with the exception of the risotto which was too cheesy.

I was a little hesitant to come here due to the amount of reviews this place has, and, I am very glad my wife and I did. Generally when a restaurant is so adored for a while, it tends to get "touristic". Tapabento is somewhat touristic, but also very very delicious!! The not so amazing: - This was my first meal in Portugal and I was looking forward to amazing Portuguese bread. I did not find it here. It was OK (must get to dip into the sauces) but not crazy good like in other places we ate. - The prawn risotto. I found this risotto be too al dente and lacking seasoning. Fresh ingredients for sure, but seasoning and a bit more time on the stove would have made it great. - Seafood soup. Although good, for me just OK. My wife loved it. The Awesome!! - The potato tortilla. Simply the best I have has anywhere, including Madrid. If you get to Tapabento, you MUST order this, MUST. I saw tables (obviously with tourists) without it and I was very sad for them :) - The seafood curry stew. Again, a not to be missed for any reason! - The Peanut foam dessert. Ridiculously delicious. Don't be afraid to order it even after a big meal. Its not huge, showcases the restaurant's creativity and hits the spot, especially with a nice espresso (which they simply call cafe in Portugal). - The service - super friendly and very warm. They want to make sure you are having a good experience and it comes through. - Sangria, I thought it was good but my wife super loved it. Overall, I would come back here in a heartbeat and suggest for anyone planning a trip to Porto to make reservations ahead and enjoy the warm hospitality of this restaurant. read more

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After our first walk around Liberdade Square and the Porto's historic area, it was time to grab some lunch. Launching our trusty Yelp apps, we quickly zeroed-in on a restaurant with an overall five-star rating after 175 reviews. We Yelpers know that a solid five stars is almost unheard of after that many reviews, so we headed off for Tapabento for what turned out to be an unexpectedly fantastic dining experience. Tapabento is tucked away in an alley next to the São Bento railway station, but it's easy to spot by the folks sitting outside waiting for a table, drinks in-hand. Yes, they do take reservations (highly recommended), but we lucked out with our timing and only had to wait a few minutes for our table. When you make your way up the stairs, it's like you've instantly been transported to a country house, with a warm, comfortable feeling. Our server Ines quickly made her way over to our table to welcome us, guide us through the menu, and make sure we had something from the bar in short order. The service here is excellent, with Ines making sure that our lunch was well-paced; she also suggested the order in which she felt the dishes should best be served, basically putting together a culinary storyline for the afternoon. Despite its comfortable, homey feel, the plates put out by the kitchen are definitely elevated fare, starting with a cream of vegetable soup that was velvety-smooth and I could easily have every single day. The tortilha de batatas features an onion confit and was very tasty, as was the beautifully plated tomato bruschetta on a fresh and crusty country bread. The tosta rosbif was piled high with a lean Angus roast beef, mozzarella, gherkins, and aioli, a super-sized tapa that easily can be split amongst three or four people. The star of the show this particular day was the risotto, featuring huge prawns and wild shrimp, saffron, lime, and coriander - a perfect dish. Tapabento is truly a hidden gem in a beautiful city - don't leave Porto without visiting with Isabel, Tapabento's lovely owner, and trying out the wonderful cuisine coming out of her kitchen. Excelência culinária! read more

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Yes! THIS place puts Porto's other Yelp 5 star restaurants to shame. THIS is the food we hoped to find in Portugal: Intimate, authentic, exceedingly friendly, and bursting with bright, fresh flavors of the sea and garden. If I could finish every evening here for the rest of my travels, I would be a happy person indeed. Tapabento is basically in an alley beside the train station. Call for reservations if you can. We had to wait for a table, but it was so worth it. The hostess could not have been more friendly, and once we were seated, our server Katarina was perfection -- so friendly and so helpful. You can tell when a server just loves her job and takes pride in the food she's about to serve. The choices were overwhelming, but Katarina kept us in check so that we ordered just the right amount. Where to begin? The fish soup would be a good place. Don't skip it. It was homey and chock full of shellfish. Excellent. Shellfish? You won't find a better platter of clams on either side of the Atlantic. I would love to know what variety these little tender clams were, but I doubt I could find them back home anyway. Potatoes? The dull sounding "potato pie" was recommended by our server and it was a complete treat, delicate and layered with onions -- a refreshing break from the ubiquitous Portuguese potatoes that seem to be served everywhere here. Even simple salads here are a bright spot. Desserts were fine. The mojito sorbetto was divine. However it's the tapas that are the star. We loved this place! read more

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OMG! This place is legit! I was studying all the places to go on yelp and cross-comparing with google reviews as any true foodie would do religiously and stumbled upon this place, marked it (as should you!). Everyone seems to be gushing over this place and now I have joined the pack. We went there earlier today on a Wednesday for a late lunch and did not have trouble getting a table, although, even for a late lunch (2:30pm-ish) there were still quite a lot of people. The waitstaffs were super friendly and the lady that took our order gave us good recommendations on the food. Although I already knew what I wanted based on my extensive research, my husband was clueless. So starting with the fish soup - it is to DIE for! So rich and flavorful, packed with fish, crab and shrimp and a piece of toast - toasted to just the right amount of crunchiness. If I had two stomachs, I would have gotten another order, but my stomach failed me. Then the razor clams, which was also good and flavorful, but I think I still prefer the regular clams. It's weird, but I almost feel like this has too much meat and a little too chewy for me. But you have to try it yourself to decide. I don't normally have razor clams, so I guess I was anticipating the taste to be similar to regular clams, but it's not. My husband got Foie Gras Toastie and Tuna Tataki based on help from the lady. Both dishes are amazing. The Tuna tataki comes with a tiny portion of ice cream, which is refreshing. And the Foie Gras - OMG! Just look at my picture, it's so pretty and equally delicious. I had to help him cause it was so rich for just 1 person. Oh, I also loved their sangria. They do have a very extensive list of local wine. If you don't want to choose, just ask the waitstaff for recommendations. In the end, we walked out like food zombies. It was a foodie success. read more

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So glad we are able to visit this restaurant as part of our short stay in Porto. We followed the recommendations travel sites and while we were not able to get a dinner reservation the hostess/owner Isabel got us a reservation for lunch instead. Glad we worked our itinerary around this (friends traveling with me are all foodies). We were promptly seated on arrival and our server Katy's took time to answer all or questions on the dishes. We ordered the favorites -mixed seafood, razor clams, the seafood cataplana and the foie gras toast to share. We also got a bottle of fruity Flor da Lei Doc (red) for us. The seafood soup (sopa de Peixe) was packed full of flavors with different fish, shrimp, crab meat. We also ordered the salmon ceviche, razor clams, mixed seafood cataplana and the foie gras toast. The salmon ceviche with micro greens and sweet potatoes was a perfect balance of soft vs crispy, citric vs sweet and savory. Foie Gras toast was but visually and taste-wise a masterpiece. Melt in the mouth extravaganza. I would come back to this place in a heartbeat! read more

So lucky to have found this place. We got squeezed in before closing, every dish was a 10. The tortilla espanol was an eye opener- wow - best we've had! The gambas were perfection. Try and you will be so happy you did . read more

Came here after reading great reviews on Yelp. Totally agreed with everyone from services to food, nothing disappoints you. I had the razor clams and foie gras toast. The portion is big and reasonably priced. I especially enjoyed the foie gras, I thought it would be too greasy to finish such big portion, but I later realized why there were so much fruits added to this dish. After one bite of fruit, it helped removing the grease and made you want to have another bite of the foie. So I ended up finished everything and wanted more . Foie gras was done perfectly, so juicy and it went well with the toasted bun. The razor clams were very fresh which is the key for seafood. Dipping the sauce with bread is a must as the sweetness from the fresh clams made the tasty sauce not go to waste. read more

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We absolutely loved Tapabento! Reservations are a must, but we were lucky and squeezed into the bar for dinner on our first night in Porto. The hostess was very gracious, but matter of fact with the throngs of people she had to turn away. It seemed like every restaurant in Porto was either completely booked or empty. The oxtail empanadas, marinated olives, and Iberian ham toast were some of our favorites. Every dish we had was delightful. As far a drinks, the bar was on point. White port tonic was refreshing, as was the sangria. After our dinner, we made a reservation for lunch the next day and had just as wonderful of an experience. While the restaurant has only been around for a few years (after the tourism boom), the food was exquisite and memorable. Cannot recommend this restaurant enough. read more

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Warning: Tapabento is often quite full. You best call ahead or otherwise be willing to wait. Located adjacent to the train station it is a bit tricky to find for a tourist. It's located in the alley directly next to the train station. The clientele was a mix of locals and tourists. The wait was at least 10 min but we decided it was fine to wait. The menu looked quite good and we were hungry. We ordered drinks as we waited and the table became available. Our drinks were delivered promptly. I decided to imbibe with a Porto-Tonic, a drink consisting of white port and tonic with a bit of mint. Quite nice but the mint leaves did keep flowing into my mouth while drinking, rather unpleasant. We ordered a few dishes - the Argave clams with garlic and butter, the provolone au gratin, the langoustine risotto, and finally the brownie with an espresso. The entire meal would end up being 72€, but worth every cent. That leaves us at 4 courses for a reasonable price for 2. The clams with butter and garlic, and a hint of cilantro, were up first. Since they were so delicious they were eaten methodically and quickly. Imagine dear reader: potent blasts of garlic with accents of cilantro and, once we applied it, a hint of lemon. In truth I think this dish was better without lemon but it did add a bit of funk and bring out the pop of the cilantro more. Be warned your garlic breath will force everyone you meet to keep their distance. Up next: the provolone au gratin - which was really more of a glorified cheese dip. It was as cheesy as a Christmas romantic comedy and it was just as good too. Served with just a few chips to encourage you to take a large portion-per-chip, inside the dip were tomatoes and peppers. A real delight. 2 courses down and 2 to go. Rounding the corner to third we start to imagine victory in our heads. We don't realize it yet but we're stumbling a bit. The langoustine risotto is served to us. It is not the most beautifully presented dish, it appears they may have forgotten to clean the plate, and the risotto has a small separation of oil on it that says this dish wasn't quite right. But the langoustines can save the dish and they do their best to help recover and take third base. The final course, rounding from third to home it feels like a sprint and not a marathon. This restaurant has a stand-alone dessert counter that only prepares desserts. They could have opened just a dessert store and sold $10,000 desserts but instead they want us, the unwashed masses, to enjoy these desserts instead. The brownie was the best I've ever eaten. Indescribable. Nutty. Caramel. Hazelnut. Childhood. A lifetime flashes before my eyes. I feel like I'm doing LSD but all I'm eating is a brownie. 5 stars and the brownie SAVES THE DAY! The crowd goes WILD! Haaaaah! They're clapping and screaming. Seriously thank you that dessert was amazing. A must visit when in Porto. read more

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Sat at the counter for dinner and ordered the Duck Magret which I believe to be the most expensive dish on the menu. Served rare on the server's recommendation, it is quite delicious. Probably the best preparation short of sous vide I have had. Good service. read more

Tapabento - Duck Magret - Portuguese Near Me - Porto, 13