Tapabento is a very popular restaurant in downtown Porto. Located right beside São Bento station, it has two floors; the ground floor has a bar, a few tables, and the kitchen, and feels very vibrant and a bit chaotic; the upper floor has about ten tables and offers a more relaxed dining experience. I started with the Tataki of Atum Selvagem (Wild Tuna Tataki). The plate was beautifully presented, the lean tuna served rare and seared on the edges was placed at the center of the large plate, surrounded by several condiments/sides, such as wasabi, tobiko, wakame, etc. Unfortunately, taste wise, I believe there are better choices at Tapabento and this dish failed to deliver. My second course was the Tosta de Foie-Gras (Foie-Gras Toast). Again, the plate was artfully presented, two pieces of foie-gras served over a bread slice (reminded me of a brioche in terms of texture), topped by a pear, surrounded by delicate greens and nuts, over a sweet sauce. This dish was very good and it was actually quite filling. It was very sweet, so after eating it, I actually didn't feel like having dessert. Service was friendly. Reservation is a must. read more

Truly redefined a fine dining experience.. one of the greatest meals of my life! Stumbled upon the place by seeing the line 15 minutes before they opened - we had no reservation but waited a bit after they opened and scored a table upstairs. The service was wonderful, the food truly delicious. The best meal I've had in Europe in the past 5 years by leaps and bounds. An absolute must try if you're in Porto! read more

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Amazing, tasty tapas with warm service. The standouts were the oxtail dumplings, fois gras, garlic shrimp and the "peanut foam" dessert. The restaurant is on the quiet back street behind the Sao Bento station but a line that formed before restaurant even opens at 7 stays long all evening. They will take walk-ins but strongly recommend reservations. People want to eat here! read more

Best meal we had in Porto by a clear mile. Staff was friendly and accommodating to allergies, spoke great English with an English menu (important for me) and is a very authentic and welcoming atmosphere. MAKE RESERVATIONS. We got a table as a fluke but the line out the door was 15 people deep, all turned away because they don't have many tables. We got the rice dish and steak dish and split them together for a perfect combination of flavors. Don't miss this small gem while you're in Porto. (Cocktails also on point.) read more

Tapabento - Angus Steak - Portuguese Near Me - Porto, 13

This is one of the best dishes I've had in several years, I enjoyed the traditional Portuguese seafood dish served with the rice, it was a curry, light curry paste dish with coconut milk and scallops, fish, shrimp, muscles, and clams. Small quaint 2 story restaurant near the train station. Recommend reservations because it is busy. Fresh ingredients and homemade pastries also. My travel colleague has decided not to join me doe dinner that evening and boy did she miss a great meal- I'm going back !! read more

Thanks to my fellow Yelpers I got to dine at the best Porto restaurant - for lunch. We tried to get a table the night before for dinner but were told they were booked a week ahead. You must call for reservations or you'll not be able to eat here. However, I did see a couple of single people walk in and they were accommodated at the bar on a first come first served basis. Right off the bat, the staff was very friendly and polite. We got a 2pm seating and was seated on the 2nd level right at a window table with a view of the streets. I knew what to order from reading the Yelp reviews. Given that we were lucky to get the last seating reservation, I wasted no time and ordered a liter of their Spumante Sangria (sorry no photo as I gulped It down and forgot to take one). For appetizers, we had the fish soup, oxtail empenadillas and Meagre Ceviche. For the main dishes, we had wild shrimp risotto, razor clams and fish and seafood curry. All were excellent. I can't describe how satisfying they all were as these dishes are prepared in a manner I've not tasted before. I can only say that each bite or sip or morsel of food that went into my mouth was heavenly. Each dish came with a good amount of sauces so we ordered an extra bowl of rice that came with the curry as well as an order of bread to take in the sauces. For dessert, it was a no brainer with the peanut foam. The name was confusing since the description list it as ice cream. It may be ice cream but the texture was like that of foam. It's sprinkled with chocolate and peanuts and something else. I'm not a dessert person but I tell you, this was worth it. Definitely and highly recommended as a must visit place. Plan early and get your reservation in so you don't miss out on this treasure. It's a little on the expensive side but what's a few EUs more when you have a meal so worthy of your hard earned money! read more

Tapabento - Main entrance - Portuguese Near Me - Porto, 13

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The food at this place was not just excellent but the wait staff went above and beyond. Our server Gaurav patiently walked us through the menu to make recommendations based on his preferences as well as our dietary restrictions. In another incident a bunch of the wait staff were actively trying to figure out what they could do for a customer with allergies to two basic ingredients that are in literally every dish they had. They put in quite an effort to satisfy which 99% of other places would never bother. read more

This restaurant has a 5 star rating, and absolutely deserves it. To start, the place is very charming, and the staff is friendly and knowledgeable. The food, is outstanding. This was our second time, and it was as good as the first. I highly recommend, just make sure you make reservations. The best way is to go to the website and email them. read more

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First off, make reservations! You can try and walk in and cross your fingers hoping she has room, but if you really want to try this place, make reservations. We practically tried almost everything on the menu that the owner recommended, and we were not disappointed. We ordered: The Grilled Prawns, Irish Angus Steak (medium), 72C Cod Fish, Oxtail empanadas, Mixed Seafood Curry, Steamed Muscles, Wild Rice, and the Citrus Dessert. Everything was delicious. Everything. Not a single item was bland. Also, get their Sangria. It is very refreshing. The atmosphere was nice. We sat downstairs where it was a little warm, but we also went when the country was experiencing hotter than usual heat from their heatwave so it was understandable. The Owner kept apologizing but we were fine drinking our drinks and chatting amongst ourselves. If you want to be a little cooler, sit upstairs. They have the menus in different languages. So if you're from another country, ask if they have a menu in your language. This was really helpful. read more

I followed the recommendations from others and it was an amazing food experience in every possible way. Tapabento is a popular place and I was expecting some queuing to get a table, not a problem as you can enjoy a glass of Vinho Verde while you browse through the menu. The food was delicious, I had the risotto, perfectly made! Followed by the fantastic Citrus dessert, a 360 citrusy experience. Being here felt like coming home, or visiting your grandmother or something in between. The ambience is nice, the vibe positive and it is all in the culinary and social experience. If you come to Porto this is one of the places you must visit. read more

Tapabento - Citrus, delicious dessert! - Portuguese Near Me - Porto, 13

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We arrived in Porto and headed straight to Tapabento based on all of the reviews we read here on Yelp. When we arrived there were no tables available for the rest of the night. We had to reserve a table at their next available time which was 2 days later. It was well worth the wait! First, the owner, Isabel is an Angel. We instantly fell in love with her smile and her kindness. She was so warm and just has a way to make you feel welcome. We heard from a restaurant owner down the road that Isabel is quite the world traveler, speaking 7 different languages. The food... hands down the best we had in our 2 weeks of traveling around Portugal and Spain. We were a party of 4 and started with the Burrata Salad and Vegetable soup. The Burrata was perfectly done in both taste and presentation. I did not sample the soup but the other in our party loved it. For our entrees, we had 2 of the steak dishes and the prawn in a garlic sauce. We all loved both beef dishes, possible the best steak we've eaten anywhere. The prawn dish was absolutely amazing!! You MUST try it. The garlic sauce that the prawn arrives is in is so good - the waiter gave us a basket of bread to soak it all up. The Sangria was very good and very strong. I cannot recommend this place enough - the reviews dont lie. If I am ever back in Porto, I will be back to Tapabento and I would hope to run into Isabel again. read more

This was our last meal in our 10 days in Portugal. As a foodie, we had sought out great places (not fine dining) to get good food, so we have a pretty good benchmark. This was definitely one of the top three meals we had on our trip. Ignore your instincts when you find out the place is right across from the train station. Nor when you look at the eye-watering high prices (15-20 euros per plate of food??) Because there are only two things that matter. One is that the seafood is really, really good. And the second is that while the price per plate is expensive, the plates are HUGE. Don't go crazy - start with three plates between two people first, and see how you go. My recommendations: - prawns in garlic sauce. Amazing. Huge prawns, very fresh, and great sauce. - Clams in lemon sauce. Also amazing, I recommend as well. - Meagre ceviche. This is a white fish, similar to seabass. This was great too, but after the prawns and clams, it felt like meh, but in any other restaurant would have been the star dish. Don't go for the bread - disappointingly, it was not very good baguette. Do make reservations - this place fills up, even for lunch. The best comparison I have is to Cervejaria Ramiro in Lisbon, which is like the most popular place for seafood there. The seafood here is as fresh as there, but better because the sauce is so much nicer. Pricing is about the same. Come here if you're a big seafood lover. read more

The place is not in like a nice corner of Porto. Its like in a back alley but that said the food was great. Plating was excellent. Variety of flavors in one plate. Very beautiful decoration on the plate. The curry was excellent. Tuna as well. I also loved the peanut foam. Its like whipcream not foam. Still great. You can get the kid menu one if u r full. read more

Initially we were turned away because we didn't have a reservation and they said they were full. However we asked "how about the bar?" Then she said fine. So strange that she didn't offer that. Anyways the food was good. Got the bacon...wow...so smoky and good. Tuna was good. Mushrooms were delicious which is a dish I want to make at home. Clams were a bit salty. read more

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Three days in a row, without a reservation for the first two days. It's definitely worth the waiting. Everything I had is amazing, which also makes me want to try other stuffs on the menu. Have to come back and try the rest :) great food, excellent service, and friendly staffs. Thumbs up!! read more

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It's definitely a must-go restaurant. First of all, the service is amazing. We felt very welcome. The host is an elder lady who squeezed us into a busy lunch time and kept checking on us make sure we had everything. She was taking care of a customer's baby when a little guy was crying. The food we ordered was so delicious. I love the mushroom starter and duck magret, sooooo good. read more

Tapabento - Portuguese Near Me - Porto, 13

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Better late than never... We found this place by looking through Yelp of course. They had such great reviews we had to try it. I ordered the shrimp with risotto. I'm such a huge fan of risotto, but I'm also such a critic if it's not done right. I've only had 3 great experiences with Risotto. So when I do see it the menu you gotta believe I'm trying it. So on that note I was a bit disappointed with my meal. Maybe we just came to early in the day, they had just opened. We should've waited until dinner time to try the restaurant. We're coming to Portugal again in June so we will try it again but definitely dinner time. So I won't make this my final review. read more

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Really really good food. Everything we ordered were so tasty, homemade lemonade and ice tea, Creamy vegetable soup and fish soup, steak and clam... everything was great! Staffs were really friendly. Totally would recommend this restaurant. Better to make reservation first though. Its really busy place. read more

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Best meal I ever had. The owner was so friendly. We waited 2 hours and it worth every minutes. We had mixed seafood of the day, sautéed wild rice, 72 degree cod, duck magnet, foie-gras toast, and fish soup. Peanut foam was to die for read more

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Outstanding food and service! This small restaurant is very busy, so make sure you have a reservation or get there early enough to secure a spot, for good reason! This restaurant is an absolute must while in Porto. It is located right next to São Bento Station and I can't say enough good things about it. From the lively yet homey atmosphere to the perfectly plated meals, it will be a highlight of the trip! I will definitely be making it back to this restaurant in the future. read more

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Wow! So glad they were able to accommodate us as we didn't have a reservation (definitely recommended) and we were lucky enough to sit at the bar. There were three of us -my husband and I started with the fish soup- excellent! My daughter had the bread with the tomatoes and garlic and the potato pie which she loved. I had the special which was a filet mignon- perfectly cooked with a port wine sauce and hubby had the fish and seafood curry-outstanding! We are so glad we were able to experience this delightful place! Oh and the walnut brownie and the white sangria were oh so good --- and special thanks to our waitress who greeted us and found us a seat. We will definitely recommend. read more

If you're ever in Porto, you MUST eat at Tapabento!! Delicious and gorgeous dishes. Staff is really nice, prices are reasonable and the food is just amazing! We had the Poached Pear Foie Gras Toastie, Tuna Tataki, Razor Clams (yes, that's a thing), and Roasted goat cheese salad with honey, goji, and caramelized nuts. All highly recommended, especially the foie gras! read more

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I was on holiday in Porto last year and I often relate this dinning experience to my visit to Porto. We did not have reservations and I would highly recommend booking reservations if you can in advance. My sis and I lucked out to be seated at a communal table. Everything we ordered was awesome! The flavors the ingredients so fresh and amazing. It was like one of those meals you finish and you have the warm fuzzies and are extremely satisfied. I have been looking for an tapas place back in the Chicago land area and have not found anything yet that remotely even compares. The service is great. We met the mother and daughter team who were running the restaurant and they were so personable and inviting. Definitely worth the wait and worth checking out! read more

This was the best meal that we had in the city. Without reservations be prepared to wait, but it's totally worth it. We grabbed a glass of wine and sat outside while we waited for a table, which is fun in and of itself. Each dish was delicious and well seasoned, and enjoyed by all. Try as much as possible. I love this place. read more

A terrific find...thanks to others who rated it on Yelp! A very "local" restaurant, with great food and tremendous service. We showed up a day before our actual reservation (miscommunication between ourselves and our hotel) and they graciously found us a small table upstairs, which is actually where you'll want to sit. The froi gras dish they served was awesome...as was the hugh in-shell shrimp. We found a nice, unsweet red from the Douro Valley to accompany our dinner. Make reservations in advance and take a taxi (cheap) unless you're 3/4 billy goat. Porto has some very steep streets...puts most of San Francisco to shame! read more

Tapabento - Portuguese Near Me - Porto, 13

AVOID THIS TOURIST TRAP We made a reservation for the 8:30-10pm seating but we arrived earlier at 8:20pm. I was expecting to be seated by 8:30pm. They are fully booked so I knew I would have to wait for the previous seating to finish (7-8:30pm) Around 8:30pm, the host told us the previous couple is just finishing their coffee so they should be done soon and we would be seated at that table. He comes back five minutes later to tell us the couple is still finishing their coffee. At 8:50pm I was fed up because I made a reservation for 8:30pm and it is the restaurant's job to control the previous seating. The previous table should not have occupied the table past their seating time. I am really dissatisfied how this restaurant manages their business. The food was also okay. It was decent but not mind blowing. Avoid this tourist trap. The entire restaurant was filled with tourists and I regret coming here given the horrible service. read more

This is a MUST when in Porto! The food is creative, fresh, delicious.....the best, with an awesome top notch wine selection. The atmosphere is quaint, chic, unique. And the icing on top of this beautiful cake has to be owner Isabel and her A-1 professional team. They will not only feed you well, but treat you like gold! You will want to return to Porto just to visit Tapabento. YOU MUST MAKE RESERVATIONS! you'll LOVE it! read more

Everything at this restaurant is wonderful from the owner to the wait staff to the presentation of the food being 5 star restaurants. I wanted something light and healthy so I opted for the tuna toast and burrata salad. If I had more room I would've had the fish soup or mussels too. This is definitely a place I would recommend visiting in Porto. Make a reservation unless you plan to come early around lunch and are no more than 2 people. read more

Tapabento - Portuguese Near Me - Porto, 13

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It's very delicious, we went at 4pm and they dont serve main dishes at that time, shrimp Tapas is really good, it's has that zesty taste and of course super fresh, roatbeef toast was a little disappointing (greasy). read more

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Amazing food, good price, the host was very accommodating and sweet, well worth the wait. Unexpectedly delicious. Great service overall! read more

Tapabento - Portuguese Near Me - Porto, 13

This place isn't very big and pricey but being a tapas bar this is expected. I tried the fish soup, which was delicious. The sausage with apple sauce. While I wouldn't get that again, it was worth trying. The apple sauce compliments the sausage well and without it the sausage would be too strong. I had the Kaffir for dessert which was absolutely delicious. Very rich and perfectly balanced with the flavours of lime, mint, berry, ginger and pistachio. A must try. They did get super busy halfway through my meal but the service was attentive before that. read more

Tapabento - Kaffir dessert. Very, very good. - Portuguese Near Me - Porto, 13

The fish stew is a must! Great service and attentive staff! Reservations are also a must and the staff is very helpful in making it happen. After meal, walk it off by admiring the city center, the famous Sao Bento rail station or the church tower. Pro tip: Skip the book store read more

The fish soup is amazing. I ordered the bruschetta and tuna toastie. I would highly recommend this place, it is definitely a hidden gem. The service is incredible, everyone is extremely friendly, and the food is superb. Isabel, the owner, is one of the nicest people you'll ever meet! If you go to Porto and do not come here, that's definitely your loss. read more

We didn't have a reservation but we got a place at the bar after 15 minutes, the place was crowded and people were constantly waiting at the door. It had a great vibe, happy people and good food! We stayed in Porto for 5 days and this was our favorite place, it has really light, fresh and extremely delicious fish. We had the roasted tomatoes and cheese salad with honey blueberries, nuts and it was out if this world! I had the brownie dessert wich was kind of heavy but delicious, and my friend had the peanut butter mousse and it was incredibly good! Don't miss this place if you ever visit Porto! It is worth the wait! Would go back anytime! read more

Tapabento - Brownie Dessert - Portuguese Near Me - Porto, 13

This is a fantastic restaurant! Superb food and attentive staff. Had the Fish Soup and Mixed Seafood Plate in Broth. Both were delicious. Also, had the Peanut Butter Ice Cream with Hazelnut Foam. OMG...Yummy! However, when a person next to me received the Foie Gras dish, my first reaction was "I'm coming back tomorrow just to have this dish". I asked how it was, his reaction was "amazing"! The next night I came back, it was truly "Sublime"! read more

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Phenomenal food, great ambiance, and delightful service. The salmon ceviche and cod entree was our favorite. read more

I used Yelp to help me locate this restaurant. They were very accommodating, accepting us without a reservation at their central table. The servers were quite nice, and made an effort to help us out with the menu. Together, we ordered the mojito, white sangria, clams, grilled octopus and the duck. The mojito and white sangria were only okay, but were good for the price. The clams were quite delicious, however they were too small and not worth the money (I tried to order the razor clams but they were all out). The grilled octopus was one of the best I've tried in porto, and the duck was cooked to perfection. I highly recommend checking out Tapabento, as it's good for couples or a group, but I recommend making a reservation. read more

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This is the best food I've ever had in Porto! Very small door that I passed by but failed to find twice! The staffs are warm and funny. The warm soup is excellent! Green wine, very tasty! 72'C cod, crispy on the outside, but tender inside, must have! read more

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So delicious! We stumbled on it near the train station. Food was delicious and quick. Very small space - almost too small but they know what they are doing and do it well. read more

I would give it 10 stars if I could. We went right when they opened at noon, sat right down and we were served right away by the amazing Diogo. He was very friendly and spoke very good English which obviously helped us. Have to start off with a Vino Verde (Green Wine), it's very refreshing on a warm day. We ate the razor clams (great with the garlic butter), potato pie (amazing potato with onion and cheese) and the Tuna Avocado Toast (some of the best guacamole I've ever had and the Tuna is marinated). The food was all so delicious. I would recommend them all. (Potato pie is Diogos favorite- we asked). Last, we had the Peanut Foam. If you like yourself at all then you will get it. Plain and simple, it's one of the best desserts I've ever had, if not the best ever. Do yourself a favor and get it, hell, get two! read more

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