Ganadaria Steakhouse — Local services in Porto

My wife and I made a reservation at this restaurant for our last night in Porto. Although it was a late-night booking, there were still a fair number of customers. The server recommended the tomahawk steak and confidently presented the aged meat to us. He seemed proud and confident about the quality of the meat and since the restaurant was dimly lit, we couldn’t inspect the condition of the meat closely. We requested it to be cooked medium rare.

Not long after, the cooked steak was served, already sliced. The server attempted to demonstrate how tender the meat was by trying to cut it with a spoon, but it didn’t cut at all. He ended up tearing it apart. At that point, it was obvious that something was off, and the server must have noticed it too. Yet, he asked me to try cutting it myself. The steak wasn’t even rare—it was nearly blue. The heat hadn’t penetrated to the center, so the connective tissue and fat inside hadn’t melted, making it hard to cut even with a knife.

I was slightly taken aback, but from previous experiences, I knew that once a steak is fully sliced and plated like this, asking to re-cook it rarely results in the desired doneness. As I hesitated over how to respond, the server asked if it wasn’t “just perfect.” The server’s blunt and absurd question caught me off guard, and feeling that speaking up wouldn’t change anything, I reluctantly agreed and decided to just try eating it.

However, as mentioned earlier, the heat had not reached the inside of the meat at all, so it felt like we were eating raw meat. On top of that, around 30 to 40 percent of the meat consisted of fat, so although we ordered a 1-kilo tomahawk, the actual edible portion—excluding the fat and bone—was very small.

I hesitated a lot before deciding to leave this review. During the meal, another server came by a few times to ask if everything was alright. Given the late hour and not wanting to ruin our last evening in Porto, we didn’t voice our complaints at the time and just said everything was fine. But thinking it over, I realized this is something that should never happen in a restaurant that brands itself as a steakhouse. The server who served us must have known something was wrong with the steak, and I believe future customers deserve to be informed—so I’m writing this review.

We went there expecting a great experience based on all the glowing reviews, but it turned out to be the most disappointing steakhouse experience we’ve ever had, and also the most disappointing meal of our four-day stay in Porto. When we were about to pay, they showed us a QR code and asked us to leave a five-star review on Google. That gave me some insight into how they’ve managed to accumulate so many positive reviews.

Of course, maybe it was just an off night or a rare mistake during our visit. But in my opinion, this is something that should never happen at a steakhouse. I’m leaving two stars instead of one because we didn’t express our dissatisfaction at the time, and I take some responsibility for that. That’s the only reason.

After reading your response, we felt compelled to update our review.

When we placed the order, we specifically asked for medium rare. We’re quite sure the kitchen staff would have noticed that the steak was clearly not medium rare when they cut it before serving. Even the server, while performing the presentation by cutting it with a spoon, must have realized it as he couldn't cut it through.

If the steak had at least been rare instead of medium rare, that might have been somewhat understandable. But it wasn’t even rare—it was blue, so undercooked it was difficult to even cut with a knife.

Yet not a single staff said a word at the time. In fact, your staff even had the audacity to ask if the steak was perfect, despite how undercooked it clearly was.

It’s even more disappointing that, instead of acknowledging any responsibility, you chose to completely shift the blame onto the customer for not...

What we experienced was contrary to the reviews, and a far cry from other restaurants in Porto, such that I feel compelled to write a review.

Visted on 1 Jan. The service was lackluster and lackadaisical, which was surprising for a place with this physical ambience (lighting, decor, music were nice) and price point. Generally, the staff just didnt seem to have much desire to make the diners' experience pleasurable. They gave off an air of 'i do not want to be here', just very mechanical execution of what they needed to do, forgetting requests for bowls and sauces.

Another rather bizarre observation was how they presented the bill. We were just handed the paper receipt without any tray/box/holder. So we had to oddly pass the cash and coins onto the staff's palm, like in markets. Even if we had chosen to pay by card, it's quite odd for the receipt to just be presented as is - a curled up paper.

Overall disappointing experience because we generally enjoyed the food (bread basket was quite stale though) - steak was good but the service marred the entire dining experience. Have pegged the expectations to the price point, plus just other restaurants we've experienced in Porto. There're better restaurants in Porto with both great food and service, and a...

The meat is great, everything else poor. This is not a 5 star steakhouse.

Let’s start with the good news: the meat is excellent. Perfectly cooked, well-sourced, and honestly the only reason you’d come here. Credit where credit’s due.

Now, everything else? Not so much. The sides feel like an afterthought, the starters.. (huevos rotos and pimientos padron? fine for a spanish tapas bar that one pays 20 euros per meal, not for an acclaimed 5 star steakhouse), and the couvert… let’s just say I didn’t expect to be served bread that had clearly seen better days (possibly last week). The service somehow manages to be both slow and inattentive, which is quite an accomplishment.

So yes, the steak is good. But is it good enough to justify the whole “premium steakhouse” price tag? Not even close. If you’re here just for the meat and don’t mind overpaying while pretending the rest of the meal doesn’t exist, you’ll be happy. If you’re expecting a proper 5-star experience,...