Oporto Phillip — Restaurant in District of Woden Valley

On Wednesday, 25 September, the weather was horrible, and perhaps this was the reason for the managers' blatant disregard and disrespect for me as a person.

I know, right . . .

Just because it's rainy and miserable outside, it doesn't mean we should; speak to people in a awful way, treat people disrespectfully and in a discriminatory manner.

So, with my 8-year-old, 2kg Toy Poodle in tow, we had been walking around most of the day as my vehicle was getting serviced and I thought given I enjoy the service I am provided at Waves Car Wash I would head in that direction for a late lunch and besides I had Oporto on my mind, so off we trekked in the rain (took us about 25 minutes by foot to reach our destination).

As I enter Oporto, amongst Waves Car Wash there. With a smile and a polite greeting, I kindly ask the gentleman to the left nearest the door. "Would you mind if both myself and my Pooch sit inside for a meal?".

He looks confused, not knowing what to say whilst looking directly at another colleague who, at the time, was located behind the counter. They, too, are just as puzzled and unsure of what to say or do.

The manager at the time comes up to the counter, looking me directly in the eye, stating the simplest of phrases, "No."

I said, "There's no one else in the store, and we'll sit out of the way over here in the corner. She's on lead and so well-behaved that you won't even notice her."

I could then hear the tremor in his voice as he began to create a fable worthy enough of this here review . . .

He turns his head, looking behind him to the four staff members located in the kitchen area at the time and he points to the youngest, most vulnerable of them all (he looks to be 13 years old and he's located at the very end of the kitchen) and as his hand waves about, finger pointing in the young lad's direction he states "he, him down there, he has an allergy to dogs, so no you cannot eat here!"

Now you can only imagine what I'm thinking! Is this a joke? No, this can not be happening right now, but it did!

This young lad, was he going to be dining with me? I hope not, well he was standing at least 8 metres from where I was located and given the store was empty and there were 7 to 8 staff on that day I saw no reason as to why he would need to sit by my side and cuddle my pooch!

I respond politely, " Oh, btw, I have an Assistance Dogs Australia licence if you'd wish to see it?"

As I proceed to show him our license of registration, with an angry look on his face and in an unacceptable manner, he yells, "WHAT DO YOU WANT THEN?"

So, here I am holding a 2kg Toy Poodle that can be held with just one hand and would fit in your handbag; so well trained (thus, why we are accepted everywhere), groomed to perfection and I can guarantee she had better manners than the store manager on shift this here day.

The scared and uncomfortable feeling I was shadowed with when he spoke to me was more than simply disheartening. I then looked at my pooch, and as I shook my head knowingly, he'd probably now spit in my food if I did stay, I turned my back exiting the store.

FYI, my mum too has an allergy to everything from; the grass that grows below your feet and flowers that shed their wings in spring, to birds, cats, horses, you name it she will be allergic to it to the point her skin, eyes, sinuses react will flare up her skin will swell up with a bumpy red rash should I not bath my pooch and have a set of clean fresh cotton gloves for her to wear at the time my ma is in the company...

For some bizarre reason, at this store they seem to feel that a 40 minute wait in this drive through only store is completely acceptable. Even with only 3 cars in front this is the amount of time we had to wait for our food. Once we realised the wait we would have just left, but, once you are past a certain point here you can't leave the drive through until everyone you in front of you gets served, so after the 20 minutes we already waited, we had no choice but to continue to wait. The food, when you eventually get it, is standard Oporto fair, although my burger seemed like it had been waiting for me for the majority of this 40 minute period, as it wasn't overly warm and also looked like it was made by a blind person. I can only guess what the staff were doing during this time, but I am assuming they must have been sitting there playing with themselves. And to whoever designed it in the first place, you are worse at your job than an NRL referee, and should immediately reconsider your career, although, I think even being a toilet cleaner is too...

I recently visited Oporto Phillip and had an exceptional experience that exceeded expectations. From the moment I arrived, the staff were friendly, welcoming, and efficient. The service was fast, even during peak hours, and the team maintained a high level of professionalism and cleanliness throughout the store.

The food was absolutely delicious — I ordered the Bondi Burger Combo with spicy grilled chicken, fresh lettuce, and their signature creamy chilli sauce. Every bite was packed with flavour, and the chicken was perfectly grilled and juicy. The chips were hot and crispy, and the drink was ice-cold — everything was served just right.

Overall, Oporto Phillip offers excellent value for money, great customer service, and mouth-watering meals that make you want to come back again. Highly recommended for anyone craving delicious, flame-grilled...