O Gonçalves — Restaurant in Alcácer do Sal

Honestly, I don’t understand the positive reviews for this restaurant. Maybe we were just unlucky, but this was by far the worst experience we’ve had in Portugal!

When we arrived, there was no welcome at all – the waitresses walked past us, staring without saying a word. We had to call them over just to get a table. Then they placed “starters” on the table without mentioning they would be charged for, unlike most restaurants in Portugal where this is clearly explained.

The waitress assigned to us spoke neither English… nor even Portuguese (!), to the point where the owner had to step in and translate. I ordered sparkling water and was brought a plain plastic bottle of still water. When I pointed it out, I was literally told I didn’t know how to read the menu.

When it came time to order food, half of the menu was unavailable, including the specialty we had specifically come for. At that point, we decided to leave. And to make matters worse, they had overcharged us for some items – we had to go back to get a refund.

In short, a disastrous experience from start to finish. I strongly recommend avoiding this place – our experience is nothing like the glowing reviews you see here.

If you want a good spot nearby, I’d suggest Conporta Flavour instead: friendlier staff, better atmosphere, lower prices, and their arroz...

very simple decor. they have very fresh fish of all sizes. we had them grilled, maybe could have used a but more flavouring/seasoning, and a bit dryer than we would have liked. sides were very basic. they have a live crab tank, but the crab they actually serve you is pre-cooked and partially shelled, and cold, so that was a bit of a disappointment. the servers are very very kind and happy so...

So we have mixed feelings. Welcome was v warm and charming by the owner. Tried to persuade us to get the €80 Turbot for two people but we settled for Arroz de Lingueirão – Razor Clam Rice - which was lovely BUT there was a cigarette filter in our rice - Eewwwuueee - and the experience went south after that. The owner mostly disappeared and the junior waiter apologised. There was no discount...