Writer's Place — Restaurant in Alijó

Oof... Where to begin... This place is amazing... We found this place after searching through Pinhao for dining options that included vegetarian food.

Food: Chef Marian makes amazing food. We enjoyed the vegetarian spinach cannelloni... So tasty and light. Also tried the blood sausage which was amazing. We tried the house red wine which was so very good. We also tried the olive oil, made fresh at the restaurant which was so flavorful, it was like tasting fresh olives. We wanted to buy it right away but alas, they only make so little... enough for their guests.

More importantly, our host, Antonio was so gracious to offer us home bottled white wine made from red grapes and also port wine...all exceptional.

Ambiance: The views are spectacular... See pictures.. right by the bridge as you cross into Pinhao, by the river. You walk in passing a tunnel of amazing well fruited grapes that open up to an amazing view of the river facing the Quinta das Carvalhas property. Beautiful, tranquil tables. We went with kids and they played with the dogs and cats and enjoyed themselves.

Hospitality: Amazing!!! Antonio Ribeiro is the world's most interesting man. We may have struck a special conversation with him but nonetheless, he regaled us with stories of Douro valley, his past and was just so gracious. He was right outside the restaurant, helping us with parking, then chatting with all the guests, then even offered us samples of his white wine and port for free, taking pictures, etc. Our food was cooked by Chef Marian, an amazing chef and was delectable and tasty in every way.

Stop by.. you will NOT BE...

Very, very disappointing experience. The 1 star is for the nice view over the river. The rest is worth nothing more than zero stars. Service is slow, and they had to ask 3 times what drinks we ordered. But okay, that can happen. But they dare charge 21 euro for a very basic tuna salad. That's just ridiculous! The pasta salad (24 euro) was not cooked properly; the pasta was hard and dry as a brick on the inside. When we complained about it, the only thing the waitress could answer was "Not my fault, it's the kitchen." And the manager's excuse: "This is how we cook. It was okay when it was served, and no other guests have complained". Sorry, madam, this is not how you should treat your guests. A simple gesture would have been enough to wash away the disappointment, but no, you had to stick to your point...

Overall, we paid €52,50 for 2 salads and 2 drinks. This place is a poor excuse for a restaurant and ticks a lot of boxes for a tourist trap.

P.s. check your bill! It will most probably also contain bread and olives, which you might not have ordered or gotten at all. We were not the only ones who had to ask to...

The lunch at Writers Place was the absolute highlight of our day’s trip to Duoro Valley. It was totally unplanned but a wonderful experience.

Antonio was a charming host and we had the most delicious lunch with views to die for. High quality and authentic home cooking by Antonio’s wife and a genuinely warm welcome that made you feel special guests in their own home.

All the other guests were so friendly and there was such a great bonhomie. Antonio’s own white wine was delicious and lunch was concluded, after almost 2 hours, with his excellent home made port.

Can’t recommend highly enough and strongly suggest you reserve and then build your day around lunch.

Really no need to book a tour - simply take the train from Sao Bento and arrive 30 minutes before departure to get seat on right side of train (for incredible views of valley - train ride is stunning).

After lunch we had time for an hour’s boat trip from pier (probably no need to book in advance) and there are a few wineries within 5 minutes of train station.

Sorry for long review…..but this is a...