Sr.Patolas — Restaurant in Almada

Nice atmosphere with bbq outside. Starter bread, oil, olives, cheese and water are brought to table immediately without asking for them and before waiter tells you where menu is (is qr code menu).

Some steaks not available, ordered T-bone for two, medium. Came very rare and cold (8pm outdoor, light wind). Needed serving on hot plate. Chips bit greasy, creamed spinach ok.

Fillet side of t-bone was nice as hard to do a fillet wrong really, sirloin side which was thicker full of sinew with gristle at edges, made worse by being so rare. This is a 58Euro steak, something this pricy if asked for medium should be medium and edible.

Owner lady came over, saw had left most of sirloin asked what up, we said problem and showed rare. She offered another steak but we didn’t want another meal after this half meal where eaten sides already etc.

Waiter comes over with bill with everything in it. Including the bottle of table water we hadn’t touched. 15+Euros for starter as well. Said to him don’t mind paying what he thinks is fair, but charging water and starter doesn’t seem fair given quality of steak and that hadn’t even opened water etc. Offered to pay for steak and the cokes.

Waiter doesn’t have authority and goes to owner lady. She storms outside says loudly so diners outside can hear “if you don’t want to pay leave!” And does a ‘chop-chop’ clap with her hands. Massively awkward as she’s making out to all other diners we are some kind of bandits or something. She stays inside so can’t speak to her as 20 guests there as would be massively awkward for her and them.

She goes inside and for the next 10min we are ignored. Cant really leave as that doesn’t seem fair and can’t do anything as waiter never comes back over and she avoids eye contact.

Finally I manage to make eye contact and beckon her over. She comes over still in pretty angry defensive mode. I ask what waiter said and she said that we don’t want to pay. Obviously not what was actually said so maybe this lost in translation. After explaining she seemed to get something wasn’t as she thought and said she is just a passionate lady and that her husband is ill. We still offered to pay for cokes and steak, she put 60Euros on card machine and we paid for that.

She was obviously having a bad day which is why review is 3 stars so doesn’t affect rating of store. The real problem is the money grabbing starter trick and not providing a steak prepared even close to 60Euros in value. It wouldn’t be necessary to do the starter trick if the waiters were more attentive as could easily sell more drinks. Putting steaks on an iron hot plate outdoors just seems common sense - and gives more leeway with the cooking as if it’s slightly rare for customer they can leave it a little for it to cook...

To be honest disappointing. I booked a table here based on a recommendation from a friend, and bassed on the prices and the look of the place expected great things.

Like every restaurant they load the table up with stuff you didn't order like olives cheese bread. The bread that I cut into was still frozen in the centre.

The wine €55 a bottle, excellent.

The steak €50 medium rare was a great piece of meat, but cold inside and out. Even medium rare should be warm enough to eat.

The young waitress then explained the science behind cooking steak in what I felt was quite a defensive manor although, that could just be the English as a second language. (Her English was excellent by the way)

She then offered to put it under a heat lamp until we were ready to eat it as it was being shared with..... below.

The €30 aged Picanha was cooked well and reall tasty but almost cold as well. At this stage I couldn't bare to make any remark and receive another science lesson.

The steak from under the heat lamp arrived at my table. Somewhat warmer but, I couldn't bare to eat it. I asked to take it home.

On paying the bill, the cost of the frozen bread was removed without asking. But nothing else for the inconvenience. When I asked for the meat I wanted to take home it had disappeared and tool a while to be found.

Now... because it took so long and, I could see the kitchen staff looking very perplexed....I thought....this has been put in the bin and repackaged. (This is an assumption) so once I home the dog had a €50 steak dinner. At least the dog was happy.

Summary.

Beautiful restaurants. Good quality meat in fridge. Great wine and selection. Reasonable service. Problem solving... could be better. Food satisfaction after grilling... below average.

Would I go here again? Absolutely not.

I've eaten better for a 1/4 of the price in small local restaurants in small restaurants in the middle of nowhere.

This is just my opinion on what could have been an "off" day however, with a cost of €171 things should have...

PT

Nós fomos lá! Nunca mais iremos, mas acabámos de nos mudar para a Aroeira! Uma verdadeira pechincha: 3 aperitivos, 1 garrafa de vinho tinto 30€, 1 dose de carne para 3: conta 167€! Roubo claramente organizado e viram os recém-chegados/turistas a chegar; só que não somos "turistas" e vamos viver para a Aroeira... É claro que lhes vamos dar má publicidade à nossa volta e com os nossos inquilinos... O meu filho e a minha mulher tentaram falar com o empregado de mesa e/ou com o chefe na altura, mas foram muito desagradáveis ​​e nada recetivos...

UK

We went there! We will never go again and we have just moved to Aroeira! A real shot in the arm: 3 Aperitifs, 1 bottle of red wine 30€ 1 portion of meat for 3: bill 167€! Clearly organized theft and they saw the new arrivals / tourists coming; except that we are not "tourists" and are going to live in Aroeira... It is clear that we are going to give them bad publicity around us and with our tenants... My son and my wife tried to talk to the waiter and / or the boss at the time but very unpleasant and not accommodating...

FR

Nous y sommes allés ! Nous n’irons plus jamais or nous venons de nous installer à Aroeira ! Un vrai coup de fusil: 3 Apéros, 1 bouteille de vin rouge 30€ 1 dose de viande pour 3 : addition 167€! Clairement du vol organisé et ils ont vu venir les nouveaux arrivants / touristes ; sauf que nous ne sommes pas des « touristes «  et allons vivre à Aroeira… Il est clair que nous allons leur faire une mauvaise publicité autour de nous et auprès de nos locataires… Mon fils et mon épouse ont essayé de discuter avec le serveur et / ou le patron à l’époque mais très désagréables et pas...