Beira Mar Restaurant São Mateus — Restaurant in Angra do Heroísmo

My family and I went here to celebrate my parents 36th anniversary. Our hotel recommended this restaurant and we were not disappointed. The reviews on Google are pretty accurate and it is true...you definitely need a reservation for this place. There also isn’t much of a parking lot, much less, any place for parking, so if you’re driving, I suggest parking along the road or walking. We made dinner reservation for 6:30 and had a seaside view. Upon arrival, we were served soft bread and butter. For appetizers, we tried the barnacles and limpets. It was our first time having barnacle, and it was actually really good--tastes a lot like crab. The limpets were cooked in olive oil and lots of garlic and came out on a sizzling hot plate...yum! For the entrees, we ordered a large grilled Peris (sp?) fish which was just caught earlier that morning, shrimp and squid skewers, and a seafood soup. This was plenty for all four of us to share. We were actually super stuffed after all that! The fish was DELICIOUS. It was simply seasoned with maybe some lemon, salt, and pepper and that’s it--and that’s what made it so good. You could taste how fresh the fish was. Steamed vegetables (yam, potatoes, broccoli, and cauliflower) also came with it. The seafood soup consisted for shrimp and fish and maybe some other ingredients that were scooped into a bread bowl. The soup was rich, thick, and tasty! The skewers were probably my favorite. I loved the garlic sauce they pour on top of the shrimp and squid. The shrimp were big and the squid was cooked to perfection! We were so stuffed by the end that we had to skip over the dessert. The service was alright, and perhaps I’m being a little harsh, but I’m guessing because tipping is not typical in Portugal, the waiters don’t go the extra mile to provide great customer service. Aside from the service, the food...

My husband and I arrived to Beira Mar Restaurant just as they opened. Unfortunately, all the tables were reserved for the evening prior to the restaurant even opening. A server very kindly offered to let us eat at a reserved table, so long as we promised to finish before the reservation time. We saw servers do this for other lucky diners, but the restaurant soon filled to capacity and we watched them apologize to several parties they could not accommodate immediately. Some tourists were pretty rude about the unavailability, and I was really impressed with how diplomatically and gracefully all the wait staff handled that. Once we were seated, we asked about the market price of the barnacles, which were sadly more than we wished to spend. We ordered limpets instead, as well as octopus and sea bass. Everything was delicious. I've eaten a lot of octopus in my life and plenty in Portugal. This was absolutely the best I've tasted - soft and buttery, with plenty of garlic and herbs. Both of our main dishes came with the traditional boiled potatoes, as well as sweet potatoes (a welcome addition). Mine had a fresh green salad, and my husband's sea bass had some roasted veggies on the side. I also had a local passion fruit soda that was fantastic. We were very pleased with the high quality of service, despite the restaurant being one of the busiest I have witnessed anywhere. I strongly recommend this place, but just make sure you make a reservation far ahead of time! It's...

We had dinner at Beira Mar after our host recommended it. We tried to call for two days for a reservation but to no avail. We decided to go very early and when we arrived, they asked why we didn’t make a reservation and gave us a table with the notion that at 8pm the next reservation would arrive.

The waiter gave us a briefing on the different types of fish and the message that if you want fish, you have to come look with him. Afterwards we were expected to give our order, and when we mentioned they forgot to give a menu they got us one and expected immediate response before we could even read it.

The bread and cheese is just served out without asking and will be on your bill. We ordered one fish kebab and the vegetarian dish. There was no info on what this would be, turned out to be a rice stir fry with vegetables and raisins. Parts of the fish kebab were raw, they offered to reheat it when asked. When we got our wine, one glass was set out on the table and the other just pushed in the hand from behind.

As a finishing touch the waiter accidentally spilled liquid from the cheese in my lap, mumbled an excuse and gave a napkin to dry. When paying, the waiter told us the tip was not included. We informed him that that was okay and left. All in all a very bad experience, but others seemed to enjoy their table service so experiences seem to differ (as you can see in...