Salpoente — Restaurant in Aveiro

Unfortunately, Salpoente didn’t live up to the expectations set by countless recommendations. Upon arrival, despite over half the restaurant being empty, we waited nearly 20 minutes to be seated—only to be told we could choose from the limited lunch menu. What began as a selection of soup, salad, and four mains quickly shrank to just one and a half options.

Service was clearly stretched thin, with one waiter covering both our room and the neighboring one. The “poultry cream soup” tasted like overly salted water with a vague hint of texture, and the fish stew—though large enough to feed a professional athlete—was bland and uninspired. The portion size, rather than being a benefit, only emphasized the lack of flavor and finesse.

We asked for salt and pepper (something I’ve never needed in a restaurant of this class) and were brought two white porcelain pyramids. In Aveiro—a city renowned for its salt—this felt almost symbolic. And the pepper? Pre-ground, not from a mill. Since when do fine-dining restaurants require you to season the dish yourself?

Dessert? Just one option. No choice.

Salpoente sells everything—from Montblanc accessories to high-end porcelain plates—but seems to have forgotten the most important ingredient: soul. Nothing local, nothing crafted with emotional intent, nothing that made us feel we were experiencing the richness of the region. Sadly, it’s no surprise that from over 300 traditional local salt producers, only three remain.

That said, the city of Aveiro itself is a small treasure. Immaculately clean, charmingly well-kept, full of history, warmth, and genuinely welcoming people. I wholeheartedly recommend visiting it on any tour through Portugal. Hats off to the mayor and all the locals—Aveiro is a place with spirit. I just wish Salpoente had a little...

Disappointing. I was told really good stuff about this place, but the reality didn’t meet expectations. For Michelin guide restaurant the menu looked a little poor to me and not really signature dishes. I had Vegetarian tasting menu and don’t recommend. The first dish which is tomato salad with tomato juice / vinaigrette is such a common dish in so many restaurants that didn’t surprise at all. The second dish was grilled rocket salad with LOTS of emmental cheese in different form - grated, mushed, “puréed”, that was full of lumps. They said there is a tahini sauce, but either it’s not there or it’s just a drop that you can’t taste it because of the excessive amount of emmental. I left that dish unfinished and complained. In Michelin star restaurant you would get a replaced dish as kitchen’s treat, but not here… Wine pairing wasn’t the best either. I appreciated they chose local wineries to include in pairing, but they felt rather cheap choices. To conclude, if you are not familiar with Michelin restaurants, you will like it, but if you have some experience, it is rather disappointing and...

100% Food Poisoning from the Langoustines (lobster)

Me and a friend met exclusively for a dinner at Salpoente and shared a starter of langoustines, among other dishes. After dining, we both went our separate ways, and 24h later started having very pronounced food poisoning effects (severe vomiting, diarrhoea, high fever), which lasted for two days.

We both noticed something off from the taste of the langoustines but attributed it to the cauliflower. We were wrong. Either it wasn't fresh or health and safety procedures were not followed (or both).

My friend called Salpoente the day after the effects took place, and we were assured that this would be investigated immediately and we would receive a call back. This never happened in nearly a week.

We will be reporting this incident to the national health and safety board, which would have happened automatically had either of us gone to a public hospital.

Meanwhile, future guests, beware of foods of delicate preparation, or avoid this...