Mar do Inferno — Restaurant in Cascais

UPDATE - Reply to owners response to my original review.

Thank you for your response. However, our dog was outside in the shade and only came in when the waiter agitated the situation. Our golden was never inside under the table - so not only is the waiter grumpy, he his lying!

Inconsistency in your staff's approach is concerning.

The waiter's demeanor was disheartening. Promptly addressing such incidents ensures a positive experience for patrons.

Due to the circumstances and lack of resolution, we will not return. Other establishments prioritize customer satisfaction and maintain higher standards.

Please improve your internal processes and staff training.

Original review: During our recent visit to Mar do Inferno, we unfortunately encountered a highly unsatisfactory experience that compelled us to leave the restaurant shortly after being seated. Our decision to dine at Mar do Inferno was prompted by my partner's long-standing patronage of the establishment over the years. Regrettably, this visit left us with no intention of returning in the future, despite our previous substantial investment in both food and wine at this venue.

Upon arrival, we arrived without a reservation and politely inquired about the availability of a table. We were informed that the restaurant does not allow dogs, which we completely understood and were prepared to depart. However, one of the waiters kindly suggested an alternative arrangement, suggesting that we leash our golden retriever in the garden area while seated on the terrace, with a view overlooking the garden. Appreciative of the suggestion, we thanked the waiter and proceeded to our assigned table. Our golden retriever was securely leashed to a tree, seeking refuge from the midday sun in the shaded area near the terrace.

Unfortunately, our experience took a turn for the worse when a grumpy and discourteous elderly waiter, dressed in white, approached our table. He brazenly demanded that our dog be relocated away from the terrace and instead tied to a tree in the middle of the garden, exposing the animal to direct sunlight. The waiter's appalling attitude was truly disheartening. It would be interesting to observe how he would endure spending an hour tied to a tree in the scorching heat.

It is worth noting that it was the waiter's colleague who had initially suggested the arrangement we had followed, and we had intended to leave when informed about the restaurant's no-pets policy. However, due to their insistence and the apparent recollection of my partner's frequent visits and substantial expenditure at the establishment, we decided to give it a try. Unfortunately, this particular waiter's callous behavior not only ruined our experience but also reflected poorly on Mar do Inferno as a whole.

It is crucial for establishments such as Mar do Inferno to recognize the importance of their staff's demeanor and professionalism. The conduct displayed by this waiter warrants serious reflection and personal growth on his part. In order to protect the restaurant's reputation, it is imperative that management take appropriate action to address the behavior of such individuals, ensuring a consistently positive experience for all patrons.

In conclusion, Mar do Inferno's handling of our visit left much to be desired. The unwelcoming attitude and unprofessional behavior of the waiter ultimately led us to abandon our plans to dine at the restaurant. We feel compelled to share our disappointing experience with others, both in Portugal and abroad, cautioning them to steer clear of a place that fails to uphold basic standards of customer service. There are undoubtedly superior establishments out there, staffed by genuine professionals who prioritize their patrons' satisfaction. Mar do Inferno should take immediate action to rectify this situation, lest they jeopardize their...

We booked a table at Mar do Inferno for dinner on the last night of a recent Lisbon vacation. We had heard wonderful things about the restaurant from several people (friends and tour guides) and the online reviews were very good so we decided to give it a try on our last night (even though it involved a 40 minute Uber ride each way). Sadly it was an unpleasant end to an otherwise wonderful vacation. Why? Because our server was unfriendly, rude, inattentive and almost hostile. It was bad enough that within 10 minutes of sitting down my wife was in tears because of the rudeness of our server. It didn’t get any better. When he finally came to take our order I asked for a wine list (normally given on arrival). He rolled his eyes, muttered and left to get a wine list. He then ignored us for 10 minutes. Food, when brought, was dropped on the table with a thump (almost thrown) with not a word spoken. A request for a glass of water was ignored. We looked enviously at other tables around us being served by people who seemed friendly, attentive and polite. The contrast with our server was stark. The food was very good but the rude and inhospitable service we received ruined what could have been a nice end to a wonderful vacation. The service was bad enough that for the first time in 20+ years I left no tip. I could not bring myself to leave any gratuity for such shoddy treatment (even though my late father used to say leave a very small tip so they know you didn’t simply forget).

We spent most of our Uber ride home trying to figure out why the service we received at Mar do Inferno was so different from the excellent and friendly service we encountered everywhere else we dined at during our trip. We concluded that our server must have been having a bad evening. Sadly, that meant we also had a bad evening.

We had such a wonderful time in Portugal that we will definitely return. However, we will not return to Mar do Inferno. There are far too many excellent restaurants in the area to waste an evening being...

Do NOT recommend it. Please try another place. Poor staff service and salty overpriced food.

Good: We were a walk-in for 2 adults around 5pm on a Thursday in Oct 2024, which the host happily took us to a table near the beautiful window view. Seafood soup was light and loaded with shrimp chunks at the bottom. Views were beautiful.

Bad: It went downhill after we sat down at the table. -Staff was disinterested and rude from the start -Our 1 dozen oysters meat was NOT cut from the shell and had lots of shells. I understand a little shell is expected sometimes but to charge 17,50 euros for 6 with this experience is terrible. See photo. -Octopus was extremely salty where we had to down 2 large bottles of water. Lemon juice only helped a tiny bit. -Fried hike was extremely salty too, even taking the fried skin off -Staff never asked us for drinks and when we raised our hands to ask for water, they made humorous actions to mock me. I wanted to take it as humor but it was uncalled for from how we've been treated -Waiter never asked how our food was -Waiter offered the table next to us a stand for their hats and purse but never offered us even though we came first. We had 2 hats, a shopping bag, and 2 purses -We asked the waiter for the check and asked if we pay at the table or in the front and he rudely said the table duh -Shrimp rice tasted like seafood rice with actual rice grains like the appetizer. Fortunately, it tasted fine and not overly salty like the other...