Dux Taberna Urbana — Restaurant in Coimbra

We had 2 nights in Coimbra and this was one of the spots that was suggested to us to try. We attempted to drop in for a bite on our first night but they were booked so we made reservations for the following night. This place is busy so I suggest getting a reservation if you want to try it out.

I stuck with an assortment of tapas and the wife went for the pork tenderloin. First up, the fried prawns in garlic we're very tasty. They required a bit of work because of the head and shells being attached but I always feel like it's part of the experience so didn't mind. Solid dish and solid flavors. I believe we had about 8 prawns in our dish.

Next up I had the foie gras. It was unbelievebly creamy and served in a sugar cone which gave a nice texture to it. Topped with a little sweetness from some type of fruit puree, this dish was a favorite of mine.

After that we had the sausage croquettes which were not great for me. Something about the sausage and mustard sauce didn't work for me.

For my main I ate the beef Pau Pau (I think that's how it's spelled) which was a rich assortment of seared beef strips in a garlic butter and white wine sauce. It was pretty delicious but cooked a bit unevenly as some pieces of meat were rare and some were medium well.

For dessert we finished up with an apple tart. Tasty and a slice of home.

Overall I would recommend this place. It is on the more expensive side for Coimbra but overall a solid pick for a...

I would not recommend eating here as a tourist.

The experience started out very well. They were attentive and welcoming until other tables arrived, at which point they ignored us. The wine list is impressive, and the bacalhau à brás was possibly the best we have had in the country. We ordered the octopus, squid, and prawns for two, which was fine, and came out reasonably quickly.

After that, they left us alone for nearly an hour, even as we tried to make eye contact with server after server. When they finally returned, they seemed to want us to leave. However, I foolishly ordered desert. The apple tart was passable. But we also ordered the strawberry cheesecake with the port wine pairing. The cheesecake was probably the worst I have ever had- a crust that could have been cardboard, a tasteless filling, and a strawberry sauce that was clearly re-heated from frozen berries. Moreover, they did not bother to bring the port.

Of course, the port appeared on the bill anyway. And so did the olives and bread that we did not touch, although this I have come to expect from Portuguese restaurants. At least they were willing to remove the port from the bill, although I did not bother to argue with them about the bread and olives. As with all other restaurants here, I hope the €1.50 is worth the lack of a tip and positive review.

If you are a local and all you want is bacalhau à brás, this place will be excellent. Otherwise, I...

I thought I was coming in for a great experience. Only people in the entire restaurant to start with so the chefs weren’t overwhelmed, but what I was given was seriously disappointing. The thing I paid most for (duck leg) was completely tasteless and just as disappointing as the octopus on rice. I’m not sure if they’ve got a new and frankly bad chef in, since I’m comparing against a lot of very good reviews, but I told them that the meal was less than satisfactory and I wasn’t offered anything in terms of compensation, including even something like a free dessert or drink; I wasn’t even asked what was wrong with the meal as feedback. I spent over 60€ this evening and ate only half of what was ordered as half was utterly tasteless. Whoever the chef was for that evening, your...