Guião — Restaurant in Évora

If it were based on quality of food alone, this would be a 4-star review (3 stars for the lamb, which was decent but a little salty and dry, 5 stars for the octopus, which might be the best we have ever had, and was a large portion, as well!)

The good: They speak English quite well (but this is one of the things that also made it feel like a tourist trap; there was only one other table occupied in the establishment, also speaking English) The octopus dish was fantastic, and well worth the price The service was very attentive

The bad: Wine is definitely more expensive here than elsewhere (so we didn't order any) The lamb dish was not bad, per se, but was also not great... a little too dry (especially being served with only roasted potatoes like it was) and just slightly salty They bring many dishes to the table with the intent of charging you for them even though you didn't order them. I already knew about that practice by reading reviews here, but there were still some "surprised" sprung on us. At the beginning, the waiter informed us we did not have to eat the dishes, and whatever we didn't eat we would not be billed for.

Since we were hungry and also because we didn't know how long it would take to get the main dishes (and we also didn't know how big the main dishes would be -- it turns out that they are HUGE), we went ahead and took the bread (2 euro, and not the best bread in the world -- a bit stale) and sardines (3.50 for small ones, like you would get out of a tin, but they weren't bad.) However, even after we took all of that, the waiter still left the olives on the table (which we hadn't touched), at a cost of 1.50 euro.

In addition to this, they brought a tiny salad (just a very small plate of lettuce and red onion), and, unlike the other tapas, he did not inform us that it would be an additional charge for the salad (which was brought at the same time as main dishes), but it appears that it was... to the tune of 3.50, which is far too much for a tiny and mediocre salad.

Ironically, the fact that they tried to milk us for a few extra euros is probably going to cost them in the long run, because I would have given them 4 or 5 stars on all of my reviews, but will now only give them 3 (we enjoyed ourselves, but did not enjoy feeling like we were being milked for money.)

I think they should really rethink that policy, and instead only bring out a standard plate of bread or olives for a small fee as is the practice at other restaurants...

My wife and I arrived in Evora and checked in to our hotel around 5:30 PM on a Saturday night near the town center. Hungry and tired, I did a quick Google search for nearby restaurants we could walk to. I picked Guiao since it was close and it had a good rating, based on customer reviews. We arrived around 8:30. It was a small, narrow building and full - both good signs. When we entered, a friendly waiter quickly came over and explained they were full at the moment, but they had a waiting room upstairs. He gave us a menu to study and promised we'd get the first table that opened. It only took 20 minutes and by the time we were seated we had already picked our choices. The food arrived quickly and was excellent. We both chose a lamb dish cooked in the local style. We also had a good red house wine served by the glass.

Our waiter was especially entertaining. He was comfortable with English and quick with humor. The tables were close to each other, sparking some conversation. We felt welcome and enjoyed a relaxing,and tasty dinner. The portions were very large, and too much for us to eat, which prompted an entertaining conversation with the waiter when we asked if he had a dog to which we could give the leftover lamb. He was a key factor in my...

We arrived in Evora a bit on a Friday afternoon and admittedly left our dinner planning a bit late. After a quick Google search for a traditional authentic Alentejano restaurant, Guião featured on the search results, and being clear to the central square we made an online booking. Parking turned out to be challenge. I advise taking an Uber where possible.

The restaurant is cosy, and I suspect it can't seat much more than 30 patrons. Decor is traditional and tasteful. Staff were warm and welcoming. Noise levels moderate.

We had the soup (legumes) for starters and were offered a second serving which we declined because we were eager to get stuck into mains. We chose the carne porco alentejana, and the bochechas de porco. Both portions were generous and tasty. We accompanied both dishes with the house wine.

All around, an excellent choice of restaurant which commenced what turned out to be a weekend to remember. My only regret is that it will be a while before returning.

Highly...