Restaurante Virtudes — Restaurant in Guimarães

What a great little restaurant, in the beautiful historic square! Being a Monday (26th) in February, we were surprised to find that there was only one table left inside Restaurante Virtudes for our part of four...but a couple of hours later we could completely understand why!!! There was a wonderful buzz inside the restaurant, with the waiting staff (and owner) interacting with each table, making everyone feel completely relaxed. The menu was compact, but each dish was clearly well thought out and included some dishes we had yet to see in the area. We took some recommendations for what to try, including the off-menu special of salmon with a passion fruit glaze...which was quickly gobbled up in it's entirety. As were all of the dishes we ordered! After polishing off our desserts and preparing to ask for the bill, we were surprised to be joined by the owner for a final shot of port wine (or two), before heading back to our hotel with smiles on our faces. The food was well priced, very tasty, and perfectly sized (portion-wise)! As we are back in the area in May (for our wedding), we hope we can bring as many of our guests (as will fit inside) to Restaurante Virtudes...

Came here with a group of friends to have dinner outside on Saturday evening. Great outdoor area in the courtyard joining other restaurants. Good atmosphere. Douglas was our server. He’s very friendly and attentive. Great service and personality.

The food was okay. They are hit and miss. The vegetarian sausage was ok (it should be called something else other sausage) The regular sausage was good. Caprese salad needs basil The monkfish was pretty good, but the salad with shredded carrots are unnecessary and seems like an afterthought just to fill in the plate. The salad lacks of dressing and flavor - I’d suggest to replace it with a sautéed vegetables. Smashed potatoes are lacking in seasoning and flavors (maybe add some garlic, parsley and fresh grated parmesan). It would be better if they are crispy on the outside. I tried a bite of my friends’ steak - it need more seasoning. The medium rare was too rare on the inside (purple color), and the medium well was more like well done. I tried my husband’s tuna - the flavor is good, but it was a bit overcooked.

Overall, the food needs more work and refining. The service (thanks to...

Really bad experience. I ordered the virtudes steak (well done)with fries, the waiter suggested Alcatra steak, said is bigger piece and better flavour. I agreed with her suggestion, thinking that she knows better. After almost 15 minutes I got my dish and the meat was cooked medium, I sent it back and reminded her that i ordered well done. She brought it back medium-well. I called her back and I asked for my original order as they couldn't cook the meat as I wanted. She came back and asked me if it's okay to cut the meat into smaller pieces for the chef to cook it as I asked for it, agreed with that but guess what. Still part of the meat was medium well. All that procedure took around an hour and by that time I was the only one on the table with food so, i decided to eat. The fries were fine but the meat was tasting only garlic, I couldn't taste anything else. Total disappointment, if you visit then be wise with what...