Cafeteria Sao Nicolau — Restaurant in Lisbon

Extreme prejudice towards Americans: I was literally told to my face that Americans are not welcome here.

My SO and I ordered an espresso and two pastéis de nata. We both speak and understand Portuguese; she speaks Brazilian Portuguese natively, and I have learned over the last two years (with great effort).

When paying our bill, my SO asked the server to split the cost. Our server heard the Brazilian accent of my SO, physically recoiled, and subsequently stated, "We are not obligated to split the check; I owe you no such convenience."

I am not one to exaggerate: He said this in a way with such venom that it was not just disrespectful to her, but carried body language, looks, and an aggressive tone that was also clearly derogatorily aimed at me.

Let me be clear: his message to her was "F$# off", and his body language to me was "F$# you". We were respectful the whole time; we travel often. And I do not meet the stereotype of the "loud American in Europe" - I'm well-traveled, learned to speak the language, and always give respect in other countries well above the norm. I say please, thank-you, ask and use names, and frankly care about service workers.

The server clearly didn't realize that I both spoke and understood; when he spoke to my SO in that condescending tone, glancing in my direction, I knew this was a matter of prejudice. As an American I can understand why Europeans are upset with us (politically, at least). But to listen to him speak to my SO, a Brazilian, was very obviously done in hate.

He announced extremely loudly, in English, "This isn't America; we don't do that here. You are in PORTUGAL" after I simply cocked my head at his response to my SO. But not just once: he bellowed this nonsense THREE TIMES. He said it loudly enough to make a massive scene, throughout the whole cafeteria, so as to paint me as a stereotypically "ignorant American" to onlookers, eliciting undeserved embarrassment.

I just said "respect is universal", paid the bill (which he did indeed split - something we never had issues with for the next two weeks), and walked out. But not before he told me that Americans weren't welcome there.

By far the most awful experience I've ever had dining anywhere in my life on this planet. I can't believe he did that... it felt sociopathic. Beware. Also, the pasteis de nata weren't...

Alright, folks, gather 'round for a tale of a hungry adventure that led us to this joint. We'd been left in a right state of hangry after our previous escapade, so we sauntered in for a swift nibble. Now, let me break it down for you.

The price we shelled out matched the eats we got – not too shabby, but perhaps a tad dear for what landed on our plates. We dove right in and summoned the Sardinia’s Assadas. I tell ya, those sardines were absolute beasts, charcoal-kissed to perfection. No word of a lie, they were spot-on – big, juicy, and packed with that smokey goodness. The spuds? Well, they were a triumph too, cooked just right. And what do you know, the dish matched up to the snapshot on the menu, ingredients and all.

Now, my better half fancied a go at the Paella Miata. It was a grand mix – chicken, pork, prawns, squid, mussels, bell peppers, and peas all getting cozy in that pan. But truth be told, she wasn't exactly doin' cartwheels over it. The highlight? That crispy rice clinging to the bottom of the pan – a proper treat, that was. And we can't forget the peri peri sauce we cheekily requested – that was the real kicker. Now, the seafood in the paella? A bit of a mixed bag, I'd say.

All in all, mates, the scorecard's like this – fair price, decent grub, but not exactly blowing our socks off. The sardines were the belle of the ball, and the paella had its moments, but the seafood could've done with a bit more oomph. Keep in mind, though, that a meal here won't leave your wallet whimpering, and for a quick pit stop to quell those hangry pangs, you could do worse. Cheers, and keep...

I don't know why this place even got little stars what other people but I have to tell you first of all once I even even asked to ask to use the bathroom the people were very friendly they didn't even charge me they told me go ahead and use it then I went and saw that they had a restaurant and so I asked to be seated after reviewing the menu. First of all the person who was attending me the waiter was amazing he really tried to make sure that I was okay every time looking on making sure I had everything I needed I cannot tell you how amazing this waiter was and the food was delicious I had ordered their carrot soup was which was amazing delicious savory you can tell it was just made from scratch also I also had their cheddar burger with bacon which I have to say was so big and delicious that it's going to be hard for me to find a burger like that in the states. Again let me say the staff the people the environment very welcoming they were not standoffish they actually wanted to make sure that you were comfortable and very helpful I noticed with the other tables that the waiters are doing the same thing it wasn't just one person so again this is a place that I would recommend if a person wanted to go out and find something really good meal at a good price and not feel like you're spending $50 for just a small meal and again good service good meal and...