O Novo Casarão do Castelo — Restaurant in Matosinhos

My Portuguese business partners recommended this restaurant for our dinner tonight. We took an Uber, which initially brought us to the original location. However, we were dining at the newer restaurant next door, which has updated decorations and a cleaner look. We were seated on the second level in a semi-private dining room without a door.

We ordered a variety of special croquettes with fish, crab, and shrimp fillings, which are unique local Portuguese dishes. The Spanish jamon was delicious. We also ordered crab, but the roe had been removed and blended with spices into a paste, served on biscuits. This tasted average, as the crab flavor was not very prominent.

One of the special crustacean dishes we tried was Acorn Barnacle (Cracas), a cousin of the goose barnacle. Harvesting these barnacles is dangerous since they cling to rocks, but they are considered a delicacy. Although they look unappealing, they taste incredibly delicious.

We also shared steamed scallops, which were tasty. For the main course, we had grilled giant corvina, freshly caught. The fish was prepared in two ways: the roe was cooked with herbs and could be spread on bread or eaten on its own, while the rest of the fish was fried and served with lemon sauce, making it very flavorful. The dish came with sides like boiled special vegetables and rice, which had a strong taste that might not be to everyone's liking.

For dessert, we enjoyed a good spread, including a half-cooked sponge cake with egg yolk and sugar inside, which was a bit too rich for me. We also had cheesecake and chocolate lava cake. A word of caution when ordering port: ask for the price beforehand. The port we had was quite expensive per glass, equivalent to the price of a whole bottle at the airport!

The semi-private room provided a good ambiance for business discussions, but unfortunately, a group of families with many children running, dancing, and shouting around made the dining experience...

Acudimos a este excelente restaurante sin reserva previa 3 personas un domingo a las 14 h (cierre de cocina 15 h) guiados por la elevada puntuación. Local moderno, luminoso, muy bien planteado a nivel de calle, aseos en sótano accesibles con escalera o ascensor. Recibimiento con una sonrisa y plena disposición, inesperada mesa en segundo turno lista en 5 minutos, nos ofrecen bebidas que acaban siendo a cuenta de la casa para amenizar la espera. Servicio profesional y cercano y clientela familiar, ambos locales. El restaurante queda cerca de la penúltima parada de la línea A de metro, a unos 20 minutos del centro de Oporto. Al llegar a la mesa encontramos 3 bandejas con aperitivos opcionales, fritos de bacalao, croquetas de carne y empanadillas caseras de marisco; camarones cocidos y jamón con melón. Descartamos este último, saboreamos los otros dos y disfrutamos, además, de una magnífica lubina (Róbalo) a la parrilla para los 3. Vino blanco Taboadella Villae de la variedad Encruzado, elegido por el fenomenal camarero que nos atendió como si fuésemos clientes asiduos. Postres caseros muy conseguidos. Café sorprendentemente Nespresso. En resumen, excelente materia prima perfectamente elaborada, platos sabrosos cantidad adecuada, relación calidad precio muy correcta, marzo 2023 45 € / pax. Parafraseando la canción ¡Quién fuera portuense en todas las ocasiones! Recomendable 100 %, repetiremos sin duda cuando regresemos a esta bella y...

o Novo Casarão do Castelo is NOT a luxury restaurante, wrong expectation. It is a tradicional restaurante with good seafood but not excellent. The main dinning room is loud and with a TB playing football. The prices are excessive because the food is very simple, nothing gourmet. Definitely NOT a great dining experience and NOT...