Restaurante Adega João Clau — Restaurant in Nazaré

(Sorry for the length, but it’s necessary)

My wife and I have dined in over a thousand times around the world and we just had one of the most memorable restaurant experiences EVER.

Before I get into the food (SPOILER: It’s phenomenal), João and his family (even his sweet daughter who wished us a good night) provided a dream of a dine-in experience. It felt like being served homemade food by family, cooked by family. Sara cooked the food and João served the stories behind them.

He talked us through the menu which was all in Portuguese, but it doesn’t matter as he patiently explained everything while quickly diagnosing our palettes. By the way, he also speaks English, Spanish, French and who knows what else, so don’t be intimidated by the menu.

He also figured out what our wine needs were and then brought over three bottles to explain each and let us decide on which was the right one for us.

The amuse bouche options were incredibly good. We had a selection of mussels, shrimp, cheese, and squid. You only pay for the ones you eat. We ate all 4 and they were an astonishing way to get our meal started.

The garlic shrimp appetizer was easily the best shrimp dish I’ve ever eaten. NOT AT ALL like your standard garlic shrimp everywhere else.

The entrees were incredible as well. I had the skewered shrimp and steak meal and my wife had the squid. Throughout the meal, when João was at our table, we learned a little about each others’ background and what led to the manifestation of his restaurant. We were very late arrivals and we were never rushed even for a moment. I’m pretty sure we left about two hours after the posted closing time.

Last, but not least, I have NEVER eaten dessert after a meal in my adult life, but felt it was necessary to cap off this transcendental experience with dessert. We shared the cream of egg with almond pieces and thank goodness we didn’t skip the dessert. It was unbelievably delicious and we scraped all that we could from the bowl when it was done. Also, we overheard another patron discuss a chocolate chili liqueur to go with dessert and it was so unique and delicious that we’re going to try and find a bottle to bring back with us.

I can’t say enough about this restaurant. Even though João gives you his full attention, it was evident to me that he’s clearly aware of everything going on around him and has a pulse on all of his patrons at the same time. It was an absolute pleasure to watch an individual apply the skills attained during a lifetime of hospitality and watching someone who has honed and mastered their craft. By the way, when the bill arrived, my jaw almost hit the table because it was so unbelievably low for the amount of things we ordered. This place deserves a Michelin star. If you’re ever in Nazaré, do not miss out on this experience!

(By the way, Google seems to have two locations listed for this restaurant. It’s the one in the alleyway of R....

Got approached with a heavy sales’ speech and after deliberation, we went in (we should have trusted our instinct and gone elsewhere) Got seated and got given menu in Portuguese which didn’t tally with the English menu outside. We were debating between the monkfish hotpot (local speciality!) and grilled fish but we were put off from the hotpot by being told it was all frozen and farmed fish… (really????) and that the only fresh fish on the menu was the sea bass and bream. We opted for the grilled bream but got then told it was by the kg…. Hence it cost a lot more than listed. We chose to have garlic prawns added to the grilled fish as well as chips instead of boiled potatoes. Whilst waiting, a young waiter brought us some appetisers (which we hadn’t ordered) and told us that it was €17.50 if we ate them… we pushed them aside and waited for our fish. When it arrived, we had boiled potatoes instead of chips and no prawns!! We reminded them it was chips we ordered so they took potatoes back and eventually chips arrived but not properly cooked. Fish was excellent but salad rather pathetic. Sides were not sufficient for two people… Didn’t like the owners pushiness, it was constant hard sales. For that reason, we will not return. Quite astonished and disappointed that according to the owner, there is no fresh fish on the predominantly fish/seafood menu in a...

WARNING DON'T GO HERE. They manipulate reviews, literally worst meal of my life.

They also reported/took down my last review but I'm not letting this one get taken down as I will appeal to Google and do everything I can to spread the truth about this catastrophic "restaurant".

This is literally the definition of tourist trap. I cannot believe I fell victim to this place, as there were obvious red flags. But it's all good, I will learn from my mistakes.

The main thing that upsets me is how in the world this place has 4.8 stars. They must be manipulating reviews, no other explanation. Yesterday I left a one star review but didn't leave any text, and they reported it to Google as my review got taken down. That's absolutely ridiculous, as they are focusing their resources and efforts on curating their online reputation (as well as their restaurant appearance and atmosphere), rather than putting their effort on improving the food (which really would not be that hard).

I would not even be mad at the food being overpriced if it wasn't literally the worst meal of my life.

Additionally, it took around 30 minutes for our food to come out, which is pretty funny considering the quality.

I also see the owner gaslighting people in the comments, so I won't be surprised if he responds to me with some unintelligent attempt at...