Restaurante Paladares do Bispo — Restaurant in Ponte de Lima

I came to this place absolutely craving a proper Bacalhau à Lagareiro, the most iconic and beloved dish in Portuguese cuisine. What I got instead was one of the worst dining experiences I’ve ever had — a complete disaster from start to finish.

The bacalhau arrived undercooked, completely lacking seasoning, and worst of all, it was drowning in what can only be described as a rancid, low-grade oil that had no business being on any plate, let alone in a traditional Portuguese dish. For anyone who knows real bacalhau, you understand that the olive oil is everything. It’s what makes the dish shine. But here, it completely ruined it.

I brought it to the manager’s attention, and to my shock, he agreed. He admitted that the oil they’ve been using lately is “low quality” and has a funky flavor — his exact words. He confirmed it wasn’t their usual product, yet they still served it knowingly. That alone is unacceptable. If you’re aware that your key ingredient is subpar and still serve it to customers, that says everything about how little you value quality, tradition, or your clientele.

The taste was so awful I became nauseous and couldn’t eat another bite. I lost my appetite entirely. Yet they still had the audacity to charge me full price, without offering any form of apology, solution, or compensation. No replacement. No discount. Nothing. Just a dismissive attitude, as if it were my fault for expecting them to serve actual food.

This was not just a bad dish — it was an insult to Portuguese cuisine, to the tradition of bacalhau, and to anyone who loves good food. The service was just as appalling — careless, indifferent, and clearly not interested in providing a decent experience. It honestly felt like they’ve given up on their business and are just going through the motions with no pride, no passion, and certainly no standards.

Avoid this place at all costs. If you value your time, money, and your stomach, go elsewhere. This isn’t just a restaurant that had a bad day — this is a place that has no respect for their own food or their customers. You’ve...

Excellent lunch at an excellent price. We had lunch there today after wandering around searching for something outside the tourist areas. Set menu with choice of three fish dishes or three meat dishes. The price was 11euros for soup,a main, a drink and bread or 13 euros if you also had dessert. My husband had a huge dorado/ bream which came with delicious boiled baby potatoes and a salad. I had the duck rice , a more than substantial oven dish with generous shredded duck all the way through and topped with cheese,superb. The desserts i think were the biggest surprise, a fridge with a choice of homemade delights. I had a pavlova and my husband a baked apple with fruit, both delicious. With half a carif of wine and a non alco beer the total for everything was 26 euros, unbelievable quality of food, we would happily have paid double. The staff were very friendly and organised. We really did have the perfect holiday Friday...

I heard nice things I had to check it out 😂 all true great little restaurant nestled into ponte de Lima. Paladares do Bispo is an experience in dining full of flavor & flair great presentation of food 🥘 super nice staff family owned restaurant. Value for your money & that dessert I had chocolate cake with ice cream 🍨 baked fresh this morning reminded me of the cakes my mom made when I was a kid super fluffy melt in your mouth 👄 kinda good 😊 I will definitely be back...