Solar da Picota Restaurante & Tapas — Restaurant in Ponte de Lima

Four or more restaurants are tightly clustered along this picturesque, small side street, so be sure which one you choose. This is the best of the bunch. (The first two you go past are decent, and the last one, nearest the old wall, is IMO best avoided.) Sola da Picota is a typical small restaurant with most tables outside, and well covered against the rain. The staff speak more English than in most of the other nearby restaurants, and they are friendly albeit busy. What really struck us was the duck with a dark berry sauce. It was so, so good, the standard by which all future duck shall be judged. Oh my. I don't know how they roast it with so much flavor and yet so tender. Their green salad starter was fresh and crisp and a welcome change; the mussels and octopus were memorable as well, tender, fresh, and well cooked. Arroz de sarrabulho is a classic meat and rice dish of the region, and they do it very well. Deserts are typical and high quality. Being in wine country, they have some great Loureiro and Borraçal choices. What...

We came as a group of 15+ people, all pilgrims from the Camino de Santiago. We asked to seat and we were about to order. We were asked if we wanted the full menu to chose from or the option of a “Pilgrim Menu” for 10€. One person of the group requested to only have a bowl of soup, and the waiter (or what seems to be the owner) started making a scene. He told her that she has to take the menu or leave the restaurant. I repeat that we were a whole group of more than 15 people and he started saying he didn’t want to bring her soup because it was too little and that she had to leave. We were the only ones in the restaurant in a empty day of rain and he wanted to basically kick one person out. We wanted to leave but she said it was ok to stay, even if the mood was completely ruined by the behavior of this guy. She was FORCED to take the menu. Photo of the infamous soup attached. Would not recommend to give your money to this...

Do not eat here - food is not cooked properly! Had lunch here. At least half of my salmon was raw - not just a bit under-cooked but completely raw. I’m not sure how they could have got it so crispy on the outside and so raw inside unless maybe they cooked it from frozen. The potatoes were not cooked properly either. I left most of the dish. I told the woman who appeared to be in charge and she just tutted at me and said nothing. When my crepe dessert arrived, it had been overcooked and was inedible - as if it had been in the microwave too long and had gone like cardboard. I felt like it was punishment for mentioning that my main course was raw. I left most of that too. Of course when the bill came we’d been charged in full...