Terrazza by La Gioconda — Restaurant in Portimão

Extremely disappointing experience – unacceptable wait time, bland food, and unprofessional management

I don’t usually leave reviews, but after my recent visit to Terrazza by La Gioconda, I feel it’s important to share what was genuinely one of the worst dining experiences I’ve had in a long time.

We were a table of seven, arriving just before 8:00 PM. Initially, things seemed fine — we ordered and made it very clear that we would like our food brought out together. Unfortunately, that request was completely disregarded. Our starters eventually arrived — garlic bread with mozzarella — but they were utterly bland, lacking flavour and completely underwhelming.

Still, we tried to remain patient, but what followed was simply unacceptable: we waited 1 hour and 20 minutes for our mains to arrive. No communication, no updates, just an endless wait. Waiting 30–45 minutes would’ve been perfectly understandable on a busy night, but 80 minutes? That’s excessive by any standard.

To make matters worse, when we politely asked the manager — a man with tattoos on his neck — for an update around the hour mark, he responded in an unnecessarily rude and dismissive tone, showing no concern whatsoever that a table of seven had been left waiting so long. We weren’t aggressive or confrontational — just hungry and losing patience.

Eventually, after another 20 minutes had passed, we had simply had enough and politely said that we’d like to leave. At that point, instead of offering an apology or even attempting to resolve the issue, the manager pointed towards the door and dismissed us with a complete lack of professionalism.

Even then, I tried to be respectful and told him, “I do apologise, but waiting 1 hour and 20 minutes is just too long.” His response? “We are not a fast food restaurant.” That comment, said in an aggressive tone, was the final straw. The audacity to say that to paying customers after such a long wait was staggering.

Yes, there was a large table of 25 also dining that evening — but that is no excuse for neglecting all other tables. A well-managed restaurant should be able to accommodate all guests without prioritising one group to the detriment of others.

We left feeling completely disheartened, frustrated, and shocked by the lack of professionalism and courtesy. It's rare that I feel compelled to leave such a review, but the experience was simply that bad.

If you’re considering dining at Terrazza by La Gioconda, I would strongly recommend looking elsewhere. You...

We arrived as a table of 6 and asked for all our food to come out at the same time we received our drinks and starters fairly quickly about 10-20 minutes into our stay. So we assumed that our mains we shortly arrive but it never came out. An hour goes by no word from the waiters so we called to inquire about the food. This is when we got told that they were prioritising the table of 25 that was seated outside that arrived after us. We waited for another 20 minutes and still no sign of our mains, this is when we called the waiter over again for the second time to ask about the mains. This is when we got that they was just about to start preparing it. We was feed up of the lack of communication and the unreasonable waiting time that we was constricted too, so as a group we decided to cancel the mains and only pay for our drink and starters this is when the manager came and said we are not a fast-food restaurant and pointed at the door and said get out. In all my years of dinning out I have never experienced such poor customer service, lack of accountability and transparency. It was such a shame that the evening got ruined, the main dish...

If there was an option for minus stars, this place would earn it without question. I have never in my life been subjected to such appalling, cold-hearted service. I came in with my autistic, disabled daughter, and although we were willing to wait 20 minutes for a table, the nightmare began when I politely asked if we could use an empty table for two and simply add a highchair—or have her sit on my lap.

The response I got from the so-called waiter was shocking. He flat-out refused, smugly saying, “That’s just the way I work,” and that no extra chair could be added. Meanwhile, the restaurant was full of larger tables where families had clearly been given extra chairs without a second thought. When I pointed this out, he doubled down telling me my daughter couldn’t sit in her pushchair, couldn’t sit on my lap, and that I couldn’t even order food for her because “it’s a table for two.” His final words? If I didn’t like the service, I could leave.

This is not just bad service—it’s blatant, unapologetic discrimination against disabled people. My four-year-old left upset and hungry, and I was left disgusted and angry. If you care at all about compassion, dignity, or basic human decency, avoid this disgrace of an establishment at all costs especially if you have a disabled child or family member.

Se houvesse a opção de dar menos estrelas, este sítio receberia sem dúvida. Nunca na minha vida fui tratada com um serviço tão repugnante e desumano. Entrei com a minha filha autista e com deficiência, e embora tenhamos esperado pacientemente 20 minutos por uma mesa, o pesadelo começou quando perguntei educadamente se podíamos usar uma mesa para duas pessoas e simplesmente acrescentar uma cadeira de bebé , em alternativa, a minha filha sentar-se-ia no meu colo.

A resposta que recebi do chamado “empregado” foi chocante. Recusou de forma arrogante, dizendo “é assim que eu trabalho” e que não podia acrescentar nenhuma cadeira extra. No entanto, o restaurante estava cheio de mesas maiores onde claramente tinham sido colocadas cadeiras extra sem qualquer problema. Quando apontei essa incoerência, ele insistiu dizendo que a minha filha não podia ficar no carrinho, não podia sentar-se ao meu colo e que eu nem sequer poderia pedir comida para ela porque “era uma mesa para duas pessoas”. As suas palavras finais? Se não gostasse do serviço, que fosse embora.

Isto não é apenas mau serviço é discriminação descarada e sem vergonha contra pessoas com deficiência. A minha filha de quatro anos saiu triste e com fome, e eu saí revoltada e indignada. Se valoriza a compaixão, a dignidade e o mínimo de decência humana, evite este estabelecimento a todo o custo — especialmente se tiver um filho ou familiar com...