Borboleta — Restaurant in Porto

We visited Barboleta midweek for what we hoped would be a casual but refined lunch in Porto. Spoiler alert: it wasn’t.

Let’s start with expectations vs. reality—a theme, it seems. Judging from the reviews, photos, and overhyped influencer content online, we expected a modern, elevated Mediterranean experience. What we got was a lukewarm, overly ambitious mess served with a side of culinary confusion and, later, a dash to the bathroom.

My partner ordered the tartare (because of course he did), which arrived looking like it had been scooped from a failed test kitchen attempt at “edgy.” Red currants? Béarnaise? Raw beef? A literal mouthful of contradictions. Texture: confused. Flavour: aggressively average. Temperature: uncertain. And, to be blunt—he was violently ill that night. You can connect the dots.

I, foolishly ordered the pasta of the day. I should’ve known better when they wouldn’t even list what it was—perhaps a clue. What arrived was a bowl of overcooked pasta in a pool of garlicky oil, absolutely hideous.

The bread (at €2.50!) arrived dry and bored. The olives—drenched in orange zest oil—tasted like someone knocked over a bottle of Bath & Body Works into the ramekin. Everything on the menu reads like a fever dream from a chef who just came back from a vacation in Tel Aviv and hasn’t quite recovered.

Service? Polite but robotic. Ambience? Trying far too hard. Chef’s vision? Missing, presumed dead.

The final insult? The lime pie. The texture was gritty, the crust soggy, and the flavour reminded me of an old Glade plug-in. We left €60 lighter and spiritually betrayed.

To be fair, the chairs were comfortable.

But if you're craving actual flavour, culinary coherence, or digestion that doesn’t end in trauma—walk away. There are better meals to be had at a...

Better for bloggers than for diners

We’ve had some incredible meals in Porto, so I hate leaving bad reviews. But our night at Borboleta was a real disappointment.

Yes, it’s a beautiful setting and perfect for a TikTok or Instagram post. But if you care about food and service, this isn’t the place. We were left 15 minutes without menus, waited 45 minutes for starters, and over 2 hours for mains, which I eventually had to ask for while other tables with the same order ate and left before us.

When I asked about our mains, the staff member said she would check but never came back, and then actively avoided our table. Clearly, it was a massive mix-up. These things happen, but it’s how they’re handled that matters.

We were later told the kitchen was short-staffed, but that doesn’t explain why we were left without menus or why identical orders at other tables came and went before ours. Staff attention seemed fixed on a visiting food blogger, and regular guests felt like an afterthought.

On the night, we were offered a glass of wine and one dessert to share. Our server told me they would have liked to offer more, such as covering the mains, but they weren’t authorised to do so without the manager present. I made it clear at the time and again in my feedback email that we were leaving Porto soon, so the later offer of 50% off a future meal was something we couldn’t use. It was also an acknowledgment that the original offer wasn’t enough.

Great for your TikTok. Not so great for your dinner. And to leave with a €100+ bill after that experience was a...

Porto is in the moment of hype, but I’d say that the gastronomy culture is not keeping up with the growth of tourism. Still, there are some cool new spots popping up. Recently I found Borboleta (A butterfly) next to one of my fav places in the city - Jardins do Palácio de Cristal. It was a pleasant surprise, as the food was exactly the one I love. I’d say it was a very talented interpretation of European and Middle Eastern classics (Greek salad, burrata with muhammara, beef tartare, or panna cotta) made of the best Portuguese ingredients (it’s hard to beat local seafood). But most importantly (besides generous portions), it was cooked technically flawlessly, with no provincial pretentiousness whatsoever, which is the problem of so many local places. Definitely, it was the best tartare I’ve ever tried in Porto, as well as a brilliantly simple broccolini with Parmigiano and a note of anchovies and lemon in the sauce. The only thing, they love fancy natural wines in Borboleta, so it wasn’t easy for me to find something more classic and better-structured (though I managed). But my compliments to the idea of offering speciality coffee made by a barista in the restaurant! I'll definitely be back, especially when the weather's nice, as Borboleta has a beautiful and savage (very Porto-like)...