Casa da Mariquinhas - Fado Porto Est. 1968 — Restaurant in Porto

The fado, food and ambience were all fine, but my friend and I left on a sour note because of what we believe to be a lie from the restaurant…

Prior to going, I emailed them asking if they accepted card, as I’d read a review on here from a month prior saying that they only accept cash. The restaurant had responded to the review saying they would soon accept card, so I emailed the restaurant to see if they’re now accepting card. They responded yes. Ok, good.

So when it came to pay the bill, I showed them my card and they said they don’t accept card. “But I emailed you guys earlier today and you responded that you accept card. “Ah, are you Daniel?”. I said yes, then they brought out a card machine saying that it doesn’t work well (despite it being a new machine, if they just recently added this ability, according to their review response) but that we could try. We ran the card, and as we were looking at the receipt, it charged double what we owed! The next 10 minutes the guy was in the back room presumably trying to fix the problem, then when we asked for a status, he said they can’t fix it, and then approached me and gave me the overcharged amount in Euro back, not even asking if that was okay. So there were several issues: they lied about not accepting card, they don’t know how to use the machine to charge the right amount, and they don’t know how to issue a refund and unwilling to contact the company. Something fishy is going on here, and it wasn’t just the cod… I like to trust people are honest, and despite enjoying the food and show, cannot recommend this restaurant because of the...

First of all, the music and atmosphere are absolutely five stars. However, the way they charge and the poor service mean I have to give one star. My partner is coeliac, so we immediately asked for the bread on the table to be removed, which it was. Despite this, we were charged €6 and told it was for the bread, olives, and butter, and they refused to adjust the bill even though we didn’t eat any of the bread. The port offered when you arrive, seemingly complimentary, is actually €8.50 per glass (much more than most bars in Porto), and water, served in already open, non-branded bottles, was €2.50, which felt like paying for tap water.

Service was also disappointing. We had to repeatedly ask for the bill and ended up waiting nearly 30 minutes after our initial request. Additionally, they sent an email beforehand claiming their card machine was broken, but it was working fine, and they do accept card payments. This unnecessary miscommunication took away from the overall experience.

The pricing model desperately needs a rethink. Charging a clear and transparent fee for the show, rather than hiding numerous additional food charges, would likely increase satisfaction as I can see several others have felt similar. People are happy to pay a premium for an incredible experience like this, but they expect honesty and fairness. A straightforward approach would leave customers content and eager to recommend the experience, rather than leaving them feeling taken...

Condescending and the reviews are practically bought, so I wouldn’t trust the five stars so much.

The waiter kept taking down to me, with his face so close to mine,. I could smell his smoke and I didn’t appreciate the violation of personal space, especially during COVID.

The food was mediocre. I asked for the dessert to be wrapped up to go bc we were too full and I was getting a little nauseated from his smoke and overeating. The waiter yelled at me saying that they’re not a restaurant, they’re a fado place. Well, okay, I didn’t know this establishment was considered a non-restaurant, but they sell their “dinner” experience and categorize themselves as a restaurant on TripAdvisor and Google. But hey, if it’s considered rude to leave before the entire course, that’s fine, it’s their culture. I respect that.

However, there was no reason to yell in a condescending tone to a paying customer. I don’t know if this was bc I’m a young woman or bc I’m Asian (Im suspecting this bc he didn’t talk down to any other caucasian women dining around us, yet he was rude to us from the beginning). You could say I’m over-reacting, but it’d be good for them to know this is how minorities feel when we are mistreated and we are the only ones with a different skin color.

They also give away free stuff to people who leave a review on trip advisor. They had a QR code ready so people can leave a review in a few tabs and get that free food or...