Casa Vegetariana — Restaurant in Porto

While I don't frequently leave reviews, I feel compelled to share my thoughts about this establishment so people don’t make the same mistake we did.

Firstly, we were served what seemed to be 'complimentary' bread and oil, which appeared on our bill (scam) The bread itself was unremarkable.

The waiter did not allow us sufficient time to look at the menu or to provide any explanations about the dishes.

I ordered the Moroccan orange salad, and my partner selected the soup. We also chose to share padron peppers and hummus with vegetables.

I was shocked at the ‘Moroccan orange salad’ it consisted of thick slices of orange, red onion and some pomegranate and a sprinkling of seasoning.

The padron peppers were overcooked and mushy. The hummus was overly acidic and vegetables were bland and badly cooked.

My partner found the soup to be under-seasoned, and when he inquired, the server mentioned there was no added salt.

When I addressed my concerns with the server regarding the quality of the food, he referenced positive reviews from other customers.

Despite serving inedible food they expected us to pay. After further discussion, another staff member approached us with the same expectation and told us to pay for what we ordered but did not eat.

Ultimately, the server addressed us in a manner that was unprofessional, suggesting that we should be grateful for our "complimentary lunch." It was so bad I wouldn’t have eaten it if it was free.

While the restaurant may seem to have an appealing ambiance, it appears to me many positive reviews stem from its pretentious nature rather than quality. If you value good food and service, I would not...

I was really looking forward to a nice vegetarian meal here in Porto, but it was supremely underwhelming. The miso was flavorless, and the tortellini was surprisingly bland. The food delivery was ill timed (appetizers and entrees arriving backwards).

But the reason I bothered to leave this review at all is due to how they handled my peanut allergy situation. The tortellini had peanuts in the sauce. I took a bite, suspected, asked the waiter, and he said it was just cashews. He then came back 5 mins later and said that it did, in fact, have peanuts. Thankfully, I had ignored him and didn’t continue to eat it, or I would’ve ended up at the hospital. He took the plate (I’d eaten 1 bite), and didn’t ask if I wanted anything else. When the bill came, they had charged me for the dish. I asked if they could remove it since I was unable to eat it due to my allergy (and peanuts weren’t listed on the menu). The waiter was kind, and said he had already asked, and that the chef refused to take it off the bill. Absolutely classless for a supposed fine dining establishment.

Based on other 1 star reviews, I suspect their model is to take advantage of tourists,...

Firstly food - when it arrived - was delicious. Tortellini was beautifully presented and tasty. Eggplant pie also lovely. However, service was extremely poor. When a waitress eventually took our order, it then took 20 minutes and a further request just to get water. We then waited a further 10 minutes for cocktails, one of which actually arrived after the food. The server said 'it takes some time' (half an hour??) The more concerning aspect was the lack of knowledge from staff as to the ingredients and disregard for allergies or intolerance. My partner is dairy intolerant and it was not clear on any menu item what contained dairy. The waitress did not appear knowledgeable as to whether dishes were vegan when we asked. The decor is impressive, but staffing appears to be a problem (untrained staff, resources not used effectively). Not recommended if you are vegan or have food intolerances. It's a shame as I want to give a...