Digby Restaurante Bar — Restaurant in Porto

Edited review: My friends and I (all Black/African American) picked this place to eat because of the fairly high google reviews and the views the location offered. Short version: We ended up having a terrible experience and left during the appetizer portion of our meal as quickly as we could (after paying for what was provided to us, of course). They refused to provide us menus until after we had asked multiple times over 20 minutes. And when we informed them one of our party members had a fish allergy, they told us they couldn't guarantee there would be no cross-contamination because they couldn't guarantee they could use separate spoons in the kitchen (yes, the spoons of all things!). It felt like a poor excuse. At that point it was clear we were not wanted in the establishment, so we paid for our appetizers (we were charged 47 euros for couvert i.e. what in America is complimentary bread) and left.

I highly suggest you patronize RESTART in the Maison Blueu hotel just down the street instead of Digby.

Longer Story: Most restaurants place menus in your hand as quickly as possible after being seated (to start providing service and drive sales), but we had to ask repeatedly. First one of my friends, a dark-skinned Black woman asked but none were provided. She was told that they didn't have any menus that were not in use. That was weird as most of the other tables that were seated were well into their meal. Further, there was no one seated inside or at the bar or otherwise. We also had a reservation and were on time, so it made no sense whatsoever that there wouldn't be menus available. Then I arrived to the table, and was informed of the matter. I saw the curly haired hostess (white/Portuguese woman, heavy stature) was walking past us back toward the host stand with a handful of menus and I asked if we could have some menus. She told me to wait a moment. When she re-appeared minutes later without menus and heading towards another table, I asked her again for menus and (feeling overlooked yet again) began to question why we had been seated so long and not received menus. She used apologetic language, but her tone conveyed that she was not sincerely apologetic at all. I asked her "Are you really?" and her response was "you should not be talking to me like that." That's when my perception of the situation shifted from poor service generally to an intentional action to delay service based on race. Why should I, the customer who has been waiting 20 minutes for service and who has asked for menus 3 times, not question the sincerity of an apology of the person who has literally bypassed us with menus in her hand? Answer: Because in her mind, it is not our place (as Black people) in that society to question mistreatment. Soon after, we received menus. My friends had not yet agreed that racism was the sentiment until we were later told a fish allergy could not be accommodated due to potential cross-use of spoons. Spoons are a ridiculous item to say are impossible to guarantee the avoidance of cross contamination. At that point we all felt like there was an unwillingness to provide service to us based on race. So we paid for the appetizers which we elected not to finish and left.

We went just down the street to RESTART by Vila Foz in the Maison Bleue hotel and had an exceptional experience. The service at RESTART was immediate and kind; we were greeted warmly, sat immediately, provided menus promptly, and served with a smile. The food at RESTART was exceptional and the prices were impressively accessible for the quality. I had the Shrimp moqueca with basmati rice and have not stopped thinking about it since! Highly suggest you avoid Digby and instead patronize RESTART. They have great views overlooking the river too!...

My recent visit to Digby Restaurant in Porto was a thoroughly disappointing experience. Despite its promising ambiance and location, the overall dining experience fell significantly short of expectations.

Firstly, the service was incredibly slow. From the moment we were seated, it took an unreasonably long time to receive our menus, and the wait for our food was even longer. This lack of efficiency severely detracted from the enjoyment of our meal.

The portions, when they finally arrived, were noticeably small. For the high prices charged, one would expect a more generous serving. Unfortunately, the small portions left us feeling unsatisfied and questioning the value for money.

Speaking of pricing, we found the restaurant to be significantly overpriced. The quality of the food did not justify the steep prices, making the meal feel like poor value overall.

To finish off our meal, we decided to have a port wine for dessert. One of our party was particularly excited about trying the red port, clearly stating that she was not into white wines. Despite this, the waiter specifically recommended the white port. Trusting the recommendation, we went ahead with the order, only to discover that it was €30 more expensive than the red port. This price difference was not mentioned in advance, leaving us feeling misled. When we brought this to the staff's attention, they did remove the cost of the much cheaper sparkling wine we had for starters and the "bread basket" from the bill. However, the bread basket itself was another disappointment, consisting of just one normal piece of bread each and one piece of special local bread.

Overall, our experience at Digby Restaurant was far from satisfactory. Given the slow service, small portions, and high prices, I cannot recommend this restaurant and will certainly not...

The evening started well, with a very professional host and nice relaxed service. The food was delicious (to note here, very small portions - which is not a problem just something to keep in mind) with a very unique presentation. The cocktail card is amazing, with many creative drinks each with their own story.

However as the evening went on, the service got progressively worse. It took almost 1 hour for our main courses to come. In the meantime, we attempted to order a beer, which managed to be forgotten 3 times by 3 different waiters. Another glass of wine and bread was further forgotten, which in the end is a bit of a joke. We voiced this to the waiter, and then asked for the bill - which followed by the waiter forgetting to take our payment for 20 minutes 😂

Furthermore, we had made clear from the beginning that we were interested in dessert. However when the time came we were told it was too late and that we either could take the dessert to another room, or to our hotel room. Around 20 minutes later we then saw that other tables were offered dessert or eating it, which we couldn’t understand - but we understand the COVID regulations. It just would have been nice to have been asked.

And lastly, I’m sure this isn’t allowed in Portugal but forgive me if I’m wrong - but I may add that some guests were smoking cigarettes inside the restaurant, which didn’t really leave a nice smell and kind of ruined the whole fine dining experience we were expecting.

This place has a lot of potential, with amazing food and a great drinks card. But unfortunately, I cannot recommend this due to the service, which needs clear...