Peixe no Mercado — Restaurant in Porto

TLDR: Horrible service. Small portions. Food (or at least, the dish I got) was terrible. Expensive for what you get.

I was so excited to try seafood in Porto. However, I was severely disappointed with the restaurant. I don’t think I’ve ever had such a horrible experience. For context, I am a solo female traveller and this is my first time in Portugal.

Pros: -Restaurant interior is cute -Some of the wait staff are kind -Lobster french toast was amazing

Cons: -Hours on Google are wrong (they re-open at 7pm, I waited an hour). -My dish, specifically the side, tasted like warm vomit. Perhaps it was my appetite, but I am not a picky eater. This was the worst dish I’ve had in Portugal by a mile. -The fish was okay, flavourless and charred, but decent because it was fresh (I don’t remember the exact name of the dish as it’s not on their website, but it was a crab, potato and egg side with fish combined with a savoury tomato sauce). -I was recommended this dish. It was tiny compared to the other mains everyone else was served. Maybe you’d have better luck ordering anything else. -Wanted to send back my dish but none of the waitstaff looked in my direction for thirty minutes (and since the portion was so small I unfortunately ate quite a bit of it). -Ordered a glass of wine and it was filled less than 1/6 of the way. -Was asked twice how my meal was, and when I expressed my disappointment with the meal, I was offered the dessert menu (twice actually). -Staff treated me very passive aggressively after I expressed my disappointment about the dish. -I asked for the bill. Waited over fifteen minutes after the awkward interaction, only to walk up and have the server tell me to wait even longer. -Added gratuity without asking, for literally one person. There was no way to decline it on the machine. -Very expensive meal for poor food and bad service...

A rather disappointing experience, especially considering the price point.

I visited here for my last lunch in Porto, expecting a special and memorable meal — but unfortunately, it fell short in many ways.

Firstly, the service was noticeably lacking. While other tables received regular attention from the staff, my table was left completely unattended throughout the meal. No one came to ask if everything was fine or if I needed anything, which felt careless for a place charging this level of pricing.

Secondly, although I had high hopes for the food given the modern presentation and pricing (with starters over 13 euros), the dishes were overwhelming in flavor — overly salty, heavily seasoned, and covered in strong sauces like sriracha mayo that masked the quality of the ingredients. In a country like Portugal, where beautiful and fresh ingredients are so abundant, this approach felt like a missed opportunity.

I ended up spending nearly 60 euros for a solo lunch, but neither the food nor the service felt worth that price.

Finally, if you are someone who has experienced fine dining in culinary capitals like London, New York, or Melbourne, you may find this place — and perhaps much of Porto’s fine dining scene — a bit underwhelming. Rather than seeking fine dining here, I would recommend focusing on simple, rustic local dishes that showcase Portugal’s amazing ingredients in a more honest and authentic way.

In short, for the price, the experience and food did not meet...

This restaurant is a scam, don't go there. There are so many better places in Porto where you get better food for the money.

We ordered the scallops and as I'm pregnant I asked if they are cooked, which the waiter confirmed. When the dish came it was raw... They offered to bring another starter and told my husband he could eat the scallops though if he wants. I received a french toast with lobster instead, which was burnt ... I didn't want to complain again and as my husband didn't mind, I didn't say anything. The main dish of my husband was good, mine was ok. When the bill came they charged the starter they brought me instead of the scallops. When I asked the waitress about it and she said, she will talk to the manager and we didn't have to pay in the end.

In any other restaurant they would have not charged the dish from the beginning. In this restaurant obviously they hope you don't notice and try to charge you their mistakes anyway. I believe this is super rude and dishonest. I would not recommend anybody to go there. Furthermore they put a recommended service charge. It looks like it's compulsory but it's written in small letters that you can add it only if you want. The waitress didn't ask us, we didn't tell her to add it but she added it anyway. All the places we've been to, the ppl were super nice. I regret I came across such a dishonest waitress on...