Restaurante "O Escondidinho" — Restaurant in Porto

A Disastrous Dining Experience – Not Recommended

Our visit to this restaurant was profoundly disappointing and far from the standard one would expect, especially from an establishment with such surprisingly positive reviews. We were a group of 10 people with a confirmed reservation, but what followed was a series of service and kitchen failures that ruined the evening.

Service & Organization: Despite the reservation, the service was chaotic from the start. One guest had a dietary request for their meal to be prepared without or with very little oil. Instead of accommodating this individual specifically, all salads at the table were served completely without dressing — an overcorrection that made them unappetizing.

Starters were brought out inconsistently: some of us received our appetizers, while others were served their main course directly, even though every person had ordered a starter. One dish, specifically requested to be cooked without oil, was served soaked in oil. When we addressed this, it was removed from the table — only to be placed, in full view, on another table two meters away. After about 30 minutes, the same plate was brought back to us, with additional oil spooned over it, presumably to “refresh” it. When questioned again, the head of service simply responded, “That’s just how it is.”

Food Quality: The food itself was well below acceptable standards. The “house steaks,” described as beef on the menu, were clearly pork – and very tough. Omelettes were overwhelmingly salty, and the vegetables were swimming in oil. None of these dishes matched the descriptions or expectations.

Drinks & Billing: Only about two-thirds of our drink order was ever delivered, but the bill reflected the full order. After a lengthy discussion, the invoice was eventually corrected, though this required significant insistence on our part.

Positives: The only redeeming aspects of the evening were the bread and the Coca-Cola Zero, both of which were standard and not prepared by the restaurant. The ambiance was pleasant, but unfortunately, that alone cannot save such a flawed dining experience.

Conclusion: I genuinely cannot understand the positive reviews this restaurant has received. Perhaps we were simply unlucky, but the sheer volume and nature of the mistakes we encountered suggest deeper issues in both the kitchen and the service team. Poor communication, a lack of flexibility, and a dismissive attitude toward customer concerns make this restaurant one I would strongly advise...

We passed by the place the first day we arrived to Porto. It was near the apartment we stayed, so we spotted it to come back for dinner when we saw it got a Michelin star. Since we didn’t have reservations we got seated by the corner, of course. We ordered one bread, butter and olives to share. The bread -- well, not bread, it was more like toasts, extra crispy (emphasis on the extra) was not very good. Igot the caldo verde and the steak. My friend decided on the sardinhas. The soup was wonderful. Potatoey, not too thick, perfect amount of salt and perfect temperature -- very hot, not lukewarm-- I enjoyed it very much and was expecting the same for our entrees, but what a disappointment! The steak was raw -- I asked for medium -- it didn't even had a crust. Throw in a not yet hot grilled. The side vegetables were disgusting. I'm sorry but there is no other word to describe it. I tried a bit and had to spit it out. I couldn't even swallow it. The mushrooms and chestnuts combo, tasted ok but the chestnuts were hard. My friend's sardines were awful too. We waited for our waiter to check on us but he never came. Once we called him and told him about the food. He consulted wuth the chef and we were able to change our order. The couple at the next table had ordered the bacalao and the grilled sole and said it was good so we decided to order the same. Both dishes were very nice. The bacalao was a big piece perfectly cooked and seasoned with a crispy bread of potatoes with caramelized onions in a bath of olive oil. It was delicious. My friend grilled sole was very good too. It was obvious we initially ordered the wrong dishes. The service could have been better, our waiter never checked on us and we waited a long time between each service. At the end, we got charged $15+ for water, wine and something else that we...

This restaurant was recommended to us by the hotel we were staying at. On speaking to other patrons, it seems that a lot of hotels like to recommend O Escondidinho. We hadn't made a booking but a table was available (around 19h30 on a Tuesday in April). We were greeted professionally and welcomed in by the manager? Table service was good and the waiters were top class. Atmosphere was that of a traditional but classy restaurant. They appeared to have a second room in case of overflow or possibly functions. Food took a long time to get to us, although they did bring out the kids meals first.

My husband and I shared the Entrecote Laminado, which is served with fries or potatoes and vegetables. The vegetables were tasty but simple, a mixture of sautéed cabbage and other green leaves. The plain beef steak was tough and difficult to cut. We ordered it medium but it was more on the rare side with a very red center (the photo doesn't show the inside of the steak). We sent it back to be cooked a bit more. We couldn't finish it (or cut through the remaining sinuous slices).

My father in law ordered the Cataplana. He described it as tasteless and disappointing (the fourth one he'd ordered whilst visiting Portugal). It was also the most expensive.

My mother in law ordered the Mozzarella, Tomato and Ham salad which was small but very nice.

My kids ordered the Filetes de linguado com amandes (sole fillets with almonds) and that was very nice but simple, and the shrimp omlette.

We were tired and didn't feel like dessert, but the chocolate mousse seemed popular and yummy.

Overall, I'd describe this restaurant as overpriced. Although we ate here with kids, I don't...