Restaurante Semea by Euskalduna — Restaurant in Porto

A very good kitchen in a homey-rustic setting outside of the center of Porto suffers from haphazard, inattentive service.

Food: Very good, with the steak preparation being our favorite. A "veal rice" cooked in the style of paella was also very good, but a bit too salty for the size of the dish. Small plates as starters were decent but not as outstanding as the mains. I was not a fan of the tiny cockles (served as you would mussels but with very little substance to them).

Drink: Two excellent wine recommendations paired well with the food. Our one round of cocktails was solid.

Service: Now the negative part. Our service was a mix of inattentive and neglectful. Our 1st server who made the first wine recommendation was never seen again. Our wine arrived well before our cocktails (never mind that negronis as a first round are a classic aperitif...but they have to arrive first). We had to catch somebody to refill our bottle of water (which sat empty at the edge of the table for a while first).

A manager dropped off some of our appetizers without a word. We got few explanations for any of our dishes, which this kind of dining usually makes a point of doing since they're proud of their creations and the audience are foodies.

No offers of dessert or coffee. We were left sitting for an extended time at the end, and had to get a server assistant to wave down (literally) somebody to finally come take our payment. What kind of restaurant doesn't want to close out its last tables??

Maybe it was a bad night for staffing (although manager schmoozed with an adjacent table for an extended time). Maybe we were hindered/ignored for not being Portuguese-speaking (although English and Spanish are very common in hospitality here). Nobody saw us out. It was weirdly amateur for a restaurant that clearly has its culinary act together, but not its service.

Like probably others, we were drawn by the restaurant being Michelin reviewed, and the promise of rustic-chic Portuguese cooking. Unfortunately, that kitchen needs a more proficient and professional front-of-house to really showcase it.

The food was so good I'd be willing to go back, but with lower expectations or maybe for lunch or drinks rather than dinner. My recommendation: Give it a try but limit your...

I’m a business traveller who arrived late in the evening, i’m also a coeliac.

The waiter was fantastic, very accommodating and explained that they could modify the dishes to my needs. Unfortunately as I did not have a reservation I had to eat outside on my own which was okay and then he told me it was tapas style.

Each dish arrived and I managed to complete each dish completely with a significant wait before the next was delivered. I was given the side dish of zucchini first with a 10 minute gap before the beef arrived.

I waited an especially long time for the final dish which happened to be the most simple. I went inside to explain that I felt like I had been abandoned outside and was then marched to the kitchen and given a stern telling off for daring to question the maitre d’.

He told me in the 20 years he’s been running restaurants he’d never heard of a Tapas bar where they delivered dishes at the same time. This wasn’t my point. I explained that I didn’t expect the dishes at the same time but I did expect to at least have the next dish arrive whilst enjoying the previous one; not completely separate. I also said I didn’t expect the most simple dish to be delivered last after the beef dish, which was the obvious main.

Anyway, after an extraordinarily long gap between my penultimate and final course; the latter arrived and despite being fried was luke warm. I asked for the bill.

The waiter seemed very embarrassed and apologetic when I asked for the bill. I said “ I hadn’t expected to be marched to the kitchen like a naughty schoolboy but it was a new experience”

So in summary; a lovely restaurant with great food and wait staff, flexible for food allergies but appalling at service, probably because I was a single diner who was abandoned outside.

If you’re here as a couple I’m sure you’d have a great experience; if you’re a business traveller on your...

Honestly hands down one of the best meals I've ever had. We had booked in advance and the moment we stepped through the door we felt welcome. We were able to sit in the table at the window which I really liked. I was unable to eat uncooked shellfish so they modified my dishes and they turned out to be great! We started with an oyster dish which was lovely and smokey then moved on to the shrimp's head which was wonderfully crunchy and delicious. I've never had either prepared in that way before and it was great. Our next course looked very simple (fried hake with shrimp sauce and homemade kimchi) but the combination of texture and flavour was truly outstanding. I really enjoyed the balance between the crunchy fish and the kimchi. The fourth course was a succulent grilled quail which I will be dreaming about the next time I eat poultry. It was cooked perfectly and fell off the bone. Last was the feijoado which the chef told us comes from the region he grew up in so it was a recipe close to his heart and it was so delicious. All the meats were tender and rich. I need to create this at home some day. A heartwarming bowl with nice delicate greens on top for an untraditional twist. Last we got to share the French toast and ice cream which was actually perfect. Each dish was prepared with care and the portions were exactly what we needed when put all together. My one regret was I didn't take a photo with the chef. I was so impressed with this place and the meal. The price was amazing and it included wine with each course! Thank you for making this Valentine's day one of the most memorable! If you are in the area please give this place a try. It's a great place for couples since it's small and intimate. I would definitely eat here again...