Taberna d'Avó — Restaurant in Porto

Easily the worse experience we had in Porto. We had so many issues during our short time at the restaurant that it is hard to list them all. Firstly, we were among the first customers as we arrived shortly after opening time, the waiter gaslit us to think that all food options were great, but when we wanted to order a particular bacalhau from Porto (Brais), they didn’t have it. At your arrival, you fill find on the table a small bottle of oil, a small pack of cheese and two small packs of patè, which are already there. Nobody will tell you that using these comes with a charge until the end. We asked for another bottle of water not once but twice, and we were never acknowledged. The table next to us kept being checked on by the waiter who was asking them how things were going etc. (usual standard of courtesy), however, we were neglected, dismissed and ignored during the whole dinner, and even forgotten when asking for water as previously mentioned. The starters were brought to us and I had no cutlery, and I had to ask the manager, who was helping on the floor, to give me some. When we left, nobody said ‘Obrigado’ nor anything else to acknowledge customers that have chosen them vs the thousands of other options in Porto, and I think this was the rudest possible thing they could do to guests that decided to give them trust. This part of the review was only related to the terrible, unprofessional and unwelcoming service. Now let’s talk about food: the starters were ok, however, expect to be given a lot of oily food (e.g. fried sardines) and other shelled seafood without being given any wipe to clean your hand, which is usual courtesy in seafood restaurants. In regards to the mains, my bacalhau, suggested by the waiter, had so much oil (two fingers level) that it was unpleasant to eat, and I felt nauseous the whole night after. My girlfriend ordered a rice with bacalhau and that was ok, however, the ratio of rice vs fish was not generous compared to all the other places we have seen in Porto. I have attached some pictures, unfortunately there is no way I can show you how bad the service was, but trust me, there are so many great options here, don’t bother come to this place.

Summary: very rude and arrogant waiters who pick and choose who they’re nice to, poor quality food, beware of unforeseen charges (i.e. butter and condiments for bread). Don’t...

We had a great experience at this restaurant. After a short wait, we were seated. The prices are reasonable—€12 for a bottle of wine and €14-18 for main courses. Since I wasn’t sure what to order, the waiter recommended a traditional dish, Bacalhau à Brás. To be honest, it wasn’t really to my taste. It was quite rich and oily, and I felt it lacked fresh vegetables, but the flavor was good. My husband’s meat dish, on the other hand, was absolutely perfect.

The service was outstanding. Several waiters, including (I believe) the owner and our own server, checked in on us to make sure we were enjoying our meal. I especially wanted to mention our waiter, but unfortunately, we didn’t ask for his name. (If you’re reading this—you were incredibly kind and welcoming!)

I would definitely recommend this place and will most likely return the next time I’m in Porto.

Greetings from Poland...

Worst customer communication I’ve experienced in a while.

The older waiter had an incredibly snobbish attitude and literally told us, “This is a restaurant, you need to order a main course,” when we asked for just appetizers and salads. Thanks for the clarification, Mr. Waiter, we almost thought we had accidentally walked into a McDonald’s for a quick bite.

Apparently, ordering only appetizers and salads is not allowed, but what really made it unacceptable was the tone and arrogance. Completely unprofessional and unwelcoming.

To top it off, the menu tries to appear upscale by listing the price of each tiny, complimentary-sized couvert item, butter, pâté, etc. literally item by item. And butter was already opened and eaten by the previous customer... What a “restaurant”…

We left immediately. Not coming back. A real restaurant should make guests feel welcome,...