Taberna Dos Mercadores — Restaurant in Porto

We have heard of this place from a friend back home and decided to try it. The first day we arrived at around 3, there was a cue and after waiting for half an hour, the waiter said they will be closing the restaurant shortly and reopening at 5.30 pm, we asked if it was possible to make a reservation, he said they were full till may. Then we asked if it was possible to cue in for unreserved tables, he said yes but didn’t give any specifics, so we took a chance and we came back to the restaurant the same day at 4.45 pm and cued in till 5.30 pm, there were two other couples in front of us in the cue. We managed to get in by the time the restaurant re-opened at 5.30pm.

We ordered octopus and rice, octopus salad, garlic butter prawns, salted sea bass and the meringue dessert. They were all very delicious. It was so delicious that I wanted to come back two days later just to eat the dessert.

Next time we came to the restaurant at around at 8.30pm, we asked if it was possible to order a slice of meringue pie for take away, the waiter said no and that we had the cue in. We cued in for one hour and after that I decided to ask if the restaurant closes at 9.45 pm would we still be able to get in to get the dessert and the waiter said “this is not a pastry shop, we don’t only sell dessert, you have to order food as well”. The fact that he decided to say this After waiting an hour at the cue is unacceptable.

Setting aside the amazing food the restaurant serves, the waiters treats customers terribly, we weren’t able to see the hospitality of Portuguese people here. There are restaurants out there that is as good as here. Don’t insist on eating here if there is a crazy cue out there, it is not worth waiting for more than an hour.

As for the atmosphere, it is quite small, why I have given 3 points is you see the cue of people waiting and chatting loudly outside right next to you. You don’t feel comfy eating when loads of people are staring at you...

Seeing the rave reviews, we wanted to try this place out. What we thought was going to be an hour wait turned into two. There were many empty tables inside but they were for reservation. At least during our wait, no one came and eventually someone in line was seated.

It feels like all of Porto, there are no online reservation system. So you literally just have to stand in line which feels like a horrible waste of time especially since we are so close to the waters. It would be nice to put a number down and get a call back so we can explore nearby areas. Or at least walk back to check every 15 or 30 minutes. It seems like it's an issue in all of Porto though and not this restaurant specifically.

The food was good. But I don't know if it's because we had waited for 2 hours and we're basically ready to eat anything. We ordered the octopus and it was mixed with onion and vinegar. I liked the flavor of it.

The clams were very fresh and not salty like what we had in other places in Spain and Portugal.

The seafood porridge was the star. Nicely flavored and an abundant of seafood. I liked it a lot.

The seabass was also delicious. I wish there was more salt on the fish though. It tasted really bland. The flambee show was nice however.

The desserts were really really really REALLY sweet. I don't like overly sweet dessert so I did not finish everything. We got the rice pudding and the apple meringue.

I did like the port wine though.

Would I come here again? Absolutely not. The wait was absolutely excruciating. Many people who waited in line dropped out after an hour. The space is super small and can only seat 16 ppl, and honestly we had local food that made us much happier without the 2 hour wait. Not worth the hype at all. But if you have nothing to do and want to stand for 2 hours, then this is the...

TLDR; Not worth the almost 2.5 hours we waited. They take reservations, so I wouldn’t go unless I had one. Just good, not eager to go back.

My husband and I were actually trying to go to another restaurant, but it was closed for Easter week. We got here around 6:30 PM on a Tuesday and were maybe the 7th or 8th (or 9th?) group in line. There’s a sign on the door saying being in line doesn’t guarantee a seat. You see, this restaurant has a 16 person max capacity with two chefs and one standard range. I think the wait is because of the size and the number of cooks. We got seated just before 9 PM and 3 groups behind us (2-person, 1-person, and 3-person parties) were the last to be seated off walk-ins. They seem to have the most reservations from 8-9 PM. Last seating is at 9:45 pm, but they told all the people in line to leave around 9:35. No ifs, ands, or buts. The manager came out a few times and told people the rules. If you’re a party bigger than two, good luck.

Many reviews mention the octopus rice and the lamb ribs, so my husband and I got that along with the salt-crusted sea bass and codfish croquette starters. We both loved the lamb the most - tender, plentiful, and flavorful. The sea bass was great as well, but watching the preparation/presentation was more enjoyable than eating the fish. The fish was well cooked though. The octopus rice was a bit salty, but I will have to say the octopus was the most tender I’ve ever had. The croquettes were nothing memorable. We shared the apple meringue pie at the end, it was great. Big portions.

So again, good food and I would go if friends wanted to go and had a reservation. Otherwise, I wouldn’t wait more than 20 min maybe and am not...