A Vela Branca — Restaurant in Setúbal

First time at Vela Branca. The setting is beautiful and I really enjoyed sipping some champagne on the patio basking in the stunning sea views.

The terrace is spacious and big enough to have enough room between the tables respecting the current health recommendations.

The service was spot on and the staff is knowledgeable and speak several languages.

The food was well presented and looked very appetising however, we hoped that it was as tasty as it looked. The prawns were blend and nto deveined which makes them less appetising. In a restaurant, you would expect them to be cleaned before cooking. They were surely frozen as well which is a shame considering this restaurant is facing the sea...

The mussels were delicious, well cookd and seasoned beautifully.

The trilogy of tuna was a dissaster, the tuna tartare consisted of chunks of tuna poorly chopped that made it unpleasant to eat. Some bits had fairly big pieces of skin still attached, not nice. The tataki piece was extremely salty. Not sure the chef needed to add lots of salt on top of the soy sauce which come already salted. The grilled piece was dry and didn't look great on the plate. Again, I suspect this was frozen as it didn't taste fresh.

Prices were good though and the wine list honours Portuguese wines. We had a lovely local white wine that we paid 10eur.

I would visit again and give them the benefice...

We had the pleasure of dining at Vela Branca, a restaurant warmly recommended by several locals from Setúbal, including hotel staff and residents of the area. The experience exceeded our expectations. The food was exceptional, rooted in traditional Portuguese cuisine but with a refined, modern twist. We tried codfish, beef, and sardines, all perfectly prepared. The cod, in particular, was unforgettable; I can still taste it.

The wine list is outstanding, possibly the most extensive in the region, and includes a solid selection of local wines. That said, there is a noticeable emphasis on Spanish wines which, in our opinion, doesn't fully reflect the richness of Spain's best wineries.

The location, views, and overall atmosphere contribute to a truly unique experience. We went with two young children who were, admittedly, not at their best that day. The staff was incredibly kind and patient, something we deeply appreciated (and for which we apologized).

The restaurant has its own parking and direct beach access, which made the day even more enjoyable, especially considering how difficult parking in the area can be. However, this key feature wasn’t clearly mentioned on their website or in any promotional material. We only found out thanks to a very helpful gentleman working at the public parking area nearby. His advice was far more useful than any online source.

Regarding price, we’ve seen some reviews mentioning it as a downside. In our case, we had appetizers, mains, wine, and dessert, and we did not find it expensive at all given the quality of the food, the service, the setting, and the overall experience. It’s clearly not for every budget, and there are cheaper options in the city, but if you're looking for a truly special experience, this one is worth every euro. If your priority is saving money, there’s always McDonald’s.

🇪🇸 Reseña en español Comimos en Vela Branca, un restaurante que nos recomendaron varias personas de Setúbal, incluyendo el personal del hotel y paisanos de la zona. La experiencia fue excelente. La cocina es cuidada, tradicional, pero con un toque moderno muy acertado. En nuestro caso probamos bacalao, carne y sardinas, todo delicioso. El bacalao, en particular, fue espectacular: aún lo saboreo.

La carta de vinos es excelente, diría que la más completa de la zona, con buenas opciones de vinos regionales. Eso sí, encontramos que la selección de vinos españoles tenía bastante peso, aunque no representaba lo mejor que puede ofrecer España en ese ámbito.

Las vistas, el entorno y la atención hacen que sea una experiencia única. Fuimos con niños pequeños que no tuvieron su mejor día y el personal fue muy amable y paciente, algo que valoramos enormemente (y por lo que pedimos disculpas).

El restaurante tiene parking y acceso directo a la playa, lo cual fue clave para disfrutar aún más del día, sobre todo considerando lo difícil que es aparcar en esa zona. Este detalle no estaba claro ni en su web ni en la publicidad, y nadie supo indicárnoslo hasta que un señor muy amable encargado del parking público nos explicó todo. Su ayuda fue más útil que cualquier página o recomendación.

Sobre el precio, hemos visto que algunas opiniones lo mencionan como un punto negativo. En nuestro caso, pedimos entremeses, platos principales, vino y postre, y no nos pareció caro en absoluto teniendo en cuenta la calidad de la comida, el servicio, la ubicación y la experiencia general. Obviamente no es para todos los bolsillos y hay opciones más económicas en la ciudad, pero si buscas algo especial, sin duda merece la pena. Si tu prioridad es ahorrar, siempre queda...

A nice place but not a real portuguese experience. Setubal is known for the quality of its sea products, from fish to seafood. When we arrived Vela Branca, restaurant and terrace with a stunning view over the Sado River, we had in mind to eat fish. The quality and freshness of the products is disappointing and makes no difference for any Lisbon supermarket in terms of variety. The menu had a few references of grilled fish and was all about mainstream risottos and pasta. Choco frito was a mess: extremely dry and crunchy (hard we could say) and came with a sweet and sour sauce (why?) and the mayonnaise was not very fresh. We have also lacked the warmthness and kindness of the portuguese service. It is a place with an extreme potential for tourism if its owners want to make it genuine and remarkable. Basically we can classifiy it as a place for gobal tourists that don't mind what is portuguese gastronomy genuinity. As we can expect in a portuguese restaurant the wines were extremely expensive for their quality (this should be a restaurant not a price speculation stock exchange place).

PS: You can see in the photo the careless service: one fried potato mixed with...