Como — Restaurant in Sintra

We were seated at a table right next to the restroom and the server came over after about 10 minutes asking for our drink order. We then asked for a drink menu which they provided which hadn’t yet been, and we asked if they had wines by the glass which weren’t on the menu. There were four different bottles in an area where the wines were kept and she offered us one, not giving us any options other than red or white. When we put in our food order, they tried to upsell us on items we didn’t order by bringing them to the table which we had to decline. When the food came, it wasn’t our original server but another. My wife’s steak was so well done that she could barely cut it with the knife but no one came over to check on us until about 20-25 minutes after our food was delivered. The other tables had been checked on multiple times and well tended to, however ours appeared as an afterthought. When the server finally came back it was a third person who appeared to not be a server, who didn’t speak English like the other two in our section, and asked using their hands if we wanted the food boxed up to which we replied no, as it was inedible, and they still boxed it up and charged us for the to go container. It appeared to us as that they didn’t care about us and don’t know if it was because we were American, or younger than the rest of the clientele. One of the worst restaurant experiences we’ve had in over 10...

We came for our last night in Sintra based on reviews, and the food was fairly good. We ordered the duck (wonderful) & shrimp risotto (slightly over salted but still enjoyable). We came fairly early, so it was quiet and we had no issue getting a table. It’s a nice place, but nothing fancier than you typically find at this price point. We did find the service to be somewhat lacking. We had had a long day, eaten lots of fish & were a bit wine-d out for the evening. Just looking for a nice bite to eat before we retired for the night. Despite apologetically explaining this to our server when we ordered only mains, we felt pressured on upsells at every interaction with her, and then she was very clearly annoyed with us when we turned down extras that we weren’t looking for (from water to starters, wine at each course, dessert etc). Food presentation was beautiful. Price point a little higher based on other similar restaurants we ate at in the area but still reasonable. Based on our billing out experience however, we would not go back. At the end of our mediocre experience we were asked to tip, in a country that doesn’t really tip (except on exceptional service), and then hovered over and watched as we used the machine to complete the tip and pay our bill. My husband and I both worked as servers for nearly a decade until last year, and this felt incredibly...

Unfortunately, our experience here was really disappointing. We went for lunch based on a recommendation, but it fell far short of expectations. There were only a couple of other tables when we arrived, yet it still took over an hour for our food to arrive.

My husband asked about the size of one of the appetizers, as I couldn’t eat it for dietary reasons but he wanted to try it. The waiter told us it was small and even showed us with his hands. In reality, it was more than double what we were told—easily enough for a full meal. It ended up being a total waste of food and money, especially since we had also ordered the cod for two.

Speaking of the cod, it was honestly the worst fish I’ve ever had. My portion was so overcooked it was inedible—I had to spit it out. My husband’s side was slightly better, likely because the cut was thicker, but even then, it was nothing special. The potatoes were bland and unseasoned—somehow even those were disappointing.

To make up for this experience, we ended up going back to another restaurant just down the block (which was excellent) twice during our stay.

I’ve heard this place is known for its meat, and while I can’t speak to that, I would strongly recommend avoiding the fish. Between the poor service, overcooked food, and high price, this was a...