Tasquinha da Linda — Restaurant in Viana do Castelo

We were so excited to go to this restaurant and have our a bit more fancy date there on Saturday night, booked it a week in advance. We ordered a seafood casserole, which looked great when they brought it. It was smelling quite strong, but we just thought it was a mix of different seafood and fish that was giving a funny smell. Later we discovered that one of the the fish pieces in the dish was bad. First I ate a little piece and was disgusted. Then I separated the fish with a fork and an incredible strong icky odor came out. We called a waiter, he didn’t even ask anything, it seemed like they serve fish that’s gone bad relatively often. Then the manager came and gave us a thousand of apologies… but that doesn’t change the fact that they served us food that gave us food poisoning, but later about it. For starters, we had some croquetas and pimentos de padrón. They brought us the bill pretending to make the biggest gesture and removing those items from the bill. That literally was around 10 euros😂 Next day I woke up with stomach pain and was throwing up (sorry for details) all Sunday long. My husband had a stomach pain and was nauseous too for the next two days. I ate very very little of that fish, but I assume the bacteria from it got on the other food too. I’m not sure more comments needed. How come the chef didn’t distinguish the fish that was bad while cooking is a mystery for us. This is the fist time it happens to us, even in very cheap restaurants we never had such a bad experience with quality of products. Nevertheless, I hope this review can save someone abdominal cramps, vomiting and diarrhea. Double check the fish they serve you...

If you have the opportunity to visit Viana do Castelo don't leave without going to Tasquinha da Linda. By far the best place I've eaten in all of Portugal. Make sure you call ahead and book a table. The place is a bit small but Michelin recognizes it as does most people that have visited northern Portugal. They serve only fish and seafood there, very fresh fish and seafood might I add. Unfortunately I only took a picture of my finished plate and one of her wall with the name of it on. I had the, John Dory (Peixe Gallo) fresh catch of the day and there was plenty to choose from. It comes with roasted potatoes and green beans. The price seemed fair, a whole fish, lots of potatoes and a large amount of green beans, fish soup, again I had to try it and it didn't fail, a bottle of white wine, dessert, and coffee under €50. The dessert was a bit too sweet, I won't go into it because I rarely ever have dessert so it wouldn't be fair to comment on it, my wife didn't mind it and she's not a dessert person as well. Sorry, I'm rambling on about this place but it's worth going. As we were leaving we booked to go again before we leave for Canada. We went for lunch and now we're going for dinner. Hope this...

Would not recommend ANYONE to come here. The place has a nice cozy design, but the food, waiting time and service are among one of the worst ones I experienced on the coast (and the prices go through the roof). I don’t think I ever had to pour myself a glass of water and wine in a michelin restaurant because the waiters were too busy avoiding eye contact. We had to wait for 85 minutes for our food. When asked about this the waiter just mumbled something in response and just switched to her other colleague that served us for the rest of our time there, which is just an unfunny joke when you are obliged to pay for service extra (it’s in the bill). The food when it eventually came was okay, but very mediocre and unremarkable. The rice was overcooked and we’re pretty sure the crab had gone bad days before it has been served to us. Definitely not even close to the michelin-titled restaurant they pride themselves to be. We paid around 50€ per person for bad service, mediocre food and 85 minutes of waiting time. A place to forget and to do it fast. Please do yourself a favor and come to any of the neighboring restaurants/towns...