Bacalhoeiro — Restaurant in Vila Nova de Gaia

I had dinner at Bacalhoeiro Gaia with a friend who was celebrating her birthday. The food was truly excellent — flavorful cod dishes, well presented, and served at the right pace. The atmosphere is warm and inviting, making it a great setting for a special occasion.

However, one issue significantly impacted the overall experience: upon arrival, I asked a waiter if the restaurant did anything special for birthdays, and he said yes. This created a clear expectation. At the end of the meal, another staff member told us that there was actually no such gesture available that evening.

This lack of internal communication caused unnecessary disappointment. Setting an expectation and then failing to deliver reflects a lack of attention to detail and poor coordination within the team. For a restaurant that aims to offer a high-quality experience, this kind of inconsistency is unacceptable.

Despite the outstanding food, this service lapse diminished what should have been a memorable evening. In short: excellent cuisine, but the lack of professionalism in customer service took away from the...

I had a sudden urge of dining by the river and eating octopus and came across Bacalhoeiro. Being located in such a touristy place I wasn’t sure it would be good but I trusted the reviews here. And I’m glad I did! We didn’t have a reservation and waited for about 5 minutes for a table outside (it was a Monday and we arrived at 9pm, but I would advise you to book in advance on a weekend). We ordered seabass and octopus and they were both amazing! The cheese platter was also very good. I asked for some changes on my dish and they happily catered to them. The manager/head of the waiters brought the plates to our table and said he wasn’t happy with the size of the tentacle I got so brought out some more right after I was done with the first. All the waiters were extremely nice and personal. The only thing that wasn’t great was the washroom, which at that point was dirty (though I’m pretty sure they would have done something about it right away had I told them). Regardless, I will definitely be coming back and recommend you do visit if you’re around and want some...

We've been here the day before and really enjoyed the food, so we decided to return today. When we ordered the food, I asked about another dish in the menu, but I ordered the one I initially wanted. A few minutes have past and I asked another waiter for our drinks. He went to check and told us to re-order as his colleague didn't place the order before. I need to say that I am brazilian and the waiter was also brazilian, so there was no language issues. When the food arrived, the wrong dish was presented. I've mentioned it to the waiter, and he left the dish on the table getting cold, whilst he checked what we've ordered with his colleague. Of course, the other waiter "didn't remember " the order, and I got stuck with a dish I didn't want. To make matters worse, soon the waiter came to clear the table and didn't wait for us to ask the bill, but rather question us if we want the bill. Needless to say that we've paid quickly to never return or recommend the place. Really shame, as we did enjoy the first visit, but the bad service ruined the...