Janette experience — Restaurant in Vila Nova de Gaia

We were here last year in July, when Janette was brand new and we were served by a very friendly gentleman with a passion for his project. Combined with the great food this made for a great experience, and when asked to review on Instagram, my partner gladly did.

We liked this place so much, that we decided to come back. But this year, it was very disappointing. It was just sad to see a place deteriorate this much in just one year. The toilets were a DIY project as there was no handle on the inside of the men's stall so you could lock yourself up in an instant, and there was no key to lock the women's stall. On top of that, it seemed like the staff was not even aware of this, even though they were cleaning?

The food was great, very flavourful and fairly priced, and that's why this is not a one star review. But overall, it was anything but a great experience.

I asked for a crepe with an ingredient added and didn't get it even though we were practically the only ones there, and we didn't get cutlery so had to ask for it after our meals were already on the table. Not even ten seconds after finishing our meal, our plate was taken away. We then got asked (by a friendly waitress) if we wanted coffee because she wanted to clean the coffee machine and we said no. A few minutes later we were asked the same question by a colleague though... When telling this (not so friendly) waitress we were not having coffee but wanted to check out the desserts, she said okay, but never came back to ask us. Instead, she was very busy closing up, taking away our placemats and even turning off lights... This was at 22:00 by the way, so be aware of that!

We did not feel welcome and hope this review puts some things in perspective for the owner(s), because the great food deserves to be accompanied by the Janette experience as it...

On the first time we visited the palce I can say we were not exactly impressed by the service and the delay in delivery the food. However, the athmosphere of the place was so good and the food tasted so lovely that we went back a second time to try it out again and it was defo a better experience. The staff are lovely and sweet but it can take a while until you get your order, even if it is just a bottle of water and the place is not busy, so be patient. Despite that, I have to say it worth waiting because the food is delicious, the scramble eggs are SO good and to have your meal while enjoying the beach vibes and nice chilled music is a lovely experience. So, I defo recommend the place and I cannot wait to visit them for the third time. Ps.: you better make a reseevation prior to visiting the place to ensure you will...

Nice setting. Waitress was friendly. Was served a burger but it was only cooked on the outside, raw inside. Not particularly warm. I ate some of it but then started to worry it was very raw. When I asked if it was intended to be rare, they said no and took it off. I assumed I would be given a fresh burger, but instead they returned it having popped it back on the grill. But with a few bits that had broken off still raw inside. Disappointing. I asked for a discount when I left and was offered 10% because I had eaten most of the burger. Which given the circumstances was a bit of an insult. I argued the manager down to 20% but he seemed more interested in setting up for an event. Spoilt the end of our holiday....