Restaurante Casa Dias — Restaurant in Vila Nova de Gaia

Nice little restaurant but I think the reviews are a little generous on this place. It is definitely family owned and one of the most authentic restaurants we ate at during our Europe trip. Our server did not speak English but was able to take our order successfully. We ordered the Rojões de Porco à Portuguesa (traditional Portuguese pork dish) (€12.50), Bife c/ Ovo (beef steak with egg) (€15), and croquettes (€6/4 pieces). I can see from previous photos that these prices are significantly more than it used to be - probably by 50%. It's still not expensive, but it's on par with some restaurants in more core areas with better views and environment. With drinks, we paid around €40 which is not cheap at all.

The croquettes were definitely my favourite. The pork was enjoyable, as a traditional dish I don't have much to say. It's a stewed pork with rice and fries, where the rice and fries take up about 70% of the plate. The steak was not my favourite - it's made with a very sour mustard sauce, which was pretty overwhelming and had a strong garlic taste. The cut of meat is also not great. For the price, €15, I'd prefer the pork dish. I did enjoy the sliced potatoes that came with it, which made a decent pairing with the sour sauce.

We came right at opening so we easily got a table. Very quickly it filled up with tourists. They have a patio area but it was raining so the inside was packed. I would recommend this place for a traditional dinner but it didn't quite...

Restaurante Casa Dia is a true gem hidden in plain site.  Located on the fringe of the tourist area it is a cozy family run authentic Portuguese restaurant.

After a long day of travel to Gaia, we were fortunate to find this local gem right around the corner from our hotel.  We immediately felt welcomed.  Thankfully, they were open late.  We did not feel rushed at all and took our time enjoying our meal.

There is outdoor and indoor seating available.  During peak meal times the restaurant filled up quickly.  The food was flavorful, the ambiance was perfect, the service was attentive and exceptional, and the portions were very generous.  Prices were very reasonable for the location.

We loved seeing the crayon drawings of the owner's grandchildren hanging on the walls.

We had such a great experience on our first visit that we returned again for dinner another night.

Items we ordered and highly recommend:

Pão (bread) Sopa de Legumes (vegetable soup) Douada Grelhada (grilled Seabream) Bolo de Bolacha E Carameli (carmel biscuit cake) Cafe (coffee) Bacalhau á Braga (fried cod with onion sauce) Wishing you many more years of continued success! And hope to dine with you again...

We did a walking tour in Porto on our last day. It finished up just across the river. We asked our guide for a recommendation for a typical Portuguese place, she sent us to Casa Dias. We really enjoyed our meal here. The lady that served us was really friendly and spoke great English. As it was our last meal we endulged ourselves and ordered 3 meals for 2 people. We had the Salmon, Hake and Pork Chops with garlic. The portion size was great and all tasted lovely. We also got a bottle of Vino Verde, a dessert and 2 Ginja liquors. The bill was so reasonable at €60 for all that food. It was a lovely last meal in Porto, I would have no hesitation...