Sabores do Douro Gaia — Restaurant in Vila Nova de Gaia

TL;DR - Lots of options in the area so don't be fooled by the high reviews. You'll be paying more (5+ euro more per person) for less (small quantity, average quality), with no particular view or atmosphere. Decline the bread, butter, olives, and cod cakes unless you want to pay for them.

The restaurant is simple and off the busy street. The prices are unjustifiably higher than others in the area, and while the presentation of the dishes were good, the taste was lackluster and only about average. The octopus was tender but would have expected a heartier portion for being one of the more expensive options; the octopus is literally one tentacle. I am also displeased that we were charged for bread, butter, and olives that were forced onto us, which we did not even touch. This was not significant but bugs me that they weren't upfront; I would have declined immediately if I knew, or at least eaten some. The server also brought us a side of cod cakes but we were charged 1.5 euros each, instead of the 1 euro in the menu (we did eat these so we were fine with paying, if not for the price discrepancy). We may have been profiled as easy targets since we came from wine tastings, holding some of our purchases, so I assume this does not happen to everyone else.

We also saw the shrimp/prawns from another reviewer (a month old) and ordered as it looked like a good portion for an appetizer. To our dismay, they seemed to have reduced the portion down to only one large prawn, making it much smaller and difficult to share. It was still fair, albeit a bit boring. Overall, I was disappointed and personally don't recommend as there are better restaurants in the area that do not employ such...

Are you visiting Portugal? To find this place you must really want to come here. I had no idea I wanted to come here. I wanted to pick a restaurant that was located in a neighborhood away from the tourist. I am a tourist avoiding tourist restaurant selections. We entered the restaurant and the only tourists we saw were ourselves. We visit on a Sunday. They had a menu of the day. I chose their beef roast served with potatoes and rice. My eyes said oh happy day! The first bite confirmed it. We enjoyed what we consider one of the best meals in Portugal here. The locals who frequent this place are a fortunate bunch to have such a wonderful restaurant...

This place is a true hidden gem! We found this place solely by chance (we were just walking around and it was really late) and it was such a delightful culinary experience. The staff were so attentive and the food was simply beyond amazing! They also have a wide range of drink choices, I would recommend if you’re a wine drinker! Would be ideal for people who want to experience reasonably priced but still really...