Zé da Serra — Restaurant in Vila Nova de Gaia

It was our last night in Porto and we really wanted to try the pork tripe stew before leaving for Lisbon. We found this restaurant close to our Airbnb and decided to give it a try. I was able to make a same day reservation using their website.

The exterior is very non-descript and we would have never found it had it not been for Google maps. The interior was very cozy and intimate with only locals. The menu was handwritten so we knew this place was legitimate!

We asked about the pork tripe stew since it wasn't on the menu and they said it was not available. However the server discussed with the kitchen and said they had enough for 1 pot, which was really nice of them! We ordered the pork tripe stew, a grilled pork blood/meat/sausage plate, and half portion fried fish. It was more than enough for 4 adults.

The stew was one of the best things I had while in Portugal, very tasty and I can see how it would be like comfort food. The other dishes were good as well, but the stew was the star of dinner.

Service was fantastic and friendly. Like I mentioned, they went out of their way to make us the tripe stew. Highly...

So lovely, I am so glad we followed the reviews to go find this place, a welcome alternative to the more touristy places are super fine dining places Porto sports. Amazing price-quality ratio, the restaurant was super generous. We just followed our waiter’s advice on wine and were very happy with that. Very sweet, he translated the entire menu for us. Pork and calf liver were both very tasty. Surprise discovery was the French toast in port dessert we got a courtesy taster of - would have not ordered it on our own initiative but would get it every time now that we’ve discovered it. What a lovely find (though unsuitable for...

It’s quaint. It’s homey. And the food is incredibly fresh. I had a white fish similar to cod lightly breaded with French fries and a glass of white wine. Tomorrow we go explore Porto and hopefully the rain holds off. This place seems like a real local place where mostly people from the area come in. I almost walked by it because the exterior is very unassuming and plain. The inside reminded me of a 1970s diner. Simple, clean, great food and really kind service. It’s worth trip across the river. You don’t have to speak Portuguese because it seems everyone speaks English. It really is a...