The Square Henley — Restaurant in South Oxfordshire

We drove two hours to try this Portuguese restaurant as a friend told us about it. Unfortunately we weren't very lucky as we were disappointed with the majority of the food but even more with the service and staff attitude. We were a big group and order a lot of starters, mains, desserts and drinks. You would think that the fact that you book a table for a big group would be an indication that the restaurant should appreciate the customers visiting, but we had the exact opposite idea from the staff serving. At one point the lady was rolling her eyes at my husband just because we asked her not to take a starter plate that still had some food in it. Or when we had to keep going to look for the staff in order to ask for more things, because no one was coming to see if we needed anything, for long periods of time. Food took a long time to arrive, from the starters to the mains. Asking for an update on the food was received with an impatient almost rude answer and a sight. That's a good way to lose a client.

About the food: Bread, butter and Portuguese fresh cheese are very good. The Chouriço Assado is a must, but needed to cook for a little longer. The flame wasn't enough and we asked for it to be re-kindled but gave up after around 15 minutes waiting, so we just ate it as it was. Very good chouriço, I imagine that if the flame didn't put out so soon the chouriço would be perfect.

The Biqueiroes were tasty, although I would like to have them more fried. But they were good and I recommend them. The Amêijoas were very tasty too. A thumbs up for the cheese rissoles and the pastéis de bacalhau. Asking for more starters apparently wasn't one thing they felt happy with, as the comments weren't that great from the staff.

The Corvina from the "catch of the day" menu was my biggest disappointment. Small, not fresh and tasteless. Tasteless was also how one of my guests described the Bacalhau Assado and another the Frango Assado. They choose the chicken with hot piri piri, except that it was all but hot.

The grilled tiger prawns were overdone and dry. And so was the sardines.

The Carne de Porco à Portuguesa seems to be the best recommendation from this meal, as it was tasty and well cooked. The skewers weren't bad as well but lacked some seasoning.

Desserts were another hit and miss. The pastel de nata weren't that good and seemed frozen instead of freshly made. The chocolate mousse didn't wowed us either. Now the Bolo de Bolacha was the king of the meal, very tasty and full of flavour.

We felt very disappointed with the restaurant staff and overall, the food. It took them 4 and half hours in total from the moment we ordered the first starters until we finished our desserts. As a family of 8 adults they could've gained some returning customers, as we enjoy going to places that actually value our custom. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem...

f you're a seafood lover, look no further than this Portugese restaurant. Despite a bit of a wait for the starters and mains, the food turned out to be well worth it.

For starters, we opted for the Grilled Sardines, a classic dish that proved to be a delightful introduction to the meal. The sardines were perfectly grilled, with a hint of smokiness that complemented their natural flavors. Served with a light drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkling of herbs, each bite was a burst of coastal goodness.

For the main course, we ordered the Grilled Fish Fillets & Monkfish medallions. The dish consisted of three generous portions of fish, expertly grilled to perfection. The fish was incredibly flavorful and moist, a testament to the chef's skill in preparing seafood dishes. The portion size was quite generous, ensuring that we left the restaurant feeling fully satisfied. The Monkfish Medallions were exceptional, tender and succulent, perfectly complemented by the juicy and flavorful King Prawns. The dish was artfully presented, and the combination of textures and flavors was simply exquisite.

The restaurant had an excellent selection of Portuguese wines, and the Port wine was a perfect way to cap off a great dinner.

While the food itself was exceptional, I must mention that the service could have been a bit more efficient. The wait time for both the starters (almost 30minutes) and mains was longer than expected. Have to admit that the restaurant was fully occupied. However, once the dishes arrived, the quality and taste made up for the delay.

In conclusion, this Portuguese seafood restaurant offers a true taste of coastal Portugal. From the grilled sardines to the flavorful fish fillets, every dish showcased the restaurant's dedication to serving authentic and delicious seafood. Despite the wait for the courses, the overall experience was delightful, and the addition of Port wine as a grand finale made it all the more memorable. If you're a seafood enthusiast willing to trade a bit of waiting time for a mouthwatering culinary adventure, this restaurant is well worth a visit. As it is s popular place ensure you have...

Although the restaurant wasn’t very busy it took 15 minutes to get a menu, then another 10 to order drinks and I tried to order starters and some bread, olives and cheese but was told to calm down and wait. We waited another 10 minutes and then ordered. The bread came quickly but no olives and no cheese. By then we’d given up on ordering actual starters as everything was taking so long and decided to order just the mains. We ate the bread, ordered more, ate the second basket too and still no sight of olives or cheese. When they eventually arrived we had long finished all the bread and pates and no longer wanted the olives or cheese as there was nothing to eat them with and we didn’t want a third basket of bread. Our waiter was not happy and moaned about it but I said we had been there for an hour already. The waiter replied that HE had been there since morning and stomped off. The mains arrived quickly enough and were all tasty except for the mixed fish grill which was dry and over cooked. Half way through the waiter returned and tried to be nicer and do his job better so we decided to let it slide thinking that maybe he’d just had a bad day. It took ages to get our plates cleared and in fact we had to call another waiter as we couldn’t see ours at all. When he finally came we ordered coffees and the bill. We would have had dessert but everything was taking so long and the kids were getting tired. When I’d called to make the reservation I had mentioned it was my husband’s birthday and asked if it would be possible to have a candle in the end to sing happy birthday and was told that yes of course, however on the night nothing happened. When the waiter brought the bill he was nice and pleasant enough and even gave the kids some extra biscuits. Thus far i had no intention of writing a review but then I saw it - they charged us for the olives!! There wasn’t an olive in sight on that table and after all that they charged us. A true disappointment. We paid the bill (including the olives) and left a tip as it’s in our nature, but it’s a place never to return...