Portugalles — Restaurant in Wales

Unfortunately I cannot give any more than 3 stars... We had complimentary bread with little tubs of sardine & tuna. The dish I chose from the menu was a mixed fish grill, described as a selection of FRESH fish. (There was a disclaimer on the menu that it may take upto 30 minutes for this choice.)

While we were waiting, there was little attention from the waiting staff. The plate arrived with tuna, salmon and a prawn & calamari skewer accompanied by "roasted potatoes".

The tuna was very obviously bought in frozen. It was grey, overcooked and so so dry... Inedible! The salmon was OK. The prawns again were OK but the calamari was overcooked and felt like I was chewing on a tyre. The vegetables on the plate would have been lovely if there was less oil poured onto the plate.

The chef came over several times while we were eating, more than I would ordinarily expect to be honest.

They say you should give new places a try, it had a good rating score and a food hygiene rating so I did, but I don't think I'll be in their returning footfall....

This has to be the best kept secret in Merthyr because Portugalles is an absolute gem. The restaurant is cosy and intimate creating a warm atmosphere. The food was outstanding - I had the beef espetada and the seasoning was perfect. Delicious fresh food which is lovingly made by a passionate chef who checks personally to see if customers are enjoying. They have a choice of continental beers on tap which are excellent and my fellow diners enjoyed the crisp, chilled white wine. After dinner there are a wide variety of deserts to choose from and I went with a Portuguese pastry Pastel de Nata which is a tart filled with custard that caramelises while baking. Complimentary liqueur was served at the end of the meal and this was a nice touch. Last thing to mention is the owner Fernando who is a real character; friendly and passionate about his restaurant and his customers. Would highly recommend a visit as you will not be...

There weren't many options in Merthyr Tydfil on a Thursday night, and we came based on high rating on Google. It seemed busy when we got there at 6.30pm, 2 large groups were served drinks and waiting for food. We ordered the mixed grill skewer "espetada" as it was the recommendation and a bacalhau à brás. After getting our drinks, we were served some complimentary olives and it would another hour before our dinner arrived. The staff were apologetic and recommended the grilled chouriço as we waited for the main course. The chef was very friendly snd served the starter himself and it was a great distraction from the long wait. The skewer finally arrived after an eternity. The meat despite well seasoned was bone dry and too hard to chew so we couldn't finish it. The bacalhau was a bit better. Food was quite a let down, we expected a lot more from the...