Casa Portugal — Restaurant in Cambridge

Stopped into Casa Portugal today to introduce my girlfriend to some authentic Portuguese cuisine. It's been a few years since my last visit to Casa Portugal and I have to say it will be much longer before my next visit. Upon entering the small and very busy restaraunt, we were told that the large 12 person table and the 4 person table (allegedly reserved for a party of 5) were both reserved for other parties. Seeing this as reasonable we agreed to wait for a small table for what was anticipated to be around 10-15 minutes. After 25 minutes with no further inquiry from the server, who seemed annoyed that we didn't leave immediately after she had informed us of the wait and supposedly reserved tables, 2 men walked in off the street and asked me if we were waiting for a table. I politely told them we indeed had been waiting for 25 minutes and they said, okay so we're behind you. Seconds later the server came running over and invited them to sit at the open table which had been "reserved for a party of 5," which we had been standing next to (by the door). The server looked at us nervously and quickly mumbled something about these guys being ahead of us. The guys looked confused but thanked her and sat down. We then watched as four other tables were brought their checks and sat sipping water from a glass for another 20 minutes. The servers hung against the back wall and stared at us. At this point we felt obligated to ride this experience to the end.

Finally two people from the bar had gotten up and left and after a few more minutes of feeling invisible we decided to just sit there and see if we could at least enjoy some food. We sit in the two seats at the cramped corner of the bar. For over five minutes we watched the bartender do his best effort to avoid any reason to acknowledge us. He even picked up the restaraunt phone and pretend to talk into it.

We then turn around to see a few small groups had just wandered in off the street and the servers had readily split up the alleged seating for a group of 12 and set up three tables of 4 for three groups. Also the four tables that had been served their checks 30 minutes prior had all left and their tables were empty. The server then asked us if we wanted to move to a table that was right by the door and on top of the walkway where the servers slide by with food for the tables. (Picture nightmare table, worst spot in the house, constantly getting stepped on and bumped into.) Not seeing any chance in hell that the bartender was going to ever take care of us we agreed to move yet again to the worst table in the house. Mind you never once were we treated with respect or apologized to for being brushed aside and at this point we had been courteous and polite about the insanity of the situation for around an hour. The large table now converted to 3 small tables only had one person sitting at it now, yet the efficiency of their servers had seen fit to deliver every seat with a glass of water, a menu and bread. We sat for 7 more minutes at our table wondering if we would ever get to look at a menu when the waitress dropped them with us, no water no bread, and disappeared. We quickly lost whatever thread of desire to spend our money at an establishment that would treat it's guests so poorly and decided to take our business elsewhere. The waitress was stunned when we got up to leave and said it's okay I'll bring you water now, (After 85 minutes total at the restaurant we still did not have a glass of water, and had been pushed aside for other customers 4x)

Avoid at all costs. There are plenty of places in the area that have good food and excellent service compared to the quality of service for the prices which you...

Disengaged staffs who clearly showed no interest of working there. There is no staff conducting queue management, so you will see mismatched numbers of patrons with inappropriate table capacity. And since there is no queue management, you can easily offend someone in front of you in the queue. Also:

1. The bread is cold. it doens't take much time to use a toaster oven to heat it up
2. Whoever took my order on the night of visit was just utterly rude. She showed a sign of dismay when I asked her to repeat the beers/dishes that she offered. I am sorry that my Portuguese was not up to your standard, but you didn't need to give me an attitude when I politely asked you to repeat the suggestion slowly.
3. This restaurant clearly had an inaccurate menu price, and the Cambridge Weights and Measures needs to investigate this deceptive practice. As far as I know, there is a major difference between "seasonal price" and the stated price. I can accept and expect to pay more if you list your menu item as "seasonal price"; but if an item is listed as $28, I expect to pay $28 when I ordered, it's simple as that and it's a basic contract by law. You cannot ask your staff to tell me that there is a $5 practice adjustment AFTER she took my order and asked me if that was okay. Like what else am I supposed to do? Got up of my sit and say no it's not okay? I supposed that I could, legally, but is that how you want to conduct your business by baiting me with one price and then extorting me with a higher price just before you send the order? Funny thing is that you cannot even claim that you don't have time to update your menu, because you are using a digital menu, which is linked by a QR code provided on your table. I understand that the rate of inflation may have affected your inventory, but please update your menu price so that there is no unrealistic expectation. This restaurant deserves to receive a $$$$$ review due to its dynamic price adjustment.

The food can be decent at best; but if you don't have some decency in using a fair menu, please, just don't even bother to show the price.

(P.S. I don't know the name of the staff who served us, but if you are so inclined to know the date that I visited,...

I recently visited Casa Portugal, a restaurant that used to hold a special place in my heart. However, my recent experience left me disappointed, and I feel the need to share it with others. The changes I observed suggest that the restaurant is not maintaining the same standards as before.

First and foremost, I want to mention the smaller portion sizes. It’s unfortunate to see that the generous servings Casa Portugal used to provide have noticeably decreased recently. In the past, the restaurant was known for its value and filling meals, but now the portions seem more modest.

Furthermore, I noticed a decline in the quality and taste of the food. One dish in particular, the carne alentejana, which was once the highlight of their menu, didn’t live up to expectations. The flavors seemed less vibrant, and the meat wasn’t as tender and juicy as it used to be. It’s disheartening to witness such a decline in the dish that Casa Portugal was famous for.

To make matters worse, the prices have gone up significantly. While it’s understandable for prices to gradually increase, it’s difficult to justify higher costs when the portion sizes have diminished, and the quality has suffered. This is disappointing for someone like me who used to love this restaurant.

Prior to my visit, I had heard from several people about the changes at Casa Portugal. I was initially skeptical, hoping that the rumors were exaggerated. However, after experiencing it myself, I can now confirm that what others said is indeed true.

I sincerely hope that Casa Portugal takes these criticisms into consideration and reevaluates their current approach. As a loyal customer, I would love to see the restaurant regain its former glory by delivering high-quality food with generous portions and the delicious flavors that made it exceptional...