Braga Portuguese Restaurant

I was debating between 3 and 4 stars for quite some time, but I am going with 4 stars because I plan on being a regular here. One big thing that you just can’t overlook about this place is the awesome ambiance. I simply love the layout and/or ambiance that makes dining in a joy. I love the small size of the location and even more the outside seating area with an overhang to protect from the elements, it’s very cozy and you still get all the best aspects of dining outside. I’ve dined in twice now and both times I sat in the outside seating area and surely had a pleasurable experience both times. I’ll warn the service is much closer to 3 stars, although the main waitress is pretty pleasant and does a good job there, I did find myself waiting a little long for small things like water, and a couple small issues with my preparation standards i.e. the circle of rice from my “Cabrito Assado” was sort of lopsided and falling apart when they served it to me (reference photos), and one of my orders of eggplant to- go came a little less well done than what it should have been and with too much oil, however I will note that I just went in last night and the chef corrected his mistake with the eggplant and it was cooked much better. Aside from that the food ingredients do seem to be quality and really most of it is quite good. I do recommend the lunch special with each dish coming in at $18 and 2 for 1 on beer and wine glasses which in my opinion is a nice kind of quaint deal, perfect for a lunch outing, and again, you will be getting your moneys worth. Additionally I do like that the owner is in much of the time to ensure that things are being run to his standards and what he likes, it also reinforces the idea that you don’t have to look very hard to find the higher up management because so often he is there. Of the five times I’ve been in I have seen him three times and that includes when I just drop in for a quick to go order, so good on him for caring enough about his restaurant to be there often. To concisely conclude my review; I gave 5 stars for ambiance, 3 stars service, and more like 4 stars for food, with the ingredients having 5 star potential (especially compared to price) however the prep in some cases does fall just a little short, but generally nothing to scoff at… I will also note that it does tend to be a notch better during the day in my experience when it seems the more permanent staff is in.