Fado Portuguese Cuisine — Restaurant in Saint Petersburg

We were very disappointed at this restaurant. My partner and I LOVE trying new foods and so we went for Valentine’s Day (yes 2 months later, I found the receipt and realized I forgot to write a review lol). For the shorter story, the Sumol beverage (passion fruit flavored) and flaming sausage (Chourico A Bombeiro) appetizer tasted fantastic and that’s absolutely it from the whole meal we purchased.

For the longer story: First things first, it took over an hour to get our entrees that we ordered in the first 15 minutes of sitting down because we already knew what we wanted. It was not a busy night mind you, we were expecting a line out the door because it was the weekend before Valentine’s Day and we assumed others would be like us and go early, but that wasn’t the case. We got drinks, as I stated the passion fruit Sumol was delicious. We also got our flaming sausage appetizer which was also delicious. It really made us excited for our entrees…only to be let down.

My partner and I both got the steak on a stone (Bife Na Pedra) for our entree and bland doesn’t even begin to describe it. 1) they bring your the steak on a hot stone but do not give any form of indication for how long it should cook for (unlike places like the Melting pot where if you cook your own food…they tell you the roughly estimated time based on your cooked preference). 2) it was very bland, they give you 3 sauces but rely on those t sauce for flavor and they truly didn’t help much, they made better dipping sauces than anything and the lack of even salt and pepper really showed. 3) The mashed potatoes that came out of it were literally from a bag (I said they tasted like the Idahoan boxed mashed potatoes and the manager guy said “they’re actually from a bag” which means theyre probably Idahoan mashed potatoes from a large distribution center) not in-house made mashed potatoes which I was terribly disappointed in considering the meal is $35. 4) Additionally we were served 3 small carrots and a piece of broccoli in which my broccoli tasted like water (no flavor), the carrots were undercooked on my plate, and my partner’s broccoli was also undercooked. I’d rather go to Texas Roadhouse and get a delicious, larger portioned meal (also cheaper) than eat this entree again to be honest.

We also got extra bread, which costs extra however the server did not tell us it cost extra. We don’t mind paying for extra bread, however it’s serving101 to let the customers know when anything is an additional charge, I mean even my HS job at IHOP made us do that…it’s ihop. So the fact that the server didn’t say anything was what bothered us. Additionally, the servers service wasn’t great. He barely checked on us, we actually had to call him over after waiting over 10 minutes when we realized the mashed potatoes were boxed and the veggies were gross, we ended up getting fries and white rice as substitute. The fries were frozen to cook (no surprise) and very bland. Meanwhile the rice was crunchy.

To finish we got the cappuccino and the Portuguese coffee, both were good so we were happy with that. Thought I will say, for the Portuguese coffee I tasted more alcohol than coffee (much stronger than an espresso martini if you’d like a comparison). I don’t know what they taste like naturally so I can’t say if it was overly strong, but while some may like that flavor, I definitely was looking for a more relaxing flavor rather than that punch it gave. But again that could also be on me as I don’t know what the actual Portuguese coffee taste like. We also got a free dessert due to the fact that both entrees were gross, which was much appreciated. It was the Doce Da Avo and it was actually very good as well.

Between the dessert and the flaming sausage, that’s why I’m giving a 2 star. Between the service, the entire entree for both of us, and the fact that the manager tried to give me (and not my male partner) the ole “I hope one bad meal won’t deter you from coming back” wink for my empathy as a woman is why I won’t be giving it anything higher. We likely...

If you would like the slightest hint of service I'd recommend avoiding this restaurant. We had a reservation for two at 730pm last night (a Saturday night). A total of six people without reservations were seated before us. After waiting for 15/20 minutes we decided and asked to sit at the bar instead of a table. At the bar it took quite a while to even order drinks. For a Portuguese restaurant to only have Heineken and Corona for beer options is laughable. We also observed that at 8:15pm, aside from one table and a couple seated next to us at the bar, both of which had one appetizer served, no other tables had food on them. I don't know how this is possible. A few tables of people seated before us didn't even have drinks or water yet. A man from a table of 10 had to come to the bar to order drinks as the service was so lacking. Eventually we got our glass of wine, Corona and placemats, but at this point had we even been asked if we'd like to order, we would have literally had to wait for the entire restaurant who was there before us to have their meals served first. For a restaurant that closes at 10pm how was this going to happen? We decided to do them a favor and close our tab at 830pm to go home to cook dinner. There was also another fed up table of two elderly couples that left at the same time as well. It is unfathomable to me how other reviews rave about the service here. Did you write your reviews from a paradox or were you just lucky? I'd love to know what day of the week and time you went. This is the second time in two tries that this has happened at this restaurant. Last year was the same thing, but we waited it out. It took over 3 hours to have a meal here and they used french fries for the potatoes in their bacalhau a bras which is absolutely ridiculous. The only reason I came back this time was because my sister in MA gifted me a gift certificate for Christmas as we are a Portugese family. I have no clue how this restaurant stays in business with service like this. I wish I had a review for the food this time, but we didn't even get close to getting that far. If anyone would like to buy the gift certificate, I'll sell it with a 10% discount as I won't be giving this restaurant a third chance. This place is an insult to legit Portuguese...

I was visiting St. Petersburg area for a trip and randomly pick this restaurant. Everything I had in this restaurant exceeded my expectations and I am highly recommending it. I will def come back again next time when I visit St. Petersburg. First thing first, The food is gorgeous. We ordered the sausage on fire, squid and octopus on pan for appetizers, then pork cutlet and steak on stone for entrees, Portuguese tarts for dessert. Sausage on fire exceeds my expectations as it has a unique smoky flavor and it is salty but not too salty. I strongly recommend . Squid and octopus on pan is an excellent combination of tomato plus garlicky flavor. It reminds me of some flavor of traditional Cantonese dishes. I wish I can eat that sauce with some rice/bread! The pork cutlet is the best pork I have had in US. I am very picky in pork in terms of the level of tenderness, freshness. This pork cutlet is fresh and slightly seasoned . Again, it keeps the original flavor of the meat and not being too flavorful and too salty . The steak on stone is good as well. I can control how well it cooked by myself. Lastly , Portuguese egg tart is the last highlight of the dinner. It is crispy outside and soft inside with the right level of sweetness for the custard part. I really like how well the chef control the level of flavor and seasoning for all the meat, seafood and desserts. The atmosphere of the restaurant is great as well. It is def a plus to my overall visit experience. It is clean and bright but not too bright. They also have good selection of music (not too loud or too quiet) The service is also excellent. They took care of my needs very well but not being too “involving” in your meal. I love how they introduce the food and the Portuguese culture behind the food. Again , highly recommend...