Mesa Moreira — Restaurant in York

The food was delicious! I ordered the combo meat with chicken and beef tips. The beef tips were flavorful, although a bit fatty. The fries, unfortunately, were a letdown. Despite that, I was enjoying my meal and looking forward to returning with my husband.

My experience took a turn for the worse when the bill arrived. There were two discrepancies:

• Extra charge for beef tips: The menu item didn't specify an additional charge for beef tips, and the waitress hadn't mentioned it. When I questioned it, they claimed the price range on the menu (24.99-32.99) indicated an extra charge for beef. This explanation was unclear and seemed like a way to justify the extra cost.

• Extra charge for substituted side: The waitress had offered to let me substitute the rice and fries for any other side at no extra charge. However, when the bill came, I was charged for the vegetable side I had chosen. The waitress even had an attitude when I brought it up, claiming the vegetable serving was larger.

To resolve the issue, I had to speak with the owner. Keep in mind, we were the only customers until the bill came. At that point the owner was standing and chatting at a nearby table, seemingly ignoring the situation. It took way too long for him to address the issue, even though he was aware of what was happening.

When he finally came over, he questioned the $7 charge and again pointed to the menu's price range. I explained that the range didn't specify the meat, and he argued that beef is more expensive than chicken. I responded that I don't work in the food industry. Only then did he agree to correct the bill.

The whole experience left a bad taste in my mouth, not just because of the billing errors but also due to the way the staff handled the situation. They made me feel like I was in the wrong, and their attempts to justify the charges felt like gaslighting. Additionally, the owner's delay in addressing the issue and his dismissive attitude were unacceptable.

Despite enjoying the food, I won't be returning. The attitude and the way they handled the billing errors have completely...

Arrived at Mesa Moreira shortly before two o’clock on Friday. Our first impression was positive with clean inviting atmosphere. Decided to sit at one of the high back tables overlooking the dining room. Although it was after the lunch crowd there were only three or four tables with customers remaining. Even so, it took approximately five minutes before a waitress brought a cutting board with fresh warm bread and wonderful olives. It was a nice touch so reflective of a typical Portuguese or Brazilian meal. Several minutes later the waitress returned and took our order. Since it was our first time we ordered only appetizers. That’s when the initial positive opinions changed. Here is the reason; each of which were relayed to the waitress. Fried Calamari: Lulas Fritas – Clearly not top-quality product lacking a soft inviting flavor. Although there was a large portion, the calamari were too tough to finish. Even the scungili were too tough to enjoy. Shrimp in Garlic Sauce: Camarão à Guillo – Decent but nothing extraordinary. Grilled Portuguese Sausage: Chouriço Assado – Primarily fat and gamey pork, could not eat more than a few pieces. Portuguese Croquetes: Rissóis de Camarão e Pastéis de Bacalhau – Two croquets with two potatoes. The croquets had minimal filling and hard exteriors. Clams in Garlic Sauce: Améijoas à Bolhão Pato – The clams were so tough it was difficult to eat. Decided to leave it alone. Overall, the meal was significantly overpriced while lacking any sense of what you would get at even a lower tier Portuguese restaurant. Clearly the ownership was not interested in our comments since the waitress told him about our comments, but he decided he had no interest in learning the truth while making no effort to talk with us. We made it clear to the waitress we were not interested in any discount but thought he might like to hear some feedback. He chose not to, so perhaps others should learn the truth directly from us. It takes more than diacritics to offer European quality food. And last, we...

We came on a Friday night in December and seemingly downtown York was asleep, it was so quiet. We were able to get seated immediately at 6:20. With that being said, probably get reservations. First, what a beautiful restaurant! It open and bright, a nice contrast to the other places we looked at. The mural in the back wall was beautiful and the place was decorated for the holidays. Patti was our server and she was great! They served bread and olives that were a pleasant opening to the meal. My daughter ordered an iced coffee with vanilla and she enjoyed it. Our dinners were the sliced steak sandwich, pork and shrimp on potatoes and meat on cubed potatoes. I had the meat on cubed potatoes. The portions are big. The meat and potatoes were in really good sauce. The sauce made this dish because the meat did not seem seasoned. The Chorizo also adds a pleasant addition of flavor. On a cold drizzly night this was perfectly simple and cozy! My wife said that the pork and shrimp was similar. The sliced steak sandwich was on a beautifully toasted roll and my daughter had to eat it with a fork and knife! If you have made it this far, stop eating and save room for dessert. I had the rice pudding and it was close to perfect. Instead of nutmeg they use vanilla. It’s dense and flavorful! My wife had chocolate mousse cake. It was the best thing we ate all night! My daughter had a Portuguese custard tart. She said that it was ok but she would order the mousse cake next time. Overall an excellent experience and I would...