Adega São Nicolau

We came here early on a weekday and were therefore fortunate to get seated immediately. We started off with a mixed salad and a vegetable soup, then ordered an octopus rice with fillets and a veal in pan... and both mains were very, very good!

The mixed salad was a little small and while flavourful, I'd be eating and suddenly find myself with a mouthful of salt flakes - the salt wasn't evenly dispersed and there was a ton of it! The vegetable soup was a squash or pumpkin-based soup, and it was light but comforting.

I really liked the octopus rice - each grain was separate, flavourful (had some wok hei flavour), and resembled fried rice in its chewiness. The fillets I liked less; they were tender but limp and super deep-fried. The veal tasted meaty, rich, and buttery, and was served with thick-cut fries. I would have preferred another side dish - maybe bread - because the dish became very heavy and hard to eat alone. Still delicious, but I couldn't eat large quantities at once.

The portion sizes were super generous and we ended up having lots for leftovers!!

Amazing food, authentic Portuguese menu. Be prepared to wait, call during the week to get a reservation, not during dinner hours.
One of my favorite restaurants in Porto!
A must visit if you're in Porto!

One of my favorite meals in Portugal! We got there 15 minutes early and there was already a line - definitely get here early if you definitely want to go.

The seafood was so fresh! We got the cod and the garlic shrimp. The garlic shrimp tasted so fresh and the garlic flavor was delicious. It came with some fried potatoes which tasted so good with the shrimp. My favorite out of the entire meal were the croquettes though - I had croquettes almost everyday in Portugal but this place had the best ones! They were so crunchy and the meat inside was delicious.

I loved that this place was more hidden - definitely not as touristy. We sat outside but the inside was cool because it looked like a boat!

One of the best meals we had in Portugal. I don't remember the name of any of the dishes, but they were all good. I do remember we especially enjoyed the sardine toast. A reservation is definitely suggested. We showed up without one and waited about 30 minutes, but it got even busier quickly. They don't tell you how long the wait will be. They will only say how many people are in front of you which is fair. They were attentive when called and explained dishes when requested. When I return, I will definitely come back.

The octopus rice is so good, I would come back just for that! Also, the stew with tripe was rich with flavor. The atmosphere feels like you're on a deck of a ship. The cod croquettes were okay... But I guess you should try for yourself. I would skip them if I come back.

I was looking for garlic shrimp and wanted a nice sit-down meal after walking all over Porto. We trekked our way to this small, quaint restaurant located in an alleyway. The inside of the restaurant was gorgeous but they did not allow us to sit inside; only outside. There were 5 of us in a group and only had 2 outside tables left - 1) seated for two 2) seated for 3 and next to the kitchen vent. At first, the server placed us at a table that could only fit 3 people. He had my husband squeeze himself between the end table and the wall of the restaurant. He barely could move. The fact that the server offered that was just bizarre! We were open to splitting up since the tables were fairly close but knew it would be inconvenient as we planned to share dishes.

We didn't care that we had the smallest tables; what we cared about was that the table that my 75-year-old mother was sitting at was blowing hot air (coming from their kitchen) on her legs. We let the server know how uncomfortable it was - it was already a hot day and to have hot air blowing on direct skin, was not pleasant. The server said there was nothing they could do (even though the inside of the restaurant was completely vacant). There was a massive table that was already taken by 2 women. Their table could fit at least 6-8 people. The fact that they took the massive table was beyond my comprehension but then again, it was first come first serve. They kept their eyes on us; I assume it's because they knew we came in as a family and noticed we were trying to get ourselves situated. They finally spoke up and offered to switch tables (which I thought was kind of them) but the server insisted that they stay put. Mind you, they spoke in Portuguese and while we don't fully understand their language, we sensed that the server may not have said not-so-nice things about us. I get that if they were locals, the server may favor them over us tourists - a bit biased in my opinion especially when the two women offered to give up their massive table. I couldn't help but feel that he may have also been a bit racist as we happened to be the only Asians dining at the time.

We didn't complain; we made it work. We stayed to eat because we were so tired and hungry. My mother dealt with the heat on her legs and made sure to move it around every now and then so as not to burn her skin. Yes, we offered to trade seats but she also did not want to continue playing musical chairs.

The food was not exceptional; it was ok. The paella had a cockroach in it.

Based on the service alone, I would not recommend this place. and for that, they deserve one star (no stars if that's even possible). We were so PUT OFF by their lack of accommodation. The waiters just didn't give a damn. As I think back on this experience, I regret that we didn't LEAVE - that is our bad but a lesson learned moving forward.

Too cold!!

Food was fantastic, but we were relegated to outdoor seating without a reservation and this place did not have enough heaters to keep us warm outside. Hard to appreciate the food when it was so cold! Otherwise very homey and hearty seafood spot

Stumbled across this gem escaping the many tourists on the river. Superb! we sat on a small table outside in a lovely little street. Tried the bachalau fritters/croquettes and they were fantastic. Food, wine was amazing and the waiter was very good and friendly, even though they were so busy.
Great place!

I still think about the food here! We stumbled upon this restaurant after a long first day in Porto and were pleasantly surprised! Every dish we ordered was chef's kiss. We ordered the cod cakes as an appetizer and two main courses - butter shrimp and a seafood soup. Porto is known for seafood, and the food definitely reflected that. We were surprised by the portions and were huge. We had a good chunk of leftover soup. The wine was great as well and recommended to pair with the food. The restaurant is pretty small, with some outdoor seating.

Terrible service!!! I mean truly terrible. Upon sitting down at the table, the waiter asked what we wanted to eat for dinner. Um, I need to look over the menu. So from that moment on, I felt as though he didn't care. And I was right. I asked what vegetarian options there were...none, just a side salad. We ordered drinks and my husband's beer took over 20 minutes to get. We ordered side of potatoes with our dinner, and never received. I asked for water and the waiter just stood still. Then about 10 minutes later he gave me a bottle of water. It took over 10 minutes from the time we wanted to pay until the time we had to flag them down to pay! People were waiting! So...TERRIBLE SERVICE!

The food...as mentioned I only ordered a salad. My husband got the lamb ribs. He said they didn't have any flavor and very little meat. But the potato chips were good.

I would say, don't waste your time at this restaurant. There are so many others to choose from. Not sure what the hype is. Skip it!