Adega São Nicolau

Incredible dining experience. Portuguese local cuisine cooked to absolute perfection. We had the veal stew, the garlic prawns and the salted codfish and all were exceptional. The service was excellent and the atmosphere was lovely. Also highly recommend the chocolate mousse! We called to make a reservation which is recommended.

Wow. Best octopus I’ve had in my life - so tender and perfectly seasoned simply with olive oil, salt and some onion and pepper. Corner sliver view of the sea, some good wine and great authentic food and service. The veal dish was also amazing. A must visit!

My absolute favourite restaurant in Portugal! Every single dish we ordered was beyond delicious, from the appetisers to the dessert. My favourite dish was Prawns with Garlic Sauce, but even the Salted Codfish Croquettes we had as appetisers were delicious. The Orange Pie I had for dessert was nice but I would not reccomend it to people who don't like too-sweet cakes. The waiters were a bit stern but friendly in their own way. Just one thing, please Europe isn't USA, no need to put pressure on customers to add a tip to the final bill :( That said fantastic restaurant!

Great food, great atmosphere! The servers were a bit in a rush, but they were friendly and working efficiently. The price is also very reasonable. I recommend the oxtail stew and octopus salad!

Went yesterday for lunch. It was fantastic and lived up to its reputation. Great food. I had soup, sea bass and almond tart. Service was excellent. Very popular so I recommend booking a table or arriving early.

This is a very atmospheric little spot for a bite to eat. Reasonably priced and excellent quality food! The service ain’t great, it seems they kind of get off being a bit rude, as if it’s all part of the proposition.

Arriving late into Porto we were struggling to find somewhere that didn’t close at 10pm. Chanced upon this popular little place and after a short wait on the steps we were seated on a sweet outside table. Service was super (with the typical you can only get their attention when they want to give it but they were very busy!) Excellent English spoken. Food was delicious and great value. Definite recommendation for places to eat in Porto!

Highly recommend making reservations but there is a walk in list that moves relatively fast for the outdoor tables. Loved the tripe, octopus salad and the cod cake appetiser. Mains portion size is huge - be warned! Service was fast and very friendly

Fabulous tiny weeny spot right up off the harbor. we literally stumbled upon in the rain while looking for the restaurant right below them in the square, which was closed. We sat outside, bundled up late March, wine, whole fish, octopus. more wine. And dessert i think, lol. Recommended without a doubt, make a reservation, there are not many tables.

The Quick: Top 3 grilled octopus we've ever had! Great location right off the main beautiful (touristy) strip with local vibes and fantastic house wine (get 50cl or liter if you're feeling ambitious).. absolutely fantastic food 10/10 recommend

This place was right next to where we are staying. Our service was excellent-thanks Ivan! We were afraid to take any photos bc they just seemed too busy and annoyed at misbehaving patrons. We ordered the sea bass and Pulvo fillet with rice. The fillets were quite thin and the rice was very salty! The salt overpowered everything. Even parts of the seabass tasted like they dipped it in salt. The octopus salad was ok-very oily and a little tart. So overall service was good. Ivan was very friendly. But food was just not what we hoped for based on reviews. Thanks for seating us so quickly.

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!!

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!

The place is very popular and they had patrons lined up to get a table. You were placed on a waiting list and asked to have a seat on the stairs. I really enjoyed this part. Our wait was about 25-30 minutes. When we sat down at our table our waiter took our order. We ordered beer,white wine, bread with olive oil, cod croquettes, main meal grilled sea bass and the sardines. The taste of the food was okay but the waiter for got to put in my sea bass. So I didn't get it until my wife was done with her meal. The waiter was very apologetic and discounted the meal for the error. To sum up if you are easily angered this place is a no but if you are amused by active busy chaos and almost no attention from you waiters then it a yes.

Seriously disappointed. Seated facing open door into noisy kitchen. Refused to move us to quieter table next to us despite it sitting empty our entire dinner. Waiter was quite rude and grilled octopus was fatty. When I asked for check waiter told me to say please. Ugh

Place was packed. Rudest people in all of Portugal. Horrible experience. Food exactly like every other place

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.

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!

The view is spectacular - hard to climb the stairs so do not recommend for anyone with mobility issues or a stroller. The staff is amazing, funny and engages with customers. Very small and there is a wait but the view is amazing. 3 stars because my food was cold (but delicious) but everyone's was great. Bathroom is mini - extremely small so a bigger person might have a tough time. Worth the wait!

This place is absolutely amazing. The atmosphere, the service, the food... everything was flawless. My husband and I stopped by without a reservation, so we had to wait a little, but not long. We sat outside and had a perfect evening. We had alheiro for appetizer, I had the tripa and my husband had the chicken cooked in wine. The portions are huge. We had beer and green white wine. The food was perfectly prepared. The wine paired well. We had orange cake for dessert on the next day. It was delicious. Everyone there was super friendly. I would eat here again for sure if I was staying longer. I totally recommend this place if you are in Porto. If you want to sit inside, it's best to have a reservation.

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

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.

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.

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!

Food is absolutely amazing. Service is perfect. One of the best grilled octopus ever had. Of The trendy tourist trap Main Street. Very strongly recommend.

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!

A popular and small restaurant with amazing and kind staff. I tried the octopus salad to start with the Porto style tripe. The main was hearty with big portions -more like a stew.

Food - oh my god qtys is huge, order to share you will not be able finish it all. We got octopus rice, it was closer to paella without the socarrat, we enjoyed it, but a little too fishy for my palette. Beef steak in pan , but more than a pan it came in pot, I was expecting stir fried. Never the less the sauce was awesome, meet was cooked properly, gravy was very rich and filling. Used fried potatoes to soak up all the gravy. Beef bourguignon is the closest to describe this dish minus the red wine taste. Service - lines are long, go early or go late. They come across as rude, but they are not, they are just busy and trying to rush through it without having time for chit chat Ambiance - you can choose outside and inside. We chose outside, it's a cosy setting. You will be rubbing elbows with your neighbors

Fresh for the ox tail stew 5/5 Sea bass is 3/5 Customer service 4/5- point off for slow service at first

We made a reservation because we knew the restaurant was small but very appealing. Kind of an intimate place for a special dinner. We went back to back nights. First night, my wife ordered the garlic shrimps; I got the octopus rice + octopus filets. I can't say which was better. The next night we ordered the octopus salad, plenty for two and fried sausages, to start. The main course was seafood rice. Mostly prawns and some shells. It was fantastic. Service was attentive without being intrusive. The food was delicious.

Email to make a reservation beforehand. The view for the outside tables is spectacular. We had the shrimp and it was AMAZING.

We ordered the grilled sardines, ox tail stew, veal steak, fish and sausage croquettes and octopus rice. Everything was delicious and the servings were very generous. We did not have a reservation but we arrived for an early dinner at 5:30 and they were able to immediately offer us a table outside under the heater and the ambiance was lovely. The service was friendly, fast and we had a good time. There was a long line of people waiting by the time we finished our meal.

Super delicious seafood! We got the 2 person seafood rice (which does take a while to make, as they warn you) and it was to die for. The ambiance is great- it's a small Interior so consider walking by or calling to make a reservation in advance.

This is an excellent restaurant. Prime location in the Ribeira with romantic view of the water from the small outdoor terrace. The staff was very friendly and brought us four delicious cod croquettes on arrival. My wife and I are obsessed with garlic shrimp so we both ordered them and they came out in one single giant skillet. Best garlic shrimp we had while in Portugal. This is probably too large a quantity of food for two normal people. I can eat like a monster when motivated so was able to take down every last one of the shrimps once my wife tapped out for mercy. In a nutshell, consider splitting the garlic shrimp if not mega hungry. Finished dinner off with the orange cake. Not my favorite, but pretty good. It's a moist cake with orange rinds in it. On the Sweet side with notes of bitterness (like a marmalade). 1 liter of wine was about 11 euro or so. Overall, the value is good for the location and the food is excellent. Go eat here, but make reservations far in advance as the restaurant is small and fills up fast.

Great service and food was outstanding! We got there early so got lucky . They were requesting reservations after other 2 other customer . I would recommend this restaurant to all fellow yelpers looking for an authentic Portuguese food . It was recommended by our Airbnb host . We ordered the grilled octopus and the slow roasted veal. We loved both dishes . Our waiter recommended those dishes.

We loved this place so much. Everything was fantastic. The fun and friendly, sometimes saucy, service. The amazing tucked away location. The FOOD. I almost dont want to review it - it was so good and always a wait for a table. The place is pretty tiny. If the weather is warm try to sit outside for a view of the river. One thing we didn't know but learned after our first traditional meal. The food is meant for sharing and is served in huge portions. So if you are with 4 people perhaps only order two or three main dishes unless you all have a very very big appetite. We realized this after our first meal here but still over ordered everywhere because the food was so yummy we could not resist. You must try the octopus rice. It will change your life.

Food was excellent. Waited almost two hours for a table, though and others who arrived after me were seated first. I was dining alone and while my food arrived promptly follow up service was nonexistent.

The food and service are spectacular!! This is a fantastic joint, one of my favorites in Porto :)

First night in Porto and just wandered in a bit early. But that was lucky for us as it filled up later. We had a great meal and João the waiter was very knowledgeable about wine and his English was excellent. We had the alheira and the sardines, the veal steak, kidney bean rice, salmon steak, orange pie, quindim, and almond tart. The duas quintas wine was fantastic. Everything was great.

Great food and lively staff. Started with codfish croquettes which we had ordered but beware as these are placed in front of you even without an order and cost 1 euro each. Quite reasonable but no need for surprise costs. We also had the white asparagus and bread and garlic sausages. The asparagus was tasty - served cold and drizzled with a yummy olive oil. Even my son liked them. The sausage was good but the texture was unexpected - soft and tender almost like uncooked ground beef. For entrees, 2 adults and 2 children split the codfish, tripe, and pork chop. The codfish was tender and delicious. The tripe came in a clay pot with white beans, sausages, and tripe in a thick salty sauce which you could spoon over white rice. Really good. The pork chop was really good as well but slightly salty. Perfectly cooked bone in thick cut chop braised in red wine. My wife and I shared a 0.5L of their house red wine. Slightly sweet, medium fruit, medium bodied. Not a bad deal for 8 euros. Overall quite good but twice as expensive as any other place we sampled.

The food was good here, but we were treated pretty poorly and so I cannot give them a good review. My friend and I were on vacation, and we are two, fairly young looking Asian women. This unfortunately happens a lot, but I find that we generally receive poorer service either due to our age, gender or ethnicity. We were looking for a nice seafood restaurant for dinner and happened upon this place. They have a very small interior and exterior, and I would recommend making a reservation for the inside if you can! Otherwise you will likely be eating outdoors, and if you are, try very hard to get the tables with the heat lamps! We were freezing by the end of our meal otherwise. Our service was generally quite slow throughout the whole process. We ordered just as much, if not more than the tables next to us. We shared a codfish cake, each ordered an entree (the grilled octopus and grilled codfish - more on the food later), and ordered a bottle of wine. When we sat down, we requested a wine menu and did not receive it for several minutes. We were never given a bread basket like every other table automatically was. We were never revisited during our meal, despite seeing other tables receive that kind of attention. And every request we made took excruciatingly long to fulfill, something our server even joked about at the end (not a good joke by the way). We saw several other tables and customers (even those just wandering by) receive complimentary snacks and drinks, while we struggled to even get our glasses refilled. The food was fine. My friend said the codfish cake was hot and fresh. The grilled octopus and codfish each came in a large pan with roasted potatoes, onions and peppers, and plenty of olive oil. It was tasty, though the octopus was quite salty and the codfish was a little tough. Another thing, the entrees appear to be typically split between two people and we were not informed that that was the case. Had we known, we would have ordered just one entree and perhaps another appetizer instead. So in general, the seafood is pretty good and has a nice view of the river. If you are a typical, well-off looking customer, you will probably receive good service here. If you make a reservation ahead of time, you will likely receive good service. If you walk in and end up at one of the small tables crammed outside, you will be cold and ignored throughout your entire meal. Plan ahead and you may have a pleasant meal, otherwise don't bother.

Great meal here close to the river. They have very nice and intimate out door seating. Some might even call it romantic. They also have a few indoor seats in a modern cave like setting. Food is fabulous. Had the blood sausage appetizer which was delicious. Just cut up pieces of sausage sautéed in a pan. Main course was a tripe stew. It had a lot of beans and tasted a bit bland but glad that I tried it. Along with the meal we had the house red wine. It was also very good. For desert I just had a coffee. Gave us more time to enjoy the scenery and people watch. While we ate 2 different musicians played. They both came around and asked for tips.

The location is great - a tiny restaurant nestled in the narrow winding streets right off the Douro river. There is plenty of people watching from the outdoor seating; and there is usually a good musician nearby. The outdoor stools are small; and it is a tight fit at the table, but that is part of the charm. Service was friendly although a bit slow - we had to reach out a couple of times to remind them for menus and food and drinks. The food itself is good, simply prepared, and expected prices for the area. I would recommend this place to others.

Fantastic food and service, the grilled fish and potatoes are amazing! Our server Kiko was wonderful! Night ambiance of sitting at a sidewalk/small alleyway restaurant is an experience.

I came here with my friends because our Airbnb host recommended this place. Pleased to say that we left feeling VERY pleased and full! The veal was the most tender thing I have ever put into my mouth. I recommend getting it with rice instead of fries! They have a long wine list with beer options as well. The staff was friendly and helpful in recommending dishes and drinks. If you're ever in Porto looking for a nice dinner, this is THE place.

The server was friendly and gave me what I asked for. But later in the evening, despite my being there quite early, and the restaurant being nearly completely empty, service became really slow - the three people working there at the time seemed to have a lot to discuss together. I ordered a meat dish, and, in retrospect, I maybe should have been suspicious when I wasn't asked the temperature I wanted the meat cooked at (though at another place in Spain I wasn't asked either, but the meat was perfectly medium-rare). The meat was completely inedible and overcooked - the knife couldn't even barely cut into it. The rice was also horrid as it contained hard pieces and sections from the bottom of the pot that were really hard to chew (I mean, one can break a filling on these hardened rice). Really disappointed. I don't know if the regular chef was still taking his afternoon nap when I was there, but whoever was in the kitchen did a horrid job with the dishes I got.

Very busy and was told it would be a forty minute wait. Turns out we are seats in 15 minutes and it was so great! I keep thinking about how good the octopus was.

Ok so I came here to enjoy a dinner alone... The service was nice but what was not ok was the amount of salt used in the food!!! Omg I asked for a octopus rice.. n the waiter forgot to mention that it was fried octopus in batter( who does that) Extremely salty I could not eat it, so all I did was eat rice... make sure you ask questioned.. the food was not very good.. I travel a lot and I live in Lisbon and this was not GOOD! It's more of a tourist trap so don't do it !

Went for lunch as it came highly recommended by our hotels concierge and staff. It was ok but in our opinion over priced and over touted. Many other places on the city to choose from that would give u better value.

A quaint and cozy restaurant, perched in a nook that offers a convenient and pleasant escape from the tourist traps along the waterfront. Definitely try the chicken with red wine. The food isn't exciting, but it's satisfying and fresh. The experience is also coupled with a great view.

This was our last meal in Porto and we wanted to enjoy a romantic dinner close to the river. We had walked by Adega Sao Nicolau during one of our Porto walking tours, and came across it again as we were browsing restaurant menus. We were about to head somewhere else, when a couple from our afternoon walking tour who were already eating outside the restaurant saw us walking away and told us we should stay. We looked at what they were eating and sure enough it looked pretty good.. a skillet of sauteed shrimp swimming in a tomato garlic sauce. Mmmmm. They convinced us to stick around and I'm so glad we did! We grabbed a small table for two just outside the restaurant. The servers can all speak English. They placed a plate of 4 fried cod dumplings and said they were 1 euro each, along with a small basket of complimentary bread. I was skeptical about the bread being free especially after hearing about how Portuguese restaurants will automatically put bread/food on your table and charge you for it afterwards, but sure enough it was free! The dumplings looked good so we ate them all. We ended up ordering the sauteed shrimp in the tomato garlic sauce (accompanied by chips), fried sardines, along with a small pitcher of red wine (€2.50!!). We had seen the walking tour couple eating their shrimp with rice but after learning it actually came with chips, we asked if we could switch (the better to soak up your sauce with!). The server went beyond and gave us a side of rice on the house. Later we learned the sardines also came with a tomato-sauce rice, so we actually had more than enough. The shrimp was delicious and saucy, and although it took some work getting the meat out of the shell, it was worth it. The fried sardines were cooked exactly the way my mom used to cook them back when I was living at home. All in all this was one of my favorite meals during our trip to Portugal. The ambiance was romantic, the service was good and the food was wonderful. What more could you ask for?

Searching for a busy and cosy place in january we stopped by Nicolau. Its a cute restaurant in a small street. The service was very nice and the food was stunning. The portions where big and the prices very reasonable.

Delighted with this relish little destination! Wine recommendation was spot on! Sea bass & clams in broth were delectable! Service very good! Loved it!

There with a group of Five for dinner. Most of us had the grilled octopus so the combined the orders on a large platter. Best octopus I've ever had. Service was great and attentive. I'll definitely be back my next time in Porto.

When Grade A turned us down we stopped here and had a great meal in a quaint location. All staff were friendly, gave good service and the food was excellent. My wife had the grilled salmon and I had chicken cooked in red wine. Some of the tables even afford a good look at the river. Highly recommend. Ok, we came back the next night and had the grilled prawns. OMG, one of the best meals we have ever had in the world!! We made reservations to do it again tomorrow. Put this on your lis for sure.

Had the fried sardines, fried octopus fillets with rice and vino verde. All was pretty good with generous portions. Outside had a view of the harbor, but inside seems pretty cosy too.