Caravela Restaurant

Easy location to get to. We drive down from Somerville to shop at the Portuguese markets and buy items that just aren’t available up here. So while we’re down here we always dine at a Portuguese restaurant, and Caravela is now my favorite. The staff is awesome, we were seated right away (party of 5) we were immediately greeted by our server, she was awesome, knowledgeable, and so friendly. the food is excellent we had a variety of dishes and the were all delicious, and very plentiful, nobody in our party were able to finish the entire dish. The restaurant is very clean and welcoming, the staff works so well as a team, and all of our dishes were delivered at the same time. The prices were very reasonable, this tells me they are about serving great food and building a great customer base. If you are in the Fall River, I highly recommend Caravela Family Restaurant.

What a wonderful place!! Our waitress was the best I wish I remembered her name to many$ sangria lol. She was great in her 50s if I had to guess, she was the best. Was there today at 2. The food was so delicious and you must try the Peach 🍑 sangria. We had watermelon and peach. The surf and turf was yummy and large portions. We had a football game in Fall River and was referred to this restaurant. If your in F.R you must stop by..

Never a miss. Very simple and straight forward menu. Get the steak plate with extra sauce and garlic on the side. Don’t forget the sangria! They don’t have an automated waitlist system so you’ll have to walk in and put your name on the list and wait to be called. The seating is a little tight so you might wind up sharing a table with another group.

Outstanding Portuguese food coupled with excellent service. I've only sampled take-out and catered food from this restaurant, but every time, it's been delicious. The addition of fresh baked Portuguese rolls with your order is a big plus. The inside of the restaurant is quite busy, but the food appears to come out quickly. Plenty of Portuguese and English speaking hosts and servers who are all very friendly and efficient. Highly recommended for their catered food trays. They make an event easy and affordable to fees a multitude. Special attention to the exceptional Flan for dessert.

Weird for a restaurant to close at 8pm. Saw people come in at 7:45pm and still seated. Good sign when you have people waiting outside standing up. Waited 30 minutes to be seated with the wait. Worth waiting to try Portuguese food. The food came out quick and the staff was pleasant. Tried the Chourico appetizer, Steak plate and pork loin. Enjoyed a glass of Red Sangria. I’m a fry fan! Fries are fresh cut and were crisp!

My favorite Portuguese steak sandwich. The small is big enough for a meal and leftovers. I like the sandwich with garlic and a side of sauce. Their French fries are fresh and delicious.

Authentic Portuguese restaurant! Everything was amazingly delicious. The service was awesome, our server was incredibly pleasant and efficiently. She made us feel so welcome. Highly recommended!

Been eating at Caravela's for many years. Portuguese steak sandwich with two eggs, pepper and garlic for lunch. If you get the large, step it up and get three eggs. Portuguese steak plate with fries and rice for dinner. Steak is thin and cooked one way. Don't expect a Porter House or T-bone. Not the place for that.

A trip to Fall River isn't complete without a visit to Caravela's. It's by far my favorite Portuguese restaurant in the city and there are many to choose from. The service is always spectacular. Today's visit was no different. Our waitress was kind, prompt, and delightful. We had a party of 5 and the restaurant was full. You would've never known she was so busy because she checked in on us regularly to make sure all of our needs were taken care of. Now let's get down to the food. The table had steak plates, fish and chips, and chicharros. Everything was AMAZING, my steak was perfectly cooked and tender. The sauce was amazing and had a nice spice to it. My husband's fish was wonderful and he said it tasted like we were back in Portugal. This place is a must visit. You won't be disappointed!

Caravela is one of THE best Portuguese food in the area. Every time we visit our family in Fall River, it is a MUST to come here for dinner. I usually just get the steak plate, but this time I got the surf and turf, which was the steak plate, but with shrimp Mozambique added. Most plates also come with 2 eggs, rice, fries, and peppers. My mouth literally waters thinking about their food. You also get Portuguese bread served while you wait, which is super fresh and delicious. Its perfect for dipping in the steak sauce also! They have several drink options, including mixed drinks. If you enjoy espresso martinis, theirs is definitely worth a try. Its the perfect ending to an amazing meal. The service is always great. Its a great local, family-oriented spot, that never disappoints.

First time here with Portuguese friends who are regulars here. I am open to new places if friends rave about it. Not too far from our place. I did not read the Yelp! reviews before going there, but now I know why people love this place. There were lots of people waiting outside at 6 PM on a nice summer Friday evening. Conclusions first - yes, definitely a unique place and the food is very good. Lots of garlic in everything! Does it deserve a 5 star? Hmm maybe. I think it is definitely a 4 star for the big portions, prompt and attentive service and definitely the value. You know the place is authentic when the half of the menu is in Portuguese. The main courses were priced from $15 to $25 for the most expensive items! I thought it was misprint or the old menu from the pre-COVID. Great value. Shrimp Mozambique that I tried was very uniquely flavored with lots of garlic and oil with what my friend calls "Portuguese allspice" which is their unique blend of secret sauce. Pour it over rice and fries, and dip the Portuguese bread - don't let it go to waste. The steak, aka "Bife" and I thought was way overcooked. It was like the thin steak you get with steak and egg breakfast. But, it comes with a gravy boat full of that secret sauce. Personally, I would not order it because I like my steak thicker and medium rare. I will be back again when I am in the mood for some authentic Portuguese food.

If you're in the mood for Portuguese food this is a must try. The portions are huge, and the price is great. The servers are always on point too! I've found the steak can be overcooked/dry in the past. But they do serve them with a gravy boat full of flavorful juices! But I personally love/order the chourico plate! It comes with a heaping portion of French fries. For about 11$.

Walked in and was seated right away. The place is nice and spacious with a bar. I ordered the steak plate and Portuguese soup. Soup arrived quick and complementary bread was served. The steak that arrived was thin and fully cooked and served with a garlic wine sauce. The fries reminded me of In-N-Out fries, which was pretty good. I'll be back to try other things.

Weird for a restaurant to close at 8pm. Saw people come in at 7:45pm and still seated. Good sign when you have people waiting outside standing up. Waited 30 minutes to be seated with the wait. Worth waiting to try Portuguese food. The food came out quick and the staff was pleasant. Tried the Chourico appetizer, Steak plate and pork loin. Enjoyed a glass of Red Sangria. I'm a fry fan! Fries are fresh cut and were crisp!

Easy location to get to. We drive down from Somerville to shop at the Portuguese markets and buy items that just aren't available up here. So while we're down here we always dine at a Portuguese restaurant, and Caravela is now my favorite. The staff is awesome, we were seated right away (party of 5) we were immediately greeted by our server, she was awesome, knowledgeable, and so friendly. the food is excellent we had a variety of dishes and the were all delicious, and very plentiful, nobody in our party were able to finish the entire dish. The restaurant is very clean and welcoming, the staff works so well as a team, and all of our dishes were delivered at the same time. The prices were very reasonable, this tells me they are about serving great food and building a great customer base. If you are in the Fall River, I highly recommend Caravela Family Restaurant.

So my mother and I decided to have lunch together and there was literally no line and the restaurant wasn't bumping as usual from last when I remember prior to the pandemic. We were immediately hosted which I thought was a little too quick but we were placed in the back of the restaurant in the dark corner. The server brought silverware but never asked anything else or acknowledged us. We were seated at 12:20 and we left at 12:50 due to being ignored and also hurt seeing other tables seated and taken care of when we were there before anyone else after us. So we told the hostess we are leaving and no sympathy was given. May or may not come back due to this experience

Excellent steak sandwiches that you can add roast garlic too with an extra side of sauce

Food was good , staff efficient and excellent service. Would return again. Clean environment .

I need to thank you so much for what you did for us this weekend! After our initial order with a different vendor fell through, due to their negligence, Caravela was able to come through BIG and on such short notice! I can not begin to tell you how much this meant to us! Obrigada!!!

So this afternoon my daughter, her father (mixed), & I (Asian) went to have lunch & never having been here before so we were excited. Unfortunately I was upset as soon as we walked in. We got looks up and down like we didn't belong here (by servers and patrons), the 3 servers just looked at us and looked away. We waited to be seated just to stand there for 5 minutes as they continued to walk past us while looking at us. Then finally, we were seated and as I watched as other people came in (all Portuguese, of course) and was seated IMMEDIATELY. People after us were also served before us as my 4 year old child was saying that she was hungry. I'm completely annoyed at how we were treated! This is NOT okay. We were so excited just to be disappointed.

Stopped here for a late lunch with a party of 11 after a soccer game. First time visiting and It was bustling on a rainy Sunday afternoon. Despite it being busy and having a large party we were seated within 30 mins! Every encounter with the staff was friendly and professional. The chourico was flavorful and had a nice crisp outside. The steak seasoning was great! The rice and fries were cooked to perfection and soaked up the juice from the plate. Definitely going back so I can try the caravela dessert!

Food was served hot, plentiful, and delicious for a fair price. We had our grandkids for lunch and both enjoyed their meal with little leftovers.

Amazing Portuguese food. It is so much better than anywhere I have been and that includes restaurants in Portugal. The service was quick professional and friendly. Tight squeeze due to quality of food. Love the place. Can't wait to return

Great food, service and prices! This is no longer a secret so be prepared to wait as it's usually very busy.

It has been vouched to me that I must have Portuguese in the heart of Massachusetts' southern cities, Fall River and New Bedford. I must have it, but I would not say I must have it here. For one, the place overall seems overpriced. There is very reasonably priced Portuguese here in NJ (Ironbound) that will serve you more food, same level of freshness, possibly even more authentic, for less money. For another, service feels a little too European - you get what you want but with periods of inactivity between, and you have to grab your waiter's attention for anything like a refill or next order. I tried to get the half chicken plate and they're out of yellow rice. Out of your most authentic side? How is this fair? The potatoes and salad were just eh. The chicken was fine but in the end, I can't condone a Portuguese place that routinely (as they informed me) runs out of their signature rice early in the evening. You haven't learned to make more? Anyway, I've learned this is not the place for me. Onward to better!

Amazing food and service and portions are over the top,place is always busy but the wait goes fast,they have a great system in place would definitely recommend this place owners are great people

Was in Fall River for a soccer match and decided to get some delicious Portuguese food. Came on a Sunday afternoon and there was a line about five minutes before they opened. Service was very prompt and friendly. Enjoyed the shrimp Mozambique as an appetizer. I got the steak plate, which is huge and a great value. The real star, however, was the Chouriço plate which was excellent. The inside of the restaurant was very clean and the tables were well spaced but the chairs and decor was a little worn. Exactly what I expect for a very busy family run restaurant and did not detract from meal.

It's been a couple of years since I had last been to Caravelas. Arrived today for an early dinner and were seated immediately. I don't think a minute passed before our extremely pleasant waitress came over to see if we'd like a drink. We ordered drinks and also ordered chourico and little necks for appetizers. Drinks came fast and shortly there after a massive plate of chourico and a good sized serving of little necks with a basket of amazing rolls (papo secos) was delivered to our table. Everything was delicious. I ordered surf & turf and my wife ordered pork meat with little necks. Dinner meals arrived and they were hot and huge. The food was excellent but after the appetizers, we didn't have a chance at finishing and we both left with heavily loaded to go boxes. Dining room was clean, everything appeared neat and freshly painted, temperature was comfortable. Between the two of us we had 5 beverages. Including a 23% tip, out the door at $100 with enough carry out food for another meal. Everything was good and the service was excellent. Our waitress could not have done a better job, she was fantastic. Overall excellent experience and I would recommend Caravellas to friends and would return again without hesitation.....

Love the steak and chicken plates from here. Order all the time for the holidays. Great service and friendly staff.

If you're looking for good, consistent Portuguese food this is your place! I only make it here every few years, but that's going to have to change since the Portuguese restaurants in my town are very inconsistent and not nearly as good. Everything I've had at Caravela's has always been good, the portions are huge, and the staff is always on top of things. Absolutely one of the better Portuguese restaurants around!

Every time I have been to Caravela the food is superb. The portions are on point and cooked well. The only negative to the restaurant is the lack of parking. It is in a busy street in the city.

Did take out from here today for lunch. Hadn't been here in several years and the food was still really good! The decor has been updated inside since my last visit, portions are huge and the prices are still very reasonable! Hubby and I both had Chicken Plates. Served with 2 fried eggs, rice, fries, peppers & Portuguese rolls. I requested olives with ours. Tasted great, loaded with yummy fresh garlic and we both have leftovers for lunch tomorrow! Win win!

After my little adventure at Battleship Cove, I wanted to try something different, and noticed there's a lot of Portuguese restaurants in the area. The family restaurant looks very nice on the inside and the staff was helpful. I'm also glad purchasing a pitcher of soda was an option because we were very thirsty. As much as I wanted to order the chicken plate, I really wanted to try something authentic. After inquiring, she recommended the Chorisco, which was basically a plate loaded with fries and Portuguese sausages. I guess I'm just used to eating something similar at home, but with rice. Besides the large portion of the dishes, I wasn't impressed at all. I will save the Caravela dessert was the best thing here though! After eating here, I will definitely be on the hunt to get a better understanding of Portuguese dishes.

We went to Caravela for Mother's Day. They don't take reservations, so we arrived at 12:15 and was told an hour wait. We were seated at 12:50, and service was extremely good considering the place was jammed. Everyone enjoyed their meal, and a very fair portion. Our waitress and her helpers were very polite and on point. I myself had the Pork Loin and it was very juicy, and had a great taste. I absolutely recommend the Pork Loin. Caravela is casual, and they have many tables.

I've been coming to Caravela's since i was a kid. I always order the steak plate or the steak sandwich and haven't gone wrong yet. It is my go-to Portuguese restaurant in the area.

Love this place! Food is delicious no matter what you order. Waitress was so nice Maria. Sorry I didn't take a photo but I hade a small steak sandwich which the size of the sandwich is very large. A must visit for lunch or dinner. Love

I would love to eat here every day My favorite is shrimp Mozambique.. Service is good

Good is amazing. Portions are massive. Service is quick and food always come out piping hot. Great place for lunch or dinner

Great Portuguese food!! Worth the drive!! Very authentic and tasty. A must visit. Enjoy

Our families favorite place to meet. Everything is delicious. Customer service second to none.

Food is always delicious and service is quick! Love supporting local family owned businesses!

The best Portuguese food. Hold on... let me rephrase this to deliver more emphasis with that statement.... THE BEST PORTUGUESE FOOD EVER . No disputing this one. The Portuguese steak is phenomenal... the desserts Pudim da avo or the caravela is unbelievably delicious. If you love that thin Portuguese steak this is the place for you. Don't forget to get the frango sauce!!! A must for a Buffalo/hot sauce lover to add to your steak. Great work everyone at caravela never stop being this good! I'd have photos to share but I ate it all... woops

I went here for the first time on a Saturday afternoon. There were 4 of us. It was busy but we got seated right away. I ordered the surf & turf. It was delicious!! Service was quick and courteous! Can't wait to go back!

When it comes to visiting my hometown of Fall River for vacation. I always love to take a culinary tour of some of my favorite restaurants. When it comes to Portuguese cuisine Caravela's is definitely a top stop on my Tour De Riv. Caravela's offers some of the best in menu variety in taste selection freshness & made from scratch dishes. My personal favorite will have to be the portguese steak with fries. I was very satisfied with how my dish came out. Hot fresh lovely presentation greatest gravy with peppers & garlic to pour over steak or dip with bread. The fries came out wonderfully salted with the right amount of crisp & balance in juiciness. I was also impressed with the service as my server was on their A game keeping my drinks filled my bread basket filled & overall friendliness. I will be recommending or taking friends out to Caravela's. Be sure to like their Facebook page and tell a friend. fb://page/115738901782285

Aptly named - definitely families; sometimes many generations. We did our first visit on a Friday night - bad timing. 45 minute wait. Parking on the street. Staff is very friendly and quick. Limited but adequate menu (they do what they do well). We started with cups of Portuguese soups - quite good. Then entrees of their "Portuguese steak" and "Surf and Turf" ($2 more). Both were huge, flattened, spicy steaks served with a mountain of fries, rice, and 2 fried eggs. The "turf" add-on was 5 or so shrimp. We ordered a bottle of wine - all are Portuguese and cheap ($10- $20+). We were stuffed so no dessert. Most folks were walking out with doggie bags. Damages with tip was les than $70. If you want to experience, traditional Portuguese family fare - this is the place. Food 4/5 Service 5/5 Value 5/5 Cleanliness 5/5 Noise 3/5 ("lively" but tables are spaced well) Decor 3/5

Great Food and Service, Steak Sandwich Steak Plate Portuguese SoupGrilled ChickenChourico

We have never had a bad experience eating here until today. We used to frequent there quite often enjoying the steak plate or the chicken plate. Today since we were in the city we decided to grab two plates of pork and littlenecks to go. (Carne Porco à Alentejana) I have never been so disappointed with them. The pork was beyond dry, no flavor except for the bunch of sour vegetables from the Giardiniera they dumped in...yuk. That Giardiniera does not belong in that dish. It totally ruined it. We both threw our plates out. If you plan on going there stick with the steak or chicken.

Awesome accidental find! We were attending a funeral across the street and yelp directed us to this neighborhood gem. They have a small menu, but everything from the Portuguese soup, to the chourico, to the fish and chips was delicious. The food is both plentiful and inexpensive. The servers were all friendly and attentive.

I'm so glad we tried this place. We wanted to try authentic Portuguese food and this place was it. Delicious meal all around. Clam dish is to die for and the Portuguese bread to go with it. Make sure you are hungry!

Decent size portions, friendly staff and a great overall spot for authentic Portuguese food! Oh, can't forget the delicious deserts too.

Always a great experience and delicious food. The steak plates are large portions and highly recommended!

Great portions. Friendly staff. And the sangria was amazing! Not too sweet and you could taste the wine. Love going to Fall River for the great Portuguese food.

Fall River is full of Portuguese restaurants as far as the eye can see. It's the land that produced Emeril. I would expect nothing less than many many Portuguese options. When it comes down to it, this spot is a favorite among many of my local Portuguese friends. They swear by it. After a bad experience at another nearby Portuguese spot for dinner recently, where some friends waited almost 2 hours for their meal to arrive and then one of their Portuguese steaks wasn't even really Portuguese steak (they had run out and didn't say anything!), Caravela is a breath of fresh air! We were seated, briefly perused the menu (we all knew what we were having), ordered, and practically before we could blink and break into the bread and butter, our giant plates of food were arriving! And giant they are... most of us selected the Portuguese steak plate, a platter laden with massive amounts of rice and fries in addition to the large, flat and tender steak, drenched in delicious garlicky sauce, tender garlic cloves, hot pepper slices, and fried eggs. The meat is pounded and tenderized really well, and the sauce is by far the star of the show. It is so delicious, adds tons of juiciness and flavor to the steak, but also seeps into the rice and fries a bit, really spreading the love! My fried eggs were a bit overcooked, I would prefer my yolks runny, and these weren't... at all (although this isn't an egg dish, and while they ask how you want your steak cooked, they don't ask about the eggs, so I'm guessing they cook all of them this way since some people don't like runny yolk? Wish they asked though). Yet that single imperfection is the only one I found. And on top of everything, the food here is cheap cheap cheap!! Definitely a great bang for your buck. When craving Portuguese steak (and you should be at this point in the review... unless you're a vegetarian) I highly recommend Caravela Family Restaurant.

Absolutely disgusting place and poor customer service! I went there today around 5:00pm and ordered the chicken plate with rice and fries. The waitress brings out my meal and sets it in front of me. I look down at my plate and there's a long black disgusting hair across the chicken. I looked at the waitress and pointed it out to her and was very surprised by her response and lack of apology. She said to me that she didn't know where it came from as the workers in the kitchen wear hairnets. So I responded with "well you can't possibly think it's mine"....(I'm bald...lol). Again made no attempt at apologizing so at this point I said you know what, I'll pay for my beverage but I'm leaving and not paying for this meal. Again no apology or even to say oh don't worry about the beverage sir, sorry this happened. No, she said the soda is $1.50, I said you're seriously going to take my money for the soda when I was given a meal with a hair on it? Her response made absolutely no sense, she said "yes because there are cameras in here and she wasn't paying for it". Again not sure what she meant by this, but at this point I handed her $2.00 and left. I will never be back and will definitely be sure to tell everyone about how disgusting this place is and lack of good customer service!

Great Portuguese food at very reasonable prices. I always clean my plate when coming here

Stopped in while in Fall River yesterday for a late lunch. The place was very busy, but I was seated pretty quickly. I ordered a glass of house red wine and placed my food order at the same time. Wine came in a few minutes, followed by bread. I did not even have time to butter my roll. when my main meal arrived. Shrimp Mozambique with fries and rice. About a dozen medium sized shrimp in a small casserole with the sauce. They were very tasty and not overcooked and the fries were good too. The only thing I did not care for was the rice, which was just plain white rice and kind of dry. Parking could be difficult, but I was lucky to find a spot just across the street. I hope to return.

Visiting Fall River and looking for an authentic family restaurant? Look no further - Caravela's is the spot. The littleneck appetizer is a bowl of a dozen clean clams in a delicious broth. Save your Portuguese rolls for dipping! Caravela's is known for their steak plate. Get it! Or at least get the steak sandwich. A slice of red pepper and garlic with flavorful, thinly sliced beef. Make sure you add the homemade sauce with it. I'll be back.