Lena B.
Yelp
located inside a hip hostel in the hipster neighborhood of bairro alto, i had high expectations for the decadente which were not met.
it was our fault for not making a reservation, but i was more than happy to wait in the bar adjacent to the restaurant, sipping a delicious cocktail, marveling at the charming decor with interesting compilation of books. finally after an hour (9pm) we checked in, but the host wouldn't let us sit even though a couple of tables opened up. another 30 minutes passed, and more tables became available, but we were not allowed to take one. a few more minutes later, the host finally gathered the waiting groups and led us to tables which just was the ODDEST thing ever! why didn't he just let whoever came first sit first when a table became available? why make people wait longer than necessary when the restaurant is being emptied out?
near 2 hour wait sure made us hungry, so we we ordered immediately upon seating. the prawns in orange colored sauce was good as an appetizer to share, and my spicy black linguine dish was also tasty (it had be since the sauce used was the same as the appetizer. i wished the waitress had mentioned that so we wouldn't have duplicated our order). the hubby's cod filet dish came out cold which he knew it would be since he saw it sitting at the counter for a while. we mentioned this to the waitress, and she took it back and brought a new one. the fish was fresh and cooked well, but bland and tasteless.
overall, i was not super impressed with the food and service. we might've had better experience had we made a reservation, and if the host was more efficient in managing the wait time. nonetheless, the this place is super cute, and the quality of food and drinks far exceeds what u.s. offers for the same price.
p.s. - smoking is allowed in the courtyard, so avoid tables in that area if you cannot tolerate cigarettes.