Volta do Mar

I recently introduced some friends to Volta (as I had dined at the covent garden location before and looked forward to experiencing the new Kensington premises) the food and selection of wine were amazing (as always)! The service was perfectly paced; the atmosphere is still just as welcoming and I love what the owners have done with the space! Thank you so much for looking after us; cannot wait to visit again!

Amazing amazing food! I did not know Portuguese food was so delightful! Starting with the croquettes trio which were full of flavour, we have moved to African Chicken and the mains. The fish stew was delightfully warming and felt like a hug. The Pork chop was like nothing I have ever had before- so buttery and soft. Cooked to absolute perfection. Then for dessert- sorbet of peach and champagne- mind blowing. The wine pairings advised by Simon were a hit! Service was attentive and warm. Will definitely come back A hidden gem!

A nice little walk from the craziness of Chelsea/Kings Road shopping is this quiet little Bib Gourmand recommended restaurant. Parking is very easy if you're driving. You can park opposite the restaurant for free from 6.30pm on the weekends (and I think weekdays, do check). Upon entering we were greeted warmly and had the choice of tables. There as a large round table at the front of the restaurant, a lovely bar then a selection of tables. We decided to sit towards the rear of the restaurant in a corner seat. The food overall was decent. We only shared a couple of starters and a main course, so our recommendations don't cover a large part of the menu. Nevertheless, we would recommend: - Ibérico Ham, Chorizo & Ham Hock Croquettes - creamy and you can taste the Ibérico ham unlike some places I've been to, so they are not stingy. :-) - Moroccan chicken (although I don't see it on the website menu at the moment) And you're not seeing things. The Piri Piri chicken really did come with crisps which we found pretty strange. Is this some sort of plate fill tactic as is used with fries? I'd return if I was in the area, but wouldn't go out of my way to go there again (which we did the first time, living about 6 miles away...which in London distances is a VERY long way!). Go check it out if you're nearby.

Visited for the first time with my wife on Friday, 21st February 2025. The service and food were delicious and even though there were a few food items unavailable, the server had replacement suggestions, which was nice. Unfortunately, we were the only ones at the restaurant that night for the majority of the time, so the atmosphere was a bit lacking. We noticed that there are works being carried out on the pavement in front of the restaurant, so that may have contributed for how quite it was that night. Nevertheless, I will definitely be visiting again!

I entered this place by chance and it was a lovely discovery. Warm welcome, we got great advice on which dish to pick, I was impressed by the wine list, out of the ordinary. The dessert was my favourite bit, like an Ile Flotante, but better. I don’t put 5 stars because the bread served with the sardines pate was burned which spoiled the started a bit…

Unfortunately I need to downgrade my rating after the second visit. Horrible and super slow services, rude and unfriendly staffs. We were not even get seated 10 mins passed the booking time, it took 40 mins just to take our order and the staff was really rude when we politely asked if we can order now. The whole dining experience was runied as we had to rushed to the theatre, even though we made the booking for this place early enough prior to show (2.5hrs) - we didn’t even get to finish the dessert because by the time when dessert arrived full two hours and ten minutes had passed. Maybe check them out if you had PLENTY of time for long hours dining and don’t mind waiting to be served. Also note that photos are from previous first time visit and now Gazpacho NOTHING look like in the photo, not even close. Super tiny portion with no full sized cherry tomatoes. —————————— previous review——- Look no further for pre-theatre dinner! We have pre-theatre 3-course and was delighted by the food and service, not to mention the reasonable price. Gazpacho was absolutely wonderful, generous portion for sweetpotato main. My company had a salt cod and was very happy too. Desserts were little underwhelming compared to starter/mains but can’t complain with their nice coffee! The place is beautiful decorated with outdoor seatings, staffs were very attentive and kind! Will definitely come back for next time.

We booked here for valentines day and was an expensive and disappointing meal. Firstly, and perhaps my mistake for not checking, it was a set menu and there was very little choice. Our server came over and asked us if we were vegan or vegetarian, we told her we weren't so she said good Ill put through all the fish and meat dishes then, all you need to do is choose a dessert. I said that just because I eat meat doesn't mean I might not prefer vegetarian or vegan dishes. It was quite an awkward exchange. Our main server was incompetent, she brought us the wrong food twice and just seemed to not be paying attention. The food itself was alright, the set menu was six dishes, the carpaccio and soup were delicious, but the main dish of steak and potatoes was rubbish. Two thin minute steaks and some potatoes, a very disappointing way to finish the meal. From start to finish it felt like we were being rushed to order, but at the same time the staff were very slow at bringing the food and drinks which meant we were in the restaurant for 3hrs. The price was unreal as well, £180 for two people that's for the set menu, a glass of wine and a mojito. Not sure what this place is like on a normal day but I won't be back.

Wow what a place! Me and my husband had a great time dining in here. The food was absolutely delicious, highly recommend sardine pate, very unique flavor. The atmosphere and service were on the highest level. If we are back in London it would be the spot to return to!

We were uncomfortable that almost no one was here Friday evening. Something we missed? The service was slow with only 3 couples in the restaurant. Great Portuguese wine list but only two cheap wines by the glass. Food was ok and very expensive.

I have never had such a bad restaurant experience nowhere in the world, also considering food stalls and food trucks... DO NOT BOTHER BOOKING! I had a confirmed reservation for 8.30pm for a group of 4 people. Therefore, after waiting outside, I entered the restaurant at 8.29pm. Nobody welcomed us until 8.42pm when we were told out our table was getting cleaned (lie). At. 8.55pm, after mentioning we had been waiting for more than 20 minutes, we were told a couple was paying the bill and then they would put together two tables to sit the four of us (btw, wasn't our table getting cleaned before?). At 9.12pm we were finally given a table which wasn't even the one we were told we were going to get. We didn't get water until 9.25pm. Basically, 54 minutes to get a bottle of water. DO NOT BOTHER LOOKING AT THE MENU! Food was really good, what they had, at least... In a serious restaurant, when something on the menu is not available anymore, they usually tell you immediately. Well, at the moment of ordering, after deciding, my snack wasn't available anymore (Sardine Paté), my friend's starter neither (Cod) and not even my side (Mozambique Green Rice, how can you run out of rice?). I had a soup which was really tasty with a nice tough of mint but it was pretty overprices for £10. Then, I had the fish of the day (Sea Bass) which was amazing. We had two bottles of White Wine which were both really good and reasonably priced. We finished with some 20-years aged Porto which was also very good. Despite food was amazing, I will never go back nor will I suggest it to anybody because of the unprofessional way this restaurant is managed (I cannot believe it made it into the Michelin's Bib Gourmand...). After waiting forever and not having many of the items on the menu, we were even offered to get a Coffee on the house... And we spent £280 in 4 people, it is not that it would have been really a gift.

One of the best dishes I ever had is the octopus appetizer. See pic. Cool place. Great service. Check it out.

We stumbled into this restaurant thinking it was Italian ha ha. But then we're delighted to learn it was Portuguese because we didn't know anything about the Portuguese food. Even though they were full and we didn't have a booking they found a table for us. The owner came over and helped me pick a wine. They had some kind of large party going on upstairs which always impacts the service so it was definitely slower than it could've been. But we were enjoying that interesting artwork and the wine and so we gave that a pass. We had delicious sardine pate, and chicken croquettes for starters. I usually do not like croquettes but this came with a very tasty sauce that I also used on the fennel salad because the dressing on that was a bit bland. Even though we were in Covent Garden, most of the people in the restaurant seemed to be locals. Which is always a good sign to me. The owners are a man who seems British and his wife who is Portuguese. They told me they opened right before the pandemic and only held on by the skin of their teeth. For mains, I had a pork loin entrée that was absolutely delicious. And then we could not resist the cake and two different types of port that again the owner helped us select. Everyone who worked there was very friendly and we enjoyed ourselves very much. In fact I'm thinking about going back there again tonight for our last night in London. If my travel partner will agree.