Reviews - Ó Balcão
Reviews
9.7of 10
Ratings and reviews can only be left by guests who have booked with TheFork.
Rudy V. • 1 review
December 28, 2024
8/10I appreciate the basic philosophy of the restaurant: cooking with regional products. Nice presentations, delicious food and good wine pairing. Waiters where very friendly, but they would be more understandable if they would speak a little louder😉. This was the 3rd time I had the tasting menu this year (May, July and December). Very original, but there are very few changes in the courses, during the 3 tastings. If anything can be improved, I would suggest changing the courses in the tasting menu on a regular timing. O Balcao is a feast for foodies. I will come back.
Zein Z. • 2 reviews
November 30, 2024
9.5/10It was not the first time there … the food is exeptional & very proffessiinal service from the young waitress . The Chef passed by all tables & ours as well , he was a bit uncomfortable & perhaps because we praised him in English …. I highly recommend the food & service ✨✨✨✨✨✨
Dmitry S. • 4 reviews
October 21, 2024
10/10We had the tasting menu, and it was a great experience, really enjoyed it.
Mª Do Carmo P. • 4 reviews
October 19, 2024
10/10A typical Portuguese tavern atmosphere with excellent food and service.
Loana J. • 1 review
October 12, 2024
10/10Very professional and polite service. Superb food. 10 out of 10.
Matthew W. • 1 review
October 10, 2024
10/10The service and the food
Antonio C. • 1 review
September 30, 2024
10/10Everything we ordered was excellent, prepared with quality ingredients in very creative and surprising combinations. Francisco provided great service. I highly recommend Ó Balcão.
claudio d. • 6 reviews
September 30, 2024
10/10amazing experience, super suggested
Geert V. • 7 reviews
September 13, 2024
10/10We had dinner in Ó Balcão for our wedding anniversary in May, celebrated my husbands birthday the 29th of June, had dinner with my sister and her husband the 27th of July and finally Friday the 13th with a business partner. The food was amazing every time, the lovely girl giving a very good explanation for every course and she is like the most friendly person I ever saw in a restaurant, the sommelier is also extraordinary, taking good care of the guests and so friendly. We are definitely going back. We're so happy we live near Santarém for its fine dining, and Ó Balcão is one of the best!
Clara G. • 61 reviews
September 10, 2024
10/10+6Amazing restaurant with wonderful flavors and dishes! The service was 5-stars and it was one of the most memorable meals I’ve had!… I will surely come back and if you want to have an unforgettable experience, just go there and enjoy it! It is a 1-star Michelin, so it is not cheap, but if you can afford it, it is worth every euro spent. We’ve got some suggestions of the chef (a little bit less than the degustation menu, but still a lot of dishes) and we’ve loved it! :)
Pedro M. • 3 reviews
August 1, 2024
9.5/10Ok
Gabriela J. • 4 reviews
June 12, 2024
10/10+1Just excellent! We enjoyed this gem in Santarem! Best one star Michelin restaurant we’ve been in Portugal…. Could be a 2 stars easily
Daniela L. • 1 review
April 27, 2024
10/10Amazing experience! People are very nice and make an effort to speak English. Have the tasting menu with the wine pairing, you won’t regret it! It’s amazing to see the dedication of the chef to make such unique and local food. Being from Santarém, I learned a lot that I still didn’t know.
Donald v. • 9 reviews
May 31, 2024
9.5/10We dined for a second time in your restaurant and enjoyed both times very much
Melissa M. • 2 reviews
May 15, 2024
10/10There is a lot of attention to detail. Cutlery, glasses and crockery are of high quality, food is very good, locally sourced and wine pours are generous.
Gunter S. • 37 reviews
April 27, 2024
10/10Food and service were outstanding. The restaurant was recently awarded a Michelin star and they deserve it. The ambience is stylish but unpretentious. Hopefully, it remains so.
Daniel S. • 1 review
April 15, 2024
10/10Michelin star deserved. Traditional ingredients revisited in a respectful way. Really nice space and food. Thanks a lot for the experience.
Jean K. • 5 reviews
April 12, 2024
10/10An absolutely fabulous dining experience! Attentive and personable wait staff and truly delicious food. One of our favorite restaurants.
Frank H. • 23 reviews
April 2, 2024
10/10My wife and I returned to Ó Balcão for our 15th Anniversary. This is one of our favorite restaurants in Portugal. We love how sustainable they are and their use of predatory and invasive ingredients. Eating at this restaurant actually helps the environment. haha. I highly recommend the chef's tasting menu. We will be back as soon as we can.
Julie B. • 60 reviews
February 7, 2024
9.5/10We stumbled upon this fabulous restaurant when en route back home to Cascais. The menu is SO different to the normal Portuguese BUT it’s all locally-sourced ingredients and everything we ordered was absolutely delicious…highly recommend it (I just need to try and remember the red wine name…we LOVED it) Even the chef popped out to say hello to us…it really was such a great way to end our short road trip. 🇵🇹
Simone L. • 7 reviews
January 25, 2024
10/10It is just exquisite...all of it...the ambiance, simple yet quaint, serene and just ever so perfect after a long day of work...The staff are discrete, extremely polite, knowledgeable ...it is just heartwarming to walk in and we are greeted with beautiful smiles! We always look forward to brining our guests from out of the country to this somewhat hidden treasure of the beautiful region of Ribatejo! We are lucky to have such a great restaurant in Santarém!
Bruno M. • 10 reviews
December 4, 2023
10/10Amazing food and service
David L. • 4 reviews
October 31, 2023
10/10My wife and I had dinner at O Balcao to celebrate our silver wedding anniversay and we did not regret our decision, it was excellent from start to finish. Excellent attentive service and great food beautifully prepared and presented. This restaurant is on definitely a cut above the rest. A wonderful experience well worth paying the extra! We will definitely return..
Firmino M. • 7 reviews
October 13, 2023
8/10great restaurant
Arielly C. • 2 reviews
September 29, 2023
10/10The Chef's Menu was definitely the best food I have ever had. This restaurant is amazing! I strongly recommend a visit.
Simone L. • 7 reviews
September 23, 2023
10/10We live near by and everytime we have guests from out of the country, and even not from the region, we love to bring them to O BALCAO, for te food is exquisite! Chef Castelo and his sous-chefs make some of the most unique dishes using farm to table ingredients from Ribatejo! The ambiance is perfect, his staff very well informed what what they serve! We cannot wait for the next round of visitors to come starting in November!
Bruno P. • 3 reviews
August 23, 2023
10/10It was an incredible experience. The dishes are delicious and prepared with attention to the balance of flavors. I highly recommend it.
Andre V. • 1 review
September 11, 2023
10/10We had the 13-course tasting menu and were blown away by the taste and presentation. The crayfish dish with açorda brought tears to my eyes! We will definitely come back!!
Eva and Alan A. • 1 review
September 6, 2023
10/10This restaurant was such a hidden gem. They are definitely on their way to their first star. The tasting menu included 25 different pieces of food, mainly sourced locally. The dishes are refreshing and exciting, almost giving you a tour of the area through your palette. The wine pairings are lovely and I especially enjoyed the stories and sentiment wrapped around them. Chef was very personable, looking after every guest. The service was also excellent with great attention to detail. Incredible experience.
Laurent S. • 9 reviews
August 21, 2023
10/10A great experience, creative cuisine with a touch of delicacy, and a very attentionate team. Highly recommended !!!
Claudia N. • 1 review
August 16, 2023
9.5/10Delicious food and excellent service! creative menu and really well presented.
Samir C. • 16 reviews
August 22, 2023
10/10We loved everything. Variety and quality of food, kind and professional service, ambiance. We recommend
Simone L. • 7 reviews
July 31, 2023
10/10We brought expats who are now living in Lisbon to celebrate one of their birthday anniversaries, like us they are world travelers and foodies - they were incredibly impressed by the food presentation, the ambiance, the choices of local wines and most of all the food itself! All very well prepared, in the right amount of portions so that we all had chosen a dessert and shared those as well! They now see it worth while driving from Lisbon with friends and visitors to eat at O Balcao! We are lucky to have such a high quality restaurant in Santarém!
Jose D. • 1 review
July 19, 2023
10/10Excelent restaurant. Food, wines, personal are high class. ! Don’t miss it
Alba d. • 7 reviews
April 13, 2023
10/10amazing restaurant, the food (to die for), the staff (very friendly and professional), the space (very typical, rooted to its origins, but modern). love it. will come back for sure
Stacy C. • 1 review
February 10, 2023
10/10Great service, never rushed. Chef even said hello- all nice touches. English menu delivered in an envelope-so much fun. All menu items seemed to have a traditional description but a wonderfully unique recipe & presentation.
Shauneen Y. • 11 reviews
January 27, 2023
10/10Exceptional. We had a tasting menu. Every course was a delicious surprise.
Hans L. • 23 reviews
January 11, 2023
10/10Amazing and creative cooking. Soo beautifully displayed dishes, and very good wine pairing with the degustation menu.
Trent T. • 1 review
January 4, 2023
10/10+3Incredible staff - just impeccable service and the food was absolutely incredible. I've been numerous times and the consistency is always there, if not even better each time.
RICHARD C. • 36 reviews
October 1, 2022
9.5/10Perfect food and very friendly and attentive service. I will definitely go again. I would not be surprised if it gains a Michelin star in a year or two. It already is recommended by Michelin and is the equal in my opinion of any restaurant at which I have eaten in Lisbon.
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