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Reviews - Ó Balcão

Reviews

9.4/10

Excellent
1418 reviews
Ambience
9.1
Food
9.5
Service
9.6
Real experiences from real diners
Ratings and reviews can only be left by guests who have booked with TheFork.

All reviews

  • Finn B.7 days ago

    9.5

    Amazing food and super service

  • alain d.28 days ago

    10

    fantastic food, very creative. I‘ve already been to two stars restaurants which were far from this level. We can only very warmly recommend. (and the prices are very reasonnable).

  • Linda M.2 months ago

    10

    Best meat I ever ate. Everything was excelent!

  • Oscar S.2 months ago

    10

    Great service, amazing food, beautiful cozy place. Will come again

  • Leo X.
    Leo X.3 months ago

    10

    +4

    it's an outstanding experience here! wonderful food, warm service, and so I booked one more lunch when I finish my dinner! I tried so many one , two, three stars in many countries, but this one is undervalued for sure, it will upgrade very soon to two star or even three, I am not surprised at all!!! I can feel the team are using their heart to cook each dish and serve their customers. I definitely will book 3rd or 4th when I visit Portugal next time! good luck guys !

  • Fernando R.
    Fernando R.6 months ago

    9.5

    All Good for a Michelin restaurant. Food was surprising

  • Paul H.6 months ago

    7.5

    It is a small place with I think 10 tables. We had the tasting menu, and the food was fantastic and beautifull presented, compatibel wine was okay not great. For we went to O Bacao we looked at the website and saw that the price of tasting menu was 115 pp and compatibel wine 45. At the restaurant they Saïd this were old proces now it is 130 pp and wine 55. For a Michelin star restaurant I would expect that the website is up to date

  • Michael O.
    Michael O.8 months ago

    6.0

    incredible food, fantastic wine pairing, but way more expensive than you might expect. €500 for 3 people....

  • Tiago P.11 months ago

    10

    +8

    Fantastic experience. The food was so delicious. We had the tasting menu, and it was beautifully curated to the region. Definitely coming back.

  • Keith H.10 months ago

    6.0

    Nice small cover per night but just lacking that final touch and sparkle. Greeting was average, lacking the attention to detail. Most of the dishes were missing the sparkle expected from a Michelin starred restaurant. Don’t rest on your laurels as this will be your undoing!

  • Ana P.11 months ago

    10

    The Food, the host. Top

  • Roland A.1 year ago

    10

    High level is maintained across snacks from amuses to mignardises and everything in between.

  • Christiane H.1 year ago

    10

    excellent food- nice place-lovely people

  • Steve F.1 year ago

    10

    I’ve dined at many Michelin star restaurants and while this restaurant may only have a nomination it deserves the highest recognition. The food is amazing and the service matched. I will be back.

  • Rudy V.1 year ago

    8.0

    I 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.1 year ago

    9.5

    It 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.1 year ago

    10

    We had the tasting menu, and it was a great experience, really enjoyed it.

  • Mª Do Carmo P.1 year ago

    10

    A typical Portuguese tavern atmosphere with excellent food and service.

  • Loana J.1 year ago

    10

    Very professional and polite service. Superb food. 10 out of 10.

  • Matthew W.1 year ago

    10

    The service and the food

  • Antonio C.1 year ago

    10

    Everything 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.
    claudio d.1 year ago

    10

    amazing experience, super suggested

  • Geert V.1 year ago

    10

    We 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.1 year ago

    10

    +6

    Amazing 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.1 year ago

    9.5

    Ok

  • Gabriela J.1 year ago

    10

    +1

    Just 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.
    Daniela L.2 years ago

    10

    Amazing 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.1 year ago

    9.5

    We dined for a second time in your restaurant and enjoyed both times very much

  • Melissa M.1 year ago

    10

    There 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.2 years ago

    10

    Food 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.
    Daniel S.2 years ago

    10

    Michelin star deserved. Traditional ingredients revisited in a respectful way. Really nice space and food. Thanks a lot for the experience.

  • Jean K.2 years ago

    10

    An absolutely fabulous dining experience! Attentive and personable wait staff and truly delicious food. One of our favorite restaurants.

  • Frank H.2 years ago

    10

    My 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.
    Julie B.2 years ago

    9.5

    We 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.2 years ago

    10

    It 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.2 years ago

    10

    Amazing food and service

  • David L.2 years ago

    10

    My 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.2 years ago

    8.0

    great restaurant

  • Arielly C.
    Arielly C.2 years ago

    10

    The Chef's Menu was definitely the best food I have ever had. This restaurant is amazing! I strongly recommend a visit.

  • Simone L.2 years ago

    10

    We 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!

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