Reviews - Trovador
Reviews
8.7of 10
Ratings and reviews can only be left by guests who have booked with TheFork.
Timothy B. • 4 reviews
September 7, 2025
10/10Tasty dishes, well presented. Many restaurants on central squares near old cathedrals in Europe are just tourist-level joints not worth going to if you care about good food. However, O Trovador is an actual upscale restaurant with attentive service, good ambience, and good food. And the prices are reasonable! It just happens to be in an incredibly prime location right across from the old side entrance of the Se Velho (Old Church) which in itself is totally worth spending some time in if you happen to be in Coimbra midday on a Sunday. Tripadvisor screwed up its reservation system, claiming no availability most of the noon to 3pm Sunday opening time, but that's wrong, so just show up...there seems to be plenty of room.
Marco G. • 11 reviews
July 29, 2025
10/10The staff was kind and the food very good. The position of the restaurant, very closed to the University and the Cathedral, makes it a very strategic choice.
Stan K. • 3 reviews
March 20, 2025
3.5/10Despite being in the middle of a tourist area, there was only one waiter and he did not speak a single word of English. This doesn’t seem sensible, given how few tourists speak Portuguese. My wife’s grilled octopus, was mediocre, and my salmon was overcooked and dry. It was our only dinner during a long trip to Portugal that wasn’t delicious. Very disappointing.
Paul C. • 1 review
December 26, 2024
7.5/10Lovely place but due to time of year, 27th December, it was empty. We were still looked after with a lovely meal.
Katarzyna J. • 1 review
October 23, 2024
2/10Complete and ulter disaster, the food was cold, not good.
huub v. • 1 review
September 14, 2024
7/10Good and decent restaurant. Surprisingly little number of people attending on a Saturday since it is well located and the food is of good quality,
Natascia C. • 37 reviews
August 13, 2024
4.5/10Terrible service, rude owner and waiters.
Karen F. • 2 reviews
June 1, 2024
6.5/10I expected more from the food after reading previous reviews. However, for the prices I found the food to be average at best. My plate looked lovely but the meat was overcooked. My dinner companion's plate was full of polenta and 3 prawns, for the main course. Not a great food experience - better options available in Coimbra for sure.
Tom A. • 4 reviews
April 18, 2024
10/10The restaurant was very nice. It is in a terrific location just down the hill from the University on the river side and near the Fado performance center. We were seated promptly a few minutes before our reservation time. A few minutes after our pre dinner drinks arrived a group of two dozen people were seated for a pre arranged dinner. Our service continued uninterrupted and with perfect timing. Our meals were very well prepared and the service remained relaxed and appropriately attentive. After finishing our meals and paying our bill we were invited to stay longer for a Fado performance that was arranged for the large group dining along side of us. The performers were superb and put on a show that we will fondly remember. We recommend the restaurant wholeheartedly.
LARRY S. • 1 review
March 12, 2024
8.5/10thought the food was very good.... had a wide variety of choices. On our night we had a large party so atmosphere was a little different I'm sure than a usually night. But I must say the waiter was extremely attentive and food was brought out perfectly on time
Stephen K. • 8 reviews
November 2, 2023
8.5/10There happened to be a group of three musicians doing some Fado music at the restaurant that evening, which made the dinner a bit more enticing.
Nanette C. • 1 review
October 25, 2023
6/10There were tiny bugs flying around and landing on my bread that was on the table.
Cecil M. • 1 review
October 13, 2023
6.5/10The Coimbra version of Fado was the best thing about this restaurant. The acoustics seemed perfect. The Octopus dish was really good but the veal was really tough, hard to chew.
Rachel B. • 1 review
July 13, 2023
9.5/10Really pleased with the authentic, extremely tasty food at this restaurant, with good meat, fish and vegetarian options and lovely desserts. Service was friendly and efficient too and good value for money. We were a party of 12 and everyone was delighted with the choice of venue.
Jorge V. • 41 reviews
June 29, 2023
7/10
Nice place to eat.
Penelope W. • 10 reviews
June 11, 2023
10/10Lovely to sit on the terrace and overlooking the church while people watching
Lyndsey E. • 1 review
March 28, 2023
10/10My husband and I have walked by this restaurant regularly and finally decided to book. Couldn't have been happier and cannot recommend this place enough. We chose to sit outside, enjoying the view of the old church directly opposite. The food was excellent, the portion sizes were generous considering the price, and the staff were incredibly welcoming and helpful.
Shirley M. • 7 reviews
March 25, 2023
10/10Excellent food, attentive and friendly service, excellent location by the cathedral and lovely atmosphere.
David R. • 39 reviews
February 1, 2023
5.5/10Tourist trap.
Gary W. • 5 reviews
January 27, 2023
9/10My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed our meal at Trovador, a great dining experience. Online booking very straightforward. We arrived at start of Friday dinner services so only one other table occupied but it filled up after a little while. We had a lovely selection of bread to get us started, followed by vegetable soup which was delicious (although waiter took away our plates when soup arrived so we couldn't butter the bread any more). We shared the Chanfana for two. First time trying goat and it was great, very rich in a red wine sauce which went very well with the potato and cabbage. We were too full for a pudding but stayed for coffee and to listen to a fabulous fado singer accompanied by 2 guitarists on the stairs. No wine list but the house red was great, went very well with the Chanfana and was very reasonably priced. Oh, nearly forgot about the two glasses of Port we received having booked through the Fork! This rounded off a lovely meal at a great spot - highly recommended..
Daniel F. • 2 reviews
January 5, 2023
9.5/10Our last visit there was many years ago, and so we looked forward to this visit. The food and staff were still excellent. For an evening meal, we felt the lighting was a little too bright, as the new owners switched to bright LED lighting. Still looking forward to returning again, however!
Maurizio C. • 7 reviews
December 2, 2022
9/10Ok
Donna R. • 2 reviews
September 13, 2022
9.5/10The service was excellent. There is something for everyone on the menu. The salmon and sea bass were fresh and prepared perfectly. Every table was full. Prices are very reasonable considering the quality.
Luca F. • 6 reviews
August 20, 2022
10/10Cute restaurant in the old town. Pretty good price/quality ratio. The host is very welcoming, advised us for a great Portuguese red wine from the region. Would come back
Kelly W. • 3 reviews
May 7, 2022
10/10Lovely restaurant with a friendly staff, serving traditional Portuguese fare. The server was very patient and indulged my desire to use my very newly acquired skill in the language, made excellent suggestions, and fed us very well. Would definitely go back. Not the cheapest meal we have had in Portugal, but certainly one of the best.
Darcy N. • 7 reviews
April 5, 2022
6/10The food was ok, nothing special. Large portions.
Jon R. • 3 reviews
March 30, 2022
10/10One of my favorite meals on our trip. We had croquettes with cheese, bacalhau a bras, and a bairrada wine. They were friendly and accommodating to our group. Very good!
Gerda Ž. • 2 reviews
November 6, 2021
10/10The restaurant is in an unique location near the cathedral, staff very helpful and polite. The restaurant itself is very cozy. Food was really delicious, I had risotto with mushrooms and I enjoyed it very much. Thank you very much, highly recommend to visit!
Rob H. • 2 reviews
August 20, 2021
10/10Relaxed family atmosphere with fabulous views of the church. Suckling pig (leitao) and house red wine were decent.
Emson C. • 2 reviews
September 11, 2020
10/10Great place to dine with the sound of Fado rigth next to the restaurant
Mário S. • 14 reviews
August 20, 2020
9.5/10Very good food. Pleasant customer service and in a very attractive spot, just near Sé de Coimbra. Highly recommended.
Renke H. • 4 reviews
November 2, 2019
8/10Unfortunately we were seated in the upstairs compartment only - probably due to the late reservation via the internet. There were only 4 tables upstairs on a kind of a gallery and next to the corridor leading to the toilets. But the caring staff and the delicious food made this a great dinner for us. We had nice regional appetizers and a perfectly cooked entrecôte. I very much can recommend their „Doce da casa“ dessert as well.
Annie W. • 11 reviews
September 4, 2018
6/10It was overrated on trip advisor. Food was too salty. My goat stew was changed as it was inedible at no cost to me. We were not offered a wine list
- -. • 1 review
March 21, 2018
9/10Great service, very good food and well appointed restaurant.
- -. • 11 reviews
December 26, 2017
9/10Beef was very good, pork cheeks great. The desserts were very good
James B. • 4 reviews
October 13, 2015
9.5/10Traditional Portuguese cuisine, quite tasty, excellent service, plus a fado concert. Perfect ending to our trip to Coimbra.
Trovador • Owner
Thank you for your rating. We are with you. Always count with us. Best regards Ermindo Dias
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