Located in the heart of Porto, Gruta offers simple, modern Portuguese cuisine that won’t disappoint.
As part of the logic behind this trip, I thought I’d go for a crescendo of restaurants, starting with the simple and friendly and ending with a Michelin-starred one. And so Gruta opened the ball after I had read a number of credible and glowing reviews.
You’ll find a summary of articles about this trip to Porto at the bottom of the page.
The concept of the restaurant
Gruta is a restaurant serving simple, modernized Portuguese cuisine.
The setting
The restaurant isn’t easy to find: it’s in a small alley perpendicular to an avenue, and I walked past it 3 times without seeing it! This was made all the more complicated by the fact that I arrived just before opening time and the gate giving access was still closed.
The restaurant itself is quite small, but tastefully decorated in a simple, modern style.
The menu
It’s quite simple and offers typical local dishes, sometimes modernized.
The dinner
So I arrive a little early and after looking for the restaurant for a few minutes, I wait a few minutes for it to open in front of the gate.
When it opens, I’m greeted with a smile and seated at my table. I quickly place my order and my appetizer arrives just as quickly.
Raw corvine: Strips of raw corvine seasoned with tucupi vinaigrette sauce.
Very fresh and tasty, a bit like ceviche but a little sweet and with coriander, which I’m a fan of! I could have eaten double or triple.
Fish moqueca: Traditional Brazilian-style fish stew (palm oil, coconut milk, peppers, tomatoes), served with basmati rice with Brazil nuts and farofa (toasted cassava flour).
Quality fish, firm but melting under the tongue. Still good and tasty, but light in quantity, like the starter.
Apple tart with port ice cream.
The tart is warm and melt-in-the-mouth, once again a delight.
End of the meal for a total bill of 50 euros, with quite fine cuisine but perhaps limited in quantity.
The atmosphere
Not very noisy, Portuguese music in the background.
The service
Very friendly, pleasant and prompt staff.
Bottom line
A very pleasant experience and really good quality dishes. It’s a pity that the quantities aren’t up to scratch, at least for my taste.
The articles about this stay in Porto
# | Type | Post |
1 | Diary | Preparing a trip to Porto |
2 | Hotel | Moxy CDG |
3 | Lounge | Air France Roissy 2F lounge |
4 | Flight | Paris-Amsterdam – Air France – Business Class – A220 |
5 | Flight | Amsterdam-Porto – KLM – Business Class – Embraer 195 |
6 | Hotel | Renaissance Porto Lapa |
7 | Restaurant | Gruta |
8 | Restaurant | Cantinho do Avillez |
9 | Restaurant | Cafeina |
11 | Restaurant | In Diferente |
12 | Diary | Visiting Porto |
13 | Lounge | ANA Lounge Porto |
14 | Flight | Porto-Paris – Air France – Business Class – A319 |
15 | Diary | Debriefing my trip to Porto |