O’Porto

Portuguese food is one of my most favorite cuisines. I could eat almost everything on a Portuguese menu accompanied by Portuguese wine or beer. What a nice occasion it was to enjoy this Parkville neighborhood Portuguese gem with friends during a visit to Hartford.
The Calde Verde was a perfect summer appetizer. And I always feel healthy eating kale! My main course was my favorite Porco à Alentejana. This was not the best version I’ve ever had (maybe a few more clams and smaller cubes of pork) … but I still didn’t leave any morsels behind. A tasty Portuguese flan completed the meal.
The restaurant looks great … some art work depicting Porto is on the walls. The service was very competent and friendly. Perhaps if I were in Philadelphia or Lisbon, I would rate this very good restaurant four stars but I had such an enjoyable dinner and evening there — it gets a full five stars. Don’t miss it if you’re in Hartford.

I had been meaning to visit O’Porto for a while, since it’s right down the street from me, and when I noticed it was included in the Restaurant Week options, I decided to head there for a mid-​week dinner. Find O’Porto’s RW menu here:
I was surprised to see how quiet it was when I walked in. We were greeted with a friendly welcome at the door and seated promptly, and the waitress brought over water quickly and took our drink orders. I tried the RW special, the pomegranate mojito (I was going to try one of the wine specials, but I realized upon checking the normal drink menu that they were the same price they always were, not really a special). I included a picture of it here. It was pretty tasty and had fresh mint, but I was surprised at how small it was. It was 6.50 for Restaurant Week.
We had looked at the RW menu online before coming, and planned our appetizers. My dining companion immediately noticed that the appetizer he had planned on – Camarão A Nacional– was not available. I asked the waitress about it, and she found the manager who said I was looking at last year’s menu. I assured him it was the new menu that was posted online, and that everything else was identical. I totally understood that mistakes happen, and we were fine with ordering something else instead. It was very nice that the manager offered to have the ktichen make the appetizer for us if we really wanted it, but it was clear that would be a large inconvenience and we were not trying to cause one.
We both ordered the vegetable soup (Sopa de Vegetais – Carrot, Pumpkin Purée with Julienne Carrots and Collard Greens). It was OK, but definitely under-​seasoned. We both added a fair amount of salt and pepper, and it tasted much better (I’m not one of those people who puts salt on everything– but in this case, it was necessary to bring out the flavors at all).
They waitress brought out fresh bread while we were eating our soups, and it was pretty good. Not the best I’ve had, but fresh, crunch on the outside and soft on the inside.
For an entrée I ordered the Baked Fillet of Sole Stuffed with Shrimp and Crab – Served with Sautéed Spinach and Mashed Potatoes in a Lemon-​Vinaigrette Sauce. The spinach was great– cooked just right with flavors of lemon and butter. The mashed potatoes were OK, but nothing to write home about. The stuffed sole was good. The shrimp and crab stuffing was the best part, with great flavors and texture (the sole by itself would not have been anything special).
My date ordered Grilled Boneless Hen– sautéed Vegetables in a Lemon Butter Sauce served with Portuguese Fried Potatoes. The «vegetables» were a few florets of broccoli, but the Portuguese Fried Potatoes were a giant dish of basically homemade potato chips (see pictures for both of these) and were really very good. The hen itself was rather bland, and it was necessary to add salt and pepper and to try to really soak each piece in the sauce to get much flavor added.
When we were finished eating, we kept looking for the waitress. We had decided to order the deserts that came with our Prix Fixe menu to go instead of eating there, and wanted the check. It seemed to be about 15 – 20 minutes that we were looking for her. Finally I stood up and started peeking around corners, and she saw me and came out to ask if we were done eating. We said yes, and she took away our plates without asking about dessert. She came back out and brought checks to two other tables (the only other two tables there) before stopping again at ours again to ask about dessert. It seemed she was the only one on, and she may have been busy with other tasks, but it felt weird to wait so long with only three tables total dining that night.
We ordered the chocolate mousse and the rice pudding to go, and ate them a bit later that evening. The chocolate mousse wasn’t very good in my opinion, but the rice pudding was very good.
Overall, I was surprised that the choices on the Restaurant Week menu would seem a bit bland, and was underwhelmed in general with the service and the quality of food. Nothing was bad, but nothing stood out as great, hence the «A-​OK» rating I chose to give it (the great rice pudding helped redeem the experience as well).

Only been here a couple times but each time the food gets better and better. We had the paella on our last visit and thought it was perfect. There was plenty of meat and seafood in it. It was so large we even brought some home. They also have a good wine selection with a great house sangria.

Came here last night since my boyfriend and I had a paella craving and it was yummy. We ordered the shrimp cakes which were on the happy hour menu. The shrimp cakes were nicely cooked but I wish there was more sauce to dip the cakes in since it was a tad bland. We then ordered the paella with shrimp, sausage, pork, clams, mussels and chicken for dinner. The rice was so flavorful and cooked perfectly! The meat was a little over cooked but not too shabby since I know this is a tough dish to master.
The bartender was super nice and very helpful. The place has a little charm to it and you can tell that there are a few regulars who come to the bar. I’ll be back!

Big Place. Parking shouldnt be a problem. Service is very good. Sangaria was VERY AVERAGE. Order Paella. It was just rice with no aroma. and little bit meat. I expected more for $ 40 bucks paella. It was enough for 2 people but very very dissappointed. Only good things to eat was the Portuguese bread and the chicken. Stuffed salmon was very dry. I think they overcooked it. I dont think I will go back there again. This place can do better…

My first insurgence into Portugese cusine. We came here to celebrate my youngest daughter’s birthday, along with my wife, oldest daughter, her hubby and my grandson. We had reservations, and were sat promptly. Our server was professional and sweet. We were offered cocktails, and picked two appetizers to share while we settled in. We had fried calamari and their version of thick-​sliced fried potatoes, which came with four distinct, though not greatly exotic dipping sauces. Both were very good with the drinks, though not the best I’ve ever had.
For dinner, three of us shared one of their several versions of paella. This one, dubbed «Valenciana,» included Shrimp, Clams, Mussels, Sausage, Pork, Chicken and Chouriço, Combined with Saffron Rice. There was enough for five if necessary. Some of the mussels were a bit overcooked, but the clams were moist sweet and abundant. The rice was very tasty.
The remaining two in the group had Baked stuffed Salmon, and Grilled Shrimp. Both very tasty. Everything came out hot, and with a smile.
We didn’t have room for dessert, but we ordered it anyhow. Who could resist such an eclectic selection? We had Crème Brulee, which was the best I’ve ever had… chocolate mousse which was obviously prepared with love… a flan with Port, a mind-​blowing combination… and a flan with a birthday candle for the birthday girl.
We left fully satiated and satisfied. Every worker we passed on the way out stopped what they were doing, smiled, and thanked us for coming. Even if this was something that was drilled into them to do, it was still quite effective.
This is a special place for special occasions, and it has me checking the calendar for the next birthday… O M Goodness it’s Mine! Bravo O’Porto, hope to see you soon.

Absolutely fantastic restaurant. The food is amazing as is the atmosphere. The modern flair to traditional Portuguese cuisine is amazing. Plus the selection of Portuguese wine and beer is worth the trip alone. The service is on point and the staff friendly and accommodating. Being Portuguese myself it is good to see this kind of quality representing the heritage. To the staff and management: keep up the great work! Obrigado!

1.) Just to warm you up:
This is my first time having Portuguese. My friend is Portuguese and wanted me to get hipped into the culture. I said «why not?» It’s a fine dining establishment and it’s something new.
2.) What your eyes may see:
Contrary to what people believe, this place is located in a not so crime ridden part of Hartford. It’s on the borderline of West Hartford for Christ Sakes! Get out of your darn shells! Inside is clean, wood grained. I came in the evening so it was dim, Portuguese and Spanish music were playing.
3.) Food:
We started with the Kale soup with Choriza. It’s kinda sad they only put one small slice of Choriza. My friend told me that back home they would add a little more flavor as well as Choriza slices. I noticed the bland taste of the soup before my friend even commented on that. Second, we had Choriza cooked over Moon Shine. That was an interesting thing to see, and the moon shine gave it such a subtle yet tasty flavor. While this was going on, I had some bread from the basket. Some where soft and warm, others were crunchy and hot. Either way they tasted wonderful. That’s the type of bread I get from Patti Cakes, yet I was told it was Italian. They would call it Cotton Bread because the insides resembled that. The oil tasted like what I forcibly put in my morning protein shakes… Flax Seed and Omega ³⁄₆ fish oil. That’s not something I enjoy consuming on a comfortable dining experience. For the main dish I had Pork Loin over a wine sauce, served with cauliflower, zucchini, broccoli, celery and carrots. My friend said that adding the zucchini wasn’t authentic. My comment was that the dish was just too salty, and we both agreed the same with my friend’s clams and pork dish. Last, I got the crème brûlée and my friend got the toasted almond pie with a side of whipped cream and caramel. The pie was great, but the crème brûlée was cold, but I guess that’s typical of Portuguese Crème Brulee? (which I prefer to pronounce it in a Peter Griffin from the show Family Guy’s voice — Cream Broo-​Lee).
4.) Service:
The server came off a little cold, but eventually warmed up and was accommodating. She refilled my drink, but I didn’t feel it was my job to ask for refills on bread and oil. I would have assumed for such caliber of an establishment a guest shouldn’t have to ask yet he should expect that to happen. The owner was very nice and came over and shook my hands. Nice ending.
5.) Impressions:
Perhaps we came there at 8:45pm which would have explained the reason for why things tasted the way they did?
I have my eyes set on Primavera, their other Portuguese food dining competitor. I’ll use that to compare.
Nevertheless, there were some dishes that I didn’t complain much about and the service wasn’t so bad.

My husband and I decided to check out O’Porto because of a Groupon deal. What an excellent decision!
He ordered the red sangria, which he said was absolutely phenomenal. I stuck with the water, which was, well… water. Quote wonderful, and always quickly refilled.
We shared the fried calamari appetizer and house paella. Both were astounding.
The fried calamari came with an amazing sauce that definitely contained some puréed red pepper. The breading was light and luscious, and the dish wasn’t greasy at all.
The paella was so perfect. There were large portions of pork, chicken, clams, mussels, shrimp and chorizo, and all were perfectly cooked and seasoned. The saffron rice was delicious, and we had NO room left for dessert.

O’Porto is a small Portuguese restaurant in Hartford, just over the West Hartford line. It is not in the best part of town but the restaurant itself has a nice intimate feel and the servers are energetic and friendly. They have a very extensive menu with lots of chicken, meat and fish dishes. During my last visit I had the Filet Mignon and my husband had the Portuguese-​style Bouillabaisse and we both agreed that the brandy cream sauce and white wine sauce respectively overpowered the dishes.
For the most part the food is good but most of the menu options leave you wanting. A more limited menu featuring a few excellent dishes would take O’Porto from good to great. 3.5 stars.

I visited this evening and sat at the bar during happy hour. Seemed more like, drown your sorrows while watching TV –hour. The menu and drinks are at Happy Hour rates, from the happy hour perspective, but the Ambiance is not really happy hour. There was CNN blasting out the news of the day. I asked if there was any music available. Nope.
Oh well, the food and drinks were fine, just not a «the work day is over let’s relax vibe /​atmosphere. Three guys in suits leaning on the bar watching the news.
I have Nothing against guys in suits :) just trying to get the general idea across.

Had a very nice leisurely dinner here tonight. The dining room was empty when we walked in, so we decided to grab one of the few bar tables that were available. Nice friendly crowd at the bar, we soon entered into a 3-​party conversation about the Giants Patriots game.
The bread basket that came out quickly contained what was simply some of the very best bread I have ever had in a restaurant. Two small loaves of Portuguese bread –light and fluffy as a pillow. Seriously good…
We ordered a Salada Camarao ($ 15.75) a big plate of salad greens served with 5 shrimps and 2 asparagus spears with smoked salmon slices spiraled over the spears from head to toe. We also ordered a Lulas Grelhadas ($ 18.00) a big portion of grilled calamari in lemon butter. It was described as being served with a vegetable and roast potatoes, and I asked for double vegetables in lieu of potatoes and was accommodated with no problem.
The food was all very good. I also tried a Portuguese bottled beer, a Sagres for $ 4. It was a nice lager that curiously came in an 11.2 ounce bottle instead of a 12 ouncer.
Bottom line? The food was very good, the bar atmosphere was pretty enjoyable, the service was so-​so. In fact, the very first words out of our server’s mouth, when she saw our Groupon on the table was «You can’t use that for Happy Hour».
I can think of 100 «better» ways to say that…

I do not venture into this part of town often so it was with a recommendation that I triedO’porta out for lunch.
First bad sign, not busy at all for lunch
Tried the Kale soup. Bleh! Really bland. Served in an onion soup bowl crock.
Broiled sole with vegetables, this was good, very good. The table shared a dessert, very tasty dessert but I bet it was not made on the premises.
Coffee, cappuccino and espresso served hot, tasty — but why a short pour on the espresso (you know this is a pet peeve of mine).
Service friendly, efficient, knew to bring three forks for desert but it took me looking for the waitress to get the bill.

Had a Groupon. woot. woot. Came here with my boyfriend so he could try the «food of my people» as he calls it. lol. The restaurant was nice and spacious. No one was right on top of each other which is hard to come by these days. Started with the Portuguese fries and my boyfriend loved them. They’re like homemade potato chips. I was disappointed. I thought they would be more potato-​ey, that’s just my preference. The dips were good though. Now I definitely wanted paelha but my boyfriend isn’t a big fan of shellfish, so we opted for the meat one. It was delicious. I could have just eaten the rice and done without the meat to be honest. Maybe next time I’ll just get the vegetarian one. He seemed to really enjoy it and I sent him to work with the leftovers the next day. For dessert, there were A LOT of choices, I opted for the rice pudding and I wasn’t that impressed. Not that it wasn’t good. Im just used to a milkier rice pudding. This one was super cold, not milky and not a whole lot of flavor.
The service was outstanding. Loved our server, she was great. Attentive, funny, conversational. I would definitely return and try other things!

Not sure how I had never heard of this place before about a week ago. Just shows the insularity of us West Hartforders, I suppose, since this is located (gasp!) just outside the West Hartford line. Anyway, it’s a very nice Portugese restaurant that felt like it was filled with old regulars. And I don’t use the word «old» lightly… the crowd was definitely on the older side. But that just means the younger crowd is missing out on a lot of tasty menu choices. My wife and I each ordered off the Prix Fixe menu — which was very reasonably priced. We both had appetizers, entrée and dessert, and enjoyed two carafes of sangria for only $ 72. Definitely recommended!

Nice restaurant with extensive menu. However, food was sub par and portions were more disappointing. Overall, the experience was not worth the price or the popularity.

I had been meaning to try O’Porto for a couple years, so when I was looking at their website one day and saw a coupon for half off the price of food, I purchased it. We started with the Batata Frita à Portuguesa which is basically homemade potato chips with different sauces/​dressings to dip them in. It was good, really filling though. The warm rolls they bring out are too hard to pass up. So after an appetizer and rolls, we could have completely skipped entrees. Next time I’ll probably skip the appetizer and just eat the rolls. For my meal I got the Paelha de Galina e Chouriço which is Portuguese paella with chicken and chorico. It was as good as the paella at Costa Del Sol and El Pulpo. My wife got a seafood dish which she enjoyed as well. We will definitely return to O’Porto!

We had a really lovely dinner at Oporto a few weeks ago. I had the seafood rice which was like a soupy paella with lots of great seafood. we also had the green soup which reminded me of a garlicky potato soup. Service was sweet with real Portuguese staff.

I haven’t had Portuguese food since we went to a restaurant in Fall River, MA years ago with my Portuguese grandmother, and that’s pretty hard to top, but O’Porto comes in a close second.
Driving to O’Porto, I felt like I might get shot, like I was in Little Brazil, and then in Little Vietnam. Talk about culture shock! Once safely in the parking lot, I walked to the front of the building, which is pretty unassuming. The restaurant inside is open and airy, with a bar to your left and the dining room to your right — it’s nicely decorated and decently lit.
I had the Salada a Casa, and I also got to try the Salada a Portuguesa. Both your typical salads, only mine had salad greens and the other was iceberg lettuce. Dinner for me was Mariscado a Casa, which was clams, mussels, scallops, and shrimp in a white wine and cilantro sauce, with a side of saffron rice. It was really quite good, filled with lots of mussels and clams, though a little sparse on the scallops (2) and small shrimp (4). I like saffron rice a lot, so I wasn’t complaining, and with a bit of the broth, it was delicious. The Bife Grelhado came with only mashed potatoes, and was enjoyable, but it could have come with a vegetable as well. For dessert, I opted for the Pudim Flan, and the Mousse de Chocolate. I couldn’t finish mine, even though it was really delicious, but there was no Mousse de Chocolate for me to even sample.
I tried two wines, a red and a vinho verde. The red was good, though not as dry as I was hoping, and the verde was way sweeter than I was hoping, but overall, both were ok.
The service was a little slow, especially being one of three tables in the entire restaurant on a Tuesday night, but at least they weren’t obtrusive and in-​your-​face. Our sever had a decent sense of humor, especially since half of our party was an hour late.
Bottom line: I’d go back if I wanted to have someone experience good Portuguese food in CT.

I recommend the white sangria, outdoor seating and the pre fixe menu. The service was decent, not steller, a little slow with the first round of drinks, but good after that.
It was a first visit for everyone in my party and all of us were really happy with our meals. I had quail soup, duck with some sort of amazing raspberry sauce and chocolate mouse for desert. All were awesome.
PS The patio is unexpectedly nice and despite being on a very busy street, manages to feel quite private.