Porto Lounge in Bristol, City of

Always great food, quick service, good price 😊

Horrible the fries were cold and double deep in oil to re heat no staff to greet you so we were just wondering around then we went to the bar staff don’t acknowledge you so I had to ask how does it work here🤬

Porto Lounge is a great addition to Fishponds! The restaurant is really beautiful and an amazing experience throughout a visit here. The food here is always tremendous, and is my go-to place when hanging out with friends and family. The staff here are super nice and very prompt in serving food. The only downside I can think of with Porto Lounge is the price but this is negated by the portions offered.

Only stayed for a coffee and it's an okay place.

Tapas Tuesday is always great value a choice of three tapas and a drink for £13.95

A regular spot for us. Relaxed feel with good food and friendly staff. Works if you're looking for a full meal or just a drink. Very good with catering for allergies too!

Great venue for breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner! Great food, friendly staff and lovely atmosphere. Welcoming for families. Newspapers and games available too. Visited again for coffee with friends at 4pm. Relatively quiet which was nice, relaxed atmosphere. Highly recommend the chocolate brownies!!

This is a place to go when you want to hang out with a group of friends. Affordable drinks. The building seems to be well built due to the headroom so u dont get disturbed from the noise from different tables.

First time visit to Porto but will def be back, loved the atmosphere, staff were friendly and helpful so I chose the shakshuka, glad I did it was delicious thanks for the recommendation to the server, sorry didn't get the guys name. Coffee was good too, will def be back

We called in on the off chance for breakfast and we were pleasantly surprised. We ordered off the QR code on the table and service was swift. Food was delicious and good quality ingredients. Enjoyable

Nice atmosphere, cosy and friendly. We only had coffee but the place was welcoming.

Had a fantastic dining experience! Was welcomed with enthusiasm and immediately made to feel very welcome. Would highly recommend

Nice cafe bar! Had coffee and cake. The staff were polite and welcoming. Good place to chill and enjoy the decor, some sofas chairs to spend some relax.

Nice environment,,good service.. Prices of drinks expensive.

Great decor however lacked atmosphere, food wasn't bad, although portion size wasn't the best for the money, chips were luke warm, won't be rushing back anytime soon.

Absolutely amazing and I believe the perfect restaurant

The food is quite nice. It's bigger on the inside than it looks outside. There are interesting themes around. Food is OK priced, I wouldn't say it is well priced nor expensive. The menu is different to many other places.

My Partner was away visiting family for the weekend but, as usual on a Sunday, my Son was visiting for the day. To be honest I was too busy, and a bit lazy with kitchen duties. So, deciding to not cook, I treated us to lunch at this restaurant in nearby Fishponds, arriving just before 13:00. It wasn’t busy, so it was easy to get a table without having to perch on the high tables with barstool seating (these are not-at-all comfortable). Our chosen table had only one of the disposable paper menus (which double as place mats). So, I went to the bar, about 3mtrs away, to ask for another menu. The senior member of the waiting staff I addressed was working at the till and, rather impatiently I felt, said “Just a moment please.” I waited and explained I needed another menu. She walked to the opposite side of the room (I followed) and took a menu from a large pile. She then followed me to our table and said “It’s not been cleared” and motioned to another member of the waiting staff. She then said “When it has been cleared, new menus will be provided”. There was definitely a bit of tetchiness in her demeanour, and there had-been right from the start of our encounter. She waked-off and then returned almost immediately and proceeded to demonstratively wipe the table, and then provided two new menus. I let it go, but on another day I would have pointed-out that I was unaware that the table hadn’t been wiped; it had looked clean to me from where I was standing. We ordered food and soft drinks using the ‘Loungers Ordering’ smartphone app and that all worked well. The drinks arrived promptly and we had all our food in under 15 minutes. To drink (ordered separately by my Son): A tin of Cawston Press Cloudy Apple and Rhubarb (for myself); this was a really pleasant drink, but the rhubarb flavour was a little too mild for me. My Son ordered a still mineral water. We had both chosen the three Tapas plates (an offer saving £1.60 per person). The choice of tapas plates here gets smaller and smaller: there is now only 15 plates in total on the menu. Only five are meat-based and two of those are chicken wings that have very little meat on them. Also one of my favourite meat dishes: the Meatballs (both Spicy Meatball Tagine and Meatball Marinara) have been totally dropped from the menu. As a meat-eater I feel that there is now a diminished range of choices for me. I also enjoy fish, however there are only two fish based plates; but one of those is squid (I totally dislike squid as it is practically tasteless). The emphasis is on vegetarian plates, representing over half the menu. Food plates ordered: Mini Pulled Brisket Chilli (one each); as usual this was excellent, very tasty, and is my current favourite tapas plate here, a really good soft and tender meat texture. Cheddar & Sweetcorn Fritters (a non-meat plate for myself); this was surprisingly good for a ‘veggie’ plate, with a good melted cheese texture and the chipotle chilli jam was quite tangy. Spicy Beef Salsa Quesadillas (for myself); very good plate, but a bit messy to eat. Patatas Bravas (for my Son); looked very good, and obviously was, as it was all eaten. Garlic & Parmesan Fried Chicken Wings (for my Son); these looked small, and allowing for the batter, skin and bones there couldn’t have been much meat. Fries (one serving each); this was my main ‘carb’ plate, but my Son probably shouldn’t have ordered them as he had the Patatas Bravas. The fries were better than average, thankfully not being salted. Tenderstem Broccoli (for me); a bit disappointing as the stems were quite thick, and because they were (absolutely correctly) cooked al dente, the somewhat brutish stems were too tough to be enjoyed. I would suggest that the ‘tenderstem’ quality is only achieved by far more severe trimming before steaming. My Son ordered a Chocolate Brownie for dessert, I abstained; it was enjoyed, but as previously observed it was not a lifechanging experience.

Lovely food and drink but the music was too loud. I asked them to turn it down, which they did a little, but it was still loud!

Just had the Tuesday tapas deal with wine, it was delicious and excellent value! I would definitely recommend

Loved the salad I had - so filling and delicious

Good breakfast shame about the ketchup!!

Love the lounges around Bristol anyway, but since they’ve moved around the corner to a bigger premises, absolutely divine the men changed and we couldn’t be happier will be back

Great tasting food. Value for money. Friendly welcoming team. Dog friendly.

Porto lounge always hits the spot! They’re fab for gluten free and the team here are so attentive and helpful! Ruby especially is absolute incredible and basically has been sent from heaven because she’s so incredible and amazing! She’s just the best!

Coffee is ok. Speedy service but music is too loud.

Great atmosphere, light ,good choice of wine and beer ,especially having clearhead gluten free

Really good service, nice chips and burger but weak lemonade.

Overpriced Menu and served slop. Food Menu used to good with options of grilled chicken club sandwich served with a side salad ..now they serve fried battered chicken-no salad , barely in the sandwich either -all for near £11. Weatherspoons and other options is 60secs away… much better

the bang bang chicken gave my boyfriend food poisoning. he’s been throwing up all night because of it. not good 👎🏼

I loved this place, and they have a nice new larger building and won’t even allow the smallest bit of the building with separate door to be animal free. For profit you will eradicate day one people, and people with fears for profit. I love animals, …but on furnishings that babies may use? The recent surge of animal attacks… I just think with such a big building - you can’t accommodate everyone? Certain cultures fear of dogs aThis is a new wave that forgets certain people. Great food - atmosphere very changed for some.

Always a good place to eat and catch up

Beautiful and artistic place where you can spend a very nice conversation with your mates or have a good time with your family

Decent lounge, nice and airy with the windows open but a little dark in places even during the day. Great service and not a whole lot wrong during the swift cold drink stop.

What a wonderful place you have here! The atmosphere is spot on! And breakfast delicious! Service great and all staff we spoke to just so nice!

Love this place, great food (tried both tapas and main courses) reasonably priced, relaxed vibe, quick and friendly service, quirky decor, our go to.

The service provided was extremely unsatisfactory. We had placed an order for three colas and a coffee, along with a small pot of milk. Unfortunately, the waitress accidentally spilled the milk all over my six-year-old daughter. This incident greatly upset her, and as a result, our evening had to be cut short as we had to rush home to change her clothes. It is concerning that the waitress was holding the tray at our head height while attempting to serve the drinks. The staff members should receive proper training on health and safety protocols. Additionally, there were no managers present to address the situation. One can only imagine the potential consequences if it had been hot coffee that spilled on my child instead of cold milk. I cannot recommend this establishment as a safe and family-friendly environment, and we will not be returning.

The food was cold and undercooked eggs on my lounge eggs. The staff were miserable and no-one came to see if it was ok or offer us sauces, it wasn't even busy! We don't go out very often so I felt sad that we didn't feel happy when we left,no goodbye, atmosphere was dull. I'm surprised they don't make much effort seeing as there's four other eating places in competition, I certainly won't visit again.

I am a big fan of the Lounge chain, they provide good food & drink at reasonable prices and the staff are polite and helpful. On this occasion however, we were disappointed. We both had Lounge Burgers and although the burgers themselves were fine, the normally crispy fries had been replaced by flaccid chips of the type I would normally expect to be served in a Wetherspoons (no disrespect intended to Wetherspoons, they are just different). Onion rings could have done with being cooked for a bit longer and the coleslaw wasn't up to it's usual standard either. Hopefully a one-off...

Always great food. A good selection for different diets. I was with a bit of a fussy group but everyone found something they wanted.

Great venue outside of the city centre. Something for everyone (including kids).

I've always loved this place! ❤️They have an original artistic décor. A feast like in the best art gallery. I highly recommend it! 👌

Great place to go, nice atmosphere and their food was great.

Relaxed place great for a meet up or alone with a book

I've come here few times and there's something I've noticed becoming more frequent.. The local piss heads from the park and from down the road (wetherspoons) have started to make this place their own (I know this because I recognised a well known character from the area..) Loud, obnoxious, ill mannered, shouting and swearing. Happened today 14/05/24 at 3.30pm Myself and several other patrons just got up and left with baby in tow. Thankfully had already eaten by time it got intimidating. Nice staff, kid friendly with colouring, etc just being ruined by the aggressive types. Oh, and the last time I came, was being heckled by someone INSIDE for change, they were going table to table being forward. They swore at everyone and left. 5/5/24 on the upper level side.

Great for people with allergies as every time we enter we're asked if we need special menus. The coffee is the upper end of average (imo). I adore the vast amount of plants and boardgames available for families and food is good but a tad pricy.

Always perfect and welcoming. Also dog friendly

How they can charge nearly £10 for 1 and a half fish finger sticks in a ciabatta is crazy, so far too much bread and not enough filling

Disappointed with breakfast here on a few occasions now On full english Toast is not even toast just bread No butter offered Beans cold Waitress not really interested when told just got advised we will inform kitchen previously on two occasions ordered the breakfast muffin once had rock hard black bits in sausage & got told these were edible but from grill - how vile? Burnt muffin on another occasion So not great & staff are definitely not bothered by it

Visited a few times but today food was not up to usual standard. Poached eggs were hard and found the music was so loud it was difficult to hold a conversation

I really enjoy the vibe here and the food is very good.

Love the decor and music! Food wasn’t great. I had the Jamaican chicken curry - flavours were there but absolutely tiny amount of chicken. I would rather pay a bit more and get a decent amount. Hubby had nasai goreng rice dish which he said was just okay but again he was looking for the chicken! We mentioned this to a member of the team and eventually after a long wait some chicken arrived. Perhaps I will stick to a breakfast or a burger next time.

Lounges are typically pretty good and I think Porto has to be one of the best. Great brunch options, quirky decor and pleasant, attentive staff.

Nice vibe. Food is quite expensive but tasted good. Staff busy.

Cool decor as all of the lounges, good food and nice atmosphere. Definitely worth visiting.

I've been going to the Porto lounge since it was in its old position. It's much bigger now, so you know you can get a table. There are lots of gluten free options. I miss the old venue a bit though, just for the memories.

Average products but friendly staff

Can get very busy. Food is generally good.

Very good restaurant, even better since it has moved location (was good originally). The food is good value for money and the staff are very nice ☺️👍

This was an on-the-spur-of-the-moment Saturday evening visit to a favourite restaurant (evidenced by my 14 reviews here on TA). Our plan was to walk the 2.5 miles to here from home, and then return by bus. In the end our walk was curtailed, because I became distinctly weary about 1.5 miles into the walk; so we continued our outbound journey by bus. On arrival we were able to sit a table in the smaller dining room. We actually preferred being seated in here as it was quieter (the piped-music in the main area was much louder). Being in this smaller room did not affect the table service which was, as usual, very attentive. We studied the menu and decided to order burgers: my Partner chose the ‘Chicken Kyiv Burger’ whereas I chose the ‘Lounge Bacon Cheeseburger’, both with fries. We had agreed that we would again have a bottle of the ‘Rebeland’ South African Chenin Blanc which we have previously enjoyed. This is a really pleasant wine with peach flavours and gentle hints of citrus fruits. At £24.95 a bottle this is reasonably priced (for a restaurant). My cheeseburger was tasty, a good patty well cooked, but the fries were no better than average, as sadly they came ready-salted. I don’t know what it is about restaurants that just assume that I want salt (which I don’t). I wish they wouldn’t, or better make it optional by supplying salt at the table for those that want to risk increasing their blood pressure. I must admit I find fries boring, and prefer chunky chips any day. The Kyiv Burger was “OK” according to my Partner, but she said she would not order it again. There was noting specifically wrong with it, but it wasn’t what was expected; but at the same time she couldn’t say what was lacking. Her overall summation was that it was “OK, but nothing special”. The meals were not inedible, but in comparison to our favourite 3 tapas plates: the Mini Pulled Brisket Chilli, the Spicy Beef Quesadilla, and the (now discontinued) Meatball Marinara: it ‘wasn’t a patch’. We would not order either burger again. We ‘did desserts’ tonight with my Partner choosing the ‘Banoffee Cheesecake’ which was (once again tonight) “OK” but the filling wasn’t dense like a traditional cheesecake; it was rather insubstantial and less satisfying. Disappointing. For my dessert I had chosen the ‘Passion Fruit Semifreddo’ which I was really looking-forward to. This sadly was not available, so I chose the ‘Warm Chocolate Brownie’ instead; and I wish I hadn’t bothered. To me this wasn’t a brownie, which in my (admittedly limited experience) is a chocolate sponge with a slightly hard outer crust and with a warm glutinous liquid chocolate middle. The brownie here was just a piece of dense chocolate sponge, a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and a few dashes of chocolate sauce. Disappointing. So for the fist time in our many visits to ‘The Porto’ we left unimpressed with the food.

Good customer service. Great atmosphere

Very busy on Monday lunchtime but very quick and lush atmosphere

There’s no getting away from the fact that the Lounges have such reliably yummy food, good atmosphere and usually pretty rapid service. Excellent fries, which is very important to me 😄 Always a safe bet for any kind of meet up, day, night, adults, kids. Love that the menus are always fully available too.

Really good portion sizes. The venue is nicely designed and laid out internally.

Worst place I ever worked, I only worked their for 2weeks.nobody talks if you are an indian and the ladies who stand to take orders want us to obey them. No staff room to go for a break, no rest room for workers. We have to hold urine until the shift finish. No neatness in the kitchen. Whatever go down to floor they take it and serve it on a nice plates 🤣. Better to buy something from Lidil and eat.

We love the Porto Lounge and come often but our recent trip I didn’t like so much as the people next to us opened 2 tins of dog food spoon it into 2 takeaway burger containers and feed their dogs next to us with the smell of dog food while we were eating our food. I understand it’s a dog friendly place and totally get that but the dog food is it a step too far??

Came here for the quiz which was good fun. Really nice decor inside with lots going on with frame pictures, fixtures and fittings. Service and staff were great. Food was decent, I had the chimichurri Brisket burger, my partner had a gluten free cheese burger from their extensive GF menu. Overall great place... ... Oh and we came 2nd in the quiz! 🥈

Great choice of food for both my carnivorous friend and me as a vegan. I try something new every time we visit. It is great place to meet. Plenty of space around the tables. Always clean and the staff are wonderfully friendly:)

This year February is longer, and it already felt even longer with such bleak weather (either wet and warm, or dry and cold) so the days dragged-on. We decided we should take advantage of the Tapas Tuesday promotion here; being three tapas plates, and a glass of red or white house wine each, for a total of £12.75 each. So, we set-off a couple of minutes past 18:00 for Fishponds, on a bus, and arrived at the Porto just before 18:30. The Porto was heaving with people and the only seats available were either a sofa (not ideal as the low tables are not really suitable for eating), or we could have a high table with barstools (not ideal either as we find barstools, even well cushioned ones, most uncomfortable). It was however what it was, and we chose the high table. We studied the menu, chose our three tapas each; then I went off to the bar and ordered. I ordered two Mini Pulled Brisket Chilli, two Meatball Marinara, and two Spicy Beef Quesadilla (we do have similar tastes). For the free glass of white wine you can get glass of Verdejo house wine (worth £5.10). We do however enjoy the South African Cullinan View Chenin Blanc here, so I asked for an upgrade; this wasn’t a problem. Our wine was given to me at the bar, and the food orders would be brought to our table directly from the kitchen (I has pointed-out our table to the barman). The problem, a second or two later, was that a standard table had become available and my Partner was busy moving our coats. The kitchen would therefore have an order for the original table and not for our new table. The barman sorted it out for us, and our food soon arrived (at the right table). The tapas was super hot in fact the chilli dishes couldn’t be picked-up, at least without oven gloves; not a complaint just an observation. We ate the other two tapas plates and realising that both of our wine glasses were empty I returned to the bar to get a bottle of the Chenin Blanc whilst the chilli tapas cooled a little; that worked well. All three of our tapas plates were excellent choices, and it was difficult to nominate a favourite, but I felt I really enjoyed the Quesadilla most (on other occasions it could easily been another plate). My Partner nominated her favourite as the (super hot) chilli. We soon finished our food and sat back, relaxed, people watched, chatted, and drank our wine: the occasion was most agreeable. We mulled-over having a dessert, but nothing really appealed on the menu, so we didn’t. Once the wine was gone we departed for our bus (with unfortunately a 30 minute wait due to cancellations). A much enjoyed our visit here and the service was excellent: being prompt, pleasant and helpful.

Really lovely cup of tea with delicious flapjack.

Some of the staff were racist and uncoming towards me. Had quite the attitude towards me and the gentleman I was with. The young slender waitress with tattoos is kind tho. Bless her.

Lovely place. My daughter and I met a friend. We had a burger, which was nice but a bit messy to eat. Nice easy atmosphere with music in the background.

Very good breakfast spot Bristol, gets quite busy so arrive early. Good balance of food options are fairly reasonable prices. I’d come back for sure

Lovely chicken souvlaki flat bread, very tasty.

Had a wonderful time tonight at porto lounge staff could not do enough for us all food lovely as long as you dont mind waiting we did not. Brilliant evening thank you all

Most annoying you have to order at table via online service but that online is very slow and wants way too much info on you giving out personal details these days is not something most people are happy to do anymore to random websites

Just had a ☕️ coffee; very nice

Lovely and lively place. Delicious Coffee. Nice service!

Went to the Wednesday coffee and cake club with my baby. Lovely atmosphere and would definitely recommend.

Delicious food and a great atmosphere

Good food and nice atmosphere. Edit* I don’t know what I was thinking when I wrote this review 7 years ago. Food is mediocre and small portions. I think the coffee is ok but there’s now far better places to go in Fishponds.

I saw a dog as i walked in, i stroked the dog, I like dogs, dogs are cool. Had a top-tier burger with chips in a mug. Also, NWA was played. Good Times made me feel safe and warm.

Really nice ambience and good service. The Lounge menu is standard between branches but is good quality. A very good vegan menu

First time having the breakfast at the Porto Lounge and it was delicous. They do it all day and was very reasonably priced. The accompanying pot of tea and coffee were great. The serving staff are so friendly and helpful. I love the setting and it has such a relaxing atmosphere. Always a pleasure to come here.

Nice decor good vibe, had drinks and food tonight. Ordered a drink at the bar and stood there for 5 minutes with not even eye contact from the bar staff. Later found out most people order via the app . But dosnt excuse the bad manners. Ordered second round via app, works well, all good. Drinks delivered quickly but the server delivered the drinks and then left the empties same with the food table full of plates and cutlery all the cutlery and dishes left from the starters. Food good overall my dish very tasty though it looked like a happy meal. Staff were friendly and polite. But complete lack of understanding of hospitality and service. Casual and laid back being confused with unprofessional. Not as good as it once was.

Frequented the Porto Lounge many times in their old location and it was always welcoming. Went into their new location for the 1st time and found a starkly different experience. This started with a questioning of where we should sit, and the member of staff being anxious about us sitting on a table reserved for 1hr 40 minutes after our arrival (when we just wanted a quick drink) 🤷🏼. Then the gentleman behind the bar was awful. He insisted that I move down the bar to him for service, and responded with a contemptuous attitude and sarcasm when I questioned his refusal to meet the customer like at any other bar. Apparently food and drinks are to be ordered at opposite ends, which was not advertised. Even so, it didn't need to be followed by such rude theatrics. Needless to say I let him know how unpleasant he was and was served by someone much more helpful.

Excellent franchise brand. Had dri ks in Ringwood AGAIN...promised we will dine in soon but did do dinner at Porto in Bristol..above average for sure..good food and portions

Helpful staff. Great choice of food. Nothings too much. Returned a few times since.

We went to the Porto lounge in Fishponds this evening for dinner, firstly no one there to great us we weren’t sure whether we were meant to bd seated by member of staff or not. We waited for five minutes and then sat down where we could. Not a good start. We then waited at our table to be served , after a while nobody came along so we decided to go to the bar and order ourselves. Again not very professional. The food was acceptable and came along at a reasonable time & the price was around average however , no waiters or waitress to serve us anymore drinks or deserts. Is this a restaurant? Surely if so, there should have been some sort of table service. We feel very let down. We would have spent money had there been a professional service.

Obviously a popular venue we had to queue to get a table, but the reality of what we got did not match our expectations. Service was very slow and the eggs royal ordered by two of us was cold with overdone eggs, it was very disappointing! The fish finger sandwich and traditional breakfast ordered by the other two seemed ok. We ordered several refills for hot drinks which also took a long time coming. I don’t know if they were caught out by the full restaurant but clearly they were not coping. There are lots of alternative venues nearby and I think we will try one of those next time.

This was so much better than their last location, nice atmosphere lovely deco. Me and my partner will definitely be returning here again

I always love coming here for a full vegetarian breakfast. There is plenty variety of food and drinks and the prices are reasonable.

Called in on the off chance on a Saturday mid afternoon for a late lunch. Order at the bar. Service was great, we were made to feel very welcome. Food was piping hot and delicious, served really quickly,and the waitress couldn't have done more to ensure we enjoyed our experience. Buzzy atmosphere, airy modern venue, parking round the corner but easily accessible by public transport too. Good music,very popular. We'll be going back. Recommended - much more enjoyable than the immediate competition in the same area.

Good food and prices. Accommodating for larger group.

Seated us at a table, let us order and then 10 mins later told us we had to move as they needed this table for a larger party. Should have appropriately reserved the table and made that clear before seating us there. Poor planning and management.

Seated us at a table, let us order and then 10 mins later told us we had to move as they needed this table for a larger party. Should have appropriately reserved the table and made that clear before seating us there. Poor planning and management.

Delicious Miami breakfast, great staff and atmosphere, Food and drinks were served very quickly, lunch time

It has been a while since we visited the ‘Porto’; in fact this was our first visit to their new premises, which opened at the beginning of February this year. We have dined many times at the ‘old Porto’; which was undoubtedly our most visited restaurant of all time. The ‘new Porto’ is a stone’s throw from the old, much smaller, premises that we knew so well. On our arrival here today, at 14:00, most tables were taken, but we still had choices. We chose a table right in front of the bar; in the middle and about three-quarters of the way down the main dining room. Certainly this new place is larger, a lot smarter, and the tables are more generously spaced. It is definitely an upgrade to the former location. We absorbed the attractive view and the ambience, which was convivial and pleasing. If, however, the other (much smaller) room had offered us a table, we would have taken one in there. We studied the menu which is, of course, the same in all ‘Lounger’ restaurants. ‘Loungers’ offer really good fare at very reasonable prices. The food is generally very good and our favourite plates are undoubtedly the tapas. We needed to decide on the wine we wanted to order, and there were two wines that we fancied; both white (we only drink white wine). One was a South African Chenin Blanc, and the other was a Spanish Verdejo. We decided to sample a glass of each and then order a bottle of the one we liked most. Trouble was that, when the order arrived from the bar, the barista couldn’t recall which was which. We tasted both and preferred the one with the stronger zesty flavour. We asked for clarification and the barista poured another small sample for identification purposes, and we were able to order a bottle of the one we preferred. This was the ‘Cullan View’ Chenin Blanc at £21.50 (this is a good price for wine in a restaurant). We sipped our wine, studied the menu for tapas plates to order. Then we went to the bar and ordered our first three (and shared) plates: ‘Mini Pulled Brisket Chilli’ with mature cheddar, spring onion, chilli and yoghurt. A lovely savoury plate with such great flavours and textures, with the chilli-heat et al. This was my personal favourite, but only just with the … ‘Meatball Marinara’: Beef and pork meatballs in a rich tomato and pepper sauce, with veggie parmesan. The meatballs were quite firm, but not overly-so. The savoury flavours were enhanced with a lovely rich tomato and pepper sauce. ‘Spicy beef Quesadilla’ (kay-sa-de-ah) with mature cheddar, and a spicy tomato dipping sauce. This is a Mexican dish, and here it was a folded wrap of the meat and cheese filling, served with a chilli jam, and a little picked cabbage. This was the surprise plate for us, and was equal to the meatballs in how it pleased our palates. We ordered sides of gallic flatbread and fries to accompany these plates, and a little later we called for six more tapas for sharing. We ordered the same three plates, as before, plus: ‘Patatas Bravas’ with roasted garlic mayo; a good filler, and much needed with the second bottle of the same wine as before. ‘Cheddar and Sweetcorn Fritters’ with chipotle chilli jam, these were good, but not particularly our favourite plate. We wouldn’t order these again. ‘Mozzarella Arancini’ with a red pepper sauce, surprisingly good, but again not our favourite; we would be unlikely to order this plate again. We did have desserts with my Partner enjoying the ‘White Chocolate and Vanilla Cheesecake’ with a berry compote and maple mascarpone. I chose the ‘Warm Chocolate Brownie’ which I can’t say was particularly good, it lacked the runny chocolate middle which is the sign of a good brownie; it was just over-baked. We were sat at our table for about two and a half hours, eating or just relaxing and chatting, and drinking our wine. The service was very good. The food was mainly excellent, but two or three of the tapas plates could have been much hotter (and I don’t mean chilli hot).

Mediocre in all aspects. Not recommended.

Myself and my husband have eaten here many times and in other lounges as well. But tonight was disappointing. I have a gluten allergy and fancied the lounge burger and fries. But due to a light bulb in the kitchen exploding and went into the gluten free fryer, chips were off the menu. I then asked for the lamb goan curry, but no curries. I then ordered the Mexican bowl. Drinks arrived at our table only to have all my drink spilt over my husband! Accident I know but didn't make for comfortable eating for him. The food came, both meals were luke warm and mine was very small portions. I don't think we were meant to go out tonight but do feel the Porto Lounge has gone down hill.