Ostras & Coisas

Seafood and oyster bar in Porto

Fresh crab with brown meat and garlic bread

Checking out a seafood restaurant was high on my agenda when I was planning my Porto trip. However, from my research, it appears all the major and iconic seafood restaurants are located in Matosinhos, the westside of Porto which is by the ocean. As I was staying in central Porto, travelling is not really ideal for me so when I discovered there is a modern seafood bar in downtown Porto, especially specializing in fresh oysters, it was a no brainer for me to give it a go. Ostras & Coisas has a strong selection of seafood items on the menu, in fact, there are no vegetables or meat dishes on the menu. You can see the daily catches on the display counter at the front of the restaurant, it also has a few water tanks, filled up with fresh lobsters and crabs.

Seafood counter

Barnacles

Oysters

I opted for an unusual seafood item in the name of barnacles, a chewy arthropod that had a strong taste of the sea. It was served raw and it is not a bad snack at all. The oysters at Ostras & Coisas were indeed great, it all tasted very fresh and creamy, at just two euro per oyster, that is a very good value for money deal. The cold dressed crab had tones of brown meat that mixed with crab roe and mayonnaise, and it worked like a treat with the side of toasted garlic bread. Out of the hot dishes, the grilled prawns were done to a great standard, nice seasoning with just a right level of smoky aroma. However, I would have preferred the prawns to cooked whole instead of chopping in half in order to maintain more moisture.

Grilled scallops

Clams cooked in olive oil and white wine

BBQ prawns

Ostras & Coisas indeed offers good quality seafood, I would not rate it really special, the freshness of the ingredients was unquestionable for sure, but I felt the hot dishes could be a touch better, given I had a meal at Taberna Dos Mercadores which is not far from Ostras & Coisa, and Taberna Dos Mercadores was just a touch better given they use similar ingredients. The strange thing about Ostras & Coisas is that it has 2 floors, the downstairs is a modern bar with trendy decor with a lively atmosphere, while the upstairs space is very traditional, almost like a formal dining room with a rather dull space. You can have a very different dining experience, depending on which floor they ended up placing you.



Food 3/5


Average cost without drinks and services:
£40

Rua da Fábrica nº73, 4050-247 Porto, Portugal

https://www.ostrasecoisas.pt/