Oporto Café

Came here on a whim Thursday evening. Fantastic food from start to finish, the Brie w/​figs, charred veggies, octopus, beef tenderloin, pizzette were all amazing. Too bad there was no room for dessert

it’s a divey little place! came here on a rainy thursday night so it wasn’t too packed. i’ve heard this tiny bar gets pretty crowded! anyways, pretty good wine menu and bites. tried the spinach and artichoke crostini with some pita bread — it was pretty good! anyways, i’d come back for sure, service was quick and friendly.

Great location for a quick bite after a day at the office. Truly enjoy the Portuguese cuisine and drinks.

Friendly service, eclectic wine selection, tasty food. Cozy atmosphere despite tucked into a Richmond Street strip mall across from a Costco.

We stopped by Oporto Café to take advantage of their Wednesday Night Steak and Wine special. Being there during their Happy Hour time frame, the bar was busy with patrons seated at a variety of indoor seating as well as at tables outside. We were seated and attended to quickly. The Carne y Vinho special included a 6 oz. Madeira pepper filet, a side of patatas bravas (a version of skillet style potatoes that was fantastic), brussel sprouts and a glass of wine for $ 21. I’m unsure if these are the standard sides for this special, but i hope so. When ordered, the steak is cooked as Medium Rare but you can request it to be cooked differently.
The crowd here consisted of a good variety of patrons, mainly young professionals: friends catching up, people taking advantage of the happy hour prices and even one enterprising lady who seemed to be catching up on work despite the noise level. It might have been the specific day that I was there but the crowd was 85% female. Thoroughly enjoyed the experience and will be back to check out more of their menu.

My favorite tapas restaurant and happy hour place in the city… Been here so many times and tried almost every item on the menu… Never gone wrong, it’s simply brilliant!!! Happy hour menu is super reasonable and offers a fantastic variety of tostas, pizzetes. Some of my favs includes the patatas, wings and risotto balls!

Oporto Café was my first time experiencing Portuguese food so that was part of why I wanted to check it out. They also have a fantastic happy hour on both drinks and a good number of appetizers until 7. Solid clap for extending happy hour until 7. Some restaurants do 6 and that’s ridiculous. With rush hour traffic, unless you’re very close to the restaurant, you have 30 mins or less to take advantage of HH at these spots.
Oporto is more of a wine bar. It’s pretty small with only a few tables, some seats at the bar, and three or four tables outside. The happy hour food menu mainly consists of various appetizers, tostas (panini), and pizette (pizza). I went with the arancini pomodoro (regularly priced app) and the shrimp, mozzarella, and pesto pizette. My partner in crime had the piri piri chicken wings and the patatas braves. After dining at Oporto, it looks like Portuguese food has a wide variety of culinary influences i.e. Italian, Spanish, and South African.
My favorite part of the meal was the pizza. Service can be a bit slow as our water glasses were never refilled and it took a while to get the check. The restaurant is located in a shopping center so it looks pretty plain from the outside but has some nice modern art and painted walls inside. Oporto has been around for a while and they also own Oporto Wine and Fooding House located in Midtown (which is pretty new). The restaurant is also owned by the same people who own Queen Vic.

Ok I ate dinner at the Oporto in midtown and lunch at this one. Both owned by the same people. One of my favorite dishes, bacalhao a bras is served here and it did not disappoint me at all! Plenty of codfish and seasoning was perfect. I had their caldo verde as well and it too was top of the charts! I plan on working my way thru their menu as well.

Setup: HH
The good: well priced HH food and drink, tasty bites and good wines, of note: HH bubbles (cava), curry HH chicken empanadas, HH spinach and artichoke crostini, daily menu mussels
The bad: parking can be ridiculous since it’s a shared lot, tables are small and very close together, it can be extremely loud, very dark inside, small space so it can be extremely crowded
Observations: It’s no wonder this place is mad hopping for HH. The food and drink is great for the price and the location is good for plenty of local businesses. Come with a group at your own risk… you may be waiting forever.

Oporto Café is a Portuguese tapas restaurant in a little shopping center on Richmond.
The foods and drinks were good, and their happy hour lasts from 3 to 7 Monday through Friday (which is awesome, because it seems like happy hour ends earlier and earlier in Houston these days)! My coworker and I tried the mushrooms a la Plancha, spinach & artichoke crostini, and smoked salmon & goat cheese crostini (and one special — a potato and cod croquette — not on the happy hour menu). We also had two Caipirinhas each — good, strong, and $ 6 a piece during happy hour.
We enjoyed the food and the drinks. The service was okay (we did have to flag someone down to get our check). The restaurant could use some updating/​modernizing, but overall, it’s a good place to grab some happy hour drinks and appetizers!

Food, beverages, ambiance and service were all impeccable!
Yummy flavors and delish tapas!

Everything here was incredible! The food, the drinks and they also have one of the best tiramisu cakes I’ve ever had! I highly recommend this spot to anyone in the area looking for a good hangout/​lounge type environment.

Let me start off by saying… OMG YES! I came here with one of my girlfriends for happy hour, which lasts till 7, an hour later than most places. We went crazy on the happy hour menu. We ordered the following:
The curry chicken empanadas, they were amazing with great flavor.
The presciutto wrapped dates — Didn’t really have any flavor, didn’t like it. It was my least favorite.
The Mediterranean eggplant crostini — these were good, would be better eaten warm. But good flavor.
Smoked salmon and goat cheese crostini — It was good but I’m not a big fan of goat cheese but I still ate it.
Grilled churizo — it was good, the sauce it came with made it better.
Turkey tosta — it was good but the flavor was bland. Nothing too special.
Spinach and artichoke crostini — OMG THIS WAS THE BEST! it was so amazing, the flavor was great. YOU HAVE TO TRY IT!
I will definitely go back and very soon too!

Their website states that they have over 50 wines by the glass from Portugal, but this location only had two on the night I visited and they were terrible. The food was okay, but not worthy of a return visit. Perhaps their other location is better.

A friend and I tried this place for happy hour on a Friday night. It was loud and totally packed except for a couple of tables outside which were empty. After 10 minutes of trying to find parking, we stood inside by the front door for almost 10 minutes waiting to tell a hostess/​waitress that we would just like to sit at one of the empty tables outside. This is where they lost a star for me, until they made it back later.
After we were seated, our service was fast and friendly. We were seated just a couple minutes before happy hour ended, but our waitress let us order from the happy hour menu about 5 minutes after it was over since she had kept us waiting to sit. This was really nice of her and not a lot of places in my experience will let you do this even if it is their fault you couldn’t order in time.
We ordered the HH mojitos, curry chicken empanadas, chorizo/​cilantro/​manchego pizzette, and the smoked salmon/​goat cheese crostini. Everything tasted great and was surprisingly filling. We had a fun time and loved the music being piped out from inside the restaurant.
Next time we will try to get there earlier for a seat inside to enjoy the vibrant décor and energetic crowd.

FYI-​This review is for my happy hour experience only. Met up w/​my girl Brittany D. for hh since it’s walking distance from her place. We arrived around 4:30 and there was actually quite a few group of people in there already. It’s located in a small strip so during peak hours parking might be a bit trickier. Their hh menu is awesome and easy on the pocket. Many diff cocktails and house wine for $ 5 – 6 as well as small plates for $ 4 – 7 I believe. Our small plates consisted of chicken curry empanada’s, shrimp pesto pizza and the salmon and goat cheese crositini. All items we ordered were tasty! Bartender was very attentive and took care of us making sure to refill our wine glass when we were low. :)
The place got pretty crowded later in the evening, I’d say we spent a good solid 3 hours there catching up and enjoyed every minute there. Best of all during our entire visit everything we ordered was from the hh menu so it was nice to save a bit of dough. Happy hour is from 3 – 7! I am looking forward to my next visit there and hopefully will try to check out the midtown location.

We wanted to get dinner first before our movie so we decided to come here. Having an amazing experience at the Oporto in Midtown we didn’t expect any less from this (original) location. We came on a Friday night at 7:30 PM and it was packed but fortunately, we were able to get a table right away for two.
Be prepared though to be sitting close to the people next to you. It can be pretty cramped when it is a full house in there. You have to carefully squeeze yourself in and out of the table so that your derrière is not brushing up against your neighbor’s table.
The staff is really friendly and tends to your requests right away. Definitely try the risotto balls and crab/​avocado crostinis — so good!

My husband and I met some friends here for happy hour for the first time, and I really have nothing negative to say about this place. Great happy hour specials, and as a wine lover, I was a bit surprised that the $ 5 house wine was a fantastic Malbec. The tapas were delicious, especially the curry chicken empanadas – incredible! It came with two and I could’ve easily eaten another order. The service was great and our glasses always stayed full. The place is small with a nice social ambiance. Will return.

I’ve driven by this place so many time but never had the chance to stop by. My wife and I had the chance to come here with friends and we were so pleased! The food was great and the prices are not crazy!
I ordered the potato and chorizo and it was wonderful! My wife had the chicken vindaloo and that did not disappoint either!
The place was packed but we were sat quickly! We will be back soon and will share this gem with our friends!

I’ve been here several times now and every time, the food and service has been phenomenal.
Things I liked:
1. The food — I’m pescetarian, so I’ve only tried their fish and vegetarian dishes. Highly recommend the Hummus appetizer… They had scallops as one of their weekly specials recently — those were cooked to perfection. Risotto balls also amazing. I wish I could remember everything I’ve ordered here but all you need to know is that I have not had one less than great dish!
2. The ambiance — dimly lit, casual, cozy spot. Feels like a café.
3. Service — very friendly waitstaff! I usually sit on the bar with my fiancé, and the bartender is also quick, attentive, and friendly.
Love love love this place and am officially trying to make myself a regular!

I really liked this spot! It’s a small restaurant but has a really cool vibe with the dim lighting, candles, and latin music (i’m a fan)! But the best part honestly is the food! The menu items have like a Spanish-​indian fusion theme and I’m half Indian and I love the latin culture so that works out! There were four of us so we shared four different tapas with each other and they were all so freakin good! Check out the pics! Definitely wanna go back next time I am back in h-​town! Enjoy! :-)

Great happy hour! We had the margaritas… You could tell it was fresh squeezed lime. It was awesome and strong for only $ 5-​$ 6 you can’t beat it. We also tried some of their small plates. We had the empanadas– which are fabulous! We also had the spinach crostini which was by far my favorite. Definitely worth trying! The flat breads were also great!
Three small plates and 6 margaritas for $ 60. Not bad for good quality food and amazing service!

This place was amazing! The only downside is that it is pretty small and most of the tables are a little crowded together. But the ambience is nice and the food was delicious.
We had mussels Oporto, crab & avocado crostini, canja (soup), and the risotto balls. Nothing was too over-​the-​top and all very flavorful. I love that it’s tapas and you can get a variety of different things to share.
The best part was the Portuguese coffee! Must try even if you’re not a coffee lover. It’s made with an almond liquor and milk (in addition to the coffee). Absolutely delicious and sweet enough to be dessert.
We’ll definitely be coming back. Can’t wait to try the one in Midtown as well!

Just received a very aggressive message in response to my honest review. I will not be back. It did not come from official Oporto account, but it appears that the individual who wrote it is a server there.

After reading many great reviews of this place, I was excited to try this spot for a friend’s birthday dinner. Unfortunately, I found myself disappointed and underwhelmed.
The restaurant itself is pretty small. Ambiance is cute and the soft lighting gives it a sort of romantic and trendy vibe.
As for food and drinks, I felt that there was much to be desired. We wanted to try the crab & avocado crostini, but they were out of avocados that night so we decided against ordering a crab crostini. We ended up ordering several other items from the dinner menu: mussels oporto, curry chicken empanadas, pizette piri piri chicken, caprese panino, arancini al pomodoro (risotto balls), and paella (was on a special menu). We also ordered another dish from the special menu, but unfortunately I cannot remember what it was. Additionally, we had red sangria to accompany our tapas. I felt like nothing was memorable. They did not taste bad but they did not taste good, either.
Service was average. Our server didn’t check in on us often and ask how our food and drinks were. He’d drop by to refill our drinks but never engaged in conversation.
I don’t think I will be back. I personally can’t justify spending money on pricey small plates that are just «meh».

Best Dining Experience I’ve Had So Far This Year
This place is in a little strip center on Richmond. Not impressive from the outside. We just chose it because it was walking distance from the movies.
Walking in at random, little did we know that we’d have such a great dining experience. We told our incredible waiter, Beto, «We’ve never been here before. You choose the food that best represents your restaurant. Bring enough to feed four people.»
Beto delivered. He started bringing out plates of tapas and we kept devouring: Crab and Avocado Crostini, Curry Chicken Empanadas, Baked Brie w/​Figs, Caldierada, Piquillo Pepper Rellenos. It was all perfectly prepared, and all delicious.
Food for four, plus 5 glasses of wine cost 180 dollars, before tip.
This unassuming little strip center tapas joint blew us away. Wish I could give it 6 stars for food and service.

With 2 locations (Greenway Plaza and a new location in Midtown), this sister to Queen Vic is a tapas restaurant with Indian /​mediterranean influences that never ceases to impress. The selection is large and reasonably priced. they also have one of the better happy hours around, however, service can be somewhat spotty.
Overall, a great place if looking for tapas at a reasonable price.

I crave you.
One day I randomly wanted to just go to a random happy hour place with my significant other. I looked up places for happy hour and oporto caught my eyes!
When we first came in, it was just super packed so there was a bit of a wait. The tables were very close to one another so you can kind of hear your neighbors conversation next to you. The servers were very nice but it was probably so crowded that we did not get the best service. I haven’t been back since my first visit but I’m looking forward to come by again really soon. We started off with a few mixed drinks that were pretty good like mojitos, sangria, and margaritas and then we had a few tapa plates after. :)
–Chicken Curry Empanadas– loved it, it was great.
To me, these were the best empanadas I’ve ever had!
–Patata’s Bravo — basic, just tomatoey potatoes, but I love potatoes in general so they were good to me.
– Ham, Gouda, Pickles Aioli Tostas — it was alright, it was very simple and basic, I would not get it next time.
Overall, I’m going to keep coming back for the empanadassss! Good happy hour social place.

Let me start off saying that parking can be horrible, especially around happy hour. (HH is from 3 – 7 Monday to Friday). The parking lot is shared by other establishments in the same strip.
Food I’ve tried:
Chicken Curry Empanadas (3/​5, braised curry chicken in pastry and herb aioli): If it wasn’t for the creamy avocado/​cilantro sauce, then it would have been down a star. The sauce definitely was the factor. The chicken was rather dry with a slight flavor. It was hot and fresh though!
Oportobello (3/​5, marinated portobello mushroom, spinach, and artichoke gratin): I preferred this than the Chicken Curry Empanadas. It does have a lemon/​lime kind of marination, which was not too over powering. It’s a great option if you like mushrooms or vegetarian.
Baked Brie with Figs (4/​5, whole brie cheese wrapped in pastry, walnuts, fig preserves, and fresh fruit): First of all, there was still paper present in the brie. They forgot to remove the paper completely before serving the brie. Otherwise, I loved the brie!!! So yummy, the crust was flaky and nice. We completely devoured this dish. There was a slight sweetness from the fig preserves that complimented perfectly. Fruits were ripe too. Great to pair with wine!
Foodwise, decent for a tapas restaurant. I would come try the various dishes at HH. Service was rather slow. There were two waiters walking around. Oporto Café is a small venue, where it gets very loud. The tables are about an arm apart from each other. what do you expect though in a small place like this? They are picky with where you sit, and they require all of your party to be present in order to be seated. Also, it may take a while to find available seating during peak hours. It is true, you do see a lot of first dates here. Quite entertaining to watch at times.
Lastly, Oporto Café recently expanded out in Midtown, called Oporto Fooding House & Wine.

This place is pretty tiny and can get kind of loud considering the tables are super close to one another. I went for happy hour and was pleased with the menu. We enjoyed every plate except for the wings. They weren’t crispy and the flavor was alright. They tasted frozen and microwaved. I seriously loved the salmon and goat cheese crostini! The empanadas were also delicious. The service was okay, not the best. We had to flag our waitress down and she forgot to put in/​bring us our drink orders. The food runner didn’t know his tables? He would come out with food and go to each table and ask if it was their order. He interrupted us 3 times… I am not dying to go back, but I would eventually return for the crostini’s and empanadas. They serve this mouth watering pesto aioli with most plates and it’s absolutely divine.

Met friends here for dinner — lots of first dates were there that night — it was rather comical to watch. I only had drinks (Tito’s and soda — they were all good). My husband had the goat cheese and turkey sandwich, which was tasty. I also tried the lamb meatballs –yum.
Obviously, this is a great place to meet that person from online (LOL) or regular friends. It is very laid back and friendly.

Just came here for happy hour 3−7pm on a Thursday night. We luckily got a table for 6 — amazing! Especially as it was 6:30 and it’s a pretty small place.
What we tried:
Shrimp and pesto pizzette — cute pizza that was quite tasty and yummy good cheese.
Ham and Gouda tosta — basically like a panini but the bread is so crispy and delicious. I really liked this one.
Curry chicken empanadas (2) — a bit spicy actually but goes well with the dipping sauce. If you can’t take a little spice, I wouldn’t recommend these.
Salmon and goat cheese crostini — mixed emotions. I love the salmon and cracker /​bread but I have a hard time with goat cheese. Still good, but probably even better if you like goat cheese.
Patatas bravos — decent potatoes and had a lot of sauce but nothing crazy.
Piri piri chicken — 4 cute little chicken wings with almost a tomato sauce? Is that piri piri?
Chorizo and romesco — the chorizo looks like sausage links over a sauce. Again, okay but nothing crazy.
Drink– mojito. Just okay– not much there; good if you can’t take much alcohol.
Dessert– bola de Blancha? Or something like that. It’s the Portuguese tiramisu. Soooo good! We all agreed that It may even be better that tiramisu. Try it!
I would recommend getting maybe 2 – 3 tapas for each person and sharing. We actually got quite a lot and put up a bill of $ 130 between the 6 of us. Tip already included for a group of 5 or more. It’s like $ 23 a person.
Atmosphere: small with tables along the wall and a few lounge-​ish chairs in the front. Then the bar. It can be pretty noisy but quiets down a little bit later on in the night.
Service: excellent and very prompt. They sat two of us right when we got in and let our table slowly grow to the table next to us as a few more of our friends trickled in. They also quickly got our drinks and orders in.

What a lovely place for happy hour! Oporto is located in an unassuming shopping center, so parking isn’t too painful. HH is 3 – 7 M-​F, and it gets busy after 5:30. Like others have mentioned, don’t bother bringing large parties here because space is limited. I wouldn’t bring more than 4 people here.
I glanced around at the regular menu prices, which are pretty steep, so definitely take advantage of their HH!
Capirinha — über strong
Sangria — fruity and sweet, perfect for lightweights like me
Potatoes bravas — the outer layer wasn’t very crispy, and it’s more spicy than tomato-​y
Curry empanadas — one of the more popular items, but I wasn’t blown away
Fig/​prosciutto/​mozzarella tosta — the «fig» part is actually a jam. I was a little disappointed, but the sandwich is still very tasty
Grilled chorizo — spicy and oily, no complaints!
Paella — we ordered this off the regular menu. DELICIOUS. The portion is super tiny, though, and the price is def not worth it.
They are opening a second location in Midtown (soon?) I hope the space is larger so they can accommodate larger groups :)