Leitao

“Can’t recommend this place enough. Definitely one of the best restaurants in the West Village which is saying a lot cause the competition is stiff. We frequent this restaurant and are always blown away by the food and service. Just recently, we sat at the bar to dine for the first time and immediately were met with the level of service we expected from our amazing bartender. Unfortunately, we ventured on the menu and got something we didn’t quite love. Everything else we got was 10/10 as usual. The bartender immediately took care of it and got us dessert on the house. He also wouldn’t let us leave a tip despite us begging to do so (we hate sending stuff back). Just goes to show that the service staff there isn’t necessarily in it for the money but instead to give the guests a good experience. I wish I could remember the name of the bartender but you know who you are! We’ll definitely be back soon to make up for your graciousness. These are some older pics of our favs.”

“Had an amazing experience enjoying Portuguese cuisine at Leitão. The food was absolutely superb, our steak was perfectly cooked, tender, and flavorful, and the arroz de marisco was rich, fresh, and incredibly satisfying. A special thank you to Juliana for her professionalism and attentiveness throughout our visit. She was very accommodating and made sure we had everything we needed. Manager Frank also stood out by warmly welcoming us with genuine kindness, which set the tone for a great dining experience. Highly recommend this place if you’re looking for authentic Portuguese food paired with excellent service.”

“Amazing experience at Leitao! To start it off, the host Nano was so kind and helpful. I arrived before my friends and had to wait at my table for a bit so he got me champagne while I waited. Then our server Frank was just as friendly. He helped us choose our dishes. The stars of the show were the octopus (both salad and plated but I think the salad was the winner) and the fava bean spinach dip. Randomly, the bread was delicious and fresh. The croquettes were great as well. We also got the fries and ribs. We ended with the chocolate mousse, which was on fire so that was cool. As far as drinks go, the passion fruit margarita was my friend’s favorites but I liked the Porto sour. Overall, great experience thanks to Nano and Frank + the food lived up to the hype. It was a busy Friday night and they had to turn a lot of people away from the walk in list — make your reservations in advance!”

“On Christmas Eve, I went out for dinner at Restaurante Leitão in New York. We started with an octopus salad as an appetizer, served with an incredible little bread. For the main dishes, we had codfish and a francesinha — honestly, one of the best francesinhas I’ve ever had in my life, absolutely amazing. We were warmly welcomed by the owner, Nuno, who quickly realized we were Portuguese and made us feel right at home. We were served by Juliana, who was extremely kind and recommended the octopus salad, which turned out to be an excellent choice. To make the night even more special, they surprised us with two incredible desserts: a chocolate mousse with crumble and CRF Reserva, and a cinnamon-infused pear dessert that was absolutely delicious. I was also offered a glass of CRF Reserva, which was a fantastic touch and perfectly complemented the experience. A truly memorable dining experience and a place I would highly recommend.”

“I was excited to try the dishes as the photos in the menu looked spectacular. The french fries came first and it had the perfect kick of spice but lacked salt. The rest of the dishes were served together as requested. The broccoli rabe I did actually very much like. I tried the two different types of sausages and they were decent. (Disclaimer: Only one person was served the correct type of knife to slice the meat) All throughout the meal we used a butter knife to cut all the meats in the photo. I naturally veered to the Peri Peri Chicken as it actually looked glorious, but despite having the correct spice level it lacked salt. I tried to dip the chicken in the oil that it came with but it made no difference. The pork ribs in all honesty was the one that impressed me in this meal. It was in all honesty, perfection. (Disclaimer: Water was not refilled, we had to ask the staff twice for the service to be rendered) One thing to note that to make a reservation there is a stipulation. It states that there would be an automatic gratuity of 20 % at least. Good service should most definitely be rewarded, but to my experience I felt otherwise.”