Casa Da Insua - Penalva do Castelo

We were tired and didn't want to drive, so we went down to the hotel dining room for dinner on a Saturday night. A mistake. Although the atmosphere is lovely, the food was sad. Bread was minimal and not good quality and the my pasta with vegetables was pathetic. Overcooked fusilli and barely any vegetables in a tomato sauce that tasted like it came out of a bottle. Also, we got to the restaurant about 45 minutes before it stopped serving. As we waited for our food and while we ate, servers noisily closed down other tables around us not a very pleasant environment. They weren't very attentive to us and seemed more interested in getting the room ready for breakfast the next day. Luckily the wine was good.

Plush restaurant in an historic plush hotel, worth a booking to ensure a safe table reservation, this space does not cater to a crowd. Very attentive staff provided a menu in Portuguese and English with regional and seasonal dishes with a wine choices direct from their own winery. A small tasting bowl compliments of the chef arrived before bread and other chosen food courses. The veal and pork cheeks both our choice, came perfectly cooked and tender. The wine was tasty and moorish. The deserts local, fresh and tasty. The portions are more than adequate and you won’t be leaving hungry. This is a high end 5 star restaurant in a 5 star hotel, and a perfect end to a day relaxing and sightseeing with the perfect local views.

My wife and I had the gastro meal deal for dinner. The room is beautifully furnished and we were shown to our seats promptly. It was busy at 7.30pm and the front of house staff and kitchen staff struggled at times. Our courses were slightly too long in arriving, but they were working flat out. We were given a few free nibbles plus a wide choice of local breads; all delicious. My wife chose the beetroot salad and I had the cod confit, both excellent. The mains of squid ink pasta and octopus rice were fabulous. I finished with a 'thistle pudding ', a local type of bread pudding which was satisfactory. We chose the reserve house wine (they produce their own wine onsite). Overall a very good meal

Estuvimos unos dias de descanso y puedo asegurar que el menú que tienen (el mismo comida y cena) y la carta son excelentes, simplemente con el menú uno se llena. Buenísima la ternera estofada con patatas también pechuga de pollo, hongos y taglatelli , el vino tinto de la casa es bueno y de postre crema de maracuyá con bola de helado de café riquísimo. Buen servicio muy atentos y se cumple el protocolo de covid, distancia y mascarillas y el aire es depurado.

Nada a dizer..... espaço, serviço impecável..... uma casa que vale a pena visitar cheia de historia, com um jardim muito giro