Adega Restaurante

I’ve eaten several times at Adega. It’s not an everyday kind of restaurant unless you consider $ 250 for three including tip inexpensive. It is however a safe bet both for business meals as well as special occasions. And its location on Elm Street across from the Eaton Chelsea Hotel is ideal. Definitely worth a splurge if you are spending a few nights at the hotel.
One of their specialities is squid, which comes grilled and is delicious. A friend had the daily special — grouper with a mango salsa. He pronounced it excellent, as was his vegetable soup. The salads while not large are all flavourful and very fresh. My favourite dessert is poached pear with marscapone cheese, but there are more decadent options.
The ambience is very enjoyable. I’ve never found noise from other tables a problem. The service is perfect — there when they need to be, but never intrusive.
I’ve been fortunate enough to eat in their wine cellar in the basement, It’s a wonderful location for a group dinner. A cold winter’s night in Toronto suddenly feels like Portugal.
It’s also helpful that they are open on Monday evenings, which many restaurants aren’t.
I look forward to my next visit.

PRO: Very nice décor. We get to set in the wine room it was quiet and great to have conversation with everyone.
CON: The bartender doesn’t know his drinks. I requested a «Tom Collins» and they served it to me in a whiskey glass?!
COD fish was blande and tasteless

I would stay away from this restaurant. I went there just by myself, with no reservation and they told me it would take, at least 45 minutes. 4 other business guys, very well dressed and with no reservation, got a table within 2 minutes. What would you call to this?

3.5 star… we did some minor Unilocalsearch before heading over to this place for my burpday dinner… so I had expectations coming in… maybe that’s just not the right approach???
So we ended up ordering calamari, octopus, seafood risotto, We pretty much ordered alot from the Unilocal recommendations except for the catch of the day… cuz I wasn’t attracted to sea bream… the service was pretty good as they checked up on us quite frequently… olives and bread was refilled promptly…
Nothing really Wow’d me in general… everything was a balance 3.5 star well deserved… the. seafood risotto was filled with seafood but the ratio of risotto rice was not there. it just felt more like a seafood only dish. not risotto…
We ordered one prix fixe as one of the guest wanted to try it so we gave it a shot… agree with Jennifer K. that it wasn’t good at all. you can tell the difference in taste and in plating…
Prix fixe is probably made by the sous chef or something…
All in all, it’s an A-​ok place…

My husband and I love this restaurant. We are regulars and go there often. I’m vegetarian so I really only have 2 entrée options — the mushroom risotto or a custom-​ordered vegetarian pasta dish with olive oil or tomato sauce, but both are to die for. :D I usually cannot resist the pasta dish because the made-​from-​scratch pasta is heavenly. We love seeing our favourite waiter there and service is always impeccable.
One time there was a new waiter who was not the usual (who would remember our usual orders!). He misunderstood my custom-​order vegetarian pasta and thought I wanted just pasta with nothing in it so that was what I got. XD He felt so bad and immediately rectified it by getting the chef to rush up a pasta dish with vegetables in it for me. But I was not upset or anything. I just think back on that moment and laugh.
The moral here is that it is okay to make mistakes as long as the clients still feel they are being treated with respect. This is a great restaurant and we look forward to going there many times more. :D

Probably the best Portugese food I’ve had in Toronto. Got the seafood saffron risotto and it reminded me of Portugal so much. Seafood is fresh & tasty and staff are warm and welcoming.

my husband chose to take the pre-​fix which was one of tow choices of: starter, main, dessert and hot drink. He chose a grilled calamari, linguini with tiger shrimp was bad because the taste of barbecue sauce was overwhelming and for dessert white chocolate cream caramel was nice, all of it was 35 $, seams reasonable compared to what I had: fish of the day which was grilled sea-​pas with lemon and garlic loved it but it was alone around 35 $!!

I was very excited to try this place. Actually went here for my birthday lunch since my team at work let me choose where to go.
When we went, there was no AC in the restaurant. It was so hot — we were sweating.
FOOD:
1. Shrimp Bisque — with dungeness crab aoili
This was really good bisque. The soup really had the thick shrimp flavour and there was a lump of dungeness crab that goes well when you mix it with the soup.
2. Seafood Saffron Risotto — with mussels, shrimp, squid and fresh fish
Everything about it was really good! The seafood were all fresh and cooked perfectly. The rice was cooked with the seafood «broth» so it has a delicious seafood taste to it.
I’m very torn with this dish because I find it to be in between a paella and risotto — like it’s sort of unsure about it’s identity lol. And I personally love paella and risotto already so having this «in between» dish makes me wish it wasn’t in between.
3. Cataplana (Portugese Fish Stew) — bouillabaisse of mussels, shrimps, clams, squid and fresh fish in a tomato broth
My friend, who’s a seafood person, had this and she said it was so-​so and unremarkable. I didn’t try it so I can’t really comment.
4. Birthday Dessert — some sort of chocolate cake
It was good, but nothing special. It was too rich in chocolate such that it might be too much for one person to finish.
OVERALL:
I had so much hope as it was very promising to hear about a highly rated Portugese Restaurant in Toronto. It was very underwhelming. It’s not really something I’d be excited to go back for.

This restaurant has excellent location– it allows to quickly escape the busy downtown atmosphere for an authentic relaxed street.
The food is here is amazing ! I had octopus and pork belly appetizer and the squid entrée, both of which we’re exceptional. I tried a big of the shrimp entrée as well and it was equally as delicious, a nice spicy sauce with perfectly cooked shrimp. Our service was fantastic and the server was very friendly, polite and knowledgable of the food.
Reasonably priced for an excellent dining experience.
Defiantly coming back here.

Considering how I ate every morsel and even ordered dessert despite being full, I’ve considered and am bumping them up to 5 stars.
If I’m in Toronto again, I will definitely stop by and dine again!

I had lunch at Adega last week for a co-worker’s retirement party, and we ate downstairs in the private dining room.
Décor: The dining room is your typical wine cellar — bottles upon bottles lining the walls, crates, and an actual little cellar which added an interesting dimension to the room.
Ambience: Upscale, perhaps a bit of an older crowd, but pleasant enough.
Service: Waiter was incredibly knowledgeable about the different wines and pairing them with our meals, as well as being very patient with our large party. We had a few «difficult» guests making their own requests and comments, but he handled them gracefully and patiently.
Meal: I had the seasonal baby green salad with a champagne shallot vinaigrette for starters, and it was incredible. The dressing was tangy, fresh, and the dish was plated beautifully. I had the pan roasted breast of capon with a mushroom herb sauce, mashed potatoes, and market vegetables for my main course. I would’ve liked a bit more of the vegetables rather than the few string beans I got, but the breast was huge and there was a hefty amount of mashed potatoes. The sauce was very flavourful, and there was a generous amount of it too. The dessert was a bite-​sized trio of a cheesecake, pecan caramel square, and a custard-​type square. Not a big dessert fan, but these were the perfect size for a post-​meal sweetness and I cleared all three.
Cons: While I really liked everything that i had, i’m not sure anything really blew me away in terms of flavour or uniqueness. I’d be open to returning and trying some different dishes for a more authentic Portuguese flavour.

A wonderful experience on a Friday night. Came here with two friends for a late birthday dinner. We got greeted, got offered to hang our coats, and seated immediately upon arrival. Upon being seated, our waiter offered us sparkling or iced water, described to us the roughly half dozen specials for the evening, and told us to take our time. He refilled our water, checked up on us throughout the evening, and never rushed us to get out the door, even after paying.
We started off with complimentary bread and olives, as well as an amuse bouche (which was salmon tartare that night iirc). My two friends ordered off the prix fixe menu while I had a seafood saffron risotto and a crème brûlée. The pan-​seared salmon and the pieces of fish in the risotto were moist and delicious, and so was everything else. The portions were nice and there was lots of seafood in the risotto. The crème brûlée was yummy but the cookie dough that came with it was so-​so, it could have used a scope of sorbet.
I will be back!

Great fresh fish! Very light seasoning to bring out the natural taste of the fish. The grill sardines were delicious as well.

Visited Adega for the first time this week.
With seafood offerings in every section of the menu (minus dessert, duh) seafood foodies will not be disappointed.
I went with the Cataplana, a traditional Portuguese seafood stew served in a copper clam shell. I’m not well versed in Portuguese cuisine but it was delicious.
Flavourful and brimming with mussels, salmon and squid this dish could easily have been split between two diners but it was so so tasty I had no problems gobbling the whole thing. The pictures really don’t do it justice.
Fellow diners orders the whole sea bream and octopus and I look forward to trying both upon my next visit.
Because yes, there will be a next time.

Came for Valentine’s Day and although we were 40mims late we weren’t given any hassle about it and the service was amazing. Enjoyed every dish we had and although a little on the pricey side, everything was really well made and had no complaints. Would definitely come back here again and try their different menu options AND the lychee crème brûlée was to die for!

Absolutely fantastic experience. On one of the busiest nights of the year, Valentine’s day, I was blown away by the experience. My reservations was made a month in advance, and thank goodness for that!
We were seated at one of their private booths which was beautiful, well decked out and offered a nice intimate experience.
Wine was selected quickly from their extensive wine list, after which we went on with our seafood orders. We were also offered bread with olives and olive oil, and the waiter brought in an amuse bouche compliments of the chef.
The grilled calamari was cooked perfectly and had great presentation. She ordered the jumbo shrimp with piri pier sauce-​spectacular!
I have a personal favourite-​seafood saffron risotto for the great mixture of seafood-​scallops, shrimp, fish, mussels, calamari etc. It was served a bit too hot however (minor critique. I know), but I prefer things served with the perfect eating temperature.
We were given enough privacy, and were taken care of quite well. Could not have asked for a better experience and will be back again!

I think I just had a bad experience here because everyone really seems to like the place. Maybe it was an off day for the chef.
My husband and I went with another couple here for dinner and we tried the Cataplana, Seafood Saffron Risotto and Fettuccine with Scallops and Smoked Bacon. All these dishes were good but nothing really blew my mind, not the way I expected after having read the reviews. My friend and I had the Risotto, although I finished mine she didn’t. I liked the Risotto but I feel it lacked enough saffron. The Fettuccine was really good though. The Cataplana my husband tried and said was ok-​good.
We did have a really nice white wine though, the name of which I forgot but they have a good list.
I think I would like to give this place another chance since so many people love it. I find it hard to believe we didn’t like it as much.
PS: The quantity of food they served was really good.

The food and service at this place are both great. We had the grilled squid appetizer, which was cooked perfectly and delicious. I had their signature grilled octopus with a caper tomato salsa, which I thoroughly enjoyed. My GF had the seafood rissoto, which comes with mussels, shrimp, squid, and chunks of whitefish.
Prices are reasonable for the quality of the food. Highly recommended and I’ll likely be back next time I’m in Toronto.

Made a reservation for the last slot, but my flight was delayed. I took a cab straight to the restaurant, hoping it would still be open. Alas, it was closed! But a server spotted me outside and once I explained my situation he graciously accommodated me.
I ordered the octopus and goat cheese salad. Absolutely delicious and cooked to perfection, I licked the plate. The colors were presented beautifully, leaving streaks of red and violet on my plate from the vinaigrette and sauce on the octopus. For dessert, I ordered the egg concoction, which was not too sweet and light. There was a mango and passion fruit salad on the side as well. It was exactly what I was looking for and the consistency was on point. I crave that dessert up to today. I took a white chocolate flan home, which was OK. Not as stellar as the egg dessert but the white chocolate flavor was noticeable.
I will definitely be back and would recommend this restaurant to anyone who is visiting Toronto and wants to try something different. I have had Portuguese food before, but not in such an elegant and relaxed atmosphere.

It was our first time to Adega and we loved it. The ambience and décor is nice. The service was excellent and the food was fantastic.
We had the grilled squid and crispy pork belly as an appetizer along with the Portuguese seafood stew and seafood risotto as our main courses. The seafood were all cooked perfectly, nothing over or under cooked.
95% of the time, we never order dessert but the lychee crème brûlée was something we couldn’t pass up. It was delicious! Not too sweet and the hint of lychee made it unique.
The prices are very reasonable considering the food is delicious.
We will definitely go back!