The Raven Restaurant

I went on a Saturday night and had made a reservation, so I had no trouble finding a seat. The service was great, and the atmosphere was very cozy. We had mushroom appetizers, a filet with wine sauce and sun-dried tomato risotto, and a stuffed pasta; all excellent. The price was fair for the quality.

Very good cuisine. Pleasant atmosphere, good service. Good wine list and fair prices. We'll be back.

Unfortunately, my experience at Raven was quite disappointing. I'd been checking out the place for a while (about a year) on social media, eager to check it out. I was thrilled they were double-booking in POA, so for my anniversary, we ended up going there to celebrate. I made the reservation through the app and noted in the description that it was a special occasion. We arrived early and were excited. We brought a wine we'd received as a gift to enjoy throughout the evening. Right at the door, the first thing we noticed: there was no one to greet us. I believe they left for a few minutes, as the chair was empty. We waited a while for someone to arrive, but when they didn't, we decided to go in. In the hallway leading to the restaurant's main dining room, there were a few tables for two with candles, creating a very romantic atmosphere. We thought we'd have one of these, as, as mentioned, it was a special occasion, and we'd mentioned that in our reservation. Well, it wasn't. We entered the dining room—I'd like to point out that the second thing that almost made us decide not to stay was the very strong smell of poorly cleaned bathrooms, dirt, mold… I can't quite put my finger on it, but it wasn't a pleasant smell. Not even the aroma of the food was overpowering.We greeted the waiter at the cash register and informed him we had made a reservation. He then, unfriendly, directed us to the second floor. This was the third thing that made me unable to hide my displeasure. They seated us at a tiny table for two, set against the mezzanine railing, where we could see the entire dining room below. There was a table for four next to us that was occupied, and my chair bumped into the one behind us because of the narrow space.As we settled into our seats, the waiter who had escorted us upstairs turned and went downstairs. He didn't show us the restaurant, didn't show us the menu, nothing! That's because, until then, we hadn't mentioned having the app voucher (it's a good thing we did, because it would have been a disappointment to have spent more than we did there, which, based on experience, was already expensive). We waited about 15 minutes until someone else finally came up and asked if we wanted to order. I explained at this point that it was our first time there and that we had the voucher. We ordered our dishes, and asked the waiter to open our wine, as well as a bucket of ice to keep it during dinner. A few minutes later, he came up with the bucket, which took up almost half the table, it was so small. We continued to wait until our dishes arrived. We didn't order appetizers, just the dishes from the app, because up until then everything had been so unpleasant that we wanted to eat and leave as soon as possible. We only really stayed because of the distance we had traveled to get there (we live about 40km from Poa). When the dishes arrived, we were disappointed again. 1 - Fettuccine Gamberi: Small shrimp, thin, bland, flavorless, unsalted sauce... just pasta with half a dozen grilled shrimp. That's it. 2 - Lamb Picanha: The meat was a bit tough (I had doubts about it actually being lamb), and the portions were sparse, served on a giant plate. The berry sauce and mashed potatoes were a plus, and they were quite pleasant (yay!). The bill, including the voucher and corkage fee, came to R$129.00. I don't think I need to point out that I chose not to pay the 10% fee. We planned to spend at least R$300.00 that day, including the appetizer, the app dish, corkage fee, and desserts. They missed out on more than half of the total due due to the "details." I imagine all of this wasn't due to the voucher, considering I only mentioned the voucher after we were seated and they came to take our order, and the place wasn't very busy that day (it was a Thursday). So the disappointment here really weighs much more heavily, as we went to celebrate a special occasion, and the service left a lot to be desired, the location left a lot to be desired, and the lack of sensitivity to something important to the customer left a lot to be desired. All I can say is, disappointing! ☹️

Very good. I'll be back again.

A disappointing experience. I'd been wanting to try the restaurant for several months and had received excellent recommendations. We ate the octopus and the apple and gorgonzola risotto with entrecôte.The octopus was poorly prepared. It was somewhat rubbery and lacking in seasoning, and the mashed yam was quite bland. The highlight of the dishes were the grilled vegetables.The entrecôte was a whole other story. We ordered the meat medium rare. The meat arrived medium rare, super tough, like chewing gum. We asked for a change, and after 20 minutes, the dish returned, at the same point. The risotto, which was previously well-cooked, seemed like they'd gone back into the pan and thrown a bunch of cheese in. It turned into a mess.Good wine list, and an okay starter. A flaky Camembert, whose preparation is practically impossible to mess up.A somewhat disappointing birthday celebration.

A unique atmosphere, creative and delicious food, and excellent service. A special place for lunch or dinner with your partner. A special note to the menu includes a transcription of the poem "The Raven" by Edgar Allan Porte, which gives the restaurant its name and context.