About Us

Salpoente

About Us

“At Salpoente Restaurant, the food is truly a spectacle of the senses”

Salpoente Restaurant, the food is truly a spectacle of the senses, the core of a concept where each detail highlights choice dishes, outstanding service and a refined and sophisticated environment.
The food at Salpoente speaks its own language, prepared with the magic and mastery of a dedicated and qualified team, with a passion for the art of hospitality.

Salpoente is a tribute to the people and products of the Ria de Aveiro region, recreated in a world-class cuisine. It is poetry of flavours and senses, through which tribute is paid to art, tradition and the creation of moments which will endure through time. Thank you!

 

Salpoente

Heritage

 

The history of the location and space which houses SALPOENTE mixes with the history of the people of Aveiro and their relationship with the natural resources which characterise the city and which make it unique in the country.

“From among the unique characteristics experienced in Aveiro, the salt pans of Aveiro stand out, absolutely inseparable from its people, having contributed to the consolidation of the main centre in the late sixteenth century, at a time when sedimentation resulted in some negative effects in the local shoal and, as a consequence, in foreign trade as well, of which the transaction of the salt extracted from the Aveiro salt pans was an integral part and which was indispensable to the to the growth of the Portuguese expansion policy. Whenever it was not possible to sell the salt after its harvest, it was maintained in great pyramids, whose surface was carefully struck with an instrument, specially developed for that purpose, to guarantee its perfect smoothing and compression. This protection was also reinforced with a sedge covering (harvested from the Ria of Aveiro itself) and with pieces of grass sod. These were the only materials which seemed to sufficiently minimise the harmful effects of rain and wind.

Despite these protection measures, some of the salt pyramids still suffered the effects of these natural agents, which, on the rare occasions which they did occur, created fissures on their surfaces leading to salt loss. And this was the main reason that some of the wealthier salt producers in Aveiro started building wooden structures in front of their own salt pans (sometimes at only a few metres distance), used as salt warehouses. And if the primary reason for their construction was the need to physically preserve the marketable product, the control of its prices and markets was no less important. In Aveiro today, there is a reduced number of these warehouses or “palheiros”, essentially used for the collection and sale of salt. Although some have been recently converted into social meeting places, such as is the case of Salpoente, others have remained in an undesirable state of abandonment and degradation.” Direção Geral do Património Cultural – República Portuguesa (Cultura) [General-Directorate for Cultural Heritage – Republic of Portugal (Culture)]

The two warehouses which comprise Salpoente are the only ones in Aveiro which maintain the original layout, making them one of the city’s heritage sites. In this way, SALPOENTE pays homage and dignifies the space, as well as Aveiro, restoring its former nobility.

 

Awards

Salpoente

Awards

4th Best Dining Restaurant in Portugal – Trip Advisor 2023

Present in the Michelin Guide since 2012 to 2023

Best Fine Dining Restaurants in Portugal – Trip Advisor 2022

7 Wonders of New Gastronomy 2021 Portugal – Molecular Cuisine

Resilience Award – Boa Cama Boa Mesa 2021

Best Fine Dining Restaurant in Portugal – Trip Advisor 2020

“3 Forks” by Guia Michelin 2019

Unique Restaurant of the year – Portugal 2018

Certificate of excellence « Tripadvisor 2018 »

Restaurant of the year in Aveiro – Portugal by Luxury Travel Guide 2018

7th best restaurant in Portugal for “Fine Dining” by TripAdvisor 2016 (the only restaurant category evaluated in Portugal)

Elected Best Wine Service in a Portuguese Restaurant by Prémios W 2016

Most sustainable and politically ecological restaurant in the country by Sociedade Ponto Verde e Guia Boa Cama Boa Mesa 2015

Best Restaurant by Litoral Awards 2014

Best restaurant in Aveiro by Escolha do Consumidor 2013 (Consumer’s Choice)