Portuguese restaurants in Europe
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A
A Tasca
This simple, friendly tavern serves good-value specials like grilled squid and hake.
reviewed
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B
Restaurante Zé Manel
Tucked down a nondescript alleyway, this little gem, which is papered with scholarly doodles and scribbled poems, is easy to miss. Despite its location, it’s highly popular, so come early or be ready to wait. Try the good feijoada á leitão (a stew of beans and suckling pig).
reviewed
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C
O Comercial
Hidden at the back of the stock-exchange building, this one-of-a-kind restaurant boasts towering arches, old-world service and a stylish, fireside lounge. At dinner, the food has been known to disappoint, but the three-course lunch menu is great value.
reviewed
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D
El Rei D’frango
Grill goddesses Luciana and Carla rustle up enormous and delicious portions of salmon and febras (sautéed pork strips) for pocket money. You’ll roll down the cobbles after eating at this simple local haunt.
reviewed
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E
Cervejaria da Trindade
This 13th-century monastery turned clattering beer hall oozes atmosphere with its vaults and azulejos of quaffing clerics and seasonal goddesses. Feast away on humungous steaks or lobster stew, washed down with foaming beer.
reviewed
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F
Adega Nova
This popular place buzzes with tourists and country charm. It has a lofty beamed ceiling, rustic cooking implements on display and long, communal tables and bench seats. The meat and fish dishes are reliable and service is efficient.
reviewed
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G
Lautasco
Lautasco has a wonderfully romantic location, tucked in a leafy, decorated courtyard. Grilled salmon is among the favourites.
reviewed
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H
Velho Macedo
An excellent, untouristy backstreet restaurant, with simple food cooked to perfection. Try the delicious squid.
reviewed
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I
Tugga
The psychedelically floral wallpaper and cerise and purple cushions in this King's Rd restaurant make it a favourite with the Chelsea set, who come to enjoy the Portuguese cuisine (which is sold as modern but is actually more classic). The long menu of pestiscos (starters; around £5 to around £8 allows you to sample such classics as roasted chorizo, caldo verde (Portuguese green cabbage soup) and bacalhau à Brás (dried cod with potatoes, egg and onion).
reviewed
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J
Boa Nova Casa-Chá
Designed by famed Portuguese architect Álvaro Siza Vieira and completed in 1963, this cliffside tea house and restaurant is set alluringly above a crashing sea. Massive boulders frame the white, low-rise building, while inside the Zenlike design continues as light floods the wood and stone interior. The restaurant is 20 minutes north of Porto along the coast. It’s best reached by car or taxi.
reviewed
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K
A Casa Portuguesa
As well as being a convivial halt for a glass or two of fine wine (ask waiters for advice) or a simple vinho verde (‘green wine’, a typical, simple Portuguese white wine), it is a good spot to fill up on snacks (cheeses, little pies and pastries), all in the name of getting to know our Iberian friends better. Sample the classic Portuguese pastry pastel de Belem.
reviewed
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L
Botequim da Mouraria
The town’s culinary shrine may be O Fialho, but some gastronomes believe this place is better. Poke around the old Moorish quarter to find this cosy spot serving some of Évora’s finest food and wine (the owner currently stocks more than 150 wines from the Alentejo alone). There are no reservations, nor tables – just 12 stools at a counter.
reviewed
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M
A Tasca do Bacalhau Português
One of very few authentically Portuguese restaurants in Madrid, A Tasca do Bacalhau doesn’t have a particularly extensive menu, but it’s dominated by excellent bacalhau (cod) and rice dishes. It’s pricey but if you’re not familiar with Portuguese cooking, this is a good place to have your first taste.
reviewed
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N
Tromba Rija
Porto’s branch of Leiria’s famous eatery offers a huge, soup-to-nuts buffet of classic, well-prepared Portuguese dishes – plus all the wine, port and homemade liqueur you can drink. Tromba Rija is a great introduction to Portuguese cuisine – and always festive thanks to all that free booze.
reviewed
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O
Panorama Restaurant
Towering above Lisbon on the Sheraton’s 25th floor, this glass-walled restaurant basks in the glow of Henrique Sá Pessoa, aka Portugal’s Jamie Oliver. His cuisine is fresh, seasonal and big on texture – think octopus carpaccio with watermelon vinaigrette and rack of veal with truffle polenta.
reviewed
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P
Mariazinha
This snug but rustically elegant eatery, run by an enthusiastic husband-and-wife team, serves creative haute cuisine based on market-fresh ingredients. You must order from the prix-fixe menu. In fact, each course comes as a surprise, along with a different Portuguese wine. Reservations recommended.
reviewed
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Q
Ena Pai
The bustling Rua dos Correeiros has lots of good-value places, catering to hordes of office workers at lunchtime and a legion of tourists at night. Ena Pai is a typical, no-frills venue with a rapid turnover of customers for its simple, unadorned, good-value fare (which even includes vegetables).
reviewed
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R
Restaurante Cozinha de Santo Humberto
This is a traditional, long-established place, in a grand arched, whitewashed cellar hung with brass and ceramics. It offers hearty servings of rich regional fare – try the arroz com pato (duck risotto). It has an excellent plaza-side cafe serving similar (but lighter) bites.
reviewed
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S
Bota Alta
This is a popular restaurant that serves traditional Portuguese food and very good wine. The two dining rooms are decorated with rustic artefacts and original art work but it's the food that brings the locals out: by mid-evening there is usually a line forming outside this much-loved eatery.
reviewed
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T
Antiga Casa de Pasto Estrela da Sé
A stone's throw from the cathedral, this tavern has retained its antique decor. Secret political meetings once took place in its wood-panelled booths, which have existed since 1814. The food is quite simple but very tasty. It's an ideal place for an intimate (or even clandestine) dinner.
reviewed
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U
Casa da Comida
With its ferny courtyard and antique-filled rooms, this sublime mansion is ideal for romantic tête-à-têtes. Delicacies like roast kid with herbs are served high and mighty on silver platters. The owners might even welcome you with a free glass of champagne; now that’s service.
reviewed
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V
O Barrigas
With a name meaning ‘the bellies’, there are no prizes for guessing what you’ll be nursing at this low-lit bistro. Red-and-white tiles and candles create the backdrop for flavours like braised rabbit and fluffy bacalhau espiritual (salt-cod soufflé).
reviewed
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W
Mesa dos Mouros
With cosy indoor seating and a small outdoor terrace right by the cathedral, this place is blessed with high-quality cuisine (as confirmed both by us and the comments book!). Excellent choices include the seafood dishes or hearty gourmet-style mains such as rabbit with chestnuts.
reviewed
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X
Restaurante O Fialho
People talk in awed tones of O Fialho, such is the quality of its food. Spread over several small rooms and with wood panelling and white tablecloths, this restaurant manages to be smart yet unpretentious. It serves up professional service and top-quality Alentejan cuisine.
reviewed
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Y
Pap’Açorda
Way too sexy for Bairro Alto, Pap’Açorda lures the beauty set with its cascading chandeliers, pink-champagne walls and Right Said Fred lookalike waiters. The signature dish is açorda (bread and shellfish stew), washed down with Moët, sweetie.
reviewed
