Casa Mateus

Top choice in Sesimbra


Upgrade from ubiquitous grilled fish at this cosy dining room drenched in hardwood and old stone. In 2013, husband, wife and son team Carlos, Cristina and Pedro resurrected a 55-year-old family business originally shuttered in 1982 – and took it to soaring new heights. They do wonderful, creative things with seafood.

The grouper with bacon, clams and sweet potatoes is stunning, but order envy will descend upon you over the seafood green curry and the razor clams with lemon, olive oil and cilantro. Whatever you do, don't skip the fascinating basil mousse for dessert, either. Reservations are a must on weekends and summer – it's a small place.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Sesimbra attractions

1. Fortaleza de Santiago

0.08 MILES

In the town centre, the grandest castle on the sand is 17th-century Fortaleza de Santiago, once part of Portugal’s coastal defences and the summertime…

2. Castelo de Sesimbra

0.77 MILES

For sweeping views over dale and coast, roam the snaking ramparts of the Moorish castle, rising 200m above Sesimbra. It was taken by Dom Afonso Henriques…

3. Convento da Arrábida

6.06 MILES

Local honey is delicious, especially that produced in the gardens of the whitewashed, red-roofed Convento da Arrábida, a 16th-century former monastery…

4. Castelo de São Filipe

11.54 MILES

Worth the 500m schlep uphill to the west, the castle was built by Filipe I in 1590 to fend off an English attack on the invincible Armada. Converted into…

5. Convento de Jesus

12.52 MILES

Setúbal’s man-made wonder is this sand-coloured stunner, the first known example of Manueline architecture, adorned with gargoyles and twirling turrets…

6. Casa da Cultura

12.53 MILES

This newish art space has a packed cultural calendar. Wander through changing exhibitions on the main floor, or stop in for an evening concert of jazz…

7. Praça do Bocage

12.54 MILES

All streets in the pedestrianised old town seem to lead to this mosaic-cobbled square, presided over by the arcaded bright-purple town hall. It’s a sunny…

8. Museu de Arqueologia e Etnografia

12.69 MILES

This small, rambling museum showcases prehistoric, proto-historic and Roman collections as well as traditional artefacts of fishing, gathering and salt…