Portugal
A lovely, relaxed restaurant in a former convent fuses incredible food with a warm atmosphere. Very romantic, reasonably priced and inventive; you're presented with an assortment of incredible starters for 12 euros - don't be scared.
Some of the best food we've eaten abroad, well worth the effort to find it, even if it took our cabbie four stops to ask for help!
www.atravessa.com/indexuk.html
Travesso do Convento das Bernardas, 12 Bairro da Madragoa, Santo 1200-638 Lisboa
+351 213902 034
Google map: bit.ly/qAYgtk
I found a great restaurant in the Alfama on Rua dos Remedios, I think it’s number 127.
It’s small and new, very homely, serving a lovely mix of Portuguese cuisine with an Italian accent. The owner, Nino, is of Italian/Portuguese descent and grew up in South Africa, so he speaks perfect English (Afrikaans too if that helps anyone) and it turned out we have mutual friends there too!
The first night I had a delicious Lasagna al forno, even better than my own, and my partner had a typically Portuguese dish, Feijoada a Portuguesa which is a pork and bean stew, very tasty and much better than it sounded.
They also have things like fish lasagne, Lasagna al Bacalhau, lots of pastas such as bolognese, putanesca, aglio olio, peperoncino with a breaded steak, prawns in a cream and cheese sauce, and Bacalhau com natas (cod with potato cream and cheese). They’ll do pretty much any combination you want and it’s all good. We ate there twice and wished we’d discovered it earlier.
With a nice bottle of wine, neither of our meals for two came to more than about €25, as the main courses are mostly well under €10. Even for Lisbon that’s good value and the place is fun!
The Alfama, as I’m sure anyone reading this will know, is a very typical and ancient area of Lisbon, full of lovely little corners and alleys, it used to be more or less a slum but is now clean and safe.
Alfama on Rua dos Remedios. Next to a metro station.
Fantastic custard tart available from most pastelarias around the city, although the original ones come from one shop in Belem (Antiga Fabrica dos Pasteis de Belem - you can spot it by the queues outside) where they call them Pasteis de Belem. Custard tart really doesn't do it justice, they are truly stunning and one is never enough.
At pastelerias across the city, or at Antiga Fabrica dos Pasteis de Belem, Rua de Belem 84-88, Belem
Excellent, friendly restaurant serving traditional, delicious Portuguese fare.
Reasonably priced food and an excellent wine list to boot.
The fish is particularly good and the customary cheeses and meats to start are the best I've tasted in Lisbon (especially the Queijo de Azetao).
Travessa de Queimada, Bairro Alto
Cachilas is worth a visit for the ferry ride across the estuary alone. But take the time to have a look around (it’s not too pretty, but very different from Lisbon) and sample some of the excellent seafood down at the port while you are there.
Ferries: Every 20-40 minutes from Cais do Sodre.
Great little traditional restaurant with azulejo décor, a menu of Portuguese staples and friendly service. No wonder it’s packed full of locals at lunchtime.
Location: Near the top of the Elevador, on Calcada do Combro.
A buzzing outdoor terrace, quality coffee, history and that atmospheric, cavernous interior – damn the critics, this Brazilian lady is a Lisbon classic.
Address: Rua Garrett No. 120, Largo do Chiado.
Telephone: (351) 213469541.
Boasting one of Lisbon’s best views, at U Terracao you can enjoy the panorama of this elegant city from a comfortable chair with the beverage of your choice at hand. Take a break from the climb up to the castle and have a look at where you are.
Address: Calc. Marques de Tancos No. 3, Lisbon.
Telephone: (351) 508507413.
We had great pizzas at this busy restaurant which clearly is popular with local people including families with kids. Well worth a short Metro ride to Roma station.
Travessa Henrique Cardoso 19b - off from Avenida da Roma.
Both these modern vegetarian restaurants served really tasty fresh food. We'd highly recommend them both.
Oriente Chaido - Rua Ivens, 28
Jardim dos Sentidos - Rua Mae d'Agua, 3
The best vegetarian restaurant in Lisbon (and one of the very best I've ever been to).
Amazing buffet with vegetarian versions of traditional Portuguese food. It is like being at home with a very talented Portuguese friend!
They have a wall full of awards and press clippings. Moby has been there and praised the place, as have several other very well-known artists.
It can get crowded, especially on weekends.
Rua da Palmeira, 15 1200-311 Lisboa
near garden of Principe Real and Barrio Alto
www.terra.vg
Situated in Colares Velho, overlooking the church square and bandstand is a beautifully restored 18th century grocery store converted into a restaurant and tea room (Salão de chá).
A great place for a romantic dinner. We had a wonderful meal, the staff were so friendly and with Fredo playing the guitar, what more could you ask for?
It's a small boat operator in Lisbon with intimate boats carrying up to 7 people and very cheap. Lovely music on board and superb service by the skipper.
We tried a Old Lisbon tour and it was very nice. Then the guy suggested us to have dinner in the Atira-te ao Rio restaurant in the south side of Lisbon near the bridge and we went on the boat and had a great meal and came back on the boat to Alcantara. If you don't take the tour, you should try the restaurant and you can go by boat as well.
www.marlinboattours.com, +351 919275509. Departures from Alcantara Docs and Belem, but better to call first.
First of all, their friendly English and Portuguese speaking staff make your trip seamless through the country if you take one of their well-planned guided tours (and Portuguese is not an easy language).
They also make it so easy for someone to go on their own down the coast. It's really a joy when you can roll through the countryside with just a map and bike knowing your hotel and restaurant staff are literally waiting for you! Bluecoastbikes' staff also took care of our dinner and hotel reservations too.
Their staff took care of everything for us, even calling midweek to see how we were enjoying everything!
Bluecoastbikes is the way to go for biking in Portugal if you want to enjoy your trip and worry about nothing but the ride and the wines to choose!
They are licensed and insured. They have daily rentals and dropoffs, week-long guided and self-guided tours, and jeep rides/tours as well.
Highly recommended.
Bluecoastbikes, Lda
www.bluecoastbikes.com
Tel: +351 96 272 8469.
info@bluecoastbikes.com
Setúbal, Portugal, near the Troia ferry station and seafood restaurants
Restaurant Nilo, located in the charmer Baixa of Lisbon (downtown), near the beautiful Rossio and Praça da Figueira, in a street with more than 20 restaurants, differs from the others for having delicious Portuguese typical food, with fresh and quality products with an honest and effective service.
Our favourite dishes included the delicious rice with seafood and the codfish or one of the typical dishes of the day like cozido à Portuguesa or feijoada à transmontana. And last, but not least, to drink the delicious Portuguese beer, Sagres.
Adress:
Rua dos correeiros 217-219 1100-Lisboa-Portugal
Phone:
213427810
Site: www.geocities.com/nilo217219/restaurantebar
Public terrace and suntrap with a spectacular view across the River Tejo to the 25 de Abril bridge and the Rio imitation Cristo-Rei.
The little kiosk does good, cheap bica's of coffee and imperial glasses of beer. If you take exception with young bohemian types playing percussion stay away. Otherwise, take a book, people watch and easily while away a few hours.
Rua de Santa Catarina, Santa Catarina/Bairro Alto; Metro: Baixa-Chiado
Restaurant in Bairro Alto that gets it right in a pop art, azulejo tiles adorning the walls and mightily tasty arroz de polvo (octopus rice) way.
Should you like your fish, dust off your Portuguese and brave the lusophone only menu.
Rua Marechal Saldanha 23/25; Tel 21 346 47 91
A great bar/restruarant in a what looks like a white hut on the banks of the Tejo between the Tower da Belem and the Monument, next to the museum. Wonderful food, not at all expensive (€30 for two) lots of veggy options and a terrace outside. Sit and watch the boats go by with a wonderful view of the bridge and Christ on the other side of the river. Save room for pudding and go to the Pasteleria in Belem afterwards for coffee and egg custard tart.
On the river bank at Belem between the tower and the Monument.
A superb vegetarian restuarant serving the best veggy buffet (€12.50) I have ever had. The garden out back was warm enough to eat in in February, there are heaters on the tree! A great place and open every day.
Rua da Palmeira,15 - 5 minute walk from Rato metro. www.terra.vg
Great restaurant - better to go here and sit in the tiled dining room, with Iberian hams hanging up and lobsters and fish on ice, than to take your chances out on a terrace where you never really know what you're going to get. The fish soup was the best I have tasted, and the grilled fish was fresh and succulent.
Rua Primeiro de Dezembro 103/107
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