Restaurants
We have used the following symbols to give an idea of the price for a three-course meal for one, including wine and service:
€€€€ over 40 euros €€ 15–25 euros
€€€ 25–40 euros € below 15 euros
Lisbon
Bico do Sapato €€€ Avenida Infante D. Henrique (Cais da Pedra, Baixa), tel: 218 810 320, www.bicadosapato.com. Open Tue–Sat for lunch and dinner, Mon dinner only. Part-owned by John Malkovich. Trendy restaurant across from Santa Apolónia station. Excellent and fairly priced creative cuisine, good local wines. Sushi bar on the first floor (dinner only).
Cervejeria da Trindade €€ Rua Nova da Trindade 20 (Bairro Alto), tel: 213 423 506. Open daily for lunch and dinner (until late). A famous old beer hall and restaurant in a former monastery. Popular Portuguese cooking and seafood specialities at good prices.
Chapitô á Mesa €€–€€€ Costa do Castelo 7, tel: 218 875 077. Open Mon–Fri for lunch and dinner (until late) and weekends dinner only. Amazing views across Lisbon – ask for a terrace table with a view. The food is hearty and tasty, with a barbecue downstairs and posher fare in the restaurant.
Frade dos Mares €€€ Avenida dom Carlos 1, 55-A, tel: 213 909 418, www.fradedosmares.com. Open daily except Saturday lunch and Sundays. This smart albeit a little bit dark restaurant is famous among locals and tourists alike for its great seafood and meat dishes.
Gambrinus €€€€ Rua das Portas de Santo Antão 23 (Baixa), tel: 213 421 466. Open daily for lunch and dinner (until late). Sophisticated, wood-panelled restaurant near Rossio. Specialises in traditional Portuguese and Galician dishes, which means fresh seafood.
Pap d’Açorda €€€€ Rua da Atalaia 57 (Bairro Alto), tel: 213 464 811. Open Tue–Sat for lunch and dinner. One of Lisbon’s hippest spots to eat at, cool but informal. Traditional and creative Portuguese dishes such as the restaurant’s namesake açorda de marisco (a delicious, thick shellfish stew with lobster and shrimp).
Tavares €€€€ Rua da Misericórdia 37 (Bairro Alto), tel: 213 421 112, www.restaurantetavares.net. Open Mon–Sat for dinner. A stylish and immensely popular restaurant-café with ornate ceilings, mirrors and chandeliers. Serving classical French cuisine for two centuries.
Near Lisbon
Colares Velho €€–€€€ Rua Fria 1-4, Largo da Igreja, Colares (Sintra), tel: 219 292 727. Open daily for lunch and dinner except Mon. Charming restaurant in small village down the mountain road from Sintra. Imaginative menu with good daily specials. Good value.
Cozinha Velha €€€ Palácio Nacional de Queluz, Largo do Palácio, Queluz, tel: 214 356 158, www.pousadas.pt. Open daily for lunch and dinner. Atmospheric restaurant in former kitchen of the royal palace. Excellent regional cooking.
Estremadura and Ribatejo
Bela Vista €€ Rua Marquês de Pombal 68, Tomar, tel: 249 312 870, www.restaurantebellavista.pai.pt. Open daily for lunch and dinner. Old house with great views of historic Tomar from across the river. Try the frango à caril (curried chicken).
O Sabor da Pedra €€€ Rua do Rio 5, Alverangel, São Pedro deTomar, Tomar, tel: 249 371 750, www.osabordapedra.com. Open daily for lunch and dinner. A traditional restaurant offering splendid views of the lake and good Portuguese food. Its speciality is cabrito assado (baked kid).
Pousada de Óbidos €€€ Paço Real, Óbidos, tel: 210 407 630. Open daily for lunch and dinner. Delightful restaurant within an historic Óbidos pousada occupying a medieval castle. Good regional cooking, including specialities such as royal duck and crab pie.
Restaurante Tia Alice €€€ Rua do Adro, Fátima, tel: 249 531 737, www.tiaalice.com. Closed Sun night, Mon and all of July. Charming, rustic eatery in old house. Açorda (egg and vegetable dish), goat stew and cod with béchamel sauce are the signature dishes.
The Beiras
Adega Paço do Conde € Rua Paço do Conde 1, Coimbra, tel: 239 825 605. Open Mon–Sat for lunch and dinner. In the commercial area of the old town, an extremely popular bargain restaurant for grilled meats and fish. Always packed.
Arcadas da Cappella €€€€ António Augusto Gonçalves, Coimbra, tel: 239 802 380, www.quintadaslagrimas.pt. Open daily for lunch and dinner. Superb continental restaurant in Quinta das Lágrimas hotel with great Portuguese specialities created by chef Albano Lourenço; extensive wine list.
Bussaco Palace Hotel €€–€€€€ Mata do Bussaco, tel: 231 937 970, www.bussacopalace.com. Open daily for lunch and dinner. Elegant restaurant in spectacular setting of a legendary royal palace (and today hotel). Prix-fixe menus are good but can’t compete with the dining room.
Cortiço €–€€ Rua Augusto Hilário 45, Viseu, tel: 232 416 127. Open daily for lunch and dinner. Atmospheric traditional restaurant in the historic centre, with dining rooms on both sides of the street. Regional cuisine and home cooking, heavy on meat and game.
Porto and the Douro Valley
Cufra €€ Avenida da Boavista 2504, Porto, tel: 226 172 715, www.cufra.pt. Open Tue–Sun for lunch and dinner. The best place to try francesinha, traditional sandwich from Porto made with cold meats, melted cheese and spicy sauce made of tomato and beer. .
D’ Tonho €€€ Cais da Ribeira 13-15, Porto, tel: 222 085 591/222 004 307, www.dtonho.com. Open daily for lunch and dinner. Beautifully positioned old townhouse on the riverfront. Owned by Rui Velosa, a Portuguese pop star. The speciality is Portuguese cod casserole. Chic but relaxed. Good wine list.
O Comercial €€€ Palácio da Bolsa, Rua Ferreira Borges, Porto, tel: 918 838 649, www.ocomercial.com. Open Mon–Fri for lunch and dinner, Sat for dinner. Spectacular restaurant with a formal, time-warp atmosphere, a roaring fire in winter and tasty traditional Portuguese fare.
Rabelo (Vintage House) €€€–€€€€ Lugar da Ponte, 5085 Pinhão, tel: 254 730 230. Open daily for lunch and dinner. Elegant award-winning restaurant in beautiful hotel: dining room has vaulted ceilings and murals. Portuguese specialities such as sopa de tomate à Portuguesa (tomato soup with poached egg and bread), grilled fish and meats (veal with port wine and mushrooms). Great library bar to retire to for a glass of port.
Minho
Bagoeira €€ Avenida Sidónio Pais 495, Barcelos, tel: 253 813 088, www.bagoeira.com. Open daily for lunch and dinner. Popular local place with 19th-century decor; packed on market days. Authentic regional fare such as grilled meats and local sweets, like stuffed oranges.
O Hool €€€ Rua de Santa Maria, Largo da Oliveira, Guimarães, tel: 253 519 390, www.hoteldaoliveira.com. Open daily for lunch and dinner. In central Guimarães, this charming pousada offers very good Portuguese and international cuisine in the dining room, which has wooden beams, leather chairs and exposed stone. Try the bife especial à pousada (châteaubriand).
Pousada do Gêres, Santa Maria do Bouro €€€ Amares, tel: 253 371 970, www.pousadas.pt. Open daily for lunch and dinner. Stunning, cavernous dining hall with a modern simplicity, in a former Cistercian monastery (for more information, click here). Great bar area with giant fireplace. Local dishes like pork loin stew, codfish with cornbread and cabbage, topped off by a massive dessert buffet of regional sweets.
Trás-Os-Montes
Cozinha do Convento (Forte de São Francisco) €€€ Chaves, tel: 276 333 700, www.fortesaofrancisco.com. Open daily for lunch and dinner. Elegant restaurant in hotel carved out of a 16th-century convent, overlooking large pool. Focuses on reasonably priced regional mountain cuisine. Wines are brought up from the extensive cellar in the old cistern. Separate, atmospheric tavern for informal meals.
Restaurante Carvalho €€€ Alameda de Tabolado, Largo das Caldas 4 Chaves, tel: 276 321 727. Open daily except Sunday dinner and Mondays. This parkside restaurant is one of Chaves’ finest and offers delicious takes on regional dishes.
Solar do Bragançano €€ Praça da Sé, 34, Bragança, tel: 273 323 875. Open daily for lunch and dinner. Excellent restaurant occupying three rooms on the first floor of an old noble house on the main square. Elegant but laid back, with rustic furnishings, chandeliers and fresh flowers everywhere. Exotic meats, game and an excellent-value five-course menu turístico are the main attractions.
Alentejo
Cozinha de Santo Humberto €€ Rua da Moeda 39, Évora, tel: 266 704 251. Open Fri–Wed for lunch and dinner. On a small street off Praça Giraldo, this highly recommended restaurant is situated in an ancient cellar loaded with antiques of all sorts. Serves classic dishes of the Alentejo region and is particularly strong on game dishes like wild boar and partridge.
O Ermita €€€€ Aldeia da Serra, Redondo, tel: 266 989 160, www.hotelconventospaulo.com. Open daily for lunch and dinner. Set in an isolated 12th-century convent (Hotel Convento de São Paulo, for more information, click here), this is an exquisite restaurant with vaulted ceilings, 18th-century frescoes and beautiful azulejos. The place to go for a special occasion. Delicious Alentejo specialities.
Pousada de Ėvora Restaurant €€€ Largo Conde de Vila Flor, Évora, tel: 266 730 070. Open daily for lunch and dinner. Beautiful dining room in the cloister of an old convent (for more information, click here or click here), now a sought-after pousada. Serves a varied selection of regional Alentejano cuisine, such as codfish with coriander, fish soup with mint.
São Rosas €€–€€€ Largo D. Dinis 11, Estremoz, tel: 268 333 345. Open Tue–Sun for lunch and dinner. An elegant but understated restaurant next to the castle pousada with beamed ceilings and earthy furnishings. Local dishes include grilled scabbard fish and roast pork loin with apple sauce. Good-value ‘tourist menu’ at both lunch and dinner.
The Algarve
A Quinta €€€ Rua Vale Formoso Almancil, tel: 289 393 357, www.aquintarestaurant.com. Open daily for lunch and dinner. An old farmhouse on the road to Loulé from Almancil and the N125 with views to the sea. Popular with the business lunch crowd so it’s best to book. Lots of fish on a broad menu.
Casa Velha €€€€ Quinta do Lago (Almancil), tel: 289 394 983/289 390 700, www.quintadolago.com. Open Mon–Sat for dinner. Chic restaurant in a renovated 19th-century farmhouse; about as elegant as dining in the Algarve gets. French menu and excellent wine cellar.
Marisqueira Rui €€€ Rua Comendador Vilarinho 27, Silves, tel: 282 442 682. Closed Mondays and Sunday lunch. An almost total concentration on succulent seafood served to an enthusiastic clientele. Cheerful rather than smart and loud with cracking shells.
Monte da Eira €€€ Clareanes, on road from Loulé to Querença, tel: 289 438 129, www.restaurantemontedaeira.com. Open daily for lunch and dinner, in August dinner only. Away from the hordes, a skilled chef has made a modest farmhouse one of the Algarve’s most successful restaurants. Portuguese food with flavour and imagination.
Quatro Águas €€€ Estrada das 4 Águas 19 (Tavira), tel: 281 325 329. Open daily for lunch and dinner. Handsome 18th-century building on the harbour. Traditional Portuguese dining, with an emphasis on seafood dishes like arroz de marisco (seafood rice) and octopus stew.
Rei das Praias €€€ between Ferragudo and Carvoeiro, tel: 282 461 006, www.restaurantereidaspraias.com. Open daily all day from 9am. Beautifully situated on the Caneiros beach, a good quality restaurant serving excellent food – seafood especially – and an excellent selection of wines. Booking is advisable.
Restaurante do Hotel Villa Joya €€€€ in Hotel Villa Joya, Praia de Galé, tel: 289 591 795, www.vilajoya.com. Open Thu–Tue for lunch and dinner, although closing day may vary. Refined two-Michelin stars hotel restaurant, with wonderful sea views, preparing eclectic international dishes. Reserve.
Vivendo €€€ Rua Ruy Belo, Estrada Da Meia Praia, Lagos, tel: 282 770 902, www.vila-palmeira.com. Open daily for dinner. Friendly chef Christoph Voigt greets his guests personally. Food is great, especially melon and ham starter and tiramisu for dessert. Booking is essential.