Portugal Restaurants: Reviews & Recommendations

[lambretta76]

Similarly - if in Porto, I recommend checking out the Solar do Porto at the Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e do Porto. It's near the Crystal Palace, located on a woody hillside overlooking the Douro. They pour samples of ports at €1-€2 each - arrange flights of ports - and sell close to three hundred bottles of the good stuff. There's a fairly simple, inexpensive menu, and the views and gardens are magnificent. The place is simply beautiful.

Solar do Porto

And if you like ridiculously fatty, heart-clogging food - don't leave the area without sampling a francesinha - quite possibly the greatest sandwich on earth. (I have become obsessed with these since my trip to Portugal for the Euros.) Capa Negra has a decent version - Rua do Campo Alegre, 191 - phone# 226 078 380. Steak, ham, sausage, cheese, gravy. Man they're brilliant!

Oh, and I would recommend being stationed somewhere around Porto - from which many quick (and cheap) trains run throughout the area. One day in Porto, a day in Guimarães, and a day taking a train along the Douro into the port wine countryside. Or, a trip to Aveiro for satisfying those seafood cravings - had some amazing food down there.

And hopefully Chloë will be able to help out with some more definitive reasons for visiting the north.

Edited July 8, 2004 by lambretta76 (log)

[docsconz]

Only three days- just enough to whet my appetite for more as hopefully this will be first of many trips to Portugal. It is largely a result of the discussions here on this forum that we are intending to extend our trip in that direction.

Miguel, Thank you for your valued and guarded recommendations. I shall copy the information and keep it close. As a result of your recommendation, I think we must start in Lisbon and save the other areas for a subsequent visit. Please let me know a list of your particularly recommended shellfish. I would be indebted. Also, if you happen to be in Lisbon at that time (around the beginning of the second week of October) perhaps we can meet for a meal?

[docsconz]

Thanks also for the other recommendations. I will keep them for future reference as well. Any other specific recommendations for Lisbon or Portugal remain appreciated.

[docsconz]

Any recommendations for hotels in Lisbon? I'm interested in a well-situated place that has a sense of the character of Lisbon and Portugal. I'm not too concerned about cost, though not into spending money without concomitant value.

[docsconz]

I'm considering hotels from this group. Any thoughts on any of these or their locations? How about others?

[Eric_Malson]

I'm considering hotels from this group. Any thoughts on any of these or their locations? How about others?

In this group (second-guessing a bit what you want, but I think I have a pretty good idea), I think the two most interesting ones are As Janelas Verdes and the Solar do Castelo. As Janelas Verdes is in the most traditionally chi-chi neighborhood in Lisbon, Lapa. It looks lovely, but you're not really near much of interest unless you just LOVE mediocre medieval religious art (the National Art Museim is practically next door). To my mind, it would be worth the hefty price tag ONLY if you get a room with a stunning view of the Tejo River.

Solar do Castelo looks way cool....it's apparently within the castle walls, the centerpiece of the oldest neighborhood in Lisbon (I'm pretty sure it was not operating as a hotel while I was living there). You would be very well-positioned for lots of great walks....much of what you would want to see would be within easy walking distance. And the castle is a really special place--what a great location for a hotel!

One other thought occurs to me: if you want to stay in a very pleasant, yet still real working neighborhood of Lisbon, there's a more modest, yet comfortable (so I'm told) hotel on top of what is, more or less, the next hill over from the castle, in the the neighborhood called Graça. It's called the Albergaria Senhora do Monte, and be sure to get a room with a terrace that overlooks most of the city.

[vserna]

It looks lovely, but you're not really near much of interest unless you just LOVE mediocre medieval religious art

Well, I didn't choose the non-gastronomic digressipn, but allow me to drop my jaw at the use of the term "mediocre" to describe the works of art of people like Nuno Gonçalves...

[Eric_Malson]

It looks lovely, but you're not really near much of interest unless you just LOVE mediocre medieval religious art

Well, I didn't choose the non-gastronomic digressipn, but allow me to drop my jaw at the use of the term "mediocre" to describe the works of art of people like Nuno Gonçalves...

Okay, okay, I do love my sweeping generalizations....

That painting is better than anything I remember seeing there. The problem with that museum is that the gold nuggets are buried in rooms and rooms and rooms of stuff that is pretty much without interest, it seems to me, to anyone but art scholars.

I seem to remember they have a pretty good Hieronymous Bosch there somewhere...

[vserna]

Yes, not too shabby either...

http://www.abcgallery.com/B/bosch/bosch-2.html

[docsconz]

Eric,

Thanks for the input. I'm about to book at aThe Solar do Castelo.

That was a pretty decent painting, Victor! It might be worth a trip over there after all, just to see it up close.

[Bux]

When you come back, I hope you tell us what you had to eat. We're a bunch of philistines. We don't know much about art, but we know we like to eat.

[docsconz]

I'll report with as much detail as I can muster

[MiguelCardoso]

Dearest Doc: my e-mail wires seem to be crossed as I can't reach you (I've been on an extended gastronomic tour where the Internet is just a fishing net). Would you be kind enough to e-mail me so we can arrange what I'm sure will be a happy, munchy, talkative and well wined reunion?

Thank you!

P.S.

Of course you must not breathe a word of what I tell you in strictest confidence and learn to enjoy being blindfolded- ;)

[grace3]

Have rented an apartment near Estepona for a month mid Jan-mid Feb. Have some trips planned and would appreciate any advice available.

Will be going to Granada..read that it is a gastronomic disaster..so will do tapas and we will be staying at the Jaen Parador..comments about dining there? Then on to Granada..read about El Churrasco being "the" place..what about El Caballo Rojo? Sevilla..will only be there for one night..suggestions? Will then be staying at the Parador in Merida, sightseeing in Caceres and on into Portugal staying at Pousadas in Marvao, Crato, Sousel and on down to El Portel.

Any help with whatever along the way would be greatly appreciaated.

Thanks,

Joan

[Saborosa]

Hi

I've posted some Granada suggestions in reply to your other post.

If you're going to Estepona I'd suggest seeking out the resolutely unfussy fishermen's bar-restaurant La Escollera. Walk past the marina towards the docks and it's at the start of the beach. Sit at a terrace tables gazing at fishing boats on the sand and be served enormous portions of excellent fried and grilled fish and seafood (great navajas - razor clams).

Ooh I'm so envious!

Disfruta!

[grace3]

Thanks for your reply..will look for the others........

[grace3]

Do you think there is a problem with the beach area restaurants like the one you have mentioned is Estepona being open in Jan-Feb??

[grace3]

I was able to find the bech restaurant La Escollera via Google....It will be open, but many of them are closed.................

[Bux]

Will be going to Granada..read that it is a gastronomic disaster..so will do tapas and we will be staying at the Jaen Parador..comments about dining there? Then on to Granada..read about El Churrasco being "the" place..what about El Caballo Rojo? Sevilla..will only be there for one night..suggestions? Will then be staying at the Parador in Merida, sightseeing in Caceres and on into Portugal staying at Pousadas in Marvao, Crato, Sousel and on down to El Portel.

←

I assume the second "Granada" is a typo for Cordoba. El Churrasco is excellent. Didn't eat at El Caballo Rojo. You might want to do a search on some of the town names for previous posts. I recommended El Churrasco and a couple of other places in Andalucia in this thread. It might be a good place to start looking at older threads. A search on "Churrasco" will bring up five other threads. "Sevilla" should be another search.

[grace3]

You are correct on the typo error....get too rushed perhaps.

I will try some of your suggestions re search.

Thanks.....

[Paco]

I just returned from a 1 night trip to Cordoba, and ate at El Churrasco for dinner. Being one of the best in Cordoba, it is a relatively casual place.

We odered fried berenjenas with salmorejo (aubergines with a thick-like gazpacho on the side to pour over them). This is a very typical dish in Cordoba and here it is very good. I wanted to try them fried with honey, previously dipped in milk, but they didn´t make them this way here, maybe next time.

Another starter was "white gazpacho" made with pine-nuts (piñones). smooth taste, but almost too suttle.

Our third starter was fried clams with different types of wild mushrooms, quite good. Very nice bread to dip in the sauce. The month of November many restaurants in Cordoba are having mushrooms on their menus.

Main courses: lomo de buey - very tasty, slightly taugh, perfectly cooked (not always like this in many restaurants). The only bad thing is that the plate was quite cold, so the meat cooled off right away (and I always have to make an effort to eat slowly). My wife ordered solomillo con salsa de albahaca (filet mignon with basil sauce). I try to avoid sauces with good meat, but she ordered it anyway. As I suspected, the basil sauce has almost no taste, but the meat was cooked exactly as she ordered, but the plate was also cold.

Desserts: I ordered leche frita - how to translate this...maybe someone can describe it better, but it´s like a fried dow, soft and creamy in the inside and a bit harder on the outside. Ask them to "flambearla" with some special liquor they have, or they will bring it cold. This is their most famous dessert and it was very good.

Price for 2 with a botle of Campillo 99 Crianza (could be a reserva a year ago) and 2 botlles of water: 97 euros.

The wine list is very good and I found quite reasonable in price.

Good luck with your trip!

[grace3]

Thanks for the report!! We do appreciate them all....

Our trip is lining up well. The only thing we haven't put together yet, is a day trip to Tangier.

We do enjoy all the input from those who have been...

[Jean Blanchard]

Planning a trip to Portugal in September. Anyone ever been? Suggestions on restaurants, place to stay, etc.

jb

[johnnyd]

Hi Jean,

Click here for a recent discussion on the Lisbon area.

[The Viking]

Can you specify what area you'll be visiting? Lisbon, Algarve, Oporto, etc... ?