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We
are a proud race of navigators and discoverers. Can't possibly go
sailing around the world on empty stomachs. We love our seafood
grilled, steamed, baked, roasted but always fresh. If you don't like
fish, it's because you've never had it properly cuisined. There's
nothing like a good swordfish steak or a whole grouper to get you going
(or sleeping) for the rest of day. Of course, a big glass of beer or
wine, with cheese and smoked ham, is also much
appreciated. Portuguese food is usually quite good, and has
that home-made look and taste you won't find everywhere these days.
Some
little tips on eating out: waiters will bring out bread,
butter, maybe some cheeses and other little things. What you eat you
pay, if you don't touch it, you shouldn't pay for it. The daily
specials are usually the best bet, especially with the fish, which
should be fresh from that same day. Tips are not outrageously high
here, about 10% is nice, 15% you'll make good friends with the waiter,
higher than that and you're probably flirting.
Appetizers
Caldo Verde -
Minced cabbage
soup
Chouriço -
Smoked spicy pork sausage
Pasteis de Bacalhau -
Cod and potato cakes
Main
Arroz de marisco - seafood risotto
Bacalhau à brás - Codfish with
fried potatoes and eggs
Açorda -
Bread and shellfish stew
Ameijoas á
bulhão pato -
Clams in garlic and coriander sauce
Caldeirada
- Fish stew
Porco á
alentejana - Pork
with clams, served with fried potatoes
Entrecosto , Costoletas, Lombo -
Pork ribs, chops, loin
Feijoada - Stew
with different kinds of meat, potatoes, legumes
Frango no Churrasco
- Charcoal roasted chicken, ask this with piri-piri... hot stuff!
Bife
- Beef steak
Desserts
Baba de camelo - Camel's drool
(nevel mind what it sounds like, it tastes good!)
Mousse
de chocolate – chocolate mousse
Pudim
flan – flan
Pasteis de
Belém - Belém pastries
Pudim
molotof – egg pudding that melts in your mouth (rather than
explodes)
Seafood - Mariscos
Amêijoa - Cockle
Bacalhau - Cod
Camarões - Shrimp
Dourada - Dorade
Gambas - King prawns
Garoupa
- Grouper
Lulas - Squid
Lupo - Octopus
Mexilhões - Mussels
Sardinha - Sardine
Peixe espada - Swordfish
Drinks
Cerveja -
Beer
Piri Piri - Hot
pepper sauce (hehe)
Vinho
tinto/branco – Wine
(red/white)
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cafées,
cervejarias ee restaurantes
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Pedrito
and friends bring to you a small yet good list of places to hang out to
have good food and good drinks. We go incognito, undercover to
investigate (in fact we just hang out there often so you may run into
us). If it's bad, well, it's not here, we wouldn't want to advertise
bad places. So only the coolest for you, my friends. But
this is just a few pickings… go anywhere, if it seems friendly, if
there are locals, then it's probably ok. If
you see a menu in four different languages, it's touristy.
Solar
de Alcântara Solarium of Alcântara
Rua
da Costa 10
213
973 539
Price:
a bit expensive but good value
Crowd:
locals and local families
Go
for: Fresh seafood and ceramics (azulejos)
There
are many restaurants worthy of praise in the area. This is a large well
known establishment popular with the locals. The waiting staff is
courteous and professionally efficient, the cooks are industrious and
picky when it comes to sorting out clams. The smoked ham is great and
the crab, although it takes about 30 minutes to prepare, is worth the
wait. We love both the traditional tiles and the traditional cuisine.
Restô
do Chapitô The Circus Top Restaurant
Rua
Costa do Castelo 7
21
886 73 34
Price:
a bit expensive but good value
Crowd:
alternative, trendy or simply relaxed
Go
for: Great view on Old Lisboa and the river Tagus
This establishment serves as a restaurant, a
tapas bar, a coffee shop, a wine bar, a breakfast store, and an art
gallery, but it's mainly a circus school (hence its name). The artsy
hang out here after a day working in their studios, the jugglers and
the magicians hang out here after a day practicing their trade. The
fare and the people are beautiful and colorful. Simply put, it is an
amazing place with stunning vistas by sunset and a relaxingly warm, yet
buzzing, atmosphere. A great
place for a sangria in the evening.
O
Carveoiro
Rua
Vieeira Partrier 66, 65
21
886 73 34
Price:
reasonably priced
Crowd:
white collar workers, tourists or just families enjoying the good
weather
Go
for: Bougainvilleas and the park
Old
typical colored houses lined up the orange trees of the park of Belém.
There are various restaurants here with tables outside and reasonable
fare. This is a polite and unpretentious place not far from the
Mosteiro dos Jerónimos. The
daily specials are the things to go for.
Pasteis
de Belém Pastry of Belém
Rua
de Bélem
21
886 73 34
Price:
cheap to reasonably priced
Crowd:
the young, the beautiful, the old, the ugly, simply everybody
Go
for: Outstanding pastries in a historical building
The
azulejos, original ceramics and tiles, have
been lovingly preserved in this institution founded in 1837. This is
the oldest, most beloved coffee house ongoing in Lisboa. It is huge in
reputation and in space. Two main things are on the menu, café (of
course) and the world famed pasteis de Belém,
crispy custard pastries served piping hot and fresh. There is usually
less than a nanosecond delay between the oven and your plate. If you've
got an hour to spare between flights at the airport, risk it all, get
in a taxi and do come to wolf down a dozen of these little
guys. Also, why not skip the dessert at the
restaurants nearby and come here for a pastry and coffee? It's what Pedrito and chums always
do.
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