LISBON, PORTUGAL Yakuza Sushi

Ricci was responsible for picking dinner and he was interested in checking out Yakuza, a very nice sushi place in Lisbon.

Ricci made reservations, and we uber'ed to the restaurant. The restaurant had a very nice decor and ambiance, and our waiter was very knowledgeable and helpful.

We started with some fancy drinks, a mocktail for Thanh (Sunset Garden), a Japanese Whiskey Sour for Phil. Excellent drinks.

Amy started with the Miso soup and said it was the best ever, so a second one was ordered for Phil and Thanh.

For dinner, we selected the Yakuza combo, which was the chef's choice of 16 pieces of sashimi and 16 pieces of sushi. Our waiter said he would make sure there would be 4 of each so we could easily split among the four of us. We also ordered the Gunkan chef's choice, where Yakuza was famous for. Gunkans are oval balls of rice wrapped in nori seaweed and topped with various fish or others.

For dessert, we tried the green tea fondant with sesame ice cream, which was different but surprisingly good.

RECOMMENDATIONS: Above average in term of sushi. We were happy with the service and the food. But in term of ranking among our meals in Portugal, this ranked in the middle of the pack, as we had some really good and memorable seafood at other restaurants.

 

LISBON, PORTUGAL O Trevor

Bifana was a specialty Portuguese sandwich made with thinly sliced pork, and O Trevor was made famous for their bifanas by the late Anthony Bourdain. The location was a few minutes walk from our apartment, so we stopped by for lunch.

We all ordered the bifana, served with their special mustard sauce and spicy piri piri sauce. It was a simple yet delicious lunch.

RECOMMENDATIONS: Excellent! A nice bistro packed with locals. We actually had bifana on our last night at a mom-and-pop place in Moscavide near the Moxy hotel by the airport and we thought it was better. Check out our review for Bifanaria Portuguesa.
 

LISBON, PORTUGAL Pasteis de Nata

During our trip to Portugal, we have tasted many Pasteis de Nata, the famous Portuguese egg tart. Our first sample in Nazaré at a random bakery near the beach left a weird after taste that made us wonder, "is that what it's supposed to taste like?" The next few at each town we visited did not impress us. We had to wait until we got to Lisbon to taste excellent Pasteis de Nata.

Our first sample with Ricci and Amy was at Manteigaria stall at the Timeout Market. It was highly rated and we enjoyed it, but better was yet to come.

Our next sample with Ricci and Amy was on our day trip to Sintra. Ricci spotted the Fabrica de Nata in old town, and each couple split one. We immediately regretted splitting, because it was warm and flakey and so good it blew our mind! We immediately went back for 8 more (4 to eat and 4 to carry home.) Lucky for us, we found out that Fabrica de Nata had multiple locations, including Lisbon, not far from our apartment. 

Our third sample with Ricci and Amy was on our day trip to Belem. It was well known that Pasteis de Nata originated in Belem, and were called Pasteis de Belem at the same named bakery. Based on Rick Steve's recommendations, our first stop in Belem was to the bakery. The line was short when we arrived, but was super long by the time we got our baked goods. The Pasteis de Belem were served warm, and it was definitely above average, but we still loved the ones from Fabrica de Nata best.

We decided to give Manteigaria another chance at their bakery and not at the market stall. We felt that having them still warm coming out of the oven gave the other two bakeries an advantage over the market stall. The Manteigaria shop was just a few blocks from our apartment, and when we sampled the pasteis warm, it was much better than from the market, but still not as flakey as the ones from Fabrica de Nata.

 RECOMMENDATIONS: We voted Fabrica de Nata as having the best Pasteis de Nata in Lisbon, over Manteigaria and Pasteis de Belem. We had Pasteis de Nata at multiple locations of Fabrica de Nata (Sintra, Lisbon, Porto) and they were consistently flakey and amazing. Manteigaria and Pasteis de Belem were a toss up between second and third, and the rest of the random baked shops were far behind.

LISBON, PORTUGAL Timeout Market (Mercado da Ribeira)

The Timeout Market in Lisbon, also called Mercado da Ribeira, is a nice centralized location to sample Portuguese food in one place.

We enjoyed this food hall so much that we returned here three times during our five-day visit to Lisbon.

Many of the stalls are run by top chefs from different parts of Portugal, some of which are Michelin-starred chefs like chef Alexandre Silva, chef Henrique Sá Pessoa, chef Marlene Vieira and chef Miguel Castro e Silva.

We tried the Franscesinha (a Porto-specialty) and the Bacalhau a Bràs from chef Miguel Castro e Silva, who originated from Porto. The Bacahau a Bràs was sooo much better than what we tried in Coimbra that we ended up ordering it three times among the four of us. Amy really liked the seafood pasta that she went back another time. We tried the Pastel de Nata from the famous Manteigaria, but as we found out later, they taste so much better at the shops when they come out warm, as opposed to cold at the market. Ricci found a suckling pig sandwich that he liked so much he returned another time. Amy had some fresh oysters from the Sea Me stall that were so amazing that we decided to go to the restaurant for dinner one night.

RECOMMENDATIONS: We loved the Timeout Market in Lisbon! There were so many delicious choices and we wished we had more time to eat here. Highly recommended. 

 

LISBON, PORTUGAL Bon Jardim

Having had Peri-Peri chicken from Nando Peri Peri in Maryland, we went looking for some authentic Peri-Peri chicken in Portugal. Our research led us to Bon Jardim as having the best Piri-Piri chicken, and we discovered that the real Piri-Piri sauce was nothing like the one at Nando. This sauce was more oil based with a nice spicy kick. Poured generously on the roasted chicken, it was really delicious.

Bon Jardim was a very informal restaurant, with indoor and outdoor seatings. We did not make reservations and had no issue getting a table. We all ordered the "Frango Assado Com Piri Piri", which was a thigh, leg and wing perfectly roasted with a crisp skin, juicy meat, and sides of fries and salad.

We really enjoyed the nice simple meal, and some of us topped it off with an interesting dessert, pineapple in Port wine. Not knowing what to expect, we were surprised when we were brought a thick slice of pineapple soaked in Port wine. It was delicious as well.

 RECOMMENDATIONS: Highly recommended! This meal, although simple, was so memorable that we ranked it high on our food tour of Portugal. We wished we had time to go back again.

SALEMA, PORTUGAL O Lourenço

After spending sunset photographing the lighthouse at Cabo de San Vincente at the southwestern-most point of Portugal and mainland Europe, we drove to the nearby town of Salema for dinner.

Rick Steve recommended to stay in Salema but we decided on Lagos as we thought it was a more central location for the things we wanted to see in the Algarve.

However we were curious about this seafood restaurant that Rick Steve raved about, called O Lourenço, so we decided to check it out.

We did not have reservations, but we were there early enough that they gave us a table. The staff brought a display of fresh fish of the day, and when asked for his recommendations, he said his favorite fish was the Red Sea Bream, a local fish to the Algarve.

We ordered Mozambique prawns and grilled Red Sea Bream, deboned, with sides of potato, salad, and snap peas. The prawns were gigantic and delicious, and the fish was grilled to perfection, with a firm texture and seasoned just right. Dinner was so amazing that we had to try their dessert, the Pudim do Ovos, that resembled most to flan.

 RECOMMENDATIONS: Highly recommended! Rick Steve did not steer us wrong. This was the BEST seafood we had on our trip to Portugal, perhaps tied with another excellent seafood place we had in Porto with Ricci and Amy near the end of our trip.

LAGOS, PORTUGAL Black & White Coffee Shop

On our second-to-last day in Lagos, we went to a highly reviewed Black & White coffee shop. We ordered a 3/4 long black coffee and a moccha, with a chocolate croissant and an almond-chocolate double baked croissant.

The chocolate croissant was one of the best, so light and flakey, that we ordered two more to go. We decided to reheat them the next morning before our drive to Lisbon to pick up Ricci and Amy, who were joining us for the second part of our Portugal adventure.

 RECOMMENDATIONS: Highly recommended. We wished we could go back. Everything we ordered was delicious. Our hunt for the best chocolate croissants took us to Lagos of all places. What a wonderful surprise.

LAGOS, PORTUGAL A Forja

For our second dinner in Lagos, we chose A Forja, about a 5-minute walk from our apartment. The staff showed us their fresh fish display, with one portion of fresh squid of the day.

We ordered the grilled squid and a platter of pork loin with fries, rice and salad. As soon as we ordered the squid, the staff erased the squid from the Catch of the Day black board.

The grilled squid tasted really fresh, so delicious. The pork loin platter was too big of a portion, that we took half home and heated it up for lunch at the apartment the next day.

 RECOMMENDATIONS: Best grilled squid ever! We highly recommend this restaurant for their fresh seafood.

LAGOS, PORTUGAL Casinha Do Pestisco

 We arrived in Lagos around 1pm, and before settling on lunch, we walked to find Casinha do Pestisco, a highly reviewed restaurant for their cataplana. There was not a way to call to make reservations, so we decided to walk there and check things out. The restaurant was not open but the staff was there working, so we asked for a reservation for dinner. They were able to squeeze us in for 6PM, and we gratefully accepted.

When we returned at 6pm, the entrance to the restaurant was locked but we could obviously see people seated and eating. After a few minutes, one of the staff opened the door for us and another couple. They turned away the other couple without a reservation, and allowed us to come in. It felt like joining a secret cult. As we sat and ordered, we watched different groups show up, look surprised at the locked door, waited and got turned away. We were very happy we scored a reservation.

We ordered the cataplana homestyle, with pork, prawns and clams. The broth was a bit like curry sauce, and it was delicious. The portion was really big and we really stuffed ourselves.

RECOMMENDATIONS: Highly recommended. We read that this restaurant had the best cataplana, and it did not disappoint. The reservation process was a bit rough, so try your luck for the best cataplana we had during our trip to Portugal.

LAGOS, PORTUGAL Sweet & Temptation

We arrived in Lagos around 1pm, hungry for lunch. Coming right from the free parking lot, turning the corner, was Sweet & Temptation, a cute little bistro with a lot of outside seatings (and very little inside seatings.)

We looked at their menu on the black board, and saw the bifana, the famous Portuguese pork sandwich on the menu. This was one of the things to try in Portugal, so we quickly decided to sit down and order a bifana each, and a nice lemonade.

The bifana came with a fried egg, and a side of chips and salad. The lemonade was very refreshing. We were happy with our pick.

RECOMMENDATIONS: Highly recommended. We may be biased due to starvation, but everything tasted delicious.

EVORA, PORTUGAL O Gandim

We arrived to Evora on a Sunday, where we found almost everything closed. The few restaurants that we researched ahead of time were not open sadly.

We wandered around town, when we came across O Gandim, a beautiful restaurant but completely empty of customers. It was 5pm, and we weren't sure they were opened. We poked our head in and asked. They said closing time was 6pm, so the menu was limited.

We took our chance, and got a table. We ordered a charcuterie board, shrimps in mustard and honey sauce, a mixed mushrooms dish, and a veal dish.

When the food came out, we thought everything was amazing. We felt so lucky to come across this restaurant by chance on our only night in Evora.

RECOMMENDATIONS: Highly recommended. We may be biased from starvation, but we thought the food was delicious. We ate so fast we missed some of the pictures.

 

COIMBRA, PORTUGAL Solar do Bacalhau

 Bacalhau (cod fish) is a central ingredient in Portuguese cuisine. Tonight we decided to look for some bacalhau.

Solar do Bacalhau was a very big restaurant, serving bacalhau in many different style. It felt a bit touristy, but we were okay trying our first bacalhau here.

We ordered a grilled bacalhau with potatoes and cabbage, and a bacalhau a bras with a shrimp add-on, which was similar to a crabcake, but is a codfish cake.

We did not have anything to compare against, but we learned later on that there were much better bacalhau elsewhere during our trip.

RECOMMENDEATIONS: Pass. The food was okay but not great.

COIMBRA, PORTUGAL Joao Dos Leitoes

 We were determined to have some piglets today, so we did not take any chance. We arrived at Joao Dos Leitoes a little before noon, before they opened. We were their first customers and were promptly seated.

Our eyes got wide when we saw the suckling pigs being brought in, two by two. We learned that the piglets were slayed around 4-6 weeks old, while they were still suckling on their mother's milk. This made their meat so tender and juicy. The way they were roasted gave very crispy skin.

We each had our own plate of suckling pigs with homemade chips and orange salad. It was a simple yet delicious meal.

RECOMMENDATIONS: Definitely seek this out if you are in the area. Go early or be willing to wait. Don't go near closing time and risk them running out of piglets.

COIMBRA, PORTUGAL Tapas Nas Costas

 On our first night in Coimbra, we went looking for a highly reviewed restaurant called A Cozinha Da Maria, known for goat stew. Sadly they were closed for the few days we were in Coimbra.

We went to the next restaurant on our list of restaurants to check out, Joao Dos Leitoes, this one known for sucking pigs. We arrived one hour before closing time, but they already ran out of piglets.

We walked around, and randomly stopped at Tapas Nas Costas, as we were hungry and desperate.

We ordered four dishes, but were stopped by the staff as it was too much food. We ended up ordering a hunting sausage dish, a fried egg with fries and mushrooms dish, a house steak, and a chocolate mousse dessert.

The steak was yummy, the sausage dish was like a big omelette and was so-so, and the egg with fries and mushrooms were alright. The chocolate mousse was not very good; it was too sweet and the consistency was not mousse-like.

RECOMMENDATIONS: Pass. It was an okay meal, not a memorable one. 

NAZARE, PORTUGAL Sitiado Seafood

On our first night in Nazaré, Portugal, we went to a highly reviewed seafood restaurant called Sitiado. It was a small cozy restaurant, so we made reservations ahead of time via Whatsapp.

When we arrived for our reservations at 7pm, we were the only ones there. By 8pm, they have filled up the place.

The restaurant served 'tapas' style dishes, which, we thought, meant 'small plates.' We started ordering several dishes, but the staff stopped us at the fifth dish, as they told us we were ordering too much food. We were very grateful for their assistance.

We ordered octopus, squid, clams, tuna, and wild mushrooms. Our favorites were the seared tuna and the wild mushrooms. Our least favorite was the octopus salad.

RECOMMENDATIONS: Our first seafood meal in Portugal was pretty good, but it was not the best in Portugal. We were happy not to have to figure out where to eat on our first night in Portugal, and the meal was very good. However this was not a must-go.

LISBON, PORTUGAL Mercearia do Fanqueiro by Vítor Palmilha

 Mercearia do Fanqueiro is a restaurant that is part of a butcher/grocery store, about 20 minutes north of the LISBON Humberto Delgado Airport.

This location is only convenient if you have a car and are heading north in the direction of Porto (or returning to Lisbon.)

We loved the food so much that we did both: we stopped here after first landing in Lisbon, getting the rental car, and starting our drive towards Nazaré, and we stopped here again with Ricci and Amy on our way back to Lisbon from Porto. The location is a little bit odd, as it looks like you are going to an industrial complex, but that's how you know you are heading in the right direction!

Their specialty is aged steak and meat board. The meat board was too much for two so we had to wait to have Ricci and Amy with us to order one.

Their couvert (sweet potato chips, olives, cheese) and bread was very satisfying. The olives were particularly good (for people who don't even like olives.)

The first time, we ordered the Trio of black pork with oregano, French fries and orange salad, and grilled shrimps from Mozambique.

The second time, we ordered the Grocery Specialty meat board that featured five different steak cuts selected by the chef, good for 4 to 5 people. For sides, we selected rice and salad.

RECOMMENDATIONS: If you have a car, and you love steaks, be sure to stop by here if this fits into your schedule. You may need to make reservations a day ahead because the restaurant does fill up at lunch time for us.