There are four restaurant experiences that stand out from our time in Portugal.
The first one was a small place on the same street as our apartment. There were several small restaurants along this street that was closed to traffic.
There is an unusual practice in Lisboa…a lot of restaurants have a person standing outside the restaurant trying to entice people to eat at their place. On our street there were several small restaurants in a row, all with outdoor seating, all with guys trying to lure us in.
We did eat at one of them…I don’t even remember the name but the friendliness of the staff made it an outstanding experience for me. They were all so patient and served us in anyway they could, all the while paying special attention to the children. They loved the kids. I thanked them for their kindness! I had Creamed Cod and it was delicious.
The second place, Isaias, was a stop on our all day tour to the National Park. It was an out of the way place our tour guide knew of and tourists do not. Locals love the place. It is not in Rick Steves book, although we love his tour books! Isaias is run by two older guys, grilling fresh fish outside on a grill built into the wall of this corner shop. Inside in the front room is the counter with the register and two tables, and a narrow room in the back has four small tables. We waited outside for 45 minutes as the tables freed up – they needed to put two tables together for our group. There were five of us that day so they put two tables together to make six place settings. Since there was room for one more a single customer was seated with us! I loved it! They only grill fresh fish and everyone enjoyed their meal. I had a giant Tiger Shrimp. Yum.
The third place that stands out is a family-run restaurant we happened upon in Nazare, a fishing town on the Atlantic Ocean. Again, it was small with a few tables, but it was warm and friendly. We decided the grandfather was helping to clear the tables (there were about five tables) and the son was running the place by helping the one waitress – a daughter maybe? – and collecting the money. His wife and the grandmother were in the kitchen, about the size of mine at home, doing all the cooking. I loved the idea of everyone in the family chipping in. I had Grilled Cod.
The fourth place (not in preference order) was not so much the ambiance, although it was very nice (and recommended by Rick Steves), but what we sampled there made it a unique experience. My husband had read about a delicacy enjoyed by the Portuguese that was supposedly very tasty: Boiled Barnacles! They happened to be on the menu so we ordered a plate to taste them. I wasn’t going to try them (I’m not so adventurous in my eating) but since my daughter-in-love tasted one I had to too! They were OK…but I don’t ever need to try them again. My husband and son cleaned the plate!