Portugal Food Guide

Hello!  Hope you are doing well!  We are doing great!  We arrived in Florida on Saturday afternoon and have really just taken the time to slow down and compress.  I am so grateful that the children are at the stage now where they too do not need to be entertained 24/7 and that we don't have to run from one activity to the next.  Their best friends are arriving in an hour and the girls are so excited to spend the rest of the week with them here at the resort.  

Anyway, let's move on as I promised you a food guide.  This isn't meant to be a comprehensive food guide, but just a list of where we ate and how what we thought of the food in Portugal.  Let me first start off with that the food in Portugal is amazing.  Yum!  Second, I love that it didn't really matter what city we were in, but we were able to find a wide range of food selections.  You are definitely not forced to eat just Portuguese food, but if you did find yourself in a small town with a limited selection I can attest that Portuguese food is delicious.

The first city on our journey was Lagos which is located on the Algarve Coast.  Located  2 1/2 hours southeast of Lisbon you will not only find gorgeous coastal views but a wonderful array of food.  While I am not Vegan, I do remember seeing Vegan options, so no worries for our Vegan friends.  If you plan on visiting Lagos during the height of the tourism season which is from May-October you will want to make reservations either in advance to go on your trip or make that a priority as soon as you step foot in town.  We were turned away from a few restaurants before we came upon an Asian restaurant called Gorilla.  The food was delicious.  We enjoyed starters of soy-glazed mushrooms lightly battered and fried, potstickers, and massaman chicken.  My only complaint would be that the rice was a little undercooked, but that could be due to either the personal preference of those in the region or maybe that the restaurant was swamped and they were having a hard time keeping up with the demand.  The next day we ate at a restaurant called Quay located on the harbor front this restaurant was amazing.  We started our meal out with fresh fruit smoothies, followed by bread, cheese, and olive course, and ended with saffron prawns for my friend and for me Seabream (fish), boiled potatoes, and a fresh salad.  All meals were then compared to this meal for the rest of our stay.  Incredible!!!!!!  That evening was a late-night snack with enjoyed a pizza.  Sadly, I don't know the name of the place, but by the constant lines every night it is pretty popular.  Made fresh to order in a brink oven.  This restaurant is located just below Gorilla in the alleyway.   On our last night in Lagos, we ate at a restaurant located on Camilo Beach called Camilo.  The view was amazing.  The service was amazing and the decor was clean and fresh everything you would expect of a high-end restaurant.  It was a splurge for us, but sadly my steak was slightly overcooked and so was my friend's swordfish.  I also would expect a restaurant of that caliber to make its own french fries. I also ordered boiled potatoes to go with my fish and they were way overcooked.  We were the first seating of the evening, so I am not sure why the quality wasn't there that evening.  It was a disappointment.  I will say despite my steak being overcooked that the flavors were spot on!

Our next destination was Porto, but before we arrived in Porto we made a stop in Aveiro, where we tried the famous Bachlau.  This snack food or appetizer food is made of salted cod, mashed potatoes, and herbs.  You can also get it stuffed with sheep cheese, but despite tasting wonderful I couldn't get past the smell of the latter!  Arriving late at our hotel that evening and a rainstorm we settled into our hotel for the evening where I ordered spaghetti carbonara which was rich and creamy.  This pasta was served with a twist of mushrooms.  The following day we ventured into the city where we crossed the river and ate at the food market.  My friend had the famous Francesinha a sandwich with roots in France similar to a croque-monsieur but instead of the traditional cheese sauce, this sandwich is served with a tomato beer-based sauce.  I am not a fan of wet bread but did taste it before the bread got soggy and the flavors were heavenly. If I were to go to Portugal again, I would order this sandwich with the sauce on the side. 

The next stop was Sintra, which is an absolute must.  While I am sure there are many wonderful restaurants in this city, we ate at Tascantiga.  I found the recommendation through YouTube!  The food is excellent.  I had a steak sandwich served on a brown bread-crusted roll with arugula, garlic french fries served with a lovely mayo dipping sauce and a steamed pumpkin cake served with vanilla curd ice cream drizzled with honey and walnuts. Heavenly!  The food was so good, I forgot to take pictures except for the dessert. 

Our last stop in Portugal was Lisbon.  There we enjoyed a wonderful meal of Piri Piri Chicken which is rather spicy, but you can get the spice on the side.  This was served with fries and we ordered a side salad which was very refreshing.  I thought I took a picture of this restaurant to remember the name, but can't seem to find it.  You can find Piri Piri chicken all throughout the city so no worries.  Basically Piri Piri chicken is roasted chicken perfectly seasoned and spiced pepper chicken.  The chicken was so moist and tender so much so it fought to cling to the bones as it really wanted not to.  It is so tender that it melts in your mouth and chewing is really almost not necessary. Before we left Portugal with went to Belem Pasteis de Nata located close to the waterfront and while not the most famous of bakeries, I have it on good authority that theirs are superior to the well-known bakery.  Also, the lines are shorter.  On a side note, if you are driving, just park your car at the waterfront and walk because GPS will take you on a goose chase before finally getting you to your destination. Pasteis de Nata or Portuguese egg tarts are egg custard tart that is served hot and can be topped with powdered sugar and or cinnamon.  The pastry on the outside should be crispy and make a sound when you bite into it and while the custard should not be runny it should be soft and warm.  Eating an egg tart is like getting a hug from grandma.  Well concludes my food journey in Portugal.  Whatever you choose to eat in Portugal, I promise you that you will not be sad unless you eat fast food.