Portugal

Best and worst restaurants:

Best: A Baiuca
Why: Wonderful restaurant, quaint location, felt very local, good fado.

Worst: Restaurante Alcobaca (in Sintra)
Why: The cuisine was good enough, the atmosphere (cave-like) ok, but the chairs very uncomfortable.

Christopher Allen in Berkeley, CA USA 05/05/2008

Best: O Pescador, Lagos
Why: Simple, bright, clean and hearty

Worst: Restaurante O Lourenco, Salema
Why: Good food but order from the menu because if you fall for the "Catch of the Day" platter that is shown to every new customer, you pay 35 euros for 2 - far above the other prices. Ask the price.

F. & C. Weiss in Victoria, BC Canada 05/03/2008

Best: Pastelaria Suica (Lisbon), Pasterlaria Vila Velha (Sintra), Atlantico (Salema)
Why: Pastelaria - the pastries!!! Good people watching on the square as well. Pasterlia Vila Velha - we ate at after walking into town from Moorish Castle and it was perfect for a light lunch w/ beer. Atlantico - we ate on the patio on a balmy Easter Sunday and had great fish.

Christy in Mpls, MN USA 02/20/2008

Best: Restaurante Machado Lisbon
Why: Piri-piri sauce on the chicken-fun and delicious..our daughter had the grilled shrimp with heads and tails included!!

Joan in JACKSONVILLE, FL USA 01/17/2008

Best: Pasteis de Belem, Cafe Brasilia
Why: The Pastel de Belem was excellent and the ambience in Cafe Brasilia was nice.

Uma Murthy in Blacksburg, VA USA 01/03/2008

Best: Restaurante Cervejaria (1/4 para as 9), Evora, Pt
Why: The fish soup with bread, potatoes, tomatoes and you choice of fish (Sopa de Peixe de Pargo) was a hoot! And very delicious. Our waiter, Joaquim, explained it all and life in general (We were early at 7:30 before the crowd).

Don Karpen in Talent, OR USA 10/16/2007

Best: Botinho in Sintra
Why: Excellent wine, and best blood sausage we have ever tasted. Extremely hard working staff.

Worst: Celeste's in Nazare
Why: We were expecting the best seafood, and what we received was grilled octopus drowned in a corn oil/olive oil mix, and fish covered in Celeste's "special" sauce, which happened to just be soy sauce!

Cort Cramer in Watertown, MA USA 10/02/2007

Best: The one on the square in Oporto
Why: We chose one I can't remember the name of on a corner in the main square. We had a lovely moderately priced meal and there was fado! A young woman sang much to our suprise though we later noticed signs everywhere announcing it. We also went to Clube de Fado in Lisbon and that was great if a bit pricey.

Worst: O Bizarro in Coimbra
Why: This place was at best mediocre. I had a meal here which was very unappetizing. I was very sorry I had made this choice.

Jane Leingang in Evansville, IN USA 08/06/2007

Best: Bonjardin in Lisbon & Restaurante Cervejaria 1/4 Para As 9 (quarter to nine) in Evora
Why: Bonjardin in Lisbon has the most flavorful roasted chicken, french fries & sangria that I have ever tasted. The setting is great fun, outdoor seating in a lively area.

Quarter to Nine in Evora has the most wonderful arroz de tamaboril - rice and seafood stew! Absolutely wonderful!! Don't miss it!

Karen Reeder in Dallas, tx USA 07/05/2007

Best: EuroAsia- Alba Feira, PT
Why: Vegetarian restaurant with a delicious buffet. Great variety.

Marty in Vaughn, KY USA 07/02/2007

Best: Fialho, Taberna Tipica Quarta-Feira (Evora)
Why: Fialho is expensive but you're assured to have the most authentic portuguese food, with the best quality ingredients. Taberna Tipica specializes in black pork which is really tasty. For dessert, ask for the "Mariquice".

Worst: Adega do Alentejano (Evora)
Why: We stayed in Evora for over a week and went to a different restaurant every lunch and dinner. This was the worst place we went to: the pork was dry and the potatoes were not that impressive. There are so many good restaurants in Evora, I think this one should be taken off the list. Others that could replace this one: Lareira, Adeguita do Farrobo.

Beatriz Costa in Seattle, WA USA 06/29/2007

Best: Vintage House Hotel in the Douro Valley, and Pousada do Infante in Cape Sagres
Why: At the Vintage House Hotel in the Douro Valley, we had an exquisite lunch sitting out on a terrace among Eden-like gardens and taking in the riverside scenery. At the Pousada do Infante in Cape Sagres, we dined on the outdoor deck and overlooked the ocean. Food was really good at both places.

Worst: Pousada Solar da Rede in Douro Valley
Why: For the expense and stiffness of service, the quality of the food was not worth the splurge.

Vicki Phillips in Denver, CO USA 05/17/2007

Best: Café Guarany in Porto
Why: Despite the fluorescent lighting, I was able to enjoy the Fado concert. The food selection was very good, and I had the last Pastel de Nata. Ginjinha comes without berries so that is the only "bad" part I can think of. The Café Guarany was very convenient because my hotel was just around the corner, and close to the "Aliados" metro station.

Worst: A Baiuca in Lisbon's Alfama
Why: I was a bit disappointed in the A Baiuca. Once it fills up (and it does about 8 PM), the earliest a space is available is 11 PM. I tried going there twice but to no avail. The best advice I can give is, take the map with you before heading to A Baiuca, and make sure you can find the place before 7:45 PM. Better yet, make reservations - walk-ins will have the worst experience.

Josh Hanz in Frisco, TX USA 03/03/2007

Best: Street vendor in Nazare
Why: There are quite a few women selling nuts, chestnuts, and dried fruit. The chestnuts and dried apricots were amazing. The best apricots I have ever tasted!

Julie in Los Alamos, NM USA 02/22/2007

Best: Restaurante Abadia in Porto
Why: Real authentic Portuguese food. You can tell by the number of locals in the restaurant.

Worst: Restaurante Guarany in Porto
Why: The food is mediocre and the ambience is lousy. And why do the Portuguese use those obnoxious flourescent lights in all their restaurants? It's a mood-killer and the light is most unforgiving - everyone looks bad!

Cecile Bouchardeau in New York, NY USA 10/10/2006

Best: Bonjardim, on Trevesa de Santo Antao
Why: Excellant service and very good food, and they could understand our limited Portuguese.

Milo and Susan Tedstrom in Denver, CO USA 09/27/2006

Worst: Vila Velha Restaurante
Why: The food was not great; the service was terrible-very snobby. This is certainly not "wonderfully unforgettable".

Kieu-Oanh in Portland, OR USA 09/22/2006

Best: Lavezza, Nazarre
Why: Although not recommended in the book, it definitely should be included. The food in Portugal is uniformly excellent, but our experience there was one of the most memorable meals of our lives.

Ken Kleszynski in Portland, OR USA 06/16/2006

Best: Restaurante Pap 'Acorda
Why: Fantastic food and great atmosphere. You really are with the locals.

Mary Jane Sackela in St. Petersburg, Fl USA 04/29/2006

Best: Cervejaria Ribardouro
Why: The best shellfish you can get anywhere! It ca be pretty expensive, but can be a very worthy splurge. If you can't afford the lobster, at least get the barnacles.

Michael Dunn in Decatur, GA USA 04/11/2006

Best: Adega do Alentejo (Evora)
Why: Helpful staff and happy locals dining all around you. They didn't have their homemade ginjinha ready to drink yet, but they recommended a nice minty apertif instead.

Worst: Picnic in Sintra
Why: Not a restaurant per se, but if you're going to have a picnic in Sintra, bring food from Lisbon. Prices are jacked up for everything in the more touristy Sintra areas.

WDM in Tokyo, Japan 03/16/2006

Best: Boia Bar, Salema
Why: Great fresh seafood and located right on the beach! Ask for Paul, he's very kind and helpful (especially if you ask him to help return a bag of souvenirs left in Salema to some Canadians from Toronto!)

Glen Webster in Toronto, ON Canada 02/25/2006