Category: Portugal

After lunch we decided to explore Lisbon on their famous Tram 28. This tram goes from one end of the city to the other. This vintage tram has wooden seats and clinks and clanks along the tracks. There are astonishing views out the windows, so get a window seat if possible. Tram 28 is popular, so it does get pretty packed. The locals will warn you about pickpocketing on Tram 28, so just watch out. We were ok but we took the necessary precautions. There were crazy steep climbs along this tram route. There were points along the trip I…

After all the morning walking and shopping we worked up an appetite for some lunch. We came across an Italian restaurant Momma Donna and the menu looked pretty good. We thought it would be interesting to see the Portuguese take on Italian food. We started out with a pitcher of white sangria. It was a great fruity flavor. The pizza we ordered was a pineapple pizza with ham. Now that certainly is not really Italian and that was not the pizza we wanted. We really wanted an anchovy pizza and we thought that was what we ordered. Obviously, we ordered…

If walking over 25,000 steps wasn’t enough the day before, we decided to get up and do even more walking to see what we had not visited yet. However, you cannot start off all that walking without a good breakfast. Not far from our hotel was a little café called Fabrico Proprio. I could not wait to get another café latte. The coffee in Lisbon is fantastic and I really got addicted. I also had to try their pastel de nata. Breakfast would not be complete without one of these treats. With a sprinkle of powdered sugar on top, this…

It was Sunday night in Lisbon but it was Sunday morning back in the States. This meant it was time to watch football. We started walking around all the bars and restaurants to see who might have the football games on tv. Luckily for us we found Cervejaria do Bairro. We knew this was where we would be hanging out for a few hours. They were having a football special, a beer with a basket of French fries and cheesy garlic bread. It was a good little snack. The fries had garlic on them too, which made them even better.…

A food and wine tour in Lisbon would not be complete without having some ginjinha, that famous cherry liqueur. A lot like their pastel de nata, ginjinha can be found all over the city. And everyone makes their own version. We got to try one of those homemade versions at O Estamine Snack Bar. The owner did not speak any English but Kika was able to help translate for us. He was excited to welcome us to his little shop and serve us his homemade ginjinha. It was not as sweet as the previous version I tried. This one was…

We continued to explore the area of Estrela. We went to a café that has been there since 1943 called Aloma. They offered a variety of pastries, including the famous pastel de nata and bolos de coco (coconut cake). The coconut cake was Kika’s favorite. We were lucky to get to try both. The coconut cake was moist and fluffy. The toasted coconut on top added a little crunch. It would be great with an espresso or café latte. The pastel de nata was similar to the other ones I had already enjoyed. The cream filling was cool, and the…

When on vacation eating and drinking in a new city is extremely important. When it is a city, I have never been to before, I want to make sure that I experience the true city, not the tourist areas. This is why I was excited to take a tour with the Culinary Backstreets (www.culinarybackstreets.com). They were going to help me experience the history of food and wine in Portugal. We met our tour guide Kika at the entrance of Jardim de Estrela (Estrela Gardens). This is a green space that was created in 1852. It is loaded with palm trees,…

While walking around Lisbon, I kept seeing signs for codfish cakes. They looked interesting, and since the Portuguese eat so much codfish I figured this had to be good. The shop I went in to had a snack of a cod cake stuffed with Serra cheese. Serra cheese is made in the mountain region of Serra da Estrela. It is a sheep’s milk cheese that is soft and gooey when melted in the middle of the cod cake. The cod cake was a blend of chopped up fish and mashed potatoes. It was similar to the jamon croquettes I had…

With all the walking that we did in the morning, we worked up an appetite for lunch. Our bartender at the Turium hotel recommended visiting Bonjardim to experience a traditional Portuguese roasted chicken. This was one of his favorite restaurants, so we figured we had to try a restaurant that a local love. We started off by ordering a pitcher of red sangria and one large beer. The sangria was delicious. It had a nice number of fresh fruits, and it was made with amazing Portuguese wine. Ordering was simple, we each orders a half a chicken with sides of…

We continued walking along the cobble stone streets, observing the architecture both old and new. In the Bairro Alto area, it is the lively bohemian district. This is the area that comes alive at night with a plethora of bars and restaurants. The final church we visited on the walking tour was Igreja de Sao Roque. It is a beautiful baroque church that is awe-inspiring as soon as you walk in. The ornate, gold decorations is something to behold. Photos cannot capture the pure splendor of this church. The last stop on the tour was the Miradouro S. Pedro de…