Sintra, the Estoril Coast, and the Setúbal Peninsula Restaurants
We’ve compiled the best of the best in Sintra, the Estoril Coast, and the Setúbal Peninsula - browse our top choices for Restaurants during your stay.
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We’ve compiled the best of the best in Sintra, the Estoril Coast, and the Setúbal Peninsula - browse our top choices for Restaurants during your stay.
In an eye-catching blue-and-white building that also houses the tourist information center and a small museum, the Casa da Baía serves cakes and pastries from around the region. You place your order at a small deli (well stocked with Moscatel and Peninsula de Setúbal wines) and then take a seat in the dining room or head out to a vast terrace complete with comfy deck chairs.
When in town, sweet-toothed visitors should be sure to sample the local specialty called tortas de Azeitão: little sweet sponge cakes filled with an egg-and-cinnamon custard. Stop by this locally famous café to savor some pastries along with a Portuguese coffee or Moscatel wine, with the option to buy a box to enjoy later.
Enjoy colorful salads, seafood, and other light meals with a view over Cascais bay at this laidback bar-restaurant in the center of town. Communal seating, sharing plates, and a lively musical backdrop make for a sociable atmosphere, and the sea breezes blowing through the open windows keep things fresh on hot days. You can book a table on the terrace if you don't fancy group dining.
In the middle of gorgeous gardens, this unusual restaurant occupies a lovingly restored traditional windmill perched on a cliff overlooking the ocean. The outdoor seating area has different seating areas tumbling down the cliff and shaded by pines and flowering cacti. The food has Mexican and Middle Eastern accents, with excellent vegetarian options along with the fresh fish synonymous with the Portuguese coast.
Popular though it may be, this longtime favorite remains an unpretentious and inexpensive option for its spectacular food and friendly service. Including much more than the seafood found in most local eateries, the menu features dishes from every region in Portugal. Get here early, as competition for the outdoor tables is fierce in summer.
In the heart of old-town Cascais, Santini Cascais has what many people consider to be the country's best Italian-style gelato. Branches have now opened across Lisbon and in Porto, but Santini Cascais is where it all began when Attilio Santini opened his ice cream parlor on the beach back in 1949.
The huge queues that form outside this tiny, family-run tavern are a testament to the fact that the fish served here is far and away the best in town. There's no menu, but the daily catch is written on a blackboard and cooked to perfection on a charcoal grill out on the flagstones.
Offering a vegan alternative to Sesimbra's many fish and seafood restaurants, Aloha Café serves delicious plant-based breakfasts, brunches, and light meals. Expect an abundance of fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables alongside vegan versions of classic desserts like cheesecake and pudim (a sweet flan usually made with egg). More substantial dishes include a different set meal every day, and a delicious vegan burger made with portobello mushrooms and smoked tofu. The cozy interior is pure rustic-chic, but on sunny days you'll want to take a seat on the terrace to enjoy the unobstructed ocean views.
A short stroll downhill from the train station, this cozy spot has marble-topped tables and an elaborately decorated ceiling. It serves delicious scones, cakes, and pastries in a setting that evokes the grandeur of another era. The strong coffee and hearty breakfasts are good fuel for a day climbing the town's steep hills.
There are plenty of other pizza joints in Cascais, but locals will tell you Caffe Itália is the best of the bunch. In its indoor dining rooms or on its sunny terrace you can choose from a range of authentic thin-crust pizzas and fresh homemade pasta dishes.
Inside white stucco walls beneath a barrel-tile roof, this tavern is said to be one of the oldest in Portugal. The interior has exposed brick walls, expansive windows, and a huge fireplace that keeps the place cozy in cooler weather. The menu is Portuguese with a French accent, and the fair prices ensure a steady flow of locals alongside the daytrippers.
"House of the Endless Sea" serves deliciously fresh seafood, burgers and light meals accompanied by excellent craft beers and an amiable clientele. The informal restaurant is popular with local trail runners and cyclists, who stop here to refuel after a hard day's endorphin-boosting exercise.
Casa Santiago founder Virgilio Santiago declared himself Rei do Choco Frito ("King of Fried Cuttlefish") when he opened his restaurant doors in 1974. It’s a bold claim in a city which prides itself on the dish, but Setúbal locals back it up. Queues snake out the door at lunchtime: reservations aren't accepted, so get here early if you don’t want to stand in line in the hot sun.
Long gone are the days when vegetarians and vegans would struggle to find enticing dining options in seafood-focused Setúbal. Gentrification has brought with it a raft of vegetarian restaurants, and the centrally-located O Canteiro has been a firm favorite with health-conscious diners since it opened in 2016. Take your pick from a huge range of meat-free breakfast and brunch options, or go all-out at the excellent value lunch buffet, which includes tempting desserts and fresh fruit juice. The menu is updated daily, but expect colorful salads, quiches, and crunchy falafel, as well as plant-based versions of lunch staples like hotdogs and burgers.
Tucked away in the valley of Serra de Louro, down the road from Palmela, o Gaiteiro is a picturesque place to relax with a drink. There are two distinctly different cafés on the property: a winter one on the lower end among the pines with cozy seating, and a summer one perched on a small cliff with glassed-in walls and a balcony that faces the forested hills. There's a large and enticing pool with a glorious backdrop, surrounded by sun loungers which can be rented for the afternoon during the summer months.
At the east end of Avenida Luisa Todi, Rebarca is the best of the line of casual restaurants serving inexpensive but delicious fresh seafood—including an excellent version of the ubiquitous choco frito (fried cuttlefish). Wash everything down with a carafe of the house white wine, which always has a refreshingly light effervescence.
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