Coimbra and Central Portugal Restaurants
We’ve compiled the best of the best in Coimbra and Central Portugal - browse our top choices for Restaurants during your stay.
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We’ve compiled the best of the best in Coimbra and Central Portugal - browse our top choices for Restaurants during your stay.
Until its conversion in 1923, Café Santa Cruz was an auxiliary chapel for the monastery. Now its high-vaulted Manueline ceiling and stained-glass windows make it an ideal spot to enjoy your morning cup of coffee or a leisurely lunch with a glass of wine. Despite all the grandeur, prices are extremely reasonable.
Everything from set three-course lunches to delicious cakes and pastries are prepared with love and served with a smile at this welcoming restaurant in the heart of Coimbra's historic center. There are plenty of tables in the cozy interior, but the tables and chairs set out on the flagstones outside are the best bet in the summer months. Prices are extremely reasonable given the prime location.
This self-proclaimed "brownieria" is owned and run by a friendly Brazilian family that serves a range of squishy, oozing brownies finished with toppings of your own choice and accompanied by filtered coffee. Brazilian brigadeiros (traditional chocolate and condensed milk confections) are another specialty.
Of the several restaurants specializing in suckling pig, this is the most popular. The size of the parking lot is a dead giveaway that this is no intimate bistro, and the spitted pigs pop out of the huge ovens at an amazing rate (especially in summer). In spite of the volume, quality is maintained.
A bubbly, friendly atmosphere fills this quintessentially Portuguese restaurant specializing in cod and other dishes from the region. The decor is handsome, looking for all the world like a kitchen from a century ago. Bring cash, as international bank cards aren't accepted.
Established in 1987, this restaurant is famed in these parts for its excellent lunch buffet of hearty regional cuisine. Depending on the season you'll find such Portuguese favorites as bacalhau com natas (codfish with cream), arroz de pata (rice with duck), and suckling pig. Arrive early for lunch, or face a long wait for a seat.
Dine on superb seafood like juicy prawns, fish stews, and various rice dishes; everything is wonderfully fresh. This restaurant is very popular with locals, particularly on weekends, so you may have to wait for a table.
This pastel pink bakery looks every bit as sweet as its freshly baked treats, which attract huge lines of cake-loving locals. From pretty cakes topped with edible flowers to sugar-free, gluten-free chocolate brownies, the vitrine is a feast for the eyes, and everything tastes as good as it looks.
Expect a warm welcome and no-frills traditional cuisine at this family-run storefront restaurant with a wood-paneled dining room decorated with photos of the famous 19th-century fado star who once lived on this street. The menu changes according to what is fresh in the market that day, but is, unfailingly, unpretentious home-style cooking with huge portions.
In the peaceful, rather than picturesque, village of Paião, 10 km (6 miles) south of Figueira da Foz, this restaurant decorated with animal skins was once a tannery, and that's what the name means. An institution for more than 20 years, the menu is heavy on regional specialties, including a famously good sopa da pedra (vegetable and meat soup). Grilled pork and veal on a spit are also excellent. Cozy up in the handsome dining room in winter, or take a seat on the patio when the sun shines.
A vegetarian alternative to Aveiro's seafood-focused dining scene, Raiz offers wholesome dishes that could tempt the most hardened of carnivores. The menu is completely plant-based and has daily lunch specials such as spinach crepes with Mexican-style tofu scramble. There are gluten-free menu items every day, and a meatless version of Brazilian feijoada on Wednesday.
The rustic atmosphere here is accentuated by a decor that includes traditional farming tools, ancient barrels, and dark-wood beams. Fittingly, the food is hearty farmers' fare–- expect generous portions of dishes like roasted goat and beef stew with mushrooms. Seafood choices include paella, as well as grilled salmon and squid.
Overlooking the gardens and Roman ruins at Conímbriga's museum, the on-site restaurant is a sleek and modern space, with a spacious terrace and large windows. There are daily set meals and a-la-carte options, while an adjoining terrace café is a more informal spot for coffee, ice cream, and light snacks.
At the western edge of town, this popular local restaurant serves simple fare that includes several types of salt cod, roast kid, and fresh fish.
A roof terrace with sweeping views over Coimbra and the Cañas Valley draws crowds to this friendly restaurant on the outskirts of town. A downstairs dining room is packed with locals at lunchtime, but out-of-towners head straight up to the roof to enjoy drinks and snacks with those glorious vistas. The name means "Terrace of the King," and there's even a throne where children tend to enjoy posing for photographs.
The chic restaurant at upscale Sapientia Boutique Hotel has an inviting stone-walled interior (Tasca das Tias Camellas) and a sunny terrace (Pátio das Tias Camellas). Both spaces are beautifully decorated, and the same attention to detail extends to the dishes, from warm tuna salads and lamb burgers to vegan quinoa bowls. The mixed platter of cheeses, smoked meats, and mini-pies is a crowd-pleasing sharing plate.
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