Boutique hotels
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Herdade da Malhadinha Nova
- Style
- Wine and wicker
- Setting
- Bucolic Beja
Alentejo Eating, drinking and dancing
Restaurants
(+ 351 268 322 318)
Adega do Isaías
Follow the seductive scent of sizzling meat and enjoy a carnivorous feast at Adega do Isaías. The speciality is Pata Negra, black pork charcoal-grilled outside on the street (hence the tempting wafts). The meat is sourced locally from pigs fattened up on acorns from the surrounding Holm oaks. Portions are generous, and are accompanied by all the trimmings and low prices. Huge wine pots provide the restaurant’s decoration (as well as the source of its name), and tables are likely to play host to locals, businessmen and well-researched (or lucky) tourists.
Rua do Almeida 21, Estremoz
(+351 266 788 200)
Divinus
This restaurant, situated in the UNESCO-classified World Heritage city of Evora, and, in addition to its historic charm and natural beauty, is a genuine gourmet destination. Located in the Convento do Espinheiro hotel (which was once, as the name suggests, a convent), the beautiful eatery serves up modern and international cuisine with Portuguese twists. It’s a romantic space, set deep in the convent’s old wine cellar.
(+351 245 993 192)
O Sever
Head to this Marvão restaurant for no-nonsense, traditional dishes such as hare stew, pigeon or migas, all served up in beautiful settings. This area is renowned for its wonderful walks, so be sure to go for a pre- or post-feast ramble.
(+351 268 333 345)
São Rosas
For delicious dining in magical settings, visit São Rosas, set in the walls of a 13th-century hilltop castle. It’s a great place to sample Alentejo specialities, cooked with local ingredients and to traditional recipes. Kick-start your appetite with zingy, refreshing bacalhau salad or a traditional omelette, then progress to a hearty, rustic main, such as pork with clams and coriander. The décor is simple but elegant: a blend of white walls, white linen and wooden beams. Look out for the white tasselled bags, heaving with fragrant, freshly baked bread. The restaurant is closed on Mondays.
Largo Dom Dinis 11, Estremoz
Bars
(+351 268 323 400)
A Cadeia Quinhentista
This popular restaurant and bar is built inside a former castle jail. Despite its early unsavoury inmates, it has been designed in a surprisingly city-chic way, with splashes of poppy-red enlivening the spotless white walls and tables. Try the Borba wine and, if you’re hungry, the sumptuous pork knee.
Rua Rainha Santa Isabel, Castelo, 7100-509, Estremoz
(+351 266 788 200)
Pulpitus
The Convento do Espinheiro hotel also boasts a beautiful bar, Pulpitus. After you’ve dined at Divinus, finish up here with an irreverent drink; the alcoholic offerings are served up in the old kitchen once used by monks.
Praca de Giraldo 7000, Se e Sao Pedro Evora, Evora
Cafés
(+351 268 337 300)
Café Alentejano
Head for the rustic arches and warm, wooden surrounds of this friendly café, where locals linger over traditional dishes with big flavours and small prices. Regional specialities are the backbone of the menu: migas (breadcrumbs fried with chorizo) and pork, stewed hare with turnips, roast pork, cheese cakes and locally-produced wines. The café is in Estremoz’s historic main square, so you can walk off your feast with a ramble around the beautiful town.
Rossio Marques de Pombal 15, Estremoz
