Restaurante Escondidinho

Rua Passos Manuel 144 Cuisines: Spanish

About

Near the transportation hub of the Estação de São Bento, the Escondidinho (meaning "hidden" or "masked") restaurant is an 80-year-old regional tavern popular with port wine merchants and English visitors. The intimate 31-table dining area contains time-blackened beams and timbers, a baronial stone fireplace, and a collection of antique Portuguese ceramics. The chairs, with intricate carving and brass studs, are just right for a cardinal -- or at least a friar. The waiters serve with old-world charm and will candidly tell you the day's best dishes. The restaurant serves excellent steaks, but most people come here for fresh seafood. Working with turbot, sole, hake, sea bass, shellfish, and anything else that's fresh, the chef creates well-seasoned grills, skewers, and other excellent dishes. Shellfish soup and charcoal-broiled sardines are always good choices. Specialties include hake in Madeira sauce and chateaubriand for two. For dessert, try a kirsch omelet or orange pudding.