LISBON - Portugal - page 112

Tasca do Manel is run by Manel's English-speaking son, Fernando. This humble
neighborhood diner, with black-and-white photos strewn across its walls, serves tradi-
tional Portuguese dishes, especially pastel de bacalhau, with back-street elegance (€6-10
fish meals, Mon-Sat 12:00-15:30 & 18:30-22:30, closed Sun, Rua de São Tome 20,
tel. [phone]). The neighborhood around this restaurant is a gritty chunk of pre-
earthquake Lisbon, full of interesting eateries. Brighten a few dark bars. Have an aper-
itif—taste the branco seco (local dry white wine). Make a friend, pet a chicken, contem-
plate the graffiti, and ponder the humanity ground between the cobbles.
Bairro Alto, Lisbon's “High Town”
(See “The Bairro Alto & Chiado Restaurants” map, here .)
For perhaps the most memorable dining experience in the Bairro Alto, consider Canto
do Camões (Travessa da Espera 38) or Restaurante Adega do Ribatejo (Rua Diario de
Noticias 23) for good meals and fado music (see listings under “Entertainment in Lis-
bon”).
Near São Roque Church
(See “The Bairro Alto & Chiado Restaurants” map, here .)
These first four recommendations are all within a three-minute walk of São Roque
Church.
Restaurante Bota Alta (“The Old Boot”) is a classic little eatery with a timeless
Portuguese ambience and reliably good food. Portions are big, reservations are smart,
and Paula offers a fun dessert sampler plate (€10-15 main dishes, Mon-Sat 19:00-23:00,
closed Sun, straight up from lottery kiosk in front of São Roque Church, at corner of
Travessa da Queimada and Rua da Atalaia, tel. [phone]).
Cervejaria da Trindade, a bright, boisterous, Portuguese-style beer hall, is full of
historic tiles, seafood, and tourists. While overpriced and in all the guidebooks, people
enjoy its atmosphere (€15-20 meals, confirm prices—especially since seafood is charged
by weight, daily 12:00-24:00, liveliest 20:00-22:00, closed holidays, air-con, courtyard, a
block down from São Roque Church at Rua Nova da Trindade 20-C, tel. [phone]).
They have five Portuguese beers on tap—Sagres is the standard lager, Sagres Preta is a
good dark beer (like a porter), and Bohemia is sweet, with more alcohol. Light meals and
cheaper snacks are served at the bar and in the front. The beautifully tiled first room, once
a refectory (monks' dining hall), still holds the pulpit from which the Bible was read as
the monks ate. The monastery was abolished in 1836—you'll notice that while the oldest
tiles have Christian themes, the later ones are all about the beer.
H3 Hamburgology is a modern and trendy joint for fancy hamburgers. Thinking out
of the box, they've invented dozens of creative hamburger patties, all displayed with pho-