Coffee in Portugal is good and cheap. I drop my one-coffee-a-day rule when in a country with good coffee at a low price, and this was no exception. Botica do Cafe was near where my friend and I were staying. It looked cosy and inviting with both inside and outside seatings and a flood of locals pouring in and out.
Inside there are many cakes and both sweet and savoury pastries to savour with your coffee. Alongside Portuguese classics (done very well, I might add) like the pastel de nata, Bolo de Arroz, and chocolate salame there were doughnuts, apple fritters, mini cheesecake and maple and pecan slices. I opted for the pastel de nata (for a comparison) and a chocolate croissant with two cups of very good coffee.
Locals seem to stay here all morning reading and eating pastries. Not a bad life for some...
It looked a great deal cleaner and more inviting than some of its neighbours and the staff were very friendly and accepting of my pigeon Portuguese. read more