The small town of Mafra had only a few restaurants with Yelp reviews, and this was one of them. After spending a few hours at the Mafra Palace, I walked the 5 or so minutes across the road to this restaurant for lunch.
My expectations were completely met. First, the practice of bringing out couvert (which is charged for) is something I've had to get used to while in Portugal. I rejected a few of the offerings, but kept the fresh cheese and olives. Both were really, really good!
Next, I ordered the special of wild boar. My expectations were admittedly low because I've never had wild boar. The good news--wow! So good. The meat was incredibly tender and tasted amazing. There was some food next to the meat that I have no idea what it was. Maybe something like stuffing? But, it was FANTASTIC. I could have eaten on that. The potatoes were done well and the rice was flavored better than anywhere else I've tried.
Even though English was a challenge at this restaurant, service was still good. But, even if it had be slightly less agreeable service, the quality of the food would still have made this a five star review. I would definitely go back.
As an added note: if you're using Yelp to see what's around, despite a lack of reviews, there are tons of restaurants and cafes in this general area. If you don't want to go to O Brasao, there are many other options. read more