We stopped in Nazare during our 2-week trip in Portugal and stumbled across this hidden gem after a relaxing day at the beach. The menu on the sidewalk, luring customers in, had a great selection and beautiful photos of their dishes but we figured we would keep walking the main drag to see what the other restaurants on the strand had to offer.
After seeing the same generic menu after menu as we headed closer to the hustle and bustle of the city center, we circled back and had the best seafood dinner of our lives - keep in mind we had already been to The Algarve and Porto (and we have lived in San Francisco for almost a decade - so we have amazing food at our fingertips on the daily) before hitting Nazare.
The couverts, while not free, were amazing (tuna hummus and octopus ceviche) and the bread was so delicious that we weren't even mad that we filled up on it prematurely before even getting our first dish. We ordered the cockles bulhao (think garlic, white wine, olive oil), grilled sardines, and the fish cataplana style (an amazing tomato/onion-based seafood stew). We washed it down with the house vinho verde and sat in heaven for three hours as we tried to digest our first attempt at finishing the meal so we could eat more.
The service was wonderful, they speak limited English but are very accommodating and you really can't go wrong with any of the dishes. The pictures on the menu out front look straight out of a print ad but don't do the meal justice. Don't be fooled by venturing closer to the city center for dinner, you will not get a better meal with an ocean view while in Nazare! read more