Good grub south of the Rio Douro (2 of 2)
(note: this is for the take-away and casual restaurant downstairs)
I found "Carpa downstairs" on my own. I was walking along the Avenida da Republica once and, in between Metro stops Dom Joao II and Joao de Deus (El Corte Ingles), was this apparent eatery. There is a more traditional restaurant above it and then a more tavern-like place below it ... with the same name. I looked inside and filed it away in my head to come back.
I've been to "Carpa downstairs" several times. This is as local as it gets. The employees downstairs are not that versed in English, so they won't be able to hold your hand. In general, what happens is that, when you don't understand someone in another language, they just speak louder. Yeah, that's the ticket! That's why I've tried to learn some of the lingo, so that I would be brave enough to venture into places that the locals like.
There is a lot of fish on the menu. You can also see it in the glass cases. There are also meat and poultry choices. I don't want to mess with scales or bones. What I've typically gotten is their pork chop platter. It's a robust platter at "meia dose," which means a half portion. A full dose may mean there's enough to take home. (Italy is starting to warm up to the idea of doggy bags when it was once something to make them gasp and for which they would secretly think the person asking was a "cafone.")
The tasty pork chop (febras de porco) dinner comes with potatoes. Yada yada: it's preceded by a bowl of soup that I will add and there's usually a Sprite or Coke Zero that I order with it.
The environment inside this Carpa is interesting. Upon coming in, there's the glass cases and a register, with the menu up on the wall behind it. You can preview what you might want and talk to the employees. If eating in, you will be motioned to take a seat.
Further down, there is seating on stools right against the counter, thus closer to the TV. Across from it, there is a parallel long counter, with the bar stools backing up to the wall. Regulars are more apt to sit up close. I sat at the counter closer to the wall. This is one convivial place. You sit next to people you don't know, everyone is into the business of eating, and it works out well. By walking in front of that parallel counter, the server can take your order and then bring you your food.
Restaurante Carpa's prices are to my liking. The more traditional restaurant upstairs charges more, and you ascend to it through an entry gate and past some landscaping. Both eateries enjoy a good reputation.
I also like the service here. I seem to always get the same server who is both informal and humorous. One night, I went in there too late, they told me what they had from the entrees was limited, and that the potatoes would be fries. I said I'd return. I did and that same server remembered that I wanted the boiled potatoes. These are "batatas cocidas," whereas the default of fries would be "batatas fritas." Since I periodically eat fast food, I will be ordering boiled or oven baked potatoes whenever I can.
Restaurante Carpa is on Avenida da Republica. You can easily walk here from the center of Vila Nova de Gaia or take the Metro from more distant points. There is zero pretense here at the downstairs section of Restaurante Carpa. That's what gives this causal eatery a good vibe that keeps the locals and even a few visitors coming back. read more