Excited to try this local 7 table gem while in Coimbra. Lisa E. (always right) suggested lunch since dinner cues start an hour before opening and waits can be another hour or more. We arrived at 12:05 pm, second in line behind a group of 8. Seated 20 minutes later in cozy quarters. Fresh rustic bread on the table. Menu difficult to decipher but we had a translated copy on our phones. We ordered a jug of house tinto, and half orders of aporcolhados mushrooms, roasted wild boar and grilled ribs with special sauce. The kind waiter said we ordered too much, we didn't agree until a huge crock of rice and beans hit the table with the 2 meat dishes. The mushrooms were cooked with bits of meat and bone as well as slices of traditional and blood sausage. Fabulous! I loved the tender boar slices accompanied by roasted cabbage and potatoes. Lisa favored the slightly charred ribs in a spicy vinegary sauce. Oh, and that rice, I promised her I wouldn't post the photo of her devouring the last bits from the serving ladle. So, too much food? Nothing a outdoor rooftop nap at our hotel wouldn't cure. Breakfast today was the leftover boar with the hotel's scrambled eggs. read more

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This is a Top hole in the wall Gem in Coimbra and probably one of the best in Portugal overall. Quality- the pork ribs were my personal favorite. This is the type you spend a lot of time nibbling on and trying to get every last piece of meat out. It was incredibly flavorful with hints of bone broth, truffle oil, and various spices. I think I spent like 5 minutes on each piece trying to get every piece of meat out. It came out piping hot, the fresh aroma smelled like a mix of beans, thyme, garlic, and truffle and I smelled like it afterwards. The lamb stew was also delicious. I am allergic to lamb but had to try it this time and was not disappointed. This is the only time I've actually liked a lamb dish because the gamey flavor was not there. It was cooked very well. The vomit dessert was not too sweet and unique. It cut through the savory food I just had here. Quantity- all of this for 25 euros. Totally worth it. This would have easily gone for 70-80 dollars back in the states. We get a lot in each dish. Atmosphere- loved the college town vibe here. The place was cozy but had enough space so we weren't cramped. Service- awesome waiter. He was funny and gave great suggestions on what to get. Tipped him a lot for the fantastic service. read more

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This is the kind of place we are looking for when we travel. Excellent local cuisine at a great price, friendly service who are enthusiastic about what they're doing and can communicate that despite our language barrier. I was utterly charmed by the "reviews" of the patrons before us, scribbled on butcher paper and taped on the wall. Hubby and I shared the chanfana (goat baked in clay pot) for 18 euros and almost couldn't finish, it was so much meat. Every bite delicious (just be careful of bone chips as with any similar cut). Did I say "great price" already? read more

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Very good food! Friendly staff and good ambiance. I would definitely come back in the future. Highly recommended!!!

Absolutely delicious! It's small, there is always a wait it seems, but imo it is well worth it. The quality, the selections, the flavors are just remarkable. We enjoyed the Feijaoda de Javolina 1/2 dose, which was more than enough for the two of us. Breads cheeses and a 1/2 liter of their house wine on a cool rainy day hit the spot. It is close quarters, but that adds to the charm. The owners are friendly and the service was very good. If u want an experience with excellent food this is the place. read more

If you're in Coimbra, do yourself a favor and go to this restaurant. Ok, if you're vegetarian don't go. But if you're pescatarian or above, don't eat for a couple of days and please go. This is the best kind of homemade food, the kind the tourist restaurants don't want you to know about. Everything is good and affordable, nothing fancy but perfectly seasoned. The meat is so tender you can literally eat it with a spoon. The wine is the restaurant's own label and comes in white or red. I can't speak for the white but I had the red wine, which was very well balanced. Leave room for dessert. Order the doce da casa. Take a long walk after dinner. You'll need it. Oh, and it's literally a block away from the Bridge of St Clara and the main tourist drag. read more

Rui was fantastic at guiding us on the menu. The rice/beans/pork were incredible. Very small intimate place. Highly recommend

All I can say is O.M.G. The food here is spectacular and authentic. Friendly and helpful waitstaff, suggested the goat stew which was out of this world, delicious and plentiful, served with potatoes, green beans, and fresh bread . HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!! read more

Wow, absolutely incredible meal here. My husband and I came for lunch today and ordered the goat, the rice + beans with pork, and red wine. We ate SO MUCH (because it was so delicious) that we had to take a nap after. It was £25 for all of that (including a bottle of water) and we ordered the small food dishes! I will see that goat forever in my dreams. I wish I could eat it everyday. Note: cash only! read more

Zé Manel dos Ossos - Goat, red wine - Portuguese Near Me - Coimbra, 06

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An absolute MUST If you find yourself in the city Extremely small and intimate place, amazing vibe inside, and the portions were outstanding for the price. Traditional and authentic, such so they do not have an English menu. I say again: They do not have an English menu so travellers beware but do not worry! Google translate helped and Mario is a fantastic man that will answer your questions. You really can't go wrong with anything there, I highly HIGHLY recommend the full fish and the authentic Goat meal. We stumbled upon it randomly scrolling through Google, showed up 1hr before opening to "see where it was" and there was already a line up. read more

Zé Manel dos Ossos - Full plate of charcoal cooked fish and sides - Portuguese Near Me - Coimbra, 06

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This place was great! We stood in line in a narrow alley just before lunch opening. It is a very small restaurant with a cool atmosphere. It is very cozy with notes from previous guests hung up around the tables. We ordered ossos (bones) and the pork and mushroom dish which were both fantastic. read more

Very authentic place. It is a kitchen with 7 tiny tables. You feel the heat from the ovens. Their portions are generous, simple and affordable. We loved the place. If you want to get the table for dinner you have to show up 20-30 minutes ahead of opening hours. read more

Zé Manel dos Ossos - Menu - Portuguese Near Me - Coimbra, 06

Very small restaurant in a very small street. Very basic interior (wooden stools), but exceptionally friendly and helpful staff and very good traditional food from the charcoal grill. (Not the right place for vegetarians.) Yes, there's a menu, but you probably can't read this handwritten wonder. Just ask for a recommendation (The grilled octopus was very good, the pork also. Garlic, btw.) and get some of the house wine. A very, very good meal in very special restaurant. You too should go there, but probably not in larger groups. (4 or 6 people seemed to be the maximum at the tables.) read more

Zé Manel dos Ossos - Yes, that's the way to the restaurant. People are queuing outside because it's totally worth it. - Portuguese Near Me - Coimbra, 06

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The food is absolutely delicious here. It was the best meal I had while visiting Portugal from Dallas, Texas. I'm well traveled and consider myself a foodie. Definitely worth the wait. It's a small restaurant. The menu is in Portuguese. The family is wonderful. I used my phone to translate the menu. I had bread, soup, feijoada, and a piece of chocolate cake. Would eat there everyday if I lived in Portugal. Soup, two meals, and two desserts cost 26 euro total. They don't accept cards so stop at an ATM before getting in line. This was definitely a meal I will never forget. read more

As part of my solo travels, I stopped by the town of Coimbra and this was one of the restaurants I was recommend to go to for an authentic, traditional central Portuguese meal. I came here solo for lunch and arrived 20 minutes prior to opening to avoid the lines. The space is small and it is a first come first serve basis. The line was filled with locals and tourist alike. I had wanted to try 2-3 items on the menu, but the portion sizes were huge - the owner was kind enough to cut the portions for me so I could try more things. The bones were my favorite dish - very delicious and similar to the way they cook it in soup in Asian cuisines but with different spices and flavors local to the region. I also had the wild boar bean stew which was pretty good as well but no too different from other restaurants nearby. This restaurant has become a sight for many tourists in the recent year, but it seems to not have gotten carried away by the attention and maintains its authenticity. Recommend to come by if you are in town. read more

I had high hopes for this place based on all the reviews I had read. Sadly this place did not meet expectations. We got there about 20 minutes before opening and there were already 7 people ahead of us. The place is very small maybe 7 tables but we were able to get seated shortly after opening. Because the place is so small they have to orient the square tables like a diamond and the seats are small stools. My husband has a bad back so he has to have either have a chair with a back or at the very least be able to have his back lean up against the wall for some support. Anyway after we got seated at a corner table the owner left so I thought I would just move the table a little bit so he can have his back up to the wall. The table next to us was only 2 people so it really wouldn't have bothered them. So the owner starts yelling at me right away that I can't do that to which I calmly explained the situation. He really didn't even let me speak just kept saying I can't. When he finally realized why he did shift the table a bit. So on to the food. We ordered a half order of both the ossos (pork bones) and feijoada (pork and bean stew). The pork bones were pretty good. They reminded me of when my mom makes broth with large pork bones and the stew was just so-so. After we were done eating I asked the owner for the bill He said ok and promptly walked out of the restaurant for 15 minutes!! Another couple nearby also was done eating and just stood up and waited by the cash register for 10 minutes waiting for him to come back. It really boggles my mind at all the rave reviews for this place. There's no way I would wait over an hour (like some reviewers) to eat here. The food is nothing special and the service is abysmal. The worse meal I've had in Portugal so far this week. read more

Zé Manel dos Ossos - Portuguese Near Me - Coimbra, 06

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Waiting is way too Long but the food is the best in town. Small cozy place big taste. read more

Zé Manel dos Ossos - Portuguese Near Me - Coimbra, 06

I used to have funny moment in this restaurant...today they make me a surprise again!!! Since I was passing Coimbra, I feel I need some "bones" for my dinner. Arrived at 19:00 , before their annouced time of opening (saturday), I was confident that I can get a table in this small and crowded restaurant. They make fun at me...the restaurant did not opened and there wasn't any warning sign!!! They just didn't show up, and I was not the only one in the queue, there was a line of more than 20 persons. So try to avoid this restaurant in weekends!!! read more

Had a hard time finding this place. People lined up to get in at 19:00. Staff was great and fun. Only has 5 or so tables. The white wine was fabulous. The bones were very tasty. The dirty mushrooms and pork outstanding. This was a great experience for us. Locals and travelers all having fun eating good traditional Portuguese food together. Highly recommend. read more

People should not give 1 star because the restaurant is closed. I'm sure something happened. Anyway, this is by far the best place we are in Portugal. Food is great and quite affordable. I wish I stayed longer in Coimbra just to go there again. We had the bones and half of another plate and it was more than enough for me and my son. read more

We were craving feijoada and couldn't find it on the menu anywhere in Coimbra. An internet search and some recommendations led us to Ze Manel and boy were we happy! We drank a bottle of wine from the restaurant next door while we waited in line for about an hour--worth every minute of the wait! We had the feijoada, which was delicious, but we liked the cogumelos (mushrooms) even better. A huge serving of fresh mushrooms mixed with tender pork and sausages and herbs--yummy. Also had the arroz feijao malandro with pork, which was garlicy yummy goodness--succulent grilled pork cutlets over rice and beans. It's a quirky little place that was lots of fun. read more

One the best you can try in Coimbra! Delicious, not expensive, and unique atmosphere!