It’s been a while since I first heard of people raving about the restaurant Santo António de Alfama. The restaurant is located in a picturesque Alfama alley, surrounded by its characteristic houses, little stairways and the yellow lights that warm the street.
And through the insides of Lisbon we went, searching for the famous restaurant.
We parked in front of Casa dos Bicos and walked to the restaurant. For those who don’t know the area, it isn’t very easy to find, but with the phone coordinates we went straight there.
We couldn’t possibly wish for a better table: a four seat table for two in the best corner of the restaurant, the one with the window. It started well. The decoration matched what we had seen in the website: walls covered with public figures portraits (from Portugal and other countries) and simple, welcoming decoration.
We were promptly served a basket of Alentejo bread and some olives. The moment of choosing arrived. The menu had fewer items than what I had thought. I felt divided between the duck leg with Orange and Olive Salad, the rabbit tajine with prunes and couscous or even the Grilled bass with aromatic herbs. My companion was wishing “bacalhau à lagareiro” and was disapointed that it wasn’t on the menu. He ended up choosing “bacalhau gratinado com molho de tomate” (au gratin codfish with tomato sauce). For the appetizer we chose sauted mushrooms. Very good.
As for the food, the mushrooms were delicious, so we were looking forward to the rest of the meal. When the other dishes arrived, we looked at each other disappointed. My fish was good but slight, and the accompaniament were some raw broccoli and half a potato roasted with sauce in the oven. The codfish looked good but tasted more of lasagna than au gratin (and the tomato was missing).
We lost the appetite for the dessert, so coffee and check please!
Conclusion: we regretted not choosing the different options from the “petiscos” menu. But god bless Santo António, because we will be coming back for those!
Santo António de Alfama
Adress: Beco de São Miguel, nº 7, Lisbon
Phone number.: 218 881 321
