Eat in São Martinho Do Porto

We had some friends visiting us in SMDP who love seafood.  I am so happy that I asked Carl for his recommendation – Pesca no Prato did not disappoint!  We enjoyed some of the most delicious starters I have ever had (melted cheese with herbs served with lightly toasted bread, tasted just perfect).  The freshly caught assortment of sea bass was on display and we chose our own fish, perfect for 4 people.  The service, the atmosphere, the view and the food were all 5 stars!  We will definitely go back. 

Thanks to Sarah & Dan for their review 😍

Spiritual home of our (mostly) weekly meetup with our beloved hosts Nelson and Margarida.

Venue for many of our outside broadcasts, as pictured.

Very easy-going atmosphere, great for coffee, snacks and a light lunch, but also notable 'prato do dia' offereing and some specialities like the shrimps and clams.

Great spot for a beer and bifana.

Details

One of the first restaurants that we got to know as a family and still return to to this day for Portuguese classics and familiar service.

Great for families with seating inside and out. Choose from a varied menu for lunch or dinner, or just drop in for a coffee or beer.

Feel free to mention Carl and Good Morning Portugal!

I can't say enough good things about Ana and Ricardo's unique hospitality and passion for national and local food and wine.

A good option for vegans too/

More on their website

Just out of town, this is an absolute gem of a place with a great atmosphere and fine selection of traditional Portuguese classics, including a very tasty 'Javoli'.

Excelent for family and bigger group dining, where you'll see extended families, business people and truckers all tucking into a very tasty lunch - served by some very handsome and efficient waiters!

Another celebrated São Martinho do Porto hospitality 'institution' under recent, new management, Ó da Casa was the last-minute choice for our recent wedding anniversary dinner. 

Our first choice, a little-known (to foreigners) and well-loved, seafood cellar turned out to be closed. So in celebratory mood and with YOLO vibes abounding, we walked back to the front and set foot in what must rank as among the best in town, newly-refurbed but mercifully quiet.

Local lad Antonio led the way after a formal Maître D-style  welcome on the door. Service here is noticeably of a higher and attentive level than most restaurants in the bay, thereby ensuring a great sense of occasion on our special night.

Coincidentally, we were seated at Ó da Casa's best table in my view, offering a sweet view of the sea and a good distance from other diners. From here we witnessed a classic São Martinho sunset with our dessert of baked apple and Bailey's ice cream, with a couple of glasses of complimentary port.

Before that, we began proceedings with a pair of flutes filled with indigenous fizz, some classic Portuguese Bairrada espumante, whilst deciding what to order from an impressive and stimulating menu.

Here, fresh fish - as detailed by staff according to daily availability -  is sold by weight, and after much deliberation we chose to share a hefty Sea Bass, cooked Meunière-style - an engaging and mouth-watering change from our usual choice of grilling, as is the norm locally.

The fish was fresh, beautifully cooked and filleted for us at the table by friendly, yet suitably formal António - an excellent and helpful young man who we encouraged into conversation about local and national culture and history. We were equally impressed by the accompanying, deliciously-fresh and tasty vegetables, as was Mrs M by the house red.

This was an unusually quiet night according to another informative and friendly waiter Paulo, who we also engaged in educational conversation. Another Silver Coast local, it was inspiring and heart-warming to hear from him of Foz do Arelho's decadent clubbing past in the 90s, where apparently thousands of Portuguese revellers descended every weekend. We saw the legendary videos to prove it!

All in all a fabulous night out. Great service, superb yet unpretentious food and a beautiful memory to add to a rich and growing bank of lovely experiences, as we relax more deeply into the easy embrace of Portugal's Costa de Prata.

As far as cost goes, it's not often we go into three figures for the pair of us. But then again it's not often we go out without the kids. So let's call it value rather than cost, for a truly memorable night with my beautiful dinner and life companion. Truly wonderful. As was dining at Ó da Casa (-:

Love you Mrs M X

---

Bookings: odacasa.smp@gmail.com or call 00 351 262 989 473

On Google Maps

Originally a Trip Advisor post ('A treat for the tastebuds, the family and the discovery of yet another Silver Coast asset')

Set off with the dog thinking that I might bag a cheeky grilled chicken at the market churrasqueira when, on arrival... NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Closed at 8.30!!

Mrs M wanted chips mainly, so me n Jimmy Chew set off for town, insulated picnic bag in hand, on a mission to find a takeaway - somewhere in out-of-season SMdP.

My favourite part of town - the upper cobbled lanes - didn't disappoint, daring me to pop into this fine establishment, seeking 'para levar', having been aware and attracted to it for some years now.

A quiet night for them, but a great find for me, with an affirmative on take-out service from a great looking menu.

Picked some safe prawns in the house style and out of the ordinary seitan with pineapple sweet n sour.

A 15-minute wait allowed me to take Jimmy to the beach for one of his many jimmy (riddles) and even pay the water bill at the cash point (multibanco).

Dog walked, bill paid and back up the hill to collect my order and make the walk home in somewhat chiilly conditions, praising myself for the thermal holdall choice.

A bedroom picnic seemed the ideal serving option with curious kids circling and a hunger-weakened wife.

The delicious chips were devoured soon after opening, prawns were consumed with universal delight, the seitan (though actually tofu) wowed the crowd, served as it was in a half-pineapple boat and the salad unusually finished.

I didn't need another reason to validate our choice of living in Sao Martinho, but this lovely eaterie supplied a few in this first experience.

We will go back, perhaps just me n Mrs M for a quiet niet out, anticipating delicious food, in a warm (Amalia-blessed, ambience with attentive yet unfussy service.

A nice evening was upgraded by A Nova Gaivota with a treat for the tastebuds, the family and the discovery of yet another Silver Coast asset (-:

The funniest menu in SMdP