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There is a fado song proclaiming that all artists and fado singers come to A Tendinha, here in one of the oldest areas in Lisbon, founded in 1840.


At Rossio, between the old cafes like Suiça and Nicola and on the other side of the D. Maria II National Theatre, next to Arco da Bandeira, you will find this little tasca. Here you can eat ham or fresh cheese sandwiches, bifana (pork sandwich) or some fried petiscos (snacks) like the Pastel de Bacalhau, a codfish cake, and shrimp croquettes. Ask for a beer or red wine from the house to accompany.

The actual name of the place is Adega Rio Douro (since it’s facing the river) but everyone knows it by Tasca da Piedade, named after the owner Mrs. Piedade. It’s also known for having “fado vadio” - traditional Portuguese music, here sang by non-professionals every Tuesday in the afternoon from 4pm until 7pm. While the music flows you can try a lot of Portuguese “petiscos”, such as stewed chicken guizzards, meat croquettes, “bifanas” and the crown jewel “iscas de bacalhau” - boiled codfish loin enveloped in a parsley omelette. The symbiosis between food and music is guaranteed, as everything here is done with passion. You might even be lucky to listen to the owner singing a few “fados”.

Mr. Armando and Mrs. Francisca run one of the hidden gems of Porto’s gastronomy - the Adega Vila Meã. The restaurant is located close to the São Bento train station, and inside you can sample Portugal’s bold flavors, from codfish to roasted veal and from hake fillets to grilled pork. On top of these delightful options, this restaurant is known for the “Cozido à Portuguesa” – a Portuguese food culture landmark! This traditional Portuguese dish is prepared with prime quality meats - sausages, veal and chicken, pork belly, bacon, all kinds of smoked meat, and vegetables such as cabbage, carrots, turnips and potatoes. The portions are huge, so remember that this will probably be the only meal you will need to eat during the whole day.

Located in the Mouraria neighborhood—the birthplace of fado—this restaurant is a prime pick for sampling traditional Portuguese food. The codfish, or bacalhau, is a must here. It is served with plenty of bread to clean your plate.


In the style of a classic tasca (Portuguese tavern), the walls are adorned with blue tiles and many photos, paintings and drawings.

Chapitô is a circus school but also a restaurant and a bar. It’s very close to the castle and has fabulous views over the river. It’s ideal for a romantic dinner.


The cuisine is inspired by traditional Portuguese cuisine with a mix of international influences. I had dinner there this week and tried the codfish and I recommend it—but you have to eat it on the terrace, since this menu is different from the one inside the restaurant. You will be stunned with the views from the restaurant. Enjoy this beautiful city over a pleasant dinner. If you want to have a drink afterward, there is a bar on the lower floor, sometimes featuring live music or theater.

Félix Meana and Katie Button, veterans of elBulli in Spain, converted Asheville’s former downtown bus depot into a stylish tapas bar. Cúrate means to cure oneself, which diners can do with traditional Spanish dishes such as Catalan sausage bocadillos, codfish salad, and honey-drizzled fried eggplant. This appeared in the July/August 2012 issue. Read Emma John’s feature on the North Carolina bluegrass scene.

Despite Rio’s 12 miles of urban beachfront and some 300 snack shacks along the shoreline promenade, the idea of something gastronomically distinguished next to the sand just never came up. That is, till last year, when two such places emerged in Leblon: Riba and then Azur, chef Pedro de Artagão’s surfside outpost. The latter’s idea of good eating—previously sampled in renowned dining rooms Formidable and Irajá—is here adapted to the local, in the form of his famed rice with codfish and moqueca (a fish stew), for instance, or the octopus. There’s also a top-notch bar for caipifrutas and crisp gin and tonics.

Adega Pérola opened 60 years ago in the heart of Copacabana, and today the place is the same as always: The long bar is laden with Iberian-style tapas, here called tira-gostos. The octopus in vinaigrette is the most celebrated dish, but there are pickled vegetables, codfish, cold cuts and cheeses, meats, olives—in fact, some 100 options are served on trays and sold by weight. The bar is short on glamour, but the quality is nonetheless spectacular—and nothing could be more authentic. It’s tough finding a free table, but who cares? In line with Carioca custom, great conversation with a cold chopp (draft beer) or a Portuguese vintage, and a tira-gosto is a winning bet, even if you have to stand.

Entering YOU restaurant, with its slick black and maroon décor, is as memorable as the first mouthful. The culinary journey - found at the Kameha Grand Zurich, 10 minutes from the airport - fuses elegant French cuisine with a twist of Far East Asia. A six-course menu at this Michelin-starred restaurant could begin with a piquant gruyere foam and zesty wasabi and tuna bites. Following courses span from Norwegian lobster to codfish with white asparagus and US prime beef with fermented silver onions, sweet potato, and spinach sauce. Highly knowledgeable waiters present accompanying wines, but the highlight lies with the elegant and smooth Urakasumi Sake, originating from the finest rice fields in Japan. Note: YOU opens Tuesday to Saturday and a reservation should be made. In early 2016, YOU restaurant, which has also earned 15 Gault Millau points, introduced a unique couple’s package whereby celebrity mind reader Tobias Heinemann predicts what you desire on your culinary experience. By simply holding your hand, Mr. Heinemann can unlock the feelings between you and a loved one. This experience includes an overnight stay at the Kameha Grand Zurich Hotel with breakfast, spa treatments and airport pick up in a Maserati.

If you’re planning on being downtown, or in Lapa, give yourself an hour or two before or after for a recharge at this winning, circa-1923 restaurant. The Nova Capela is right in the middle of the city’s nightlife district, but at that, this Portuguese-influenced locale is the last to lock its doors, just before daybreak. Liveried waiters toil day and night, serving up the joint’s classic dishes: goat in broccoli-rice, braised octopus, plus the most-requested appetizer—the codfish bolinho de bacalhau croquettes, especially yummy here. From there, it’s time for a cold beer or a Portuguese vintage.

Who wouldn’t trade an ugly elevated highway for a ribbon of new parkland? Boston’s famous Big Dig dismantled the eyesore John F. Kennedy Expressway that long separated downtown from its waterfront and turned most of its former route into a linear park named in honor of JFK’s mother. The Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway snakes for a mile and a half from Chinatown to the North End, mostly parallel to Boston Harbor. It’s a pleasant alternative to walking the city’s busy streets to get around, and you can use the park’s free Wi-Fi to plan your visit. Along the way you’ll find seven decorative and interactive fountains; a carousel where lobsters, codfish, harbor seals, and other local animals take the place of horses; and a variety of food trucks for when you need to recharge with a taco, a grilled-cheese sandwich, or a cupcake. The Greenway’s visitor center for the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area has information and ferry tickets.