Pica Pau

Delightful snack bar serving up delicious, cheap, and authentic Portuguese food! I stumbled upon Pica Pau while meandering back to my hotel after realizing that the restaurant I was originally planning to eat lunch at was closed on Thursdays. It was getting a wee bit late for lunch (~1:30 PM), and I was quite hungry, so when I passed by Pica Pau and saw how packed it was, I knew I had to drop by to give it a try. It's absolutely bustling inside; there are several tables inside and outside, and you can generally just seat yourself as long as there's an open slot. There are very few tourists here -- another great sign -- so the menus will all be in Portuguese, and it will be hit or miss as to whether your server can translate for you. However, the menu is pretty simple, so it's easy enough to intuit what they say (or to just use Google Translate) -- the menu is spread across three blackboards, one for daily specials, another for seafood, and the last for other meat dishes. Everything is just twelve euros for lunch, and it also comes with a drink and bread. You genuinely can't go wrong with anything on their menu. My mom and I both ordered from their seafood menu, and the fish is super fresh and grilled to perfection. It has a perfect char on the outside, and is super flaky and tender on the inside; they add a hit of salt and a side of lemon, but the fish honestly doesn't need much else. The fish also comes with a side of boiled veggies and potatoes, which are a great, neutral accompaniment to the fish. I ordered the swordfish, and my mom got the sea bass, but we ended up splitting both of the dishes between us (especially since they both conveniently came with two pieces). Both were phenomenal, but I did enjoy the swordfish a tiny bit more; it was a bit more tender, and they also descaled the swordfish but did not for the seabass, so it was a slightly easier eating experience.

A local told us to visit Pica Pau and we are so glad we did! Our family of five was celebrating a special evening and the food did not disappoint. We stuck to the snack menu and ordered LOTS and our kids (5,9,11) loved everything- adventurous food included. Only downside is the staff was a little judgemental about bringing kids and our server was a bit heavy on the upselling. Highly recommended- and bring your well Behaved kids and prove em wrong.