National Geographic Traveler - USA (2019-06 & 2019-7)

80 NATGEOTRAVEL.COM

Portugal’s cuisine has long
resisted the encroachments of
fusion or molecular gastronomy.
Hearty to a fault, family-run
restaurants churn out satisfying
variants of bacalhau (salted
cod), piri-piri chicken, and
ultrasweet cakes. But here are
some recent attempts to shake
up the Portuguese palate. —JK

LISBON

Peixaria da Esquina

Another of Portugal’s cookbook

mainstays, Vítor Sobral has

opened modestly priced,

casual tascas in Lisbon and

Brazil that hew closer to tradi-

tional flavors yet with lightness

and flair, such as Azorean

tuna with mango, peppers,

and pennyroyal. At his all-

seafood showcase Peixaria da

Esquina, try the squid sautéed

with shiitake mushrooms,

broad beans, and coriander.

peixariadaesquina.com

PORTO

O Paparico

Within a rustic and intimate

setting, an Alsatian execu-

tive chef goes beyond the

classic and expected

seafood dish bacalhau by

playing with colors and com-

binations yet staying loyal to

“Portugality,” the title of one

tasting menu. Befitting one

of the world’s top capitals

of viniculture, the wine

cellar seems infinite and the

bar is worth lingering over.

opaparico.com

LISBON

Belcanto/

Bairro do Avillez

Top chef José Avillez’s two

dining meccas in the Chiado

neighborhood share a love of

reinvented Portuguese food.

Belcanto boasts two Michelin

stars and exquisite dishes

with names like “The garden

of the goose that laid the

golden eggs.” Bairro do Avillez

is a sprawling space housing

a casual taberna (tavern), mar-

ket, and cabaret. belcanto.pt,

bairrodoavillez.pt

FOOD +

DRINKS

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