An Overdue Meal ! and other Guarda, Portugal Restaurant Reviews

Restaurant Name: O Ferrinho Restaurante

It had been a long day since we started from Castelo Branco in the morning. It was past 8 PM by the time we had finally managed to get settled at our accommodations in Guarda, and we had not had very much to eat all day.

Luckily, on my earlier stroll back to our parked car, the young lady from our accommodations pointed out the 'O Ferrinho' as we walked past (see Transportation for the full story!). Consequently, we no sooner had our bags deposited and we were off for the short 3 block walk to this restaurant, specializing in local dishes.

On arrival, we were ushered up their central stairway to a large granite-walled seating area. There were only two other tables in use, with an English couple close to us and two Portugese men in the far corner.

Favorite Dish: See next Tip

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Theme: Local
Comparison: about average
Prices: US$11-20  » Currency Converter
Phone: 271-211-990
Address: 21-23 Rua Francisco de Passos
Directions: One block downhill from the Praca Velha square beside the Cathedral, on the corner of Rua D. Dinis

Restaurant Name: O Ferrinho Restaurante

We had a bit of difficulty understanding the Portugese menu (even though they had a reduced English version), but our waiter did his best to be helpful translating for us!

Favorite Dish: In the end, I decided to have a bowl of traditional northern Portugal 'Caldo Verde' soup to get me going (E1.25). This dark green soup was a bit bland in taste, but it was satisfyingly hot! My notes say that it was a watery mixture with green strips of vegetation in it (actually a type of 'kale' that also gives it the green colour)! My main course of grilled trout with spinach and boiled potatoes (E8) was very tasty and our two small bottles of local wine (E1.60 each) also went down well.

Sue, after discussion with our server, had decided on a local chicken dish served with rice in a bowl (also E8). However, when it arrived, it seemed awfully dark brown for chicken and the bones that began to emerge as she ate did not look like they came from a chicken. As a result, she could not eat it at all and ended up sharing my trout dish. I give her full marks for at least trying something different! Despite this little set-back, we finished the evening off on a high note with chocolates and a glass each (E3) of their best Port wine!

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Theme: Local
Comparison: about average
Prices: US$11-20  » Currency Converter

Restaurant Name: Our Rental Car

We departed for Lamego by 10 AM on our 9th day in Portugal and the 6th of our road trip. We continued northeast on the main north-south 4-lane IP2 highway. As it passed over the mountains in this area there were mandatory 'headlights On' signs and runaway lanes for trucks with failed brakes. The barren mountain tops of the Serra da Estrela looked exactly like those we had seen the day before (see my 'Covilha' page). We eventually swung off this main route at Trancoso, to go cross-country on the less-travelled N226.

Favorite Dish: By noon, we had reached Sernancelhe so, in a scenic area, we pulled off onto an even smaller road and drove only a short distance before spotting a very appealing looking field on the side of a hill. It was here that we had our usual mid-day picnic, using our supplies of bread, cheese, tomatoes and wine that we had bought while passing through Trancoso. While Sue did the work of preparing our buns, I wandered around admiring our little piece of Portugal, enjoying the green of the trees and the 'yellow broom' bushes. The birds were also chirping away nicely, but, even with my binoculars it was difficult to actually spot them in the vegetation.

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Theme: Other
Comparison: least expensive
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Directions: A field outside Sernancelhe