O Trovador — Restaurant in Évora

I adore this restaurant. I rarely will leave a review but I felt compelled this time. A jewel in Évora. Slightly removed from the main streets of the Roman Temple but very easily accessible by walking down the charming cobblestone streets.

The service was fantastic, as is the food. Our waiter was incredible. Never rushed, never overly attentive, while always taking the time to thoughtfully explain the dishes and local wine menu. His recommendations were spot on.

The thinly sliced cured black pork is a must try, no questions asked. Serpa was also lovely, a melted sheep's milk cheese with fresh oregano and olive oil served with bite sized crostinis (a pseudo-fondue if you will).

The black pork and clams was a treat, a traditional dish was that well executed. Thankfully the pork didn't dry out and not a single bad/suspicious clam on the plate. My wife had the grilled salmon. Well cooked, not over done, with a deep grilled flavor. The accompanying vegetables mercifully had plenty of flavor and wasn't just colored steamed slop that lesser places will pass off as a side. We also tried the traditional egg desserts of Évora. They are delicious, but prepare yourself, they are SWEET. Our waiter offered us a shot of insulin after we ordered them. Pão de rala is a local squash sweetened with egg yolks and sugar, then baked to caramelize it giving a richer more complex flavor. Very nice but definitely the sweeter of the two. Torrão Real de Évora is a sweetened egg yolk and almond pudding topped with a burnt sugar. This version was softer than other versions I've heard about but it was wonderful. Slivered almonds add texture as well as a natural almond flavor rather than an extract. We finished the meal with a complimentary pennyroyal digestif. The yellow color flavor makes you think citrus but it's actually part of the mint family. It was refreshing refreshing rather than offensively minty like a toothpaste. I actually enjoyed it quite a bit.

Bonus: menu is in Portuguese, English, French, and Spanish. Wait staff was multilingual, not a single issue with communication considering I don't speak any Portuguese.

If you made it this far, you know my feelings....

Customer BEWARE. This place has decent (it’s not out of this world but it’s pretty good) food but be aware of the following:

(like many places) they will charge you for the bread they bring to the table. They bring bread to the table though you may not have asked for it. We were given bread which we barely touched and were charged 2€ for it. The bread was hard and disgusting. the pork entrees come with some kind of side (apple, spinach, migas). The server told us that the accompanying side (garnish) could be swapped for another garnish. I decided to substitute mine for another garnish. In the end, I received both garnishes (including the one I wanted to substitute - I didn’t want both) and I got charged for both. this place charges about double the retail price for its wine.

This restaurant was not busy when we went so should you choose to go, you probably won’t have trouble finding a seat.

The place does have some redeeming qualities — great service and decent food. However, it didn’t feel good being tricked or swindled so we won’t be coming back. Hopefully this review gives you a heads up and an idea of what you should be aware of before coming here. There are many other restaurants in Évora from which you will get greater quality food at reasonable prices.

Above all: MAKE IT VERY CLEAR WHAT YOU WANT lest you get billed for...

I expected better so a decent experience becomes a disappointing one. This is a very traditional and historical style restaurant, they even have medieval dishes on the menu. It is decorated in a totally historic style and feels warm and inviting, especially with the wonderful, personal attention from owner Francisco. Our waiter Jaou was made for service and clearly loves his job as evidenced by his enthusiasm in explaining in great detail the dishes. My husband’s main of salmon was perfect and without fault. Two large filets sat on a mountain of delicious sautéed vegetables. It was the best of our dishes. Our starter of two varieties of croquettes were ok but not any better than you can get at any casual spot. The bread was pedestrian and served without oil or butter. But the most disappointing was my main of lamb tenderloins with Migas. The Migas was delicious but my first time trying so can’t compare. The lamb was very plain and flavourless without the Migas, the accompanying salad okay. But my grilled vegetables were all underdone and completely plain, without any oil or seasoning, not even salted. I could have sent it back but Francisco and Jaou were so nice and eager to please, I just couldn’t. I’m sure I just ordered the wrong dish because everyone else in the restaurant seemed...