A Cabana — Restaurant in Arronches

It was around midday when we walked past this little restaurant and were expecting to see some sign of life but the sign indicated that it was opening at 12:30, so we walked around the block and came back for the said time, at which it was open and we were the first customers. The name describes the place well, small and unassuming but pleasant enough. It appears very much to be a one man show though there was another guy in the kitchen. The Menu is on a black board on the wall, not so clear to read but the owner explained it all and speaks English in a charming but quite reserved way. We would have gone for Cod Wellington but he warned us that we would need to wait 40 minutes so we chose Tomatada de Frango, a delicious casserole of chicken pieces without any bone slow cooked in tomatoes with origano. This was served with some home-made game chips sprinkled with oregano and coarse salt, delicious, not over cooked but nearly not enough for two. As a starter we took the cheese and cured-ham board with bread, all regional and equally delicious. Our meal was watered down with a very acceptable litre jar of the red house wine from the region. At 6 euros, no complaint there. Dessert was 3.50 euros for the traditional slice of Sericaia, here served without any sirup nor Elvas plum option but very tasty none the less. Our meal ended up 42 euros for 2. The owner was perfectly pleasant and helpful however we would just point out that our wine glasses had a bit too many water marks on them, there had also been a few pesky flies around and we could not pay with our debit card on the premises and had to walk to a cash machine that was not very close-by. We certainly recommend the place and would not mind to try other dishes next time...

Fantastic place in this rural area for foodies. It seemed to be a one-man-show of the straight talking owner waiter DJ chef. Delicious Iberico ham, and cheese to start. Then 5 of the 7 of us had absolutely melt in the mouth cow cheeks…. food heaven. Everyone enjoyed their plate. I tried my friend’s secrets (pork)… cooked to perfection. To get extra bread and water was a bit slow but all completely acceptable under the circumstances! Nice chilled out atmosphere. Savoury is the forte for me, as I don’t especially have a sweet tooth, but there was a reasonable selection of puddings. Book a space if you can in this cute little restaurant. Will try and get to listen to the chefs dj-ing before we...

What a very special eating experience! The host was utterly charming in a very quiet, unassuming way, the food was utterly delicious ( the options were small but that suited us fine as it meant everything was freshly cooked), the recommended bottle of local white wine was crisp and beautifully matched to the food, and the ambience in this small, cosy restaurant was just wonderful. We could not have wished for a nicer, more life-affirming eating experience.....which was topped off by the glorious voice of Marizza, a young Fado singer, in concert on TV. A very special,...