Alegria Vadia - Food & Drinks — Restaurant in Cascais

I cannot say enough good things about this place… It all starts by the place itself… so cute and quaint… so charming! The place is small, which makes it very comfortable and personal… there are only about 5 tables in total. The menu is small (as it should be) but also varied and gives you so many options to play around… The service just makes the whole experience even better… Paulo and his wife Elisabete (the owners) run the place and have a couple of helpers. Paulo is amazing… very friendly, kind and charming gentleman… he helped us with picking the wine, the food, and entertained us with a few stories as well. The food is delicious, well seasoned, freshly prepared, and fairly priced. We had the couvert with Fresh bread, olive oil and olives, also some cheese (which was delicious). Then we had carpaccio, tuna tartare and the scallops as small bites to share… we then shared the “arroz de pato” (duck with rice). To finalize, a delicious lemon crepe and some port wine. One recommendation: make a reservation… we got lucky to get there early so we found ourselves a table, but all other 4 were already booked. Other than that, just go!...

The food was delicious! We ordered the duck rice, the codfish, and the duck confit. All were delicious, but the duck confit was really the star of the menu and is their signature dish. They lit it on fire at the table to give it a crispy finish and it was the perfect texture and flavor! The waiter was also really funny and personable. The place seems to be owned by a husband and wife and they make a wonderful duo. The ambience is fabulous — dark walls in a small, intimate space but with good lighting right above the tables so you can see your food clearly while enjoying an overall dim environment. The stuffed mushrooms were also great. They’re made with three cheeses but you get a beautiful variety of textures when you eat them — the soft, juicy mushroom, a paste-like cheese that I think might have been ricotta, one that is nice and crispy on top and a more gooey one between those two. The husband Paulo offers good wine recommendations to pair with the foods. For desert we had the petit gateaux (chocolate lava cake) which was perfectly liquidy in the middle. We will definitely be...

Wow.

We were on the early side and welcomed in without hesitation. I feel we were lucky to have had the chance to eat here. Paulo and Isabel were the perfect hosts. I wish we could eat like this every evening - but we’d roll down the hills if we did.

The pork and the cod were amazing. I saw another review about pork knuckle in Germany being cheaper for more. I’ve had my fair share of pork knuckle in German and Prague. Yes, those are less expensive and slightly larger. They also aren’t as tender or tasty as at Alegria. Beer and wine were perfect pairings, and I can’t recommend the shrimp cocktail enough.

We only have a few nights in the area so it’s a shame we will have to try the other restaurants, but I fear they won’t live up to our wonderful dinner at this fantastic...