Casa da Rua — Restaurant in Lamego

Casa do Rua is possibly the best hidden gem for lunch in all of the Duoro Valley. I texted the owner months ago for a reservation and again on the day of our visit. He had the table waiting with our name on it. A small family run business, the owner and his wife run this very hip little shop in the central business district of Lamego. Decorated with modern pictures and a caricature of the owners, they play US adult alternative music from the 90’s and 2000’s. The cafe personifies hip with just enough tradition and the owner told us they worked in Spain which explains his small menu of tapas and specialty burgers.

Bringing out a couture of a bread only made in the region and what looked like a small Portuguese Jamaican beef patty stuffed with delicious meat filling, the owner explained the menu choices thoroughly. Suggesting a tapa plate that included a gargantuan amount of tapas and our choice of one of eight burgers, he then suggested wine pairings from an extensive list and I tried my first Stout Super Bock beer. My wife enjoyed one of the only Portuguese red wines she’s liked.

The tapa plate included three kinds of cheeses, cured meats that included chorizo, a type of prosciutto and cubes of cured black pork (a Portuguese specialty). It also had some bachalu with a fried egg, pumpkin jam, roasted peppers, sweet potato chips, a sauce that he recommended with the black pork, and several types of delicious bread and crostinis. We chose the burger with fig chutney, sun dried tomato, lettuce and manchego cheese and it was the first beef I’ve enjoyed the taste of since being in Portugal for ten days including the big cities.

With no room for dessert or coffee, we thanked the owner for his great service and warm personality and he hoped we’d come back again which we will should we ever be in Lamego again. Given the limited seating, we recommend texting ahead for a reservation. Best hidden gem...

Very honest and friendly family business - you can clearly see the love put into this restaurant. I would strongly recommend booking as it is a small intimate venue so gets full very quickly and often has reservations on many tables.

We had several starters, the second largest charcuterie board and, a steak and two burgers to share between four and it was a perfect volume of food. Paolo (the owner) personally serves you and is super attentive at curating a wonderful experience for you. We were originally going to order too much! But he then helped us decide. His wife cooks all the food and every dish was a phenomenal variety of fresh and fragrant flavours. The meat was fresh from local farms and it is clear that love and attention was put into every dish.

At the end, we couldn't decide on dessert, so Paolo brought out a selection of all three for us to try. Each one was homemade and provided an excellent combination of flavours. I would definitely recommend the Sangria.

Overall, this was arguably the best restaurant experience we've ever had in Portugal, and we've been to a lot of the country! The homeliness and attention to detail is second-to-none. No fancy frills. Fair, honest prices. A heartwarming culture amongst the owners that invites you in and makes you feel like a valued guest in their home. I would highly recommend this restaurant to anyone...

This was one of our highlights in Portugal. My partner and I stumbled upon some sort of annual town festival right outside this restaurant so it was packed! The owner was incredibly gracious and asked us to wait for a table to open up. Our service was incredible, he took so much care and went into such detail about their dishes, it made me want to try absolutely everything! We ordered the charcuterie board, hamburger and a handle of sangria for both of us. There was truly nothing on that board that I didn’t like. The burger was SO GOOD. I’ve had my share of burgers, being from the states but this was NOT THAT. It was so tender and flavorful. I wish I would have gotten my own instead of splitting lol Honestly the owners made this experience as memorable as the food. I would come back...