João da Vila Velha — Restaurant in Mafra

The quality/price ratio is good and probably one of the best restaurants in the region in terms of good, homemade food. The staff is friendly and the portions are well served although some dishes have almost twice as much side dishes than the protein.

I believe that the menu has too many options and one third would be more than enough. They compensate the large menu by having a considerable percentage of the dishes having the same sides. In fact, I had so many different sides that my Madeirense skewer had three types of potatoes. The açorda was also tasteless and the cabage needed more vinegar. My point is that this approach does not make any dish special (besides the stews) and could highlight the protein better with specific side dish choices rather than ten sides besides the protein.

I have had Galinha Mourisca and Wild Boar Chanfana last time and the dishes were unique and very good. However, if you want grilled meat/fish, the protein loses its highlights and does not pair perfectly with all the sides.

The dessert was nice. We had Lemon Pie but it lacked a bit of lemon acidity and had to much merengue on top. I do recommend the place but not to have grilled protein or fish with...

Food: every dish tastes great- I must highlight the razor clam rice, and as a razor clam lover, it was cooked perfectly and this is the only place that make razor clam dish in our 1 month trip in Portugal. If you like shellfish this is must try!

Service- mixed feelings. Although the waitress was nice and efficient, the waiting process for a table of 6 (with young kids) couldn’t have handled better: We were told to wait 20-30 mins, ended up waiting over an hour. Not completely the fault of the restaurant, but coincidentally 1 or 2 customers occupied tables for 6 and won’t leave even they have finished their meals being inconsiderate- just keep talking or looking at their phone. The owner/waitress couldn’t have provide bill and politely inform those customers that others are waiting for the table.

This could’ve been our best meal (food quality for sure)in Portugal except the waiting table process...

Tucked away in Mafra Old Town is this fantastic eatery which could be the best kept secret among the Mafrense. Book a table to avoid disappointment as this establishment is incredibly popular.

They have their own label stout (which was excellent!) A wide selection of local wines from the Mafra region, beautifully made local menu items.... And some of the nicest serving staff we have met!

We tried and really enjoyed the Wild Boar chanfana, the grilled wild boar, the Bacalhau a lagereiro, the grilled turkey breast and the picanha. The main meals were good, but the stars of the show were the desserts. 10 starts for the best Bolo de Bolacha in Portugal! The lime mousse is fresh, light, creamy and moreish whilst the almond tart was heavenly.

Thank you for a fantastic meal, we hope to...