Espiga Dourada — Restaurant in Odivelas

Probably the best coffee shop in the Greater Lisbon Area — and that's not just a bold claim, I have certainly been in many of them, but few come close to the quality of the pastry & bread offered by Espiga Dourada. This is actually one of the five shops they own in the Odivelas centre — the quality is the same on every one (there is very likely a main kitchen serving the shops) and it surpasses anything I've tasted in the region. You won't be disappointed and you will certainly be spoilt for choice; my personal favourites are the local speciality 'Freirinhas' (a pastry made of beans and lots of eggs) and the 'Fofos' (lit. 'softies'), but everything else is pretty much at the same level of quality. They also have artisanal ice cream — with 20 years of experience in the area — and while these are wonderfully presented and a delight to the eyes, they're not 'the best' ice cream in Portugal, although I'd easily put them in the 'top twenty'. Servings are very generous, though! It's worth mentioning two additional things: first, the prices. These are about a third of what you usually will pay in Lisbon or the Cascais area — not to mention the difference in quality. It's not a case of 'you get what you pay for' — in the case of Espiga Dourada, you get way more than what you pay for!! And secondly, the staff. They're generally very nice and friendly, as expected; but what is interesting is that they have been working at the shop for several years (in fact, one of the employees boasted to me of having been working there for over 20 years); there is almost zero rotativity (no employee has left in the past year, for example) which is usually a sign that they pay well to the employees and keep them happy (the owner, BTW, is very agreeable and quite open to talk to patrons whenever he's visiting each of his shops; each shop, however, has their own manager, but in spite of the differences in size and layout of each shop, as said, they all offer the same products). And, of course, they have a master pastry chef who must be paid his weight in gold — he's far too good for a 'local' coffee shop. This leads to the question of how they make money (they keep expanding their network of shops), if they pay their staff so well and keep prices so unbelievingly low! :-) It will not surprise you that Espiga Dourada consistently wins all sorts of prizes and awards for outstanding service and quality, at least at the local level. A nice touch is that they have some sort of agreement with the town hall and print the cultural agenda of the city on the paper bags for the bread; it's a wonderful initiative to keep the public informed about what is happening in Odivelas! If you're curious enough to try them out just to see if I'm not exaggerating, just take the subway and exit at the end of the yellow line (Odivelas); the nearest Espiga Dourada is right in front of the upper exit of the subway station; you cannot miss it. It boasts an esplanade which is a plus (and AFAIK they do not charge extra for...

I have been a regular guest in this cafe for the past few weeks because their food and beverages are great. As I came to this country about a few weeks ago, I can't speak Portuguese yet. And I'm sure for a customer, nowhere in this world requires to speak their local language. I had an extremely disappointing and upsetting experience this afternoon. The cashier made a blatantly racist remark that left me shocked, uncomfortable, and unwelcome. This cashier can understand English perfectly, but she told me that I must speak Portuguese if I live here. How come? I'm not a citizen here, I'm her customer. I'm sure this woman is not originally Portuguese. Because what I have witnessed in my stay in Portugal, is that the original Portuguese People are so respectful toward other races. So this kind of behavior is completely unacceptable and has no place in any business from a person who is not even an original Portuguese. I urge management to address this issue immediately to ensure a welcoming and respectful environment for all customers regardless of nationalities. I will not be returning and advise others to avoid this place until they take serious action against this...

Google Review:

I had an unpleasant experience at Espiga Dourada. The visit started well – a friendly man packed my order with a smile, thanked me, and handed me a card to pay at the cash counter. However, things took a turn at the cashier. The older lady at the counter was quite rude. I initially tried to pay with my credit card, but she said something in Portuguese, which I believe meant it wasn’t accepted. I then used my debit card and asked her to enter my NIF number, but she ignored my request and seemed irritated. For a place that likely serves many non-Portuguese-speaking customers, I strongly suggest hiring cashiers who can communicate in both Portuguese and English and provide better customer service. This incident occurred at 14:47 on October 28,...