Lumumba — Restaurant in Reguengos de Monsaraz

Recommended by the reception of the hotel, this place was little more than a hole in the wall with the usual modest furnishings of any old tasca, and very reasonable prices to match. But if you walk through all the way to the terrace, you would see a 180-degree panoramic view of the surrounding countryside and Alqueva from the heights of the castle of Monsaraz. The service was perfunctory from the good natured yet terse host, who presented the food and beverage with a silent flourish. He only broke the silence for a low aside about the couple next to us, who he said 'ate almost as fast as they left'. A slower pace of life is preferred in Alentejo. We ordered the roasted lamb with potatoes, with a generous accent of black pepper and coriander, which always takes on a much earthier tone when cooked. It was delightfully tender, fell off the bone, and utterly delicious. The local Monsaraz vinho tinto was a good match. (Unfortunately, the dish I had been wanting to order, carne de porco alentejano, was not available today, being Sunday when it was probably hard to get fresh clams. Respect). Dessert was pudim for me (exotic!) and vienetta for my wife (exotic, but in a different way). The relaxed vibe (and the wine) had the clientele relaxed and chatty, making small talk from table to table and getting up periodically to check out that view. What a pleasant find!...

One star for the view. Nothing more. Terrible lamb stew (Ensopado Borrego). Soggy bread in luke warm soup. Over cooked lamb, tasteless and served by a very unapproachable waitor. Never made eye contact and not too interested in serving us proffesionally (Jose). Why do you get dried out bread with no butter or olive oil and sub-standard olives before your meal?. The cheese, orange juice and beer was good. Worse dish we ever had in...

Nice but rather small restaurant. Small menu but fresh is more important than a large choice with a microwave. Unusual for Portugal: with the meat and french fries they serve standard rice and some salad.

Splendid view of the lake Alqueva from the terrace (esplenada).

The restaurant has a lot of small stairs (1, 2 or 3 steps) so I would recommend it for people with disabilities. Totally unaccessible for...