Fernandos' Brewery — Restaurant in Tomar

What a wonderful surprise!

We walk Fernando's regularly but it just never seemed to appeal to us. But we finally decided to try because we saw salmon on the menu. We didn't let our expectations get too high because on that trip to Tomar we already had three (3) other excellent salmon dishes (at ADN Bistro, D’o Costume, and Beira Rio). However, Fernando's blew us away and was good, if not better than the rest we had had. ...my wife says it is the best salmon she has had anywhere, which is saying a lot because we live in regular salmon territory on the West Coast of the U.S.

We definitely started with the couvert, which is the bread, butter, olive oil (and sometimes cheese and olives.) ...the bread is soooo underrated in Portugal that we recommend getting it with every meal. And Fernando's was no exception. The bread was fantastic, and although yes, they charge for each butter you used, it's worth it.

For drinks we had a glass of port (only 2 Euros!) and Super Bock non-alcoholic preta. It is worth noting that this is the first Super Bock I have found that I actually like! 😁. (Preta is how you order a black beer in Portugal) and this one is actually alcohol free! (Sorry, but not really, but Super Bock is not a good beer. People may feel nostalgic about it, and like it for that reason, but my wife and I are international beer judges...so know a think or two about beer.)

So, my wife has the salmon, with a huge side salad and a heap of potatoes.

I had the Picanha, with some excellent beans and rice, along with some very respectful French fries.

We had some sort of Viennetta cake for ZERT, which we also loved.

Finally, the service was excellent. I think the wife/owner served us and she was very sweet and made us feel at home. And she was very happy to help us practice our Portuguese.

And the whole bill was only 35 Euros, which is a bargain for such a wonderful and...

Excellent non-touristy Portuguese food in a bare bones (but clean and welcoming!) space. TV playing the news while locals tuck in. Hearty plates of inexpensive meals (€7.50-8.50) of the meat/fish + potatoes (boiled or fried) + lettuce salad. The bread rolls brought out as the humble couvert are delicious and, we were told, are from Pasteleria Tropical just a block north. Little English spoken, but English (and French, German) menu translations make ordering easy. We had the (charcoal) grilled whole dourada (€8.50) with boiled potatoes and salad. Very good. And the pork cutlets stuffed with a sausage paste of some sort and smothered in Salisbury steak-style gravy, served with fresh hot french fries (mayo and ketchup available!), white rice, and salad (€7.50). The fish was great, but I'd recommend trying something other than the thin, tough, but tasty, pork cutlets. Maybe order off the front page menu, which probably features the specials?

House red wine €1.50 for 0.25 cl (not bad, but not good :)), €1.10 for half liter still...

The staff are obviously working very hard to help everyone enjoy their experience. But the manager/host, was something else. Before we even entered, he was arguing with a customer, raising his voice, insisting they somehow ordered food they particularly dislike (vegetarian ordered a steak? ). He argued with staff, even potential customers, who then walked on to eat somewhere less combative. He then yelled at my wife, her mother, and some people not even with us, for daring to ask for an available table. I understand that it’s a tough job, and customers can be tough, but such rude and obnoxious treatment is really disrespectful, and ultimately drops the bottom line, maybe costing the staff their jobs, all because of terrible management. In Portuguese:

Dando 2 estrelas, porque a equipe obviamente está trabalhando muito para ajudar todos a aproveitar sua experiência. Mas o gerente/anfitrião é um assassino de negócios direto. Antes mesmo de entrarmos, esse cara estava discutindo com um cliente, levantando a voz, insistindo que de alguma forma pediram comida de que particularmente não gostam (vegetariano pediu um bife? ). Ele discutiu com os funcionários, até mesmo clientes em potencial, que então foram comer em algum lugar menos combativo. Ele então gritou com minha esposa, sua mãe e algumas pessoas que nem estavam conosco, por ousar pedir uma mesa disponível. Entendo que é um trabalho difícil, e os clientes podem ser difíceis, mas esse tratamento rude e desagradável é realmente desrespeitoso e, em última análise, diminui o resultado final, talvez custando aos funcionários seus empregos, tudo por causa de uma...