Taberna Típica Quarta-feira — Restaurant in Évora

When we first stumbled upon the Taberna Tipica, we were greeted by the chef and owner, Joao Diaz, who told us that he was all booked for the evening so he pulled out a card, wrote his name and phone number on it and asked us to call to make a reservation for another night. He explained to us that there are just 3 rules at Taberna Tipica; 1. He chooses the food, 2. My wife chooses the wine, and 3. I pay the bill. When we got back to our hotel and mentioned it to our concierge, he told us that it is a very good traditional Alentejo restaurant that has a long history in Evora and he called and made us reservations for later in the week.

When we showed up for dinner, Joao greeted us in front and wished me a happy birthday (since my wife had contacted him separately to let him know I was celebrating). He sat us down on very comfortable leather-seated dining chairs and presented us the first course. Each item in the course was super delicious. My wife went with the house white, which is named after Joao's grandson and is super delicious and refreshing. There was a delicious warmed goat cheese with herbs and a local fruit jam that was heavenly when combined. Also, a thinly sliced ham with a melon gazpacho taken together and the meatiest gizzard dish I have ever had. Everything just melted in my mouth. He then brought out a couple of "slider" style sandwiches with the tastiest tongue meat.

The second course began with a delectable squash and sweet onion dish, a very tenderly seasoned braised black pork (100% acorn-fed), a beef stew that was cooked so well that the meat just fell apart exposing its rich juicy center, and a spinach migas. Migas is a traditional dish from Alentejo made of bread crumbs and the juices of the meat being cooked. I generally pronounce it as Oh My Gosh! O Migas! because it is so satisfying and delicious. My wife went with the recommended but amazing house red which is named after Joao's father, who first started the restaurant before him many years ago.

When desert came, it began with a minty gelato and cleansed and refreshed our palettes. There was a slice of orangy cake and a delicious flan. The flavors were wonderful and not overpowered by sweetness. To finalize, we had some juicy plump cherries.

Then the lights in the restaurant were dimmed and the restaurant staff sang happy birthday to me as a sumptuous chocolate mousse cake with candles was presented to me. The vibe in the restaurant was so good that even the other patrons joined in the song. The evening was so wonderful that as we walked back to the hotel, we felt compelled to return.

In fact, we immediately asked our concierge to make another reservation for the following Saturday! On Saturday, Joao once again greeted us and and presented us with our first course, which had surprises not from our first feast.

The first course had the goat cheese with herbs as before along with thinly sliced beef that melted in our mouths, but this time he gave us surprisingly good fresh cod and potato perfectly seasoned with garlic and olive oil. There was also a dish of mushrooms that were so good, I wanted to keep them in my mouth longer before swallowing - but they kept wanting to go down to my stomach! Another new experience was a special fried migas (Oh My Gosh!) with a delicious outer crust and a mouth-watering inner surprise that made me want more.

As I sat there pining after the last fried migas, I was distracted by the second course which had O Migas! mais migas!! - accompanied by the most tender and tasty pork ribs I have ever had. He also brought out a bowl of ox tail that was so tender it fell of the bone. We humans may have meat grinders in our mouths, but I certainly did not need them at Taberna Tipica since all of the meat is so tender. This time, the house red wine was named after Joao's immediate family and it was just as good as his father's red from our previous visit there.

We highly recommend this restaurant not only for the amazing food but also for the home-kitchen atmosphere and very...

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Short version: Probably your best meal in Evora, but just order the starters set.

Long version: Let's admit it, Portugal (and Evora) is not a big foodie destination, but this restaurant I believe is trying to do something about that reputation. So, did they pull it off?

First the practicalities: Definitely make a reservation, the place will be full. Call in or see if you can find the chef's son's WhatsApp-number somewhere here in the reviews (yes, really).

There is no menu of dishes, you are served what they have on offer as a fixed set menu. However you can choose what part of the menu you want. Starters for 17,50€ per person, mains for 17,50€, and/or dessert for 8€ was the prices and options when I visited.

Or at least they claim you can choose, I had planned on ordering just the mains set but they started serving me plates without explaining or asking me what I wanted. But the starters looked so good I decided that life is short, and that I would just go for both starters and mains!

And I am glad I did. Because the starters are what shine in this place. I particularly liked the salad and mushroom dish, as well as the "surprise bun" (not gonna reveal more than that).

At some point during the starters set you will realize that you are completely stuffed. And on top of that even though I hate food waste and always eat up I could not finish the starters, especially knowing that more was coming.

And then the mains arrive, and all the meat dishes are just... disappointing. Little taste and bad texture (the chicken in the starters was also the weakest point of that set). The pumpkin dish and spinach paste save the mains set from being a complete letdown. The "chips" were also completely bland and unnecessary.

Needless to say it was impossible to finish all the mains (and I am not a small guy), and after the meal I was so full I actually felt sick. Even more from also seeing the leftover food get thrown away...

No room for desserts of course, so can't review those. But I have to add that the house red wine was excellent!

Service was OK, a bit unpersonal and on the cold side. But sufficient.

So, to summarize this is a 4 star experience for the price level. To reach 5 stars portions would have to be reduced by at least 30%, mains menu overhauled and communication improved.

But if you book ahead, only order the starters set menu and some wine, you will leave happy after a very good and reasonably...

Side note: I saw a couple reviews on other sites ( TripAdvisor) where patrons of larger parties were not understanding that such a small venue would not be able to just combine the smaller tables to make a large table if the dedicated larger tables were not yet ready. Don't expect this family owned business to snub their other patrons who also made resetvations to make room for a large party. And surely don't put a bad review out there because they won't.

We found this location from the 2019 Portugal Rick Steve's edition. On our first (of two) nights in Evora, we made our way to this restaurant with little hope of getting in (the book stated it is not uncommon to get turned away). Unfortunately all tables were booked for the night but my husband was able to get us the last reservation for the next evening with the simple rules laid out by Zé: he chooses the food, the wife chooses the wine, the husband pays the bill. Upon arrival on the night of our reservation we joined three separate parties waiting at the closed door. I had a throwback to Willy Wonka and the Chocolate factory when Zé started calling out reservation names and people hurrying forward to claim their table. Upon entering the restaurant, you see how intimate it is (two larger tables for 4-8 patrons and 5-6 tables for two). I do want to state that this restaurant operates on reservations and not walk in service. The table was already set with some beginning appetizers and it wasn't long until more appetizers arrived. Second course followed with a house made soup and the third course (entree) arrived on its heels. We asked Zé to choose a wine to pair with the dinner as we had no idea what the meal would bring and he chose a lovely red that suited all the food perfectly. The evening ended with a delicious dessert and a tongue in cheek hand off of the bill to the men and a thank you for dining card to the women. My husband was concerned for the price when he received the bill as he thought €25 per person for the meal was too low. I'm not sure if this is a standard price or it varies, but I was pleasantly surprised that the prices were so reasonable for what we received. I'm not going into detail on the food because it does change with every meal, but I do want to take the time to state that this was surely an experience I would gladly do over. The food was superb and the...