A taste of Penha de França
Secrets
Every neighbourhood has its secrets, but some of them deserve to be shared. For example, we discovered that there are restaurants that make us feel at home and others that make us travel far away from home through the taste of other cultures. All of them have something in common: they are part of Penha de França. A traditional neighbourhood full of life and flavours.
We start with the restaurant O Limbo, opened since 2019. Here, the idea of having lunch or dinner goes far beyond the typically Portuguese petiscos and vegan options with a personal touch from Miguel Melo’s team, who prepare and serve them with great care and good humour. In fact, the invitation is to enjoy good moments and good conversations, always with good music in the background, sometimes live, when the talented hands of a less fearless client work their magic on the old piano that adorns this space. Although O Limbo is located in front of Alto de São João cemetery, at Rua Morais Soares, 7A, we guarantee that the atmosphere is very welcoming, cheerful and lively.
We now head to the Paiva Couceiro Square area, where the Café Tati has set up shop in the middle of the pandemic, to the delight of the residents of this neighbourhood and the surrounding area. Apart from the space, which excels in terms of creativity, the delicious food and huge selection of wines are an incentive for friends to meet up at Tati, at Rua Carrilho Videira, 20B. In addition to all this, there is an informal bar, friendly service and a menu by Argentinean chef Romina Bertolini that inspires us to try surprising dishes.
In Mercado dos Sapadores, the restaurant Tarsila – Food, Art & Fun by Brazilians Marcus and Jessica pays tribute to the most important Brazilian painter of the first half of the 20th century, Tarsila do Amaral. The name may not sound familiar, but believe me you’ll easily feel comfortable in a space dedicated to gastronomy inspired by the beauty of art, declaimed poetry, and live music. The result is the opportunity to enjoy delicious, healthy, colourful and organic meals.
Finally, what would become of this multicultural gastronomic tour if it did not include the famous Mezze. Located in Arroios Market, close to the Penha de França neighbourhood, this restaurant takes us on a journey to Middle Eastern cuisine, where meals are meant to be shared. At the table, where there is no shortage of bread, the dishes delight us with their flavour, colours and spices, bringing the best of Syrian cuisine to Lisbon by the hands of refugees who have rewritten their history in a country at peace. A unique and different experience that deserves our applause for the courage and success of the Pão a Pão – Association for the Integration of Middle Eastern Refugees project, which originated the idea of opening Mezze.