Free time dining - Cascais, Lisbon, Coimbra, Salamanca, Madrid. Recs???
Entering the home stretch. I actually have a closed suitcase, which will undoubtedly reopen before I go, cause that's just me. :P
so my question for total relates to dining recommendations along the way.
1) arrival/gift of time day we will be (hopefully) in Lisbon, if all goes well with our travels. We will need to eat something somewhere, at some time. Comments?
2) before meeting the tour. Doing Joaos Journey Tuk tuk. I am speculating he will help to direct daytime eating.
3) First day with tour: Need lunch in Cascais, and dinner in Lisbon
4) next day, lunch in Coimbra
5) Lunch in salamanca
6) dinner in Madrid
7) lunch in Madrid on final day
I've done a little research so far. In Cascais, Marisco na Praca looks like an experience. Also, Hifen, Restaurate Pereira, and maybe Taberna Clandestina. Lisbon, you all have recommended Pateo 51, and it seems nicely near to the hotel. For Coimbra, are Francesinhas something we should make a point of trying. If so, the name that sounds is Compostu Tavern.
Have not tackled Spain at all.......
I'm sure our Tauck guide will over recommendations as well!
Comments
Usually, when you get to your room, you will find a pack from your TD which will include restaurant recommendations
I love your sense of humor, Sherrill.
Lisbon - My favorite area for casual but authentic regional cuisine is the Alfama district. You will find an abundance of ‘mom and pop’ eateries there. You also might enjoy a Fado performance. I have not eaten at Páteo 51, but I do recall other travelers recommending it.
Cascais - I highly recommend Mar do Inferno. The octopus is wonderful.
Coimbra - Tauck will steer you to the main, traffic-free street. You will find the Francesinha sandwich at virtually all the eateries there. You might want to share one and have a defibrillator close by! We had a cooking demonstration of this sandwich while on the boat.
Salamanca - Tauck treated us to refreshments and light lunch in a very quaint hotel.
Madrid - Tapas, tapas and more tapas in the Plaza Mayor area. In the same area is a glorious food market—Mercado de San Miguel. It is well worth the visit even if you just stroll through it. Botín, also in the same area, is a favorite of the locals. Reservations are imperative. The hotel’s concierge can assist with reservations.
Hope this helps!
Thanks British, I'll watch for that packet
kfnknfkz, glad I could make you laugh! Thanks for the guidance and recommendations. I'll add them into my notebook!
If you want to go to Botin in Madrid, you should make the reservation before you leave for the trip. As was mentioned, it is popular with locals and fills up quickly. We stayed in Madrid an extra day and needed to make the reservation for late afternoon - all of the evening slots were taken. (This was from home about three weeks before we left for the tour.)
Thank you Kathy. Will check with hubby. (we are traveling with another couple so sorting what is to happen has others to consider)
Editing to add: First table for 2 was July 12. If I am still in Madrid on July 12, there are very big problems happening. Table for 4 was not much better.....
Sherrill - What we have done is to e-mail the hotel’s concierge before we leave the U.S. and ask her/him to reserve a table for us. You will have to settle for the afternoon because evenings are almost always reserved for the Spaniards who like to eat there with their extended families. Let the concierge know you are touring with Tauck and mention your reservation number and dates of your stay. Reserving a table for four (4) would be better.
If staying at the Palace Hotel in Madrid, you are in for a treat!
kfnknfzk (you need and easier name
) - I just looked, and yes indeed we are staying at the Palace Hotel. Exciting to know this is something to look forward to!
🌸🐶🌸
Pateo 51 is really good; great food, great service; good value. Also, Madame Pizza is near the hotel & very good pizza at a good price.
In Cascais, Baia do Peixe is a good lunch spot with a great view.
PS Chocolateria San Gines is a great spot for churros in Madrid; one or two blocks off Plaza Mayor
@dwannand thanks for the confirmation and recs
updating my notebook now with everyone's comments (computer staying home)
We did a Lisbon food and history tour with Devour food tours, They gave us restaurant recommendations such as Taberna Anit Dantus and Bonjardina (casual).
Viandas de Salamanca was a great place for a quick sandwich in Salamanca.
Botin in Madrid is worth getting a reservation early as they get very busy. El Riojano was a great place for a rich hot chocolate with the churros or other pastry.
The food markets (mercado) in Madrid were really good too for a quick bite.
There was also a place that had the secret "nun" cookies. (Secret Nun Cookies at Monasterio del Corpus Christi) They were really good homemade cookies and it helped support the local nuns. (in Madrid)
Thanks Mimi, adding them to my list
We were going to do a Devour tour like you, but we will be meeting up with and traveling with another couple who did not seem excited by the idea, so it likely is not happening. We will likely improvise that first night (maybe that is good for jet lag??)
Botin, I'll talk with the couple when we meet up tomorrow and if it's a go, I'll follow kfnknfzk's advice about about emailing the hotel concierge. I get the sense they don't want to lock down a reservation with a number of people as there might be new friends to add. I'm trying to be chill. I'm am such a hyper planner that's new for me. :P
I didn’t know the cloistered nuns still sold their cookies! We stumbled upon the Monastery once while exploring the Plaza Mayor area and saw some locals talking through a small opening. You never see a nun. You ring a bell, a small window opens, you ask for cookies, you pay, a turntable rotates and your cookies appear. The process has perhaps evolved. If you look up and around, you just might see a nun peeping out from behind a curtain.
As I always say, the unscripted surprises are so memorable. Use some of your free time to just explore.