4 Best Restaurants in Estremoz, Évora and the Alentejo

Hidden away on a narrow side street a few minutes from the main square, this family-run restaurant is the best place in town for hearty, no-nonsense grilled meats. The front part of the former wine cellar is a rustic brick bar with a pork leg mounted on the counter, and a charcoal grill nestled in the front window alcove. Walk past the bar area across a sloping, concrete floor into a cozy dining room, lined with huge terra-cotta wine jugs. The furnishings are basic—benches at planked tables—and you can expect the service to be casual, at best. Specialties include burras (pork chin), migas with wild asparagus, and sopa de cação, or dogfish soup, a hearty dish made with a bony local fish which is sometimes also called baby shark.

If you'd like to grab a sandwich, cup of tea, or glass of wine between museum visits, there's no place better than Gadanha. You'll likely end up leaving with more than what you ate, as this deli also sells gift-wrapped gourmet treats like local ham, cheese, and chocolates. The café and shop are superb, and the restaurant in an old barn annex, with exposed wood beams and an antique hearth—is even better. Specialties include lamb croquettes with mushroom mayonaise and platters of local Alentejan cheeses. You can dine on a smattering of petiscos (tapas) or settle in for the larger main courses.

There are several refreshment stands and snack bars along the Rossio, but for more substantial fare try this casual eatery. From this popular 60-year-old art deco–style café and its first-floor restaurant, you can watch the goings-on in the square. Inexpensive accommodation can be found upstairs.