The new guide “365 Tascas & Seafood Restaurants” challenged 12 of the best known chefs Portuguese people evaluating the current state of popular cuisine and choosing the dishes and recipes that best represent the identity of national gastronomy.
Chef and businessman, Rui Paula is one of the biggest names in national gastronomy. After Cêpa Torta, in Alijó, he opened DOC, in Douro, which remains an icon in the region. This was followed by the DOP in Porto, and later the Casa de Chá da Boa Nova, in Leça da Palmeira, installed in the National Monument designed by architect Siza Vieira in front of the sea.
Team and Rui Paula
What can never be missing at a Portuguese table? Bread, wine and…
– Oil.
What can taverns teach haute cuisine?
– Tascas can only teach haute cuisine if, effectively, they focus on one or two products and not with a lot of variety. The ideal would even be a single product. If they don’t have it, let them have at least two good things. Always have good bread, good olives, good olive oil and then make dishes like “Tomato Rice” and “Codfish Pataniscas”. In other words, things from scratch. And they can teach us how to do it.
Like taverns, is popular Portuguese cuisine in danger of disappearing?
– If there is no constant alert, that is, we alert people with some responsibility in the gastronomic scene, and talk about it, it could disappear. One way to avoid this is to tell young cooks, those who don’t even want to pursue cooking, that traditional cuisine has a lot of value. We have to ask chefs who have the memory of traditional cuisine and who have the patience to teach it. Because traditional cuisine has a lot to say, it is not an easy thing.
What dishes do you consider emblematic of Portuguese popular cuisine?
– The “Leitão da Bairrada”, everyone eats suckling pig from the rich, the poor, the middle class, everyone eats it. It’s popular. A “roasted goat” cannot be missed. The “Feijoada à Transmontana”, the “Cataplana”. We have a huge variety.
Do you remember the best snacks or dishes you’ve ever tasted in a tavern?
– The best snack I ever ate in a tavern was a “Savage asparagus omelet”.
What can never be missing from a seafood meal?
– Crayfish.
Chef’s suggestion: Tascas and seafood restaurants recommended by Rui Paula
Gazela Brewery Puppy
Guedes House (Porto)
“Because there’s that ham sandwich. And there’s always an Espadeiro wine, and it was a space that accompanied me over the years.”
Gazelle Puppies of Battle (Porto)
“Because of your little dog, which is something that, from time to time, I miss and I have to go there straight away. I even have one at Time Out Market Porto based on these little dogs.”
Pocket from Badalhoca (Porto)
“The ham sandwich is wonderful. Simple, with nothing to taste, it’s bread with ham, but it always tastes good to me.”
Os Lusíadas Restaurant (Matosinhos)
I go there because it’s smaller and there’s not much noise. Makes some freshly made crayfish, impeccable”
The Old Seafood Esplanade (Matosinhos)
“I like the variety of seafood, there’s always sea urchins… it’s always the one with the most variety of all.”
Good Bed Good Table
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Rui Paula is one of the 12 chefs guests of the guide “365 Tascas & Marisqueiras”, on newsstands on November 21st
Throughout the 260 pages of the guide, 250 taverns and 115 seafood restaurants are recommended, one for each day of the year, in keeping with the authenticity of Portuguese cuisine. You will also find 12 interviews with big names in national gastronomy with suggestions from chef that indicate your favorite taverns and seafood restaurants.
Covering the entire country, it is divided into the North, Center, South and Islands regions in an invitation to discover authentic spaces, with identity and memory, where conviviality, wisdom and popular cuisine are still cultivated.
The “365 Tascas & Marisqueiras” Guidewhich has the support of Recheio, is on sale for €16.90 from November 21, 2025. Order your copy now at online storewith a discount for Expresso subscribers, or through Impresa Customer Support (Tel. 214698801).
Chef Ana Moura
Gonçalo F. Santos
Good Bed Good Table
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