Casa do Alentejo

Behind an unremarkable doorway on Rua das Portas de Santo Antão lies one of the most surprising interiors in Lisbon. The Casa do Alentejo is a regional association for people from the Alentejo, the wide southern region of plains, cork oaks and wheat fields, and it occupies the Palácio Alverca, a palace built at the end of the seventeenth century for the Paes do Amaral family. In 1919 the palace became one of Lisbon's first casinos, the Magestic Club, and its interiors were redecorated in a revivalist style mixing neo-Arab, neo-Gothic, neo-Renaissance, Art Nouveau and Baroque elements.

The Grémio Alentejano moved in during 1932, and the association acquired the building in 1981. Inside, a courtyard feels far removed from the street below, and beyond it are a series of rooms, including dining rooms lined with azulejo panels and grand salons upstairs. The palace is classified as a monument of public interest. Even if you do not eat here, it is worth stepping in to see the courtyard and tiled rooms.

The restaurant serves the cooking of the Alentejo, a cuisine of bread, olive oil, pork, lamb, herbs and pulses. The region is known for dishes such as açorda, a bread soup with garlic, coriander and egg, pork with clams and lamb stews, and the menu, printed in Portuguese and English, follows that tradition. Prices are moderate for the setting, and portions are generous, so consider sharing a starter. Wines from the Alentejo, one of the country's main wine regions, are the natural match for the food.

The restaurant serves lunch from 12:00 to 15:00 and dinner from 19:00 to 23:00, and reservations can be made online. It suits groups and families who want a traditional meal in an unusual building, and it is a calmer alternative to the restaurants touting for business along the street outside. The association also hosts cultural events, concerts and exhibitions linked to the Alentejo.

Casa do Alentejo is a few minutes' walk from Restauradores and Rossio metro stations, in the street that runs parallel to Avenida da Liberdade. Gambrinus and the Coliseu dos Recreios concert hall are on the same street, and Rossio is a short walk to the south.