Silver Service on the Silver Coast

The Silver Coast is blessed with numerous restaurants, from international fine dining to tiny rustic traditional Portuguese places tucked away off the beaten track and one of my absolute favourites is Restaurante O Cortiço on the main road that links Caldas da Rainha to Alcobaça.

This large friendly restaurant has been in business for decades and is always busy and bustling with a great atmosphere.

I visited O Cortiço on my very first trip to the Silver Coast way back in 1988 (obviously I was very young!) and still see the same team of friendly efficient waiters working there today.

They specialise in Wild Boar but also have an extensive menu featuring Portuguese dishes and comfort food at its best. The generous portions are often big enough to share between two and everything is freshly and expertly cooked.

The name O Cortiço means the Honeycombe which is a good description of the labyrinth of rooms that are gradually opened up as the place fills up with hungry customers, meaning that this huge restaurant never feels empty even when you are one of the first to arrive.

The restaurant is open all day, seven days a week which is quite unusual for Portugal so whenever you are feeling in need of a bite to eat, you now know where to come.

Restaurante O Cortiço is just a short drive from Sao Martinho do Porto and Salir do Porto.

By Stephanie Johnson