9 Best Restaurants in Estremadura and the Ribatejo, Portugal

The "Old Donkey" may be a relative newcomer to downtown Batalha, but its recipe of traditional dishes and an informal, modern ambience has won over locals and visitors alike. All ingredients are fresh and organic when possible, and there is a range of house-made breads, as well as an excellent choice of wines. Try any of the fresh fish dishes or a hearty meat option. 

This charmingly rustic restaurant just outside Tomar owes its fame to chef Maria do Céu's creativity—and the huge portions, which are enough for two. At lunch on weekends there are usually delicious hearty dishes such as cabrito assado (roast kid) and cachola (pork rib and loin, served with cabbage). Most of the main dishes take time to prepare in the wood-burning oven, and even regulars must book ahead. For dessert, there are fluffy fatias de Tomar and a delicious leite de creme.

Perched on rocks overlooking the open ocean, on the site of a former shellfish nursery, this fashionable restaurant offers some of the best seafood in the area. As you'd expect, the day's menu depends on the sea's bounty, but it might have salmonete (red mullet), pregado (turbot), robalo (sea bass), or linguado (sole). Alternatively, opt for a cataplana of fish stew for two, or even a juicy steak. The starters are worth sampling, too, such as octopus salad or a dish of fresh amêijoas (clams).

Don't be fooled by the simple green-and-white tiled interior: this former tavern inspires inventive cooking by Chef Rodrigo Castelo, who uses often overlooked local ingredients to craft sumptuous and surprising dishes. The à la carte menu is a good value, with updated traditional fare such as oxtail gratin and chargrilled octopus, but it's worth splashing out on a tasting menu (€75, plus €45 for wine pairing). One features more than a dozen different species of fish from the Tagus; the other showcases both fish and locally sourced meats. All bread, olive oil and charcuterie is made in-house, along with an amazing range of pungent pickles and fermented foods that are used to bring extra flavor to the chef's creations. 

About 5 km (3 miles) south of Leiria, O Casarão occupies a large country house surrounded by gardens where you may take an aperitif before your meal. Try the ensopado de peixe (fish stew) or, if there are two of you, maybe split an espedata de carne com gambas (skewers of beef and shrimp), which comes with migas de nabiça (fried bread crumbs and turnip tops).

This is Almeirim's most popular traditional restaurant, thanks to its excellent grilled meats—lamb and pork as well as steak—and of course the sopa da pedra, which O Toucinho claims to have reinvented back in the 1960s. It is run by a former forcado (one of the bullfighters who literally grab the animal by the horns)—as the bull's heads and bullfight posters will remind you.

Behind a vintage tiled facade is a widely acclaimed restaurant that has long been among the country's most popular destinations for Italian food. Everything—the pasta, bread, ice cream—is homemade and beautifully presented and served by the owner, Norberto Marcelino, and his wife. Delicious main dishes include shrimp pansotti with a dill sauce, and breast of duck with port wine sauce and clementines. For desserts there is the ever-popular raspberry gratin with lemon sorbet, sinfonia de pêra Rocha (featuring a local pear variety, three ways), and fig crêpe with Moscatel ice cream.

Tucked away on a side street far from the touristy seafront, this tavern attracts diners from far and wide with delicious fresh fish and meat dishes cooked in its wood-burning oven. There are changing daily specials, but regular dishes include bacalhau à tasca (fried codfish with onions and potatoes) and rice-stuffed cuttlefish.

Considered one of Portugal's best traditional restaurants, whose eponymous chef was recently decorated by the country's head of state, "Aunt Alice" is in an inconspicuous old house with French windows across from the parish church, just over 2 km (1.3 miles) from the shrine. A flight of wooden stairs inside leads down to an intimate dining area with stone walls. The arroz de pato (duck rice) is among the many meat dishes worth trying, as is the bacalhau gratinado (baked salt cod with béchamel sauce), which serves two.