9 Best Restaurants in Estremadura and the Ribatejo, Portugal

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.

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).

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.

Owner Dona Celeste likes to personally greet guests—who lately have included record-breaking U.S. surfer Garrett McNamara—at the entrance to her seafood restaurant on the Atlantic seafront. Among popular dishes here are espadarte à Celeste (swordfish with cream-and-mushroom sauce) and squid or monkfish on the spit. This coast is famous for its caldeirada (a Portuguese version of bouillabaisse with nine kinds of fish). Perhaps the most spectacular dishes here are the cataplana de peixe com camarão e amêijoas for two (fish stew with shrimp and clams, served with a flourish). In summer, it's a good idea to book ahead.

This bustling tavern in the delightfully named village of Imaginário is no place for fussy eaters: it is renowned for regional dishes such as polvo na telha (octopus grilled on a roof tile) and morcela de arroz (a type of blood sausage). Leave some space for the eggy desserts, which are all homemade and delicious. Note that reservations are only accepted by phone, not by email.

This restaurant is best known for showcasing regional cuisine, with dishes such as chicken or partridge na púcara (cooked in an clay pot)—many of which evolved in local monasteries. Fans of bacalhau should try the house version: baked with a crust of cornbread and farinheira sausage. The walls are hung with local memorabilia and photos of the family that has run the place since 1938.

With fishing nets and baskets hang from walls, this Portuguese fisherman's tavern has a genuine feel, and the loud service adds to its character. Seafood is the only option, but it is renowned here—such as spider crab or rock lobster—and many diners come for the feijoada de marisco (shellfish and bean stew).