Restaurante Afonso

Located in the attractive little village of Mora, this simple restaurant is a fine place to discover the hearty country cooking of the Alentejo. It opened in 1954 and specializes in dishes such as partridge cooked with rice, grilled local pork with garlic sauce, and the delicious little almond cookies known as queijinho do céu de Mora.

Rua de Pavia 1, Mora. Tel. (351) 266-403-166.

L’AND

Duck with eggplant purée and vegetables at L’AND Vineyards - Photo by Hideaway Report editorEven if you’re not staying at this dramatically modern hotel in the countryside near Evora, its excellent restaurant is open to the public for lunch and dinner from Wednesday to Sunday (Monday and Tuesday are for hotel guests only). Chef Miguel Laffan worked at several restaurants in France before returning to Portugal, and his cooking is refined, original and beautifully presented. Laffan is especially talented at inventing modern takes on traditional Portuguese dishes, such as wild bass with summer vegetables, and chorizo with an oyster vichyssoise.