Duque - Barcelos

It wasn't the first time I used this restaurant in Barcelos. I like it a lot. The staff is friendly, food is well cooked and at a fair price (or you can even say cheap price), the room is welcoming, the toilets are clean. I would recomend this place if you are looking for a good meal during the weekdays, and tou get a better price than the one you would get at some more touristic places. An excelent option on value for money.

We enjoyed a tasty tuna salad here today as one of the pratos do dia. This came with a vegetable soup and dessert. Locals as well as tourists eat here. The daily menu is a bargain at $3.70 and includes the choice of fish and meat and vegetarian dishes. We can understand why this place is attractive for a simple lunch. What I do not understand is why the staff decided to prep for an evening event by noisily moving around tables and chairs while three tables of diners were in the middle of their meals.

The sign that said 'restaurant 30 m ' eventually led to a small restaurant on a hill with its entrance round the corner. There is a flight of stairs from the entrance up to the restaurant and also down to the toilets. But there is a very good handrail which I found useful. Fortunately we had arrived before noon. Ours was the third table to be occupied. When we ordered, the waitress pointed us to the lunchtime special menu of a three course meal and recommended a good wine.It wasn 't long before the soup arrived. That was hot and really good and was soon followed by the main course of a salad accompanied by grilled chicken fillets, fries and rice, also hot and really good. By this time all tables were occupied with a few people waiting for a table. When we had finished the delicious baked apple in cinnamon and the wine, there was a queue down the stairs. By the time we had paid there were people waiting on the street. This was a really nice place to eat. I was pleased to see they offered half portions something rarely available and I do know of places in the UK that people actively avoid because the portions are more than they can manage. The service was efficient, the staff very helpful and the food of very high quality. All that for around fifteen euros between us. No wonder there was a queue into the street.

If Duque is only ranked 47th best in Barcelos, there must be some great places to eat here. My wife and I went for a simple lunch and ordered their fish of the day costing less than 4 Euro. Our meals were well prepared and tasty. It is not fine dining but we will go back for their well food.

As is often the case at lunch time, my wife and I got hungry, so we decided to try this place 3 course meal for 3.50 euros couldn't be very big, we thought. Wrong! Bread and olives, excellent vegetable soup, I had alheira (country sausage) with veg and garlic potatoes, my wife had salad, and chocolate mouse to finish. Yes, you'll perhaps get larger portions in some other places, but this was still plenty big for lunch time well cooked, nicely served in a pleasant atmosphere surrounded by locals mostly business lunches, I suspect.