Ericeira Restaurants - where to eat why

Welcome to my conclusions on the best places to eat in Ericeira after 3.37 years of data collection :) I do think eating out whenever you want whatever you want is an essential ingredient to ultimate richness - and it is a joy eating out in Eri.

I'll talk about Ericeira restaurants ..
1. to have ya fancy coffee
2. to eat fish with an ocean view, cause that’s obv what you do when by the sea
3. to prove to ya Lisbon friendz that we do have fancy restaurants
4. to have proper Portuguese food, cause you're in Portugal, aren't you
5. to have cosy dinner with ya loved ones
6. to have quick lunch
7. to break personal record of how many "friendz" you randomly meet
8. to have a date and not the entire town is listening
9. to reserve for ya big (padel-)gang
10. to have a broper buffet

Ericeira restaurants to have ya fancy coffee

1. Dear Rose

- I recommend the cosymosy corner inside; I have a craving for that corner most weekends
- the moccachino is sooo good and the burrata salad, shakshuka and overnight chias are my favourite breakkis
- the chef brings the food himself most of the time; with a big smile on his face

2. Tiger & Chick

3. Capsule café

Ericeira restaurants to eat fish with an ocean view, cause that’s obv what you do when by the sea

1. Ti Matilde

- erijoy fresh fish while sitting on a high cliff, basically above the ocean
- the super nice outdoor space can't be seen from the street, so only local-ish people know about it
- impress your date by ordering the desert (dessert?asking for a friend) as a starter, and then show that you're rich by getting the freshest fishyfish for €54 ishfish for 2 persons

2. Canastra

- I did some user research with city people and this one seems to fulfil the "eating with ocean view"-fantasy of Ericeira brilliantly
- is proper Portuguese, so you don't have to feel bad being a foreigner who only eats fancy
- enjoy the ocean view

3. Indigo

- so this is out of downtown, but if you really wanna seal the deal with ya date, then take them here and order the soul fish
- then slowly lean over while feeding them the brownie ice cream combo desert <33
- this will make them ask you a question: "is that how dogs feel?" cause they're exploding of maximum joy

Ericeira restaurants to prove to ya Lisbon friendz that we do have fancy restaurants

1. Costa Fria

- this is the one fancy expensive foodie place Lisbon people seem to know and come to Ericeira for
- it's right by the sea as you see
- I call it the orange one cause of their orange chairs .. and there's something about them, idk, they look a bit uncomfortable, but I guess it's stylish 

2. Mar das Latas

3. Balagan

- they have a nice terrace with a roof, so you kind of sit both inside/outside
- they offer middle-eastern food, i.e. pretty healthy food
- Portuguese people joke about that all the hipsters are hanging out here because it's so fancy

Ericeira restaurants to have proper Portuguese food, cause you're in Portugal, aren't you

1. O Gafanhoto

- it has a cute Portuguese name which means grasshopper, and it's located in the centre
- they have no website, but 4.5 stars on Google Maps from 1477 reviews
- they have been a fish restaurant since 1968, long before all the fancy people arrived

2. O Pescador

- that one was recommended to me by a Portuguese friend who is spearfishing himself and his father is a fisherman
- they make you feel local: one friend started chatting with the restaurant owner while eating there, and ended up on his birthday party
- it's located in another village (Ribamar), so tourists don't pass by accidentally, and you have to drive there (but it's worth it!)

3. Tasquinha do Gil

- it is located in a tiny tiny romantic Portuguese village, so you can do a walk and explore the village afterwards
- super nice tapas to share and they have an amazing terrace view over the hills; it's where Portuguese men take their dates
- even though it's a 25-min drive from Ericeira it's worth it, and in that way you can check if your date passes “the traffic test” (= if you like them so much that you want there to be traffic, so you can keep talking to them)

Ericeira restaurants to have cosy dinner with ya loved ones 

1. La Popular

- the entrance looks already more than cosy, but inside it is even megamore cosy <3
- forget time and space while sharing Spanish tapas
- have an ice cream next door after :)

2. Petiscaria Âncora

- fancyyyy interior and fancy booking system; they only allow you to book tables during 2 time slots; 7 - 9 pm and 9:30 - 11:30 pm via Instagram only
- they don't have a website or a phone number (lol how modern) as far as I know, but 4.8 stars on Google from 204 reviews
- I took my mum there, and we got fantastic fish, meat and veggie tapas served by very nice waiters

3. Cucina 37

- there seems to be a universal human craving for "I just wanna go out and eat at a good Italian restaurant" .. also known as the craving for top-notch pasta .. if you feel that, then go to Cucina 37
- it's in mega central downtown, so you can enjoy some people-watching joy if you feel like it
- I've heard rumours that the hottest waitress eriearth has ever ever seen works at Cucina 37 (no joke)

Ericeira restaurants to have quick lunch

1. The Organic Way

- it's in central central downtown and the dishes are made of, guess what, organic ingredients, yey
- before lunch, cowork a bit, they even have sockets, which means they kinda want you laptop-person there :)
- after lunch, make some new friendz the organic way nakedish in the sauna downstairs

2. Be U

- you get an organic menu with soup, tea, and main dish for €13 (which I often shared with a friend = lunch for €6.50)
- get there around 12 to avoid a queue; people have heard now about it that lunch at Be U is amazing
- it's in semi-central downtown, but only 3 minutes from the 2 main coworkings in town (Kelp & Coastal)

3. Tasquinha dos Pescadores

- I have several friends who can not stop talking about how nice this place is and what amazing tapas you get there for just €10 (instead of going to the expensive tapas places in town)
- you can enjoy healthy tapas like pimientos (ma fav veggies, these cute green small peppers) or have that burger on ya cheat day
- it's 1 minute from the 2 main coworkings (Kelp & Coastal) in town, yey

Ericeira restaurants to break personal record of how many "friendz" you randomly meet

1. Pão da Vila

- by now, I am sure that anyone who sits down there is solely there cause they wanna bump into their crush "randomly", but to be fair, it is risky, cause you could also bump into your ex "randomly"
- conveniently see the time and temperature change in real time on the market square
- have the tuna bowl for €10.90, yum

2. Casa da Fernanda

- right at the unofficial 2nd market square, cause everyone pauses here to either have a lurk on the Pescadores beach or on our influencer-doggo in town
- enjoy ocean view, which Pão da Vila doesn't have
- have some yummy chocolate pastry to spike ya glucose at least once per day

Ericeira restaurants to have a date and not the entire town is listening

1. Chapéu Preto

- got tip from very good friend who lives close by and goes there regularly to have the €11 lunch menu; which includes shrimps/salmon/steak main meal, drink (wine or water) & espresso
- but be a bit careful how you dress, the Portuguese fishermen there are not toooo used to your Bohemian dress, so you might get a lurk from them
- solulu is to make sure your date is a strong guy who can protect you from fishermen .. expats .. unlikely that you're gonna meet them there because it is so out of downtown

2. Ribeira d'Ilhas Surf Restaurant & Bar

- sitting there you watch *that* beach where whatever surf competitions are happening, so you can small talk about surf for hours
- lots of people are around who have a beer after surf, so of course you should also have one
- you can have a sunset kiss on the cliff within 1 min

Ericeira restaurants to reserve for ya big (padel-)gang

1. Balagan

- Balagan is your safe bet, kinda everyone likes it and it actually works to book a table for up to 28 people
- you can share their food easy peasily
- play something like boules on the beach afterwards :)

2. Ti Matilde

- I'm sure you wanna impress your gang, so you better reserve the restaurant with the best ocean view there is .. again, the super nice outdoor space can't be seen from the street, so only local-ish people know about it
- for lunch, they don't take reservations, but if you show up at 12 pm sharp, you're simply the first and can get a table for 25 people (that's what they told me when I asked for my gang because I wanted to impress them with ocean view)
- fish is expensive what can I do .. I guess .. enjoy it

3. Prédio

- they have one of the few rooftops in town
- confirmed once with them that 25 people reservation is possível
- nice sushi and other Asian stuff to share and even All You Can Eat for €22.90 !! :) 

Ericeira restaurants to have a broper buffet

1. Hotel Vila Galé

- so you made a good decision to skip your vitamin D pill and instead stroll through sunny Eri, now you can also skip your omega 3 pill and have instead a seafood buffet
- fill yourself up to the maximum omega 3, yolo
- €28 is a bit much, no? But ROI may be maximum health

Soooo who needs to live in the city, if we have all the restaurants and cafés we could dream of in a village? And even reach any restaurant in Lisbon within 50 min taking an Uber? However, don't let matchas or so become the centre of ya life - let the padel gang become the centre of ya life 😊