Ericeira Restaurants - where to eat with who and why

Welcome to my conclusion on the best places to eat in Ericeira after 2.5 years of data collection :)

I'll talk about 3 Ericeira restaurants ..
1. to have (quick) lunch
2. to have a breakki/coffee date
3. to impress your fam
4. to impress your date when you have money
5. to impress your date when you don't have money and want to make them drunk
6. to reserve for ya big (padel-) gang
7. to have typical Portuguese food, because you're in Portugal

Ericeira restaurants to have (quick) lunch

1. Be U

- you get a 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
- all organic ingredients and 3 minutes from the 2 main coworkings in town (Kelp & Coastal)

2. The Organic Way

- dish of the day for €9 with organic ingredients only, yey!
- just opened up, but everyone is already talking about it
- you can get some grocery shopping done after lunch; the organic store has a cheat corner with normal cheap discounter food (how smart! I always dreamed of this combo)

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
- yep, get that burger on the cheat day
- it's 1 minute from the 2 main coworkings (Kelp & Coastal) in town, yey! 

Ericeira restaurants to have a breakki/coffee date

1. Dear Rose

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

2. Sunset Bamboo

- Sunset Bamboo is open “until late” (7pm) and some people are on their laptops or are writing
- can recommend the pancakes and the cinnamon tea
- nice comfy chairs and a sofa

3. Jangada

- this restaurant is part of one of the more expensive hotels in town, where also company offsites are happening; so they appear to have a high standard of food quality as business people would expect it
- it's one of the few places that has a spa where you can go before/after food
- their breakfast buffet is just massive and so nice

Ericeira restaurants to impress your fam

1. Mar das Latas

2. 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 already joke about that all the hipsters are hanging out here because it's so fancy 

3. 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

Ericeira restaurants to impress your date when you have money

1. 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)

2. Ti Matilde

- enjoy (erijoy) fresh fish while sitting on a high cliff, basically right above the ocean
- the super nice outdoor space can't be seen from the street, so only local-ish people know about it
- watch the sunset and/or surfers while eating

3. Balagan

- yes, again Balagan, because the dates I've heard about happened at Balagan
- they offer middle-eastern food, i.e. pretty healthy food
- Portuguese people already joke about that all the hipsters are hanging out here because it's so fancy

Ericeira restaurants to impress your date when you don't have money and want to make them drunk

1. Chapéu Preto

- it's pretty cheap, but just because it's not so centrally located. The food is pretty amazing. Got the tip from a friend who lives close by and goes there regularly to have the €10 lunch menu. Which includes a massive (seafood) meal, drink & espresso.
- the drink can be a carafe of wine for you two :)
- unlikely that you're gonna meet other expats there disturbing you dating

2. Ribeira d'Ilhas Surf Restaurant & Bar

- sitting there you watch *that* beach where the surf world championships have been happening quite a few times, 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

3. Adega

- it's the place everyone meets when "having a night out", so when you take your date there it's clear for ya both that it's gonna be about drinking (with a side snack maybe)
- sometimes you're lucky, and they have live music going on
- people often play cards there, so you can check out the nerdy side of your date

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

1. Calavera - Mexican

- who can or wants to resist some nachos? Kinda everyone likes the food; vegans as well as carnivores end up being happy
- you can reserve a big table, yep!
- you can share a lot of small tapas

2. A Panela

- big tables can be booked at any time (many other restaurants only take reservations before 7pm)
- it's a fish restaurant = you “eat proper Portuguese”
- it's 20 seconds from Adega bar, so you can have a drink afterwards there

3. Mammy

- big tables can be booked at any time (many other restaurants only take reservations before 7 pm)
- you find fish stuff, burgers but also healthy risotto and a super nice brownie/ice cream dessert
- the waiters are lovely

Ericeira restaurants to have typical Portuguese food, because you're in Portugal

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. Pao da Vila

- you can watch people strolling over the town square, and not rarely you meet a friend passing by randomly = you feel like a local
- it's cheap-ish (but ultra central) and has a range of typical Portuguese dishes like tosta mista or soup of the day for €1.60
- I can recommend the tuna bowl for €10.90

Soooo who needs to live in the city, if we can have all the fancy restaurants and cafés in a tiny village? And even reach any restaurant in Lisbon within 35 min taking an Uber? Howeverrr, don't let “brunching” or so become the centre of ya life - let the surf or padel gang become the centre of ya life 😊