"All I want is to eat that arm." (Sci-Fi Film "District 9", not to be confused with Villa 6)…read more
Tucked deep into the steep hills of Sintra, this cute little restaurant is staffed with welcoming servers who do not in the very least resemble alien prawns.
Some stumble upon Villa 6 while snaking their way downhill from Pena Palace, and that would be the preferable way to arrive here. Walking uphill instead is a feat requiring an unhuman tolerance for endless steps that could lead to one chewing their arm off in a fit of insanity. On our way up, every time we reached the top of a set of stairs, magically a new set would appear that would wind in another direction up the hill. It was exactly like the stairs scene near the end of "The Labyrinth", except with no Bowie and no tights.
After the long hike, the shaded tables on the cobblestone street at Villa 6 were a huge relief, and the blankets on each chair were a thoughtful touch for extra cushioning. The rap music played here didn't match the rest of the ambiance, but we oddly also noticed rap blasting at several other restaurants we visited in Portugal.
Now Villa 6 does not serve arm, but it does offer tasty tapas and traditional Portuguese dishes like bacalhau and bifana, sandwiches made with pork marinated in white wine, garlic, and paprika.
We began our meal with some bacalhau codfish fritter appetizers, and they were perfect--crispy on the outside; creamy on the inside. Delicious! This was followed by a hearty pork loin bifana sans mustard. The meat was tender, flavorful, and precisely the fuel needed to take on another 100,000 hidden steps!
Prices: Quite reasonable! 5 Euro for a bifana is a great deal! Worthy a rating of 4.5 cod balls.
Ambiance: Solid rap playlist for lowkey creating a gangsta video to send to your friends back home. 4 record scratches!
Food: I thoroughly enjoyed my bifana and the fritters! 4.8 Prawn sonic blasters!
Ability to reach the restaurant: George Tsoukalos would say there was alien involvement regarding the steps. Negative 5,000
Overall Villa 6 is a wonderful spot to enjoy traditional Portuguese food before or after exploring the castles of Sintra. I give it 4.4 stars.