This was one of the best meals we had in our two weeks in Portugal. Everything was packed…read moreinteresting and delicious combinations of flavor. The burger was so fresh and soft, seasoned perfectly, and awesome that it was available all day even for breakfast. And the quinoa salad was a lovely fresh way to start the day. Loved everything about this!

Absolutely delicious! A great place for breakfast, brunch, or lunch! And a great view from the…read morewindow!

This was such a delicious stop in Sintra! After a long day of travel from the southern coast this…read morewas the closest place to our bed-and-breakfast. When we arrived, they were just doing counter service and closing for the afternoon, but we were able to get a panini and we found local craft beer (which was pretty neat) and they let us eat on their patio. I had the Iberian sandwich which has Iberian prosciutto, flamengo cheese, lettuce, tomato, and pickled red onion. It was the perfect sandwich to cure my hangry. When we went for lunch the day before we did not know that this café was also the breakfast part of our bed and breakfast. We stayed at a bed-and-breakfast the next street over and both mornings a continental breakfast at this café was included. This is one of the best breakfasts I have ever had as part of the bed-and-breakfast. We were each served a portion of fresh fruit (which changed by the day), a boiled egg, a couple slices of ham and cheese, a pastel de nata, a basket of crossiants and rolls to share, and whatever you would like to drink. I had fresh squeezed orange juice, and a latte both days. Thankfully, like most places in Portugal they offer dairy alternatives. I honestly still dream about this breakfast. The wait staff on all of our trips were so friendly and helpful. It is really a beautiful set up and they have many things that you can purchase as well. I personally purchased a bowl shaped like a strawberry that I now have in my kitchen. This is definitely a stop. You need to make while in Sintra!

This was about 5 minutes from the train. We got breakfast here before heading to Place of pena…read more Service was good.We ordered the scone, croissant, cappuccino, Smoked Salmon Sandwich & Iberian Prosciutto Sandwich. Both sandwiches were XL & came with Mozzarella, Lettuce, Tomato, Pickled Red Onion & Olive Oil. Sandwiches were simply but very delicious. You can taste the quality of the ingredients. Overall, a decent place for food. Price was fairly reasonable

So grateful that my tour guide recommended this pastry shop. They are known for "travesseiros" or…read moreflaky pillow pastries with almond and egg cream, and Queijadas de Sintra, small, sweet cheese tarts. These are considered a local delicacy in this region. Not so secret because there's always a line to try this! Definitely use the to go option so you can have a snack while touring shops. Or sit down for a coffee.

Five stars for how fast the waitress has to work here. This place gets very busy (especially since…read moreit's in a highly touristic area of Sintra), and even more so in rainy hours when everyone is trying to hide indoors. They mostly offer pastries and beverages, but despite one person managing all the tables, our order was accurate and came out quickly. We were able to escape the rain for a bit and fuel up with sugar and coffee. Fun historical note: the bakery was established in 1862 (164 years ago!) by baker Amaro dos Santos and his wife Constância Gomes, and it is now managed by the fifth generation of the family, which makes the quick coffee stop feel even more special.

On the street corner in the amazing mountain town of Sintra sits the quaint Bristol restaurant…read more Seating inside outside with friendly accommodating staff with english. Very large menu we decided on stroganoff with rice , baked cod with potatoes two hamburgers, and a cheeseburger which came with French fries. Orders came out after a short wait which was ok because you'll enjoy the people watching. All were excellent the stroganoff had strips of sirloin mushrooms and a creamy sauce accompanied by rice and vegetables. The grilled cod was a generous portion and very good bones were present. The 3 burgers were cooked to our request lettuce & tomatoes fresh with plenty of hot fry's. The staff was very busy in tight quarters they were outstanding as well as the food. We were all too full for desert. Give Bristol a try

Delicious codfish à Brás and steak and eggs--both dishes were full of flavor. It's definitely on…read morethe pricier side, but the prime location in the heart of Sintra makes it worth it. A perfect spot for a lunch break after a morning of hiking.

The monk fish rice was terrible. So fishy. We ordered fried pork and it was sautéed with brown…read moresauce. I am not sure why the reviews are high here. My husband and I regretted coming here. Nothing tastes good. Pork was chewy. Sauce was not tasty. Fish rice tasted bad.

Walked in for a Tuesday night dinner and was seated immediately! The interior is really big with a…read morelot of tables. We ordered a couple items but my favorite was the monkfish with rice. It was kind of like a soup and came to our table in a large pot with a ladle. The flavors were fantastic, one of the best things I've eaten in Sintra. The service was good, very friendly. We received a free dessert :) The other two dishes we ordered were just okay. One of it was a seafood skewer and the other dish was a grilled cod. Both had a very simple olive oil taste and we requested some hot sauce to go with it. I find that Portuguese food tends to lack salt in general. The menus were outdated and didn't give the food any justice. The menu with prices on it was in Portuguese only so we had to play some matching with the English menu and the Portuguese one to figure out the prices.

Amazing place!!! Delicious coffee is unique service and croissants delicious!! Natas and pastries…read moresooo goods!!

I thoroughly enjoyed my lunch at Estefanea Cafe. It's conveniently located about 5 minutes from the…read moreSintra train station, so I would highly recommend going when you arrive in town or right before you leave. It's also only a 15 minute walk from the touristy downtown area. I ordered a tuna sandwich and espresso for lunch. The sandwich was delicious, and huge! It also came with salad and potato chips. Everything tasted very fresh. I also appreciated the kind service provided by the owners. As a quick note, this is cash only!

Beautiful grounds, as we attempted to stop by on our way to see the famous Quinta da Regaleira…read moreacross the road. Unfortunately, the arch and main entrance attraction was closed with a scaffolding and drapery blocking the way. It seemed they were preparing for an outdoor wedding, with truck fulls of white flowers to decorate the lawn. The cocktail prices for the bar were as reasonable if not even more reasonable than some much less fancy places.

When I travel, I always try to pick out unique hotels that reflect the area's history and culture…read more I'm always surprised by how much the prices for five star hotels drop in low season. Seteais Palace in Sintra usually runs a rack rate of $400, but I was able to book it for about $150 a night. We stayed two nights in this hotel and it was sublime! I cannot say enough about the service and the beauty of this hotel. We were greeted with two glasses of port and an assortment of savory tarts. The hotel and the room was impeccably clean and the view over the labyrinth could not be beat. Seteais captured the mood of Sintra and put us within walking distance to Quinta da Regaleira. What more could we ask for? This gem boasts manicured gardens, decrepit stairways leading to hidden grottos, original frescoes, orange orchards, magnificent food, a sumptuous breakfast buffet, elegance and outstanding views. Did I mention hospitality? There were very few guests when we arrived and we had the place to ourselves. We roamed from one incredible room to the next feeling like royalty. During dinner we were the only ones seated in the grand ballroom being serenaded by a harpist. The Seteais Palace (Seven Sighs) is so called because of the love affair between a Portugues nobleman and a Moorish princess. Built between 1783 and 1787 for the Dutch consul Daniel Gildemeester, on lands granted by the Marquis of Pombal, it is a splendid example of 18th Century architecture. Exceptionally glamorous, the palace is set amid classical and romantic gardens that preside over the lush panorama of Sintra. The grand public rooms are nothing short of stunning featuring original frescoes attributed to French painter Jean Pillement. Painted motifs include exotic vegetation and mythological characters such as nereids, tritons and nymphs. A walk through the palace reveals small touches of glamour such as fresh cut flower arrangements, gleaming silverware, molded ceilings, marble statuary and comfortable antique couches. The bedrooms are richly upholstered with period furniture and feature views toward the valley or the pool. Just gorgeous.

Heretofore I guess my job was to loiter outside various Ale Hop stores in a variety of thankfully…read morewarm countries, most notably Spain and Portugal they've even spread out into airports. The stores are notable for the life size Frisian cow that stands in the doorway with her head outside the door. I've recently loitered in Cadiz, Malaga, Seville, Santa Cruz De Tenerife, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Funchal, Madeira and Lisbon to name a few so you get the picture. Ale Hop is an emporium flogging bags, textiles necklaces, scarves, hats, stationery and other I really don't need stuff. This changed in Sintra, an historic Portuguese town with a huge castle literally miles up on top of a mountain enveloped in a huge park. It's even hilly inside the castle. Sintra is also well provided for with a 10th century Moorish castle, whimsical palaces and extravagant villas. We didn't know an Ale Hop cafe existed so for the first time I was inside one of these stores for longer than five minutes. I got a small glass of fresh orange juice and a cream doughnut at a 'deal price' of 4 euro. In Portuguese terms I was overcharged for the portion sizes. The doughnut was quite good and I had several creams to choose from but the doughnut was not cream filled rather it was cut open and ungenerously spread very thin with a knife. The creams are used for toppings on frozen yoghurts. The picture showed a well filled doughnut. They also sold a variety of slices of cake and frozen yogurts. The coffee was from a machine so the server just pressed a button so it's a hotel style unimpressive breakfast coffee from a machine. A few hours before I got a single shot proper espresso a mile away in a tourist area for 1 euro. The staff were friendly and helpful which gets a star, the seating was comfy and they had a restroom which is deserving of an extra star so borderline three stars. Without a restroom and in the food alone it might have scraped two stars, but the quality just ain't there so more likely one star. Would I return to one of their cafes - no not really unless there's nothing else around or no toilet nearby. I'd much rather loiter and find proper coffee. Even the cow is looking outside.

After all the castle-hopping in Sintra, I made a quick stop into this cafe looking for a bite to…read moreeat before the next castle. It is a simple shop attached to a store as well. I decided to try one Cheese Tart/Queijada (€1.20) and one Custard Tart/Pastel de Nata (€1.60) along with a bottle of water (€1.50). As my first pastel de nata experience in Portugal, I was greatly disappointed. Both tarts were cold and hard like it has been sitting there all day. Even the filling was not creamy at all. Quite frankly, I ate them simply to have some food in my stomach. You are better off finding a meal or snack at the other restaurants in the village instead.

Authentic Chinese food in Sintra across from train station. Good service…read more The seaweed soup was good

This is a hole in the wall gem in Sintra if you know what to get. You won't be impressed if you get…read moresomething basic but they have some house specials that are good at if you ask! Quality- the Peking duck was crispy, moist, and flavorful. They do it better here than at majority of Chinese restaurants. They Aparrantly do a two stage frying process to get it crispy first Before cooking the rest at a medium heat. I was very surprised the duck was not dry. I would have liked more veggies on the side but that is ok. The rice noodles were pretty good too. Wonton soup was cooked well, not overdone, had shrimp and pickled vegetables, and scallions. Came out piping hot. Quantity- we get a lot for the price here. Total cost was like 25 euros. The Peking duck dish alone would have easily Gone for 25 dollars in the states. Atmosphere- awesome. Service- no complaints. Speaks fluent Portuguese and mandarin and good amount of English.

Don't come here if you're in a rush, because a) the line was loooooooooong and b) you'll miss out…read moreon savoring the pastries. We got a smattering of things to try, and they were all great. The egg tart is a specialty, and I liked that it wasn't super sweet. The travesseiros are ok, but that's a me thing (not a pastry thing). They speak some English there, and it was easy enough to point and order if we got stuck. It's also quite affordable. All our pastries and coffees were about 20 Euro. It's a small interior with outdoor seating if the weather is cooperating, and service was decent enough with so many people in line. It's one of those Sintra bucket list places you have to visit just to say you went, but it's also a pretty good stop to have on your itinerary.

This is the second location of the popular Piriquita. It's a little less busy than the OG and close…read moreby. It offered both sit in and takeaway. I got takeaway pastries from here. The staff was friendly, helpful to my English speaking self and offered many great suggestions! There is a credit card minimum- which allowed me to sample several pastries, all of which were amazing. Highly recommend both Piriquita locations!