CASA was a great stop on our trip to Sintra. It's out of the way of all the tourist action, and not…read morethe cheesy, overrun kind of place that is in the middle of things in the historic area. Take a short drive up over the mountain, and down the other side, and you find Casa.
We didn't just stumble upon this place, dumb luck, I did a lot of research beforehand and this came highly reviewed. I was so excited to go, and so glad I did the work beforehand to find this jewel!
CASA is family run, by a young husband-and-wife team. The owner is host and server, while his mother and wife cook, very casa-like, but here's the twist, the wife wears chef whites, from a formal education, so you get a fresh hybrid, on the dining scene in Sintra. Their ambiance is retro-kitsch-chic, with some very artsy modern updates, that underscore their cuisine, traditional Portuguese + current ideas, all brought to your table.
Our prix fixe lunch was a major bargain at 8,50€ each, including soup, starter, entree, drink, and coffee. Desserts are only 1,50€ each, and everything is a healthy-sized portion.
They have options for soup but we were all about the traditional Portuguese veggie soup (like Caldo Verde). It was delicious, very hearty, and perfect on a chilly day!
My husband had the seafood risotto, which was perfectly rendered with the right texture, and flavors, all over the place.
My pork chops were tender and steak-like, delish, and the dressing they had on it (an oil and vinegar with diced veg) was completely unexpected to me, but apparently a classic Portuguese style, and super tasty!
The desserts were dang big, and all made from scratch! The goat cheese curds with pumpkin marmalade was another Portuguese convention, that I'm glad they invented! YUM!
The Portuguese flan was denser than Spanish versions, in a very good way, and dressed with orange-caramel sauce, which sent it over the top flavorwise. Very good.
Last, on our pig-out sampling of all these value-priced desserts, was the mousse. Not indigenous to Portugal, but extremely well done just the same. Frothy, creamy, chocolatey, and garnished with a crumble crunch. So good!
Their local wine was a great choice, as well. I will be looking for it state-side.
This whole meal was 20€, which is amazing for the portion sizes and quality. I wish we had them remotely nearby (instead of an ocean away), because I'd have been back a million times since our recent visit.
The owner was extremely kind and helpful, and he speaks perfect English! He explained a lot about the dishes they serve, and was genuinely curious to chat with us about the US and Portugal. We had a lot of fun meeting him and his wife.
This was our favorite of all the restaurants we visited in Portugal! I highly recommend CASA! Perfect place to get the homemade classics; a charming casa filled with great food!
* * * TIP * * *
As standard for Portugal, they charge for bread/olives/etc on tables at this place, but not with prix fixe.