This was one of my favorite days in Portugal - spending it at the LX Factory, getting to see the…read morework of local artists, and eating some delicious simple Portuguese food. I came on a weekend so there were tents set up by artists and vendors in a large area which made the day even more interesting. It feels a little to me like a condensed version of the Arts District in LA. It is very busy on the weekend, but worth it to navigate just so you can see all the tents of vendors. There are vintage shops, ceramic shops, cool clothing shops - so many spots to find great gifts and be inspired. It feel industrial/warehouse-y which makes the vibe feel so much more interesting.
We ate at Chickinho (pronounced chickeen-yo) because I really was craving some grilled chicken with piri piri oil. This spot specializes in chicken, especially grilled chicken with piri piri. We ordered the whole chicken, got a deliciious red cabbage coleslaw, and some wedge potato fries and a tomato/cucumber/onion salad. Everything was just so fresh and tasty. The piri piri oil was already at the bottom of the dish that the chicken came on so we just kept dipping the pieces of chicken in there and wow was it addicting. I couldn't stop thinking about this meal for a couple of days and really wanted to go back again, but we opted to try another spot that was well known for their piri piri chicken. I have to say overall, I still enjoyed Chickinho the most because of the sides and how well they seasoned and cooked the chicken. And I really liked their piri piri oil.