Páteo Alfacinha

Enjoying good food away from the tourist crowds in a revitalized old infrastructure.

Stumbling upon it by chance is only possible on the way to Ajuda at best. Nevertheless, the journey is worthwhile, primarily for an excellent restaurant with an even more excellent evening view of the Tejo Bridge.

The path to this restaurant leads through a ”Páteo” – a mini residential neighborhood typical of old Lisbon, complete with infrastructure ranging from bakeries to offices and chapels to pubs. Sure, nobody grows vegetables in the courtyard anymore (”Alface” is lettuce), and no grandma hangs laundry out the window. Instead, it’s a popular location for weddings and similar events.

Those who arrive a quarter of an hour earlier than reserved can get a pretty good idea of what it used to be like. By the way, the most famous Páteo is the ”Executioner’s Courtyard” in Alfama, which has a story by Franz Kafka and a slightly absurd short film associated with it.