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Avenida da Liberdade is commonly acknowledged to be the most luxurious and expensive artery in Lisbon. It’s the obvious place to go to buy a famous designer’s dress or fancy jewelry.

It might be surprising to learn, then, that it’s also the place to go for good pernil assado (roasted pork shank) or cabidela (chicken blood rice). The reason is simple: the area is filled with great tascas, which draw a wide range of local office workers, including lawyers, business consultants, public servants and unpaid interns.

Among these tascas, O Cartaxinho is one of the best, if not the best. Unsurprisingly, it’s also one of the most popular – it’s not unusual to see groups waiting outside for a table during lunchtime. There’s a small counter, ideal for solo eaters, which tends to be crowded as well.

Fortunately, most customers like to eat fast, and the waiters help their cause. They are as efficient as they are entertaining, especially the always provocative and smiling Aurélio, a hardcore supporter of the football team Sporting (like most of his colleagues) who is not afraid to tell clients he’s also for S.L.B, the rival Benfica’s initials (“sexy, lunatic and beautiful”).

Named after a small bird, O Cartaxinho is known for a dish made from larger fowl: the aforementioned cabidela, served with rice cooked in the animal’s blood. It’s less acidic and more balanced than that found in most tascas, although the vinegar makes itself known, as it should. O Cartaxinho prepares the dish every Monday, probably to cheer up the local workforce after the weekend.

Maria Júlia, the experienced cook, has some other tricks up her sleeve. She not only has mastered some classic recipes from her home region, Minho (northwestern Portugal), the most obvious example being the bacalhau à minhota (fried codfish with onions and fries), but she is also able to present a perfectly roasted pernil or very substantial and well-flavored plates of cozido (Portuguese boiled dinner) and feijoada (bean and meat stew).

Warning: not all the desserts are homemade. But some are, like the baba de camelo, which bizarrely translates as “camel drool,” but is actually a kind of sweetened condensed milk mousse, often found in tascas and traditional Portuguese restaurants. In case of doubt, one can and should ask sexy-lunatic-beautiful Aurélio for advice. With any luck, he’ll tell a new joke.

Editor’s note: This piece is part of our regular feature, Tasca Tables, which covers Lisbon’s tasca scene. Tiago Pais is the author of The 50 Best Tascas of Lisbon.

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Maria Rebelo

Published on November 21, 2016

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