Editor’s note: We regret to report that Bell’Empada has closed. But the chef and owner Belmiro de Jesus has opened a new restaurant, Belmiro Restaurante (Rua Paço da Rainha 66, Tel. +351 21 885 2752, Hours: noon-midnight), where his famous pies are on the menu.
These days, a good Portuguese-style savory pie is hard to find – even in Portugal. In a country with so many great examples, namely in Alentejo, Beiras or Trás-os-Montes, where pies (or empadas in Portuguese) are beautifully made, it’s disheartening that in Lisbon you’ll find mostly dull and dry versions or disappointing fillings within good pastry.
Belmiro de Jesus, a native of Trás-os-Montes, one of the most remote and unspoiled regions of Portugal, always loved the empadas his grandmother would cook for special occasions or festive times of year, like Easter or the August village festival. So when he decided to open an empada-themed restaurant, he used hers as an inspiration but changed the format and developed a thinner pastry.
“I wanted something lighter and also with more flavor,” de Jesus told us. He bakes the dough with meat sauces instead of water and for shortening only uses butter.
The self-made chef started working at 16 cleaning restrooms in a restaurant. He stayed in the same place as a waiter for seven years and then moved to a classic Alentejo eatery in Lisbon, Charcutaria, sadly now shuttered.
When he created his own spot, Salsa e Coentros, he and his business partner were caught short when the cook left just before they opened. De Jesus took over cooking duty, and his four aunts gave him recipes and invaluable advice about traditional food. The critics couldn’t have loved it more.
Like us, he felt that it was difficult to get a decent empada in the city.
The idea for the empada restaurant actually came from de Jesus’s wife. When he left Salsa e Coentros, where he built a solid reputation making traditional Portuguese fare, it seemed like the opportune moment to put pies in the oven. He opened up shop in October 2015.
Like us, he felt that it was difficult to get a decent empada in the city. “People just want to make money and sacrifice quality. Of course I also want to make money, but I think we have to be honest with clients and give them good quality meat and produce. For instance, I only use free-range chicken.”
At Bel’Empada you can find these delicious empadas in three formats: small, which is very popular for takeaway; medium, perfect for eating in the restaurant; and family size, which must be ordered in advance. Choices include partridge or lobster empada, duck or salt cod, a vegetarian version, turkey leg and a popular chicken pie with a slice of chouriço in the bottom.
Right now, de Jesus makes 300 empadas a day, which means a lot of work for this small shop in Alvalade, a residential area in the northern part of the city. For those not in the mood for pie, he offers other dishes, including daily specials.
This article was originally published on May 27, 2017.
February 14, 2020 Azarphesha
Up above Freedom Square where the Sololaki and Mtatsminda neighborhoods blend together, […] Posted in Tbilisi
December 9, 2013 Ask CB
Dear Culinary Backstreets,
My husband and I are headed to Rio for vacation and neither […] Posted in Rio
January 5, 2024 Recipe: Gozinaki, The Sweet Taste of January in Georgia
January is a busy time in Georgia: following New Year’s Eve are two weeks of visits and […] Posted in Tbilisi
Published on September 20, 2019
Related stories
February 14, 2020
TbilisiUp above Freedom Square where the Sololaki and Mtatsminda neighborhoods blend together, there is a 100-year-old building with an apartment five steps below the sidewalk. It’s a warm, intimate space, part living room, part museum. A massive collection of wine glasses hang from the ceiling, 19th-century framed portraits of Georgians decorate one wall above a…
December 9, 2013
RioDear Culinary Backstreets, My husband and I are headed to Rio for vacation and neither of us eats meat or fish. Brazil sounds like a paradise for the carnivorous, but what’s a vegetarian to do? Fat-rimmed picanha cuts roasting at churrascarias. Skewers of fat shrimp sold by hawking vendors on the beach. Assorted pork parts…
January 5, 2024
TbilisiJanuary is a busy time in Georgia: following New Year’s Eve are two weeks of visits and celebrations with friends and family that culminate with what’s known as Old New Year on January 14. The Georgian Orthodox Church still uses the ancient Julian calendar, which sees Christmas falling on January 7th and New Year on…
