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The menu at Com-Tradição might not be as revolutionary as the vintage posters on the walls, but it’s certainly democratic and affordable. After all, Com-Tradição is the restaurant of the Associação 25 de Abril, founded by the military men who planned the 1974 Carnation Revolution, the coup that ended Portugal’s fascist regime and restored democracy.

Nowadays anyone can become a member of this non-profit association. Besides preserving the spirit of the revolution, it also aims to preserve documents and memories of this historical event.

The association is located in a beautiful Bairro Alto old building, whose renovation and interior design were overseen by the renowned architect Álvaro Siza Vieira. The heroes of the revolution can gather here for a conference, drink coffees at the bar or share a meal at Com-Tradição, and they’re often joined by civilians, including many area office workers. The restaurant, on the first floor, is open to everyone and offers one of the best values in traditional food in Bairro Alto.

Very often you’ll find one of the captains who took part in the 1974 revolution enjoying cozido à portuguesa (boiled meats, sausage and vegetables) or pastéis de bacalhau (cod cakes) with bean and rice stew for lunch. The afternoon meal is often the most popular among retired and office worker lisboetas, while a younger crowd tends to turn up for dinner. The restaurant built a reputation for hosting groups and dinner parties, and these are hugely popular on weekends.

Chef Pedro Honório and pastry chef Ana Neto have overseen the kitchen at Com-Tradição for the past four years. Honório had previously worked at A Prova dos 9 and Barra do Quanza, as well as with chef José Avillez in Cascais, and had interned at 100 Maneiras. Meanwhile, Ana was supplying homemade desserts and cakes to restaurants like Quanza.

Com-Tradição (a play on the words for tradition and contradiction) has no sign on the door and isn’t easy to find, especially as the ground floor seems more like an art gallery from the outside. A lot of artwork from the period after the revolution decorates the ground floor as well as the restaurant walls on the first floor. Icons from the revolution, including posters from the Movimento das Forças Armadas, which led the coup, are also on display.

The restaurant hosts themed lunches with famous Portuguese politicians or personalities. Honório emphasized to us that here there aren’t left or right leanings or any political preferences – just good food, open to everyone.

“I like to delve into the Portuguese food that has been lost or is being left out of restaurant menus,” Honório told us. Of particular note are his cod cakes with beans and rice, the lamb chops and the prawn fritters.

The lunch menu is probably the best value in the neighborhood. For €12 you get a soup, main dish, wine, dessert and coffee. The menu is always changing, but there are always two different daily specials alongside grilled dishes. Some of the specials – like the fish soup made with eels from the Tejo – can be hard to find elsewhere in the city. But most lisboetas come for the cozido à portuguesa, which is usually on the menu on Wednesdays and Thursdays. At dinner time the menu has more options and a version tailored for groups.

Neto has created some amazing desserts, such as the chestnut cake, inspired by a convent recipe. “I used to make it just in autumn, but it became so popular that now I bake it all year round,” she said. The salted caramel mousse also has many fans.

For this April 25 – a national holiday in Portugal – Honório and Neto will be working as usual, celebrating the 43rd anniversary of the revolution. “It’s the only holiday we’re open!”

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Published on April 24, 2017

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