Boteco Dona Luzia

• Saldanha (Linha Amarela/Vermelha)
• €€
• Avenida 5 de Outubro 36 - D, 1050-053

It's been a while now since we lived in the UK and whilst there are a few things we don't miss (looking at you £9 glass of warm white wine) there is one thing the Brits do very well. The Great British Pub. You can travel the world enjoying dive bars, and beach bars, and cocktail bars, and wine bars. And we will save the many sonnets we could write about the joy of Lisbon's quiosques for another blog. But an actual pub is a particular thing of beauty.

To be clear: we were not expecting to find a great pub when we headed to Boteco Dona Luzia for lunch on a sunny April day. We just wanted to eat some coxinhas. Thus illustrating how little we know about Brazil. Because boteco or botequins means exactly that - a good, down-to-earth pub with hearty food and plenty of beer (plus, caipirinhas because - Brazil).

There's a lot about Boteco Dona Luzia that makes it too easy to overlook. For one thing, it's stuffed down the side of a florist in Saldanha. But follow the colourful street artwork and you find yourself in a gorgeous, sunny indoor-outdoor space. The type of space that makes two former Londoners write-off the rest of their afternoon to drink in the sunshine. Which is where Boteco Dona Luzia's second surprise kicks in. Don't be mistaken by the casual surroundings. Because this boteco is serving up some serious food.

Banana stew - trust me on this one

On further studying the menu our coxinha plans were replaced by the cassava and meat dumplings, which came beautifully served with edible flowers and were - frankly - delicious. One of us opted for the banana stew (because one should never pass up the offer of plantain) and was rewarded with a fresh but comforting bowl of flavour. The other ordered the chicken with okra and polenta, which was also remarkably light for such a hearty meal. Both dishes came with piles of rice (we left very full) and had been plated up with obvious love and attention. Our photos don't do justice to how stunning these dishes were, topped with a decorative and delicious rice cracker.

We picked off the menu but everyone around us was ordering the daily lunchtime special which looked like spectacular value. So we will be returning for that. But what we're particularly excited by are Boteco Dona Luzia's Brazilian music nights - from live guitar music every Thursday to their samba Saturdays. We're thrilled to have such a brilliant boteco as our local pub. We might even be learning that the only thing better than the Great British Pub is the Great Brazilian Beteco.

Cassava and meat dumplings

Drinks: A couple of beers and a couple of coffees

Don’t forget to order: A table in the sunshine with a couple of beers and the cassava and meat dumplings