Kumar Churrasqueira
Grilling in the street
- Anjos (Linha Verde)
- €
- Largo Santa Bárbara 12C, 1150-287
The classic couvert with um jarro vinho branco.
Ever since the first neanderthal fired up his Weber, grilling things has been one of the most consistently loved cooking methods all over the world. Whether it's Korean, Karoo or Kansas, barbecue is as popular as ever. For the Portuguese this means that almost every other cafe and restaurant will have 'grelha' or 'churrasco', or a derivative word to let you know that when inside, they'll be grilling. If you're still feeling challenged by the language of the signs though, just look in the window as that's where they all do the grilling in order to show off the many delights they'll have inside.
Of course having been here for a while now, we don't even need to look in the window anymore as they almost all serve the same menu of meats and fish. All that's left to you is to choose your path for the meal ahead. This is what led to us landing in Kumar Churrasqueria, walking home after an evening of reasonable investment into Portuguese wine.
The churrascos/grill houses are such a fantastic feature of Lisbon food culture. They all serve good grilled food and every dish will have a couple of sides made up of any combination of salad, boiled potato or chips/fries (depending on how you use English), rice and mixed vegetables. Just to mix it up a little bit, most beef and pork dishes will come with a side of black beans as well. Deciding that fish would be a healthier choice, one of us settled in for a sea bass and the other the ever so classic plate of sardines. Along with the couvert and the jug of wine we managed to spend less than €15 per person. This is why the grills are so plentiful across the city.
If the grill houses are so good and all over the place, why even bother reviewing them? Well that's because not all are created equal. We've eaten in some that have not served up tasty food, or have been so outrageously slow that you can't in good faith recommend it. Kumar has none of these issues. If you're in the Anjos area, you'll always get a table and leave satisfied in no time at all.