Castas e Pratos

Peso da Régua is at the heart of Douro’s wine district – probably, Portugal’s most famous wine area. So, good wine was guaranteed. But what about good food?

Castas e Pratos is set up in an old railway warehouse – next to the train station and a few dozens of meters from the Douro River. It is big 2 storeys house, the first one being a wine bar (of course) and then the second one being the restaurant.

The cuisine is a balance between the traditional flavours of the region (a heavy, tasteful exploitation of beef with some occasional pork dishes) with some modern and even fusion like appointments that blend different tastes and invite to be tried. Starters like “Alheira cannelloni with egg and rappini” (alheira is a specific type of Portuguese blood sausage) or “Grilled aspargus with Iberian pork ham with a string of honey” or entrees like “Codfish with corn bread”, “Duck maigret with rum caramelized pineapple”, “Calf medallion au Roquefort sauce with mushrooms risotto” or “Traditional beef (“posta”) on a toast with olive oil, grilled potato and salted rappini” promise a lustful and delicious dinner. There are also pasta options (more regular) and veggie options. And, as a concession to Southern tastes, a rice dish and an “açorda” (a typical bread, garlic, eggs and olive oil entrée from South of Portugal). And please, pick one of the nice Douro wines in the menu and make the meal even more tasteful!

Castas e Pratos is a fresh alternative to the heavier options of traditional North Portugal cuisine – without actually renouncing to them. It introduces a different blend in an already quite taste appealing region (did I already mention the wine?).

Where: Peso da Régua - Portugal

Address: Rua José Vasques Osório

Phone: +351 254 323 290

Website: http://www.castasepratos.com/

Expensive: Around €25 per person.

Last visit: December 2011