Restaurants and Cafés

On the way through Lavre, on the road from Montemor-o-Novo to Coruche and on the curve that meets that of Vendas Novas, one can see a one-story house with white walls and a blue trim with small awnings and a signpost that identify one of the most popular restaurants in the region: Maçã. The entrance leads into a café, on the left, and to the restaurant, on the right. The room is large with terracotta brick tiles, azulejo panels on the walls, wooden tables, Alentejo chairs with bulrush seats, cotton tablecloths, a simple décor that includes framed gastronomic reviews, a small counter with starters: fresh cheeses from Vendas Novas, Évora Cheese PDO, crackling, sautéed mushrooms and other appetisers.  

The menu is written on a page with over a dozen and a half “dishes of the day”. The house special is roast lamb, dish served at weekends that has clients who are truly committed to it. Other success stories are pork tenderloin steaks with asparagus migas, Alentejo pork cheeks with fried potato slices or with apple purée, chicken rice cooked in blood, stew and hare rice, fried wild rabbit, stewed partridge, among other delicacies prepared with great simplicity and great culinary skill. The same can be said for the desserts that are all homemade, such as sericaia with Elvas Plums PDO, almond and orange pudding and in the right season roast quince. A selection of Alentejo wines with the exception of a white from Douro and some young wines. The house wine is worth noting and is duly labelled with the brand Maçã, produced by Adega Mayor, in Campo Maior.