This past Saturday night, I went out for dinner and drinks in the Bairro Alto and Bica area. My meal was enjoyed at Cantinho do Bem Estar (Rua do Norte 46), a tiny storefront restaurant that’s always jam-packed, with a line out the door. If you get lucky to grab a table, you’ll enjoy huge filling portions of popular Portuguese classics such pataniscas de bacalhau (codfish cakes) and carne de porco à alentejana (pork with seafood rice). A delightful salad topped with strawberries and cheese accompanied the entree, and we paired it all with a bottle of vinho verde.

After the dinner, we popped our heads into the stylish Majong bar (Rua da Atalaia 3), popular with an artsy crowd, and Bicaense (Rua da Bica Duarte Belo 42), a laid-back bar with a small dance floor that’s apparently hopping on Friday nights. There were a few other pitstops but these were the highlights.