O Frade

Alentejo soul food.

In 2019, the “Frade” cousins, who come from an Alentejo family of cooks, vintners and tobacconists, and who are passionate about Portuguese gastronomy, have turned the Calçada da Ajuda, uphill from Belém, into an epicentre of Alentejo cuisine in Lisbon. Their success earned them a ‘Bib Gourmand’ label from Michelin Guides – a category that distinguishes spaces with a good price-quality ratio.

From a counter in Belém to another counter and terrace in the Time Out Market, they brought their soulful Alentejo cuisine that in fact draws on elements of all traditional Portuguese cooking – from Trás-os-Montes in the far northeast to the Algarve in the south. The arroz de pato à Frade, a duck rice with orange and chorizo flavours that is one of the house icons, the coelho de coentrada (a rabbit dish seasoned with coriander), the duck escabeche, and the muxama (dried, salted tuna) with eggs are among the dishes and snacks on the menu at the Market, but with an original book of recipes containing more than 150, many others are sure to pop up here.