Borehamwood, Portuguese Restaurant Guide

2021 Review: “A little corner of authenticity in an ever-more-gentrified bit of London”, this Portuguese café in North Kensington’s Golborne Road has been famous for its pastéis de nata for more than 20 years – and, despite increased competition, fans swear they’re “still the best custard tarts in town”.

Superb in-house roasted coffee and scrumptious pastries (speciality Portuguese Pastel de Nata) – made daily on the premises – make for a superior breakfast at this Chiswick café, just off the main drag.

“I would never have imagined chicken ’n’ chips could be so delicious! It’s like being on a mini holiday!” – the original, “über-busy” SE1 branch of this growing chain of “posh Nandos” is a smash hit. “The yummy food, the fabulous greenery, the buzzy atmosphere, the extensive vinho verde wine list. Who’d have thought such a gem would be found under a grubby railway arch in South London!” Expanding under owners MJMK (who also own Lisboeta and Kol), the group has a less-high-profile Shoreditch spin-off; and is also set to open in 2023 in Victoria, on the site last occupied by Hai Cenato (RIP). Top Tips – don’t just stick to the peri-peri chicken – look out for the African rice, chorizo and other menu options. Also, at SE1 “there is a downstairs, but try to eat upstairs in the lovely loft-style space, with plenty of light and enough plants to require a full time gardener!”

“Fresh, pungent sharing plates”, “cooked in front of you”, backed up by “good wine options” – win praise for this tiled bar in a railway arch near Borough Market (founded by Max Graham, from the Churchill’s port family), which does “just what Portuguese tapas should do”. “Characterful service” contributes to a “wonderfully relaxed” atmosphere.

“I would never have imagined chicken ’n’ chips could be so delicious! It’s like being on a mini holiday!” – the original, “über-busy” SE1 branch of this growing chain of “posh Nandos” is a smash hit. “The yummy food, the fabulous greenery, the buzzy atmosphere, the extensive vinho verde wine list. Who’d have thought such a gem would be found under a grubby railway arch in South London!” Expanding under owners MJMK (who also own Lisboeta and Kol), the group has a less-high-profile Shoreditch spin-off; and is also set to open in 2023 in Victoria, on the site last occupied by Hai Cenato (RIP). Top Tips – don’t just stick to the peri-peri chicken – look out for the African rice, chorizo and other menu options. Also, at SE1 “there is a downstairs, but try to eat upstairs in the lovely loft-style space, with plenty of light and enough plants to require a full time gardener!”

2023 Review: “Great atmosphere and something quite different!” – this “warm and welcoming” Buckhurst Hill operation mixes Goan and Portuguese influences. It’s a partnership between Cyris & Pervin Todiwala and the Redman-Schaffer family from Woodford, delivering “great little dishes” (‘petiscos’) and “fantastic Portuguese wines from independent estates”.

“Great fun on a Friday night, when there’s music and dancing” – this large Stockwell venue opened three years ago, near the new Thames-side developments surrounding Vauxhall and Battersea; and comes complete with an ‘Olive Tree Garden’ for the summer months. “The food is typically Portuguese – ample and fulfilling!”

“Portuguese cooking at its addictive best” has delivered “yet another hit for Nuno Mendes” (in partnership with MJMK Restaurants) at this “really enjoyable” three-floor yearling in Fitzrovia, where “distinctive”, “top-quality” dishes are “made from the best produce”; (“it already feels like a fixture on the dining scene – the sort of place you want to go to again and again, and to tell people about”). Fans also celebrate the “cool vibes” of its “buzzy (if slightly boomy)” café-style setting, although the interior can also seem “cramped” and not everyone’s wild about the music (“I complained to Nuno, but he likes it loud!”). Success has also brought concern about “hype”, or that “some prices risk becoming a joke” – “it tasted good, but the price stuck in the throat”. Top Menu Tip – “love the pork fat dessert”.

“You feel like you’re on the set of Blade Runner next to the floor-to-ceiling windows” of this striking newcomer on the 16th floor of the new Battersea art’otel, with gobsmacking sightlines over the top of the power station and of the London skyline. Fêted Portuguese chef, Henrique Sá Pessoa, provides a not-unaffordable selection of tapas, petiscos, tortilla, grills (from the Josper) and a few large plates. Our reporters were generally more enthusiastic than The Standard’s Jimi Famurewa (whose food “lurched, haphazardly, from forgettably luxe to clumsily experimental”), referencing “classic Portuguese dishes, all executed with impeccable attention to detail”. But one reporter did feel their meal was only “fine… like JimFam we were thinking of the much more interesting and better value menu at Lisboeta”. Top Tip – dip your toe in the water by “heading to the rooftop bar next door which has stunning views: order some drinks and nibble on small plates”.