Watford, Portuguese Restaurant Guide

“5/5 for the pastels de nata, in our experience unsurpassed… even in Portugal!” – this veteran Portuguese patisserie in Notting Hill has no airs and graces, but has been trading in its “unbeatable pastries” since long before they became the world’s favourite take on the custard tart.

This “very good local coffee shop” in the heart of Chiswick sources, imports and roasts its own coffee beans, which are available on subscription as well as across the counter. If you’re dropping in for a bite, there are “tasty (if smallish) sausage rolls and Ginger Pig bacon rolls”, and they “make their own pasteis de nata”.

“Incredible food in a beautiful dining room” leaves fans mightily “impressed” by this three-story Portuguese townhouse in the heart of Fitzrovia’s restaurant row and its appeal is boosted by “a wine list that’s an adventure in itself, carefully curated and passionately advocated by the wait staff”. Opened in 2022, it’s the work of star-chef Nuno Medes and is his ‘love letter to Lisbon’, created in partnership with the canny MJMK Restaurants group. Not everyone’s blown away though, with a feeling that “the portion size and prices of the delicious food are not in balance”.

“I call it posh Nando’s… but I feel like that does it an injustice as it’s so much better than Nando’s!” – MJMK’s “jolly” piri piri chain can make “a very pleasant surprise”. The “atmosphere is very bright and fun” and they serve “great flavour-packed food at very reasonable prices” (“mostly tasty grilled meats” and “decent sharing plates” with some good veggie options too). The SE1 original is “big and buzzy” with an excellent plant-filled upstairs. The Victoria branch “suffers for being in the soulless glass and steel of Cardinal Place”, and is “best at lunchtime in the glass-roofed room upstairs”.