If you’re as fond of pregos and shellfish as we are, then Restaurante Rui dos Pregos is definitely a place you must have been at least once in your life. Actually, this place is a combination of a cervejaria and a marisqueira.
Rui dos Pregos is one of the classics in the Lisbon region, with several restaurants in Lisbon specialising in pregos, seafood and other Portuguese snacks.
Rui dos Pregos – Belém
After a visit to Museu Nacional dos Coches our daughters got hungry, so we quickly found a restaurant near the coach museum. On the other side of the road we saw the Belém branch of restaurant Rui dos Pregos and didn’t hesitate for even a minute to go inside. That’s basically how we got to find Rui dos Pregos, by accident.
This restaurant is located near the historical highlights of Belém and can be used as a good base for lunch or dinner.
Many choices, all good
Rui dos Pregos is a chain that is found throughout the whole of Lisbon and its surroundings, but it still feels like a cosy, typically local place when you enter one of the restaurants.
The restaurant we were at, the one in Belém, is furnished with many tables that are very close together and easy to slide together. I always see this as an advantage: if you haven’t ordered yet and your neighbours have, then it’s fun to see what they have on their plate and what a good option would be to order (or not, that’s also possible). The tables are set with paper cloths, which makes us tingle with that sensation that we ended up in a typical Portuguese restaurant.
The service is super-friendly. We were there with our two children, one and a half and four and a half at the time. If you consider that every minute a toddler has to wait for their food is one minute too long. In short, our kids were very restless and loud. But in no time a waiter came to our table for a little personal entertainment and kept playing with them until the food arrived. Very considerate and also fun to see.
A tip for eating with small children, most restaurants have paper tablecloths. Bring crayons and the most beautiful drawings can be made while waiting.
Specialties of the house
Rui Dos Pregos specialises in fresh seafood, but they also have local sausage and pork dishes. In the displays you can see plates with seafood, you just have to point out what you want and within 5 minutes the delicious fish dish is on the table.
Don’t forget to order a prego with an ice-cold beer. It’s how it’s supposed to be. There is also a children’s menu with sausage, chips and a fried egg.
The food is simply great and delicious, the atmosphere is local and the prices are incredibly reasonable for the food you get served. For a children’s menu with sausages, Bife à Portuguesa and Amêijoas à Bulhão Pato, a cold beer and some water we paid around €35, or £32.
We didn’t order desert this time but chose to have it at Santini’s across the street.
Where to find Rui dos Pregos
Address: Passeio Doca de Santo Amaro, Alcantara
Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday 10:00 – 02:00 | Monday closed
Address: Rua da Junqueira 506, Belém
Opening hours: Every day 08:00 – 00:00 hours
Address: Rua Marquês Pombal nº 130 B, Baixa
Opening hours: Every day 10:00 – 22:30 hours
Address: Rua Marquês Pombal 2, Baixa
Opening hours: Every day 11:00 – 00:00 hours (note Sunday until 23:00 hours)
Outside Lisbon
Address: Rua João Xxiii N 18B C, Mem Martins
Opening hours: Wednesday through Monday 11:00 – 23:30 h| Tuesday closed
Address: Avenida Dr. João Raúl Branco Guerreiro 88, São João das Lampas
Opening hours: every day 10:00 – 23:00 hours | Friday and Saturday until 00:00 hours.
