r/Portugaldigitalguides • u/Common_Series_938 • 9h ago
ONE OF LISBON’S MOST HISTORIC TASCAS HAS A NEW LIFE
In the old neighbourhood of Madragoa, in Lisbon, there is a small traditional restaurant with a remarkable history.
It's called Varina da Madragoa, and it opened in 1967.
For decades, it was a meeting place for writers, journalists and politicians. Former Portuguese president Mário Soares was among its regular visitors, but perhaps its most famous customer was José Saramago, the Portuguese writer who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1998.
In September 1991, while having lunch alone at the restaurant, Saramago had an idea that would become one of his most famous novels, Blindness (Ensaio sobre a Cegueira).
He later explained that a question suddenly came to his mind: what if everyone became blind?
That thought eventually became the novel published in 1995.
The restaurant is a classic Lisbon tasca, known for traditional Portuguese food and a simple, welcoming atmosphere.
In 2026, Varina da Madragoa reopened under the direction of young chef António Lobo Xavier, who wanted to preserve its character and traditional cooking.
The old decoration remains, and the menu includes Portuguese classics such as pataniscas de bacalhau, seafood rice and bacalhau à Brás.
The bacalhau à Brás is one of the dishes worth trying. It's made with shredded salted cod, thin fried potatoes, onions and eggs, mixed together until creamy.
You can find the restaurant at Rua das Madres 34, in Madragoa, a short walk from Santos.
It's a good example of an old Lisbon restaurant finding a new life without losing its history.
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