Restaurants

Bar Estrela
The life of this bar-restaurant revolves around its mounted televisions. Regulars stop by to catch the footie or a homeland soap, and to polish off a plate of steaming clams and a beer. Although all eyes are on the box, you needn’t worry; the food is of a consistently high standard. The extremely well-dressed waiters are proud, if not even a little jealous, of the dishes they bring to the tables: traditional favourites made with fresh, high-quality produce. We warmed up with a bowl of delicious caldo verde, then shared a succulent dourada (gilt-head bream), accompanied by the customary combo of boiled potatoes and salad. From the Portuguese-dominated wine list we opted for the white vinho verde (the ‘green’ refers to its immature grapes), which was slightly sparkling and perfectly tart. Our only disappointment was the painfully fridge-cold bolo de bolacha that should have tasted of creamy coffee. Despite this, the success of the preceding courses means we’ll certainly be returning here.
Time Out Eating & Drinking Guide 2009

- Bookmark
- |
- Print
- Send to a friend

Time Out reviews restaurants anonymously and pays for meals. Of course, we cannot guarantee the accuracy or independence of user reviews.

User reviews
- Average user rating:
Add your review/feedback

Posted by Dessa on 02 Nov 2009 02:05
hi! I'm portuguese and I didn't know there was such a restaurant and I'll visit it as soon as possible. as to the bolo bolacha there are two kinds of it, the creamy coffe one and the that one you ate, i bet it was just cream and minced cookie on top of it. the thing is that they both have the same name

Report this comment as inappropriate
Posted by janet cox on 30 Dec 2008 21:45
brilliant, i dine here all the time. its very comfortable, sometimes quiet in the winter when theres no football showing. but thrashing with crowds in the summer.
people should try this place, it quite pleasant.

Report this comment as inappropriate
Posted by Becca on 19 Sep 2008 15:04
I have dined in this restaurant many times, and can highly rate the quality and portion size of their seafood. I'd definitely recommend the razor clams if they are available. The upstairs restaurant is an altogether calmer affair than the downstairs bar, and the waiting staff are attentive and efficient.
The best thing about this place, the thing which keeps me and my friends returning is the excellent value for money. House wine is very palatable, and the oysters are the cheapest I have seen in London. And no dodgy stomachs to report the next day, so far!

Report this comment as inappropriate
Posted by Andrew Prudames on 18 Sep 2008 14:00
Having read the comments in the main review about the crowds during football matches I was slightly worried to see the big screens on and the bar packed when we visited however we managed to get a seat in the upper restaurant area where there was only a muted television and several families eating out. The waiter was very courteous and brought us a generous portion of bread and olives with some really tasty anchovy paste. We skipped starters and went straight to main courses each selecting one item from the tapas menu with a couple of extra items to share. The waiter selected us a really tasty bottle of wine which was tasty and good value. The food was, to be honest, variable. The clams were especially good but I was disappointed by the croqettas and the chorizo which lacked much excitement in terms of flavour. The desserts however were much better and everyone in our party happily polished off a selection from the menu. All things considered, not bad when it only came to £15 each including wine. Nothing to rave about though

Report this comment as inappropriate