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Tiago Ferreira already had plenty of responsibilities as a partner at El Señor, a restaurant with addresses in Lisbon and Cascais, but something was missing. He wanted to open a different kind of place. A tavern, more precisely – after all, he is Portuguese – that could work as a neighbourhood canteen. A place where everyone knows each other, calls each other by name and gathers to watch football matches as a community.
That dream has now taken shape at Nem Mais Nem Menos, which opened on 9 November on Avenida Engenheiro Adelino Amaro da Costa, in Cascais. The restaurant, while deeply rooted in the tradition of Portuguese tascas and casas de pasto, offers a menu reinterpreted for today and attentive to international trends.
The El Señor group was born in 2021 with the opening of a restaurant of the same name in Cascais. In 2025, the space dedicated to Mexican cuisine opened a new venue in Regueirão dos Anjos, in Lisbon. And by the end of the year, it expanded once again. “I wanted a restaurant more connected to Portuguese traditions and to the idea of community. After searching for a long time, the opportunity to take over this space came up,” says the owner. The choice of location was not meticulously planned, but it proved to be spot on: a place with a history of catering (previously another restaurant, Mais do Mesmo, operated here), set in a residential area, far from the main tourist circuits and with a generous terrace – factors that helped shape the identity of the new project.
The idea of creating a modern tavern came largely from Tiago Ferreira’s patriotic spirit – he is the only Portuguese member of the group. “I’ve always wanted to be more connected to the community, to the neighbours,” he explains. That bond is built every day, naturally, with customers who regularly have lunch and dinner at the restaurant: Dona Manuela, who lives in the building above; Mr Óscar, a wine businessman who lives right across the street; or Dona Filomena, who calls every day to check whether the restaurant is open and serving meals. “We have a small community of people living and working here,” he says. On some days, Tiago knows around 90% of the customers who walk in – and everyone is addressed by name, in a way that is hard to find outside a true neighbourhood restaurant.
That mission is also reflected in the menu. Nem Mais Nem Menos was designed for everyday dining, “without any great interpretative exercises”. “We didn’t want to serve very complex food, fine dining or gourmet,” explains Tiago. The focus is on straightforward, recognisable dishes, priced to suit the average Portuguese wallet. The daily special, at €9.90, was created precisely to meet the needs of those who work in the area – such as courthouse staff or officers from the Cascais police division (both just a few steps away) – further strengthening the restaurant’s ties to the neighbourhood’s daily life.
Among the dishes that have stood out most since opening is the grilled chicken stuffed with mushrooms and cured ham (€14). Served with truffled mashed potatoes, bimi broccoli and a Madeira wine and brandy sauce, it is one of the most praised. “It’s our signature dish,” says Tiago. The lemon and coriander risotto with sea bass fillet (€18) introduces a more international note, while the black pork “largadinhos” (€15) and the hake fillets with tomato rice (€16) maintain a clear link to Portuguese tradition.
Meat is one of the house’s main focuses and one of the elements that makes Nem Mais Nem Menos stand out. Dishes such as Portuguese-style sirloin steak (€24), bitoque (€12) or the sirloin prego (€11.50) – served with the house sauce and “upside down” – show careful attention to the quality of the ingredients and to simple execution, without unnecessary tricks.
The same logic applies to the petiscos. Broken eggs with Alentejo sausages and homemade chips (€9.50), fried cuttlefish (€9.50) or baked mushrooms with bacon and mozzarella (€9) reinforce the tavern spirit, designed both for sharing and for accompanying long conversations at the table. Desserts follow the same uncomplicated line, with dark chocolate mousse (€3.50), coffee mousse (€3.50) or crème brûlée (€3.50).
The space, still in a phase of consolidation, also reflects this blend of tradition and modernity. The atmosphere is contemporary but restrained, and the décor is still being fine-tuned. For now, there is no television – but not for long. Like any proper tavern, “we have to have football” to watch together, reinforcing the community spirit – an extension of neighbourhood life, where neighbours, workers and regular customers cross paths every day.
Avenida Eng. Adelino Amaro da Costa 514 A (Cascais). Tue-Sun 12.30–15.00; 19.00–21.30
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