The best fish restaurants in Cascais

Chef Vítor Sobral arrived in Linha in a big way, occupying part of the Docapesca building next to Cascais Bay. It's around 2,000 square metres, his biggest project yet. The space is one, but Lota da Esquina actually encompasses three concepts: a fish restaurant (Mar), a meat restaurant (Terra) and a bar with a dancing area. The menus are those we already know, more novelty, less novelty, from Vítor Sobral's other restaurants: hello, Peixaria da Esquina; hello, Talho da Esquina. More than a fixed menu, the chef is focused on the product.

Foreigners may be dazzled the moment the flambé fish enters the room (the recipe is for fish on salt), but it still turns the heads of even those who do not eat fish - and it always will. At Furnas do Guincho, it is customary to see one of these fantastic displays emerge from the kitchen every day. However, you can order the same dish cooked in the oven, or you can choose açorda de lagosta (lobster açorda), cataplana de polvo (octopus cataplana) or simply the mariscos (seafood). Indoors or on the magnificent terrace.

The Monte Mar brand has been in the ascendency in recent years, like the miracle of the fish (and loaves). But our favourite is the one on the Guincho road. With its impeccable old-fashioned service, it has the best terrace in Cascais, where the waves break right next to the tables. The menu is enormous, as are the suggestions of the day, but these are just good reasons to keep going back and trying something new. That is if you can resist the house specials: filetes de pescada com arroz de berbigão (hake fillets with cockle rice), creme de marisco (cream of seafood) or linguado frito com açorda (fried sole with açorda).

The Beira Mar stands out from the restaurants around it in the centre of Cascais. It is a true temple to good Portuguese food and has been under the same management for more than 40 years. Here, the fish specialities reign supreme, whether they be grilled or oven roasted, and they are always accompanied by good açorda and rice. What to order? Linguado à delícia mar (surimi sole), pregado frito com açorda (fried turbot with açorda) or filetes de cherne ao caril (curried fillets of stone bass). Carnivores also have a fine selection of steaks to choose from.

It was abandoned for years and years by the sea, right on the Guincho road. It was the scene of outdoor training sessions, picnics and photo shoots, but also the target of graffiti and vandalism. Raio Verde is now Maré, José Avillez's restaurant. The menu is contemporary while honouring tradition. To drink, there are signature cocktails and a composed wine list. As for the food, there are many new and exciting options. You can start your meal with a tuna cone with spicy soya or a marinated corvina with red onion and avocado, or with traditional Bulhão Pato clams or Cascais witches. There are appetisers and salads and grill dishes, but with a twist. Sea bass, for example, is served sliced with olive oil, chives and lemon, as is corvina. There's plenty to choose from when it comes to accompaniments, such as potatoes with garlic olive oil and kimchi emulsion or a fresh salad of seasonal tomatoes and oregano. Even so, there's room on the menu for dishes such as rice with sea bass, crab and clams or cataplana à Maré with Ribeira mint, made with sea bass, corvina, sea bass and clams. And even the meat dishes are proving popular, especially the sirloin steak, coffee sauce and chips.

This is a favourite with many locals, including chef José Avillez, and for many reasons, including the friendly host, the quality and freshness of the fish and seafood and its location facing the sea. A trip to “Lourdes”, as this family-run restaurant is known, is a must, whether it’s to try some bruxas (the local seafood stew) or to taste one of the house’s fish specialties.

Yet another restaurant on the “Guincho road” that is worth a visit. And no, it’s not a lack of imagination when it comes to suggesting places to eat, it is because we want to recommend the best the town has to offer. With its incredible wine list, perhaps one of the best in the Greater Lisbon area, it is a safe choice for fresh fish and seafood while enjoying beautiful sea views. The restaurant also has its own aquariums that you can visit.

Every town has its canteens. Places where the food is above average, but which are not always on the tourist itineraries. Vela Azul, which has for years been a leader in the art of preparing fish, is one such place. It is tucked away in a residential area, but your satnav will help you find it. And it is worth the effort, especially if you are looking for fresh fish, prepared on the grill by hands that have worked with these ingredients for 30 years. The specialities are its famed filetes de garoupa com arroz de tomate (stone bass fillets with tomato rice), but it also offers grilled fish, cold salads and homemade desserts that will have you crying for more.

The quality of the fish and the location above the sea, right on the seawall, and next to Praia da Poça, are perhaps the biggest reasons to visit Snack Bar Surpresa. From the huge grill comes out the sea bass and sea bream, as well as cuttlefish, squid or sardines, when in season. Regardless of what you choose, there will always be potatoes and vegetables, sautéed greens with olive oil and garlic, and salad to go with it.

Some people know this restaurant as the House of Fishermen, which says a lot about it: the fish come directly from the boats, so they cannot be fresher. It is a good place to eat sardines during the summer months, and every other kind of local fish throughout the year. It has a nice sheltered courtyard for windy evenings.

An old fisherman tavern located between the sea and the fish market, with a typical Portuguese cuisine. Don’t forget to take a good look at the wine cellar: the founder, Ramiro Pinto, has been storing the greatest wine made in Portugal since 1964 in it and now has about 4000 bottles and 500 different brands. Specialities are: fish soup with mint, fish and prawns "cataplana", grouper fillet and sea bream or sea bass on the grill.