Restaurante Afonso O Gordo

Restaurant

Right in the heart of Lisbon’s historic center, D. Afonso o Gordo is housed in a building designed in 1758. This historic structure was originally the private stable of the Marquis of Pombal, which is now one of the best restaurants of traditional Portuguese gastronomy in Lisbon. Marquis of Pombal was responsible for the rebuilding of the Lisbon downtown after the great earthquake of 1775 and the prime minister of King José I.

Preserving the original walls of red brick, vaults and arches of the time, D. Afonso o Gordo opened its doors to the public in 2015. The cuisine is traditional Portuguese with a modern touch at the hands of Chef João Fragoeiro. The specialty is Leitão à Moda da Bairrada (Roasted Suckling Pig Bairrada Style) one of the seven wonders of Portuguese gastronomy.

Cuisine

The kitchen of D. Afonso o Gordo is led by the chef João Fragoeiro who dares to explore the oldest flavours of the national gastronomy giving him a certain modern twist. The great speciality is the suckling pig Bairrada-style, which has the seal of approval of master roaster Ricardo Nogueira, who shared his valuable recipe with the chef. It is simply wonderful!

Photos

Fado

Fado (destiny, fate) is a portuguese musical style that can be traced to the 1820s in Lisbon, Portugal, but probably has much earlier origins. In popular belief, Fado is a form of music characterized by mournful tune and lyrics, often about the sea or the life of the poor, and infused with a sentiment of resignation, fatefulness and melancholia. This is loosely captured by the portuguese word saudade, or “longing”, symbolizing a feeling of a loss (a permanent, irreparable loss and its consequent lifelong damage).

In 27 November 2011, Fado was added in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List.

Taberna do Leitão

Located in the former stables of the Marquis of Pombal, the Taberna do Leitão is a small and picturesque space where you can enjoy a roasted suckling pig sandwich, a croquettes or a cheese board and drink a good wine, Portuguese of course!

History

In 1758 after the devastating earthquake of 1755, with the rebuilding of Baixa Lisboeta, to be denominated also by Baixa Pombalina is born in Lisbon in Rua de Santo António da Sé, nr. 18 a building designed by the Marquis of Pombal, his private stables, where after works of restoration and preservation, D. Afonso o Gordo is born.

D. Afonso II, the king, was born in 1185, son of D. Sancho I and grandson of D. Afonso Henriques, founder of Portugal, curiously born in the year when his grandmother died. It begins its reign in 1211 at the age of 26, and became known as O Gordo – o fat. But not only by his cognomen became known, also by his deeds, he was one of the most important kings in the history of Portugal. It was thanks to his reforms and laws that he unified the Kingdom.

D. Afonso ended up dying on 21 March 1223 in Alcobaça, passing all the powers of the Kingdom to his son D. Sancho II.

Dom Afonso O Gordo