scubish.com: Scuba diving Coimbra - Portugal

Eat

Having a meal is not really a problem in Coimbra, since the city has a lot of restaurants. Three reasonably big shopping centers serve the standard fast food meals you can find everywhere. These three shopping centers are named 'Coimbra Shopping', 'Dolce Vita' and 'Forum Coimbra'. They are located in key places in the city, but not necessarily close to the tourist attractions of the city. If you want to have a meal in medium to good restaurants, you have a lot of choices too:

Mid Range

Italia, the Italian restaurant in the city park and over the river, very close to the Santa Clara bridge (very popular with tourists). You have a lot of outside tables, if the weather permits, and the food is prepared by Italian cooks. It's not very expensive either.

Zé Manel dos Ossos is one of the most famous restaurants in Coimbra, and for a good reason. A unique atmosphere inside the restaurant is responsible for this fame, but the food is good too. The walls of the restaurant are filled with small pieces of paper, with writings from clients. Be aware that it is quite a small space, so there's a big probability that you won't find a table.

Salao Brazil in the "baixinha" (downtown) center. A unique room, with huge windows and very spacious, invites for a relaxed meal. The food is great with some unique dishes from around the country - like "Vitela Barrosa" and "Secretos de Porco preto". Vegetarian meals.

During the weekends there is jazz, folk and fado concerts - most of them for free. It's great to finish your meal - you have plenty of time, Portuguese are always late - and get a concert right there. Sometimes they get very crowded.

Real das Canas is truly one of the best restaurants of Coimbra. It's located in the Santa Clara side of the river, and it's not within walking distance from the center. However, it has a large window that overlooks the city, and you can hear 'fado' music in the background. Really nice room, and a very touristic place too. If you don't have a car, consider taking a taxi to go there.

Taberna. If you want to try 'chanfana', one of the most famous dishes of the region, you should definitely go to this restaurant, close to the football stadium. This restaurant is specialized in a limited amount of dishes, but the quality of the food is just amazing. Go there at night, and try the 'chanfana', even though you may not have a clue about what this is. This is the place for those who really appreciate good food. Don't go too late at night, because it can be a little crowded. The restaurant is very good, and it's located in the most densely populated area of the city.

Tosacana is another very popular Italian restaurant, close to the new bridge. The decoration is great, with a lot of pictures from Florence, Venice, Rome. The quality of the food is quite high....