Funny Foodies Restaurant Review with Max: Penalva de Graca, Lisbon

BY MAXWELL GERSHWIND ’27 

Over the break, I went to Europe with my family, and it was an unbelievable experience…especially for a foodie, like myself.

In my travels, I visited Lisbon, Portugal, and London, England; both were amazing, but the food in Lisbon was so good that I knew I needed to share a review of the restaurant where I ate. The name of this place was Penalva de Graca, and it was a hole-in-the-wall place on a side street in Lisbon. But looks are deceptive because while it was a very small mom-and-pop shop, the food was incredibly delicious. The restaurant actually had a tank where they kept the fish, so needless to say, it was fresh.

We were with a tour guide named Tiago, who helped communicate in Portuguese, ensuring that we ordered the best dishes they had to offer. 

First, we started with a Portuguese dish called pica-pau, which consists of fried beef served in a garlic and mustard gravy with vegetables. Along with the pica-pau, we ordered shrimp topped with garlic and oil. The meat was very solid and tender; I would give it a 7.8 out of 10, but the shrimp was probably the best seafood dish I have ever had. I would give that shrimp dish a 9.4 out of 10. It was incredible, and if you dip their bread in the shrimp sauce, it is the most heavenly bite ever tasted.

Lisbon will forever live on in my foodie heart for Penalva de Graca. If you travel to Portugal, you definitely need to check it out!