The Place: Renting a car and driving it around most of Europe is stressful. But as long as you manage to bring your rental car back in one piece, it can be very rewarding when you make it to your destination. Driving up from the charming fishing village of Câmara de Lobos into the mountains was tense at times, but when we reached the cramped parking lot of O Lagar and found a parking spot, all of that stress fell away. Until, of course, we had to drive back down.
This very large traditional restaurant with multiple dining rooms (not to mention a children’s play area with cameras for the dining parents to keep an eye on their kids) seems like the kind of place tour buses might stop for lunch, but it very much also felt like a favorite spot locals go to for special occasions or Sunday lunch after church.
The Dish: While there is a large menu of Madeiran specialities, the house specialty is Espetada, which might be Madeira’s most famous dish and originated in this town. These are basically large skewers of meat (beef is most traditional), seasoned with garlic, bay leaf, and salt, and cooked in a charcoal grill.
We tried these at another restaurant and found them tasty, but the ones we were served here were divine. They are notoriously difficult to get a good photo of (especially with my lack of photography skills) due to the unique placement of the meat, hanging in the center of the table with a plate underneath to catch the juices.
The cubes of beef were tender, juicy, and full of flavor. It all comes down to simplicity and how high-quality traditions go a long way. Now that’s something worth driving narrow cobblestone streets for.
| O LAGAR |
| Estr. João Gonçalves Zarco 478, 9300-167 Câmara de Lobos, Madeira, Portugal +351 291 941 865 |
| olagar.pt |
