1128 Cambridge St.
617-354-2877
While this petite, tangerine-colored café is an off-shoot of the more famous restaurant Atasca, O’ Cantinho has a charm all its own. The walls sparkle with a funky collection of mirrors and every horizontal surface seems to hold a potted plant. If you’re in a rush, grab a traditional cupcake made with coconut or white beans, order a cafezinho instead of a regular coffee (you do want to look like a local, right?), and sit down at one of the six two-person tables. But be sure to come back when you have time to linger—the extensive salad listings, with toppings ranging from roast chicken with piri piri sauce to codfish croquettes, are a bargain at about $8 a piece and deserve to be savored.
Café Casal
1075 Cambridge St.
617-576-2171
Good luck if you can’t speak Portuguese, because bakeries don’t get more local than Café Casal. Grab a copy of O Jornal, one of the free bilingual newspapers and request a slice of cinnamon cake or a custard tart (pastel de nata) at the counter. While the Dunkin’ Donuts-like atmosphere of this bakery is depressingly modern, the history of the tarts goes all the way back to the Middle Ages. When noble families sent their daughters off to the Church to become nuns, they paid their dowries in chickens. The chickens eventually went into casseroles while the egg whites were used to starch habits, but the egg yolks remained unused—until resourceful nuns realized the value of selling these sinful little desserts, which contain about three egg yolks apiece. Never has gluttony been so virtuous.
Casa Portugal
1200 Cambridge St.
617-491-8880
The current winner of the Best of Boston award for Portuguese food, this 30-year old institution is a surprisingly relaxed place. Waiter Jose Santos says, “A lot of people come in here for the first time and ask a lot of questions. We try to help them out.” He personally recommends the shellfish casserole, and “anything with pork.” In keeping with the restaurant’s traditional character, the chef refuses to reveal his secrets. The spices used in the frango assado, roast chicken, are strictly confidential.
