Mar del inferno

Cascais is a coastal town about 9 miles west of Lisbon, located on the Estoril Coast, also known as the Portuguese Riviera. It is a cosmopolitan suburb of the Portuguese capital and one of the richest municipalities in Portugal. The former fishing village gained fame as a resort for Portugal's royal family in the late 19th century and early 20th century. Nowadays, it is a popular vacation spot for both Portuguese and foreign tourists.

We arrived in Cascais around 2:00pm, we were hungry, and we were looking for a restaurant for lunch. We stopped by this area by the beach because we saw a bunch of restaurants.

After closer inspection there is only 1 nice restaurant: Mar do Inferno and a bunch of casual fast food restaurants.

We decided to eat at Mar do Inferno. We almost did not go in as the menu listed on the door was €40 was the cheapest option. We were all wondering why it is so expensive especially in Portugal.

So we walked and after we saw what they other restaurants was selling (mostly hot dog & fast food) there is no way we were going to eat there so we came back to restaurant and then we realized that the menu of €40 was for 2 people.

I was telling Hoa that this is bad marketing, they should put $20 per person and minimum order is 2 portion. It come down to same thing but it is more attractive when you see €20 vs. €40.

This is the main dinning room but it was completely empty as all the clients are invited to eat in the covered patio overlooking the ocean.

Bread and appetizers (some type of fresh cheese) are served as soon as you sit down.

Remember there is no such thing as free appetizers in Portugal. You have to pay for the bread and everything else they brought out unless you push it away.

We were too hungry at this point so we accepted the appetizers.

The menu

If you only look at the price all you see is €39.50 but next to it is written price for 2 people- At first we thought this is so expensive for Portugal, who will be willing to pay €40 for lunch!

Of course a nice cold Vinho verde is required to eat seafood!

This is what you get for €40- Grilled sea bass, Golden bream, large red shrimps, mussels, boiled potatoes in a hot olive oil and parsley.

The portion was huge so we tried to eat all the fish and seafood and we barely touched the potatoes... just too much food.

This is our best lunch in Portugal! Great fresh seafood, great service, and a nice view of the ocean.