Botequim da Mouraria

Botequim da Mouraria is one of the most celebrated counter restaurants in Portugal and one of the hardest seats to obtain in Évora. The room — set in the old Moorish quarter, on a narrow lane behind the cathedral — holds exactly nine seats at a single counter, all of them facing the open kitchen. There are no tables, no reservations, and the queue starts forming at half-past noon.

Domingos Canelas and his wife Florbela have run the place for over forty years, and the format is unchanged: he cooks, she pours and serves, and the regulars tell newcomers what to order. The menu is short, hand-written, and rotates daily — açorda alentejana with shrimp; black pork cheeks with sweet potato purée; lamb with mountain herbs; sopa de cação. Whatever Domingos got at the market is what arrives.

The wine list is on the wall above the counter and runs largely Alentejo with a clutch of Douro and Bairrada bottles for the regulars who insist. The pours are generous, the prices are fair, and Florbela's recommendations are always right.

For a solo lunch that becomes the highlight of the trip, a first date that demonstrates real local knowledge, or a senior client who has dined widely and now wants the rare thing, Botequim da Mouraria is one of the great food experiences in southern Europe.

The nine-seat counter is the most welcoming place in Évora for a solo diner — no table for one, no awkward space, just a seat among the regulars and Florbela explaining what just came out of the kitchen.