Our review of 37 Casa de Pasto: the organic table that intrigues Rua da Liberdade in Tavira
Benefits
- A short and well-crafted menu that makes you eager even before entering
- Organic and local products (the figs come from the owner's farm)
- Really well-executed sides (sweet potato, roasted pepper)
- A warm, almost family-like welcome, and a lovely terrace
Disadvantages
- A price not always aligned depending on the dish (little price difference between a salad and octopus)
- It's busy, so remember to make a reservation
A lovely organic and well-presented table in Tavira, perfect for two when you come for the finesse rather than the generosity of the portions.
There are addresses that you spot even before you’re hungry, just because they weren’t there last time. The 37 Casa de Pasto is exactly that: a brand new storefront on Rua da Liberdade, in Tavira, and Caroline stops dead in her tracks saying “Oh look, this is new, isn’t it? Check it out.”
We were on a leisurely stroll (you know, that moment when you’re not looking for anything and you always end up finding a table), and that large chalkboard written by hand in front of the door clearly drew us in. So naturally, we ended up sitting down.
A storefront we had never seen on Rua da Liberdade
We know Rua da Liberdade by heart now that we live in Tavira (which remains, let’s be honest, our favorite town in the Algarve, to the point of having settled here). So when a sign appears where there was nothing, we are the first to notice.
And the menu, placed on its large chalkboard and then handed to the table, grabs your attention immediately. Not a tourist trap menu with forty dishes, no. A short, readable proposal, with titles that hint at well-crafted cuisine: petiscos (the small Portuguese plates to nibble on), seafood plates, a bit of meat, a few more vegetarian options. The kind of menu that makes you want to explore rather than recite.
To give you an idea of the prices, so you don’t fall off your chair once you’re there: the house-style octopus is around €12, the baked octopus is €19, the grilled fig salad is €17, and the famous leitão pancakes are €7 for two. We will come back to this, because these pancakes deserve their own paragraph.
A long room, made for meals for two
The restaurant perfectly fits the architecture of the area: a narrow building, all in length, like most of the addresses on the street. Inside, a row of small tables for two on either side of a central corridor. You can immediately feel that the place is designed for intimacy, for a meal for two or a small group, not for a large table that is loud.
We chose the terrace, a few tables set up on the sidewalk, at the very beginning of June. With this warm, almost enveloping breeze, which immediately gives a summery feel to the meal (the kind of evening that reconciles you with life, you know).
As for the welcome, we are greeted by a lady of Asian descent who speaks Portuguese, and it’s a bit surprising (just because we didn’t expect it), but she is also lovely, smiling, and present. Her daughter is said to also work in the restaurant, which gives the place a very pleasant family dimension. The conversation flows naturally towards life trajectories, back and forth between the Algarve and Morocco for years… in short, we are far from mechanical service, and that’s precisely what we are looking for.
The start of the meal: the cutlery and a funny pancake
We start with the cutlery, the famous entradas (the opening appetizers that are automatically placed on the table) typically Portuguese: olives, candied carrots, butter, this little ritual that we love and never refuse. With a glass of red on top, summer is officially launched.
For the starter, we try the crepes de leitão crocantes com molho da bairrada (crispy suckling pig pancakes, Bairrada sauce). And there, the first surprise: we had never seen this pancake on any menu. Hence the curiosity, of course.
Caroline imagined a flat pancake, French-style. In reality, it’s more of a small rolled pancake, almost cigar-shaped, filled with suckling pig inside. And as soon as we bite into the crust, it cracks nicely under the fork (the kind of crunch that makes you look at the other person for validation). The sauce served separately, a creamy pepper sauce rather than liquid, is very good. Caroline finds it picante (spicy), I’m still reserving my verdict… but clearly, a very good little starter to begin with.
The dishes: Xavier’s octopus, Caroline’s figs
For the next course, a twist when it comes time to order: the quinoa / cauliflower / chickpea salad that Caroline was eyeing is not available. She settles for the salada de figos grelhados (grilled fig salad). As for me, without hesitation, I go for the polvo no forno (baked octopus, my benchmark for the Algarve, I compare addresses against each other, it’s stronger than me).
Caroline’s salad is a salad of roasted figs on a bed of arugula and other greens, with lightly toasted almonds that bring a very pleasant toasted flavor, contrasting with the fresh vegetation. The seasoning is good, and the goat cheese (not feta) works really well. I was afraid it would tip into being too sweet with the figs… well, no, it’s balanced, it goes down easily. A killer detail: the figs come from the owner’s quinta (the agricultural estate). We are clearly dealing with quality, organic, homemade products.
My octopus arrives in the now-classic form: three tentacles placed on their sweet potato, with a few green vegetables and a red pepper on the side. And that’s where it gets interesting, because everything that accompanies the octopus is frankly very, very well executed. The sweet potato is excellent, the red pepper does the job, the plate is well presented. The downside is the octopus itself: I’ve had it more tender, less stringy. It’s not bad (far from it), but on this specific point, we are a notch below what I was hoping for. And for €19, we would like to see a bit more on the plate.
With that, a glass of wine from Alentejo, served in a “French version” (in other words, a bit more measured than the usual Portuguese generosity… which, in Portugal, is almost a crime, but hey).
Quality / quantity / price ratio: the real discussion
Let’s be clear: it’s good, it’s well executed. But the recurring question is about quantity. The gap is especially noticeable between the octopus at €19 and the salad at €17, when in both cases we are not talking about generous portions. The bottom line is not to say that the place is a failure (on the contrary, they really know what they are doing), it’s more that we are probably not the target audience. To leave without hunger, you naturally need to count on the full sequence of starter + main + dessert per person.
Our bill, to set the record straight: €65 for two, with two glasses of wine each.
1.5 L water: €3 / 4 glasses of red (Pouca Roupa Tinto): €14 / cutlery: €5 / suckling pig pancakes: €7 / fig salad: €17 / baked octopus: €19.
The lady from the restaurant gives us an explanation on site: if the prices are at this level, it’s because everything is organic. This sheds light on the positioning, it’s not just a well-kept table, it’s a place that claims its sourcing. Another point noted: the restaurant is packed, full, so it finds its clientele without a problem (even if, personally, I suspect it’s probably not a local clientele). And to put things into perspective regarding the €19, let’s be honest: the price of octopus has significantly risen throughout the Algarve in recent years (a paradox when you know that we are somewhat the capital of octopus around here, but that’s how it is). So, €19 for an octopus has become a fairly average price in the area, neither a bargain nor a scandal. What really makes the difference from one place to another is no longer so much the price: it’s the quantity on the plate and the quality of execution.
Practical information
Where: Rua da Liberdade, Tavira (Algarve, Portugal). The exact number needs to be specified, but it’s the “37” sign that’s impossible to miss once you’re on the street.
Type: restaurant, refined Portuguese cuisine, organic and local products.
Budget: around €30 to €35 per person for starter + main + a glass of wine.
What we take away from it: a real coherence between the place, the menu, and the plate, as long as you come for the finesse rather than for the quantity.
Visit: early June, on the terrace.
What we take away from it
In the end, the 37 Casa de Pasto feels less like a stopover restaurant and more like a real little coherent address, from the place to the plate. We are probably not its core target (we like it when it overflows a bit, what can you do), but if you’re looking for a well-kept, organic table for two, in a pretty street in Tavira, you will be very happy here.
And while exploring the tables of Tavira, we also told you about our other addresses in the area, in completely different registers:
Coisa Linda in Tavira: the traveling cuisine of Bruno and Chris
There are restaurants we choose for the menu, and others we choose for the people behind it. Coisa Linda, for me, is a bit of both, and that's probably why...
Read more
Sushi na gaveta
Formerly a cocktail bar, the place has undergone a true metamorphosis. Its owner, Marcio, is already well-established in Tavira with several recognized establishments: Come na Gaveta Churrasqueira na Gaveta Each...
Read morePS: yes, I compared the octopus with all the other octopuses in the Algarve again. No, I won’t seek help. Caroline has given up trying to stop me.
