UMA III — Adega da Mó

A small marisqueira on Rua dos Sapateiros, in Lisbon's Baixa: UMA III — Adega da Mó. The sign says 1940; they have been doing the same thing for more than eighty years.

The room makes no claims: the classic Portuguese tiles on the walls, paper-covered tables, a narrow dining room where you sit close to your neighbours. The menu is in Portuguese and English — a long seafood list that runs from grilled fish to the rice dishes and the paellas.

But the reason we come is the arroz de marisco. It arrives in the pot, soupy the way the Portuguese like it, full of shellfish and prawns. Of all the arroz de marisco we have tried in Lisbon, this is our favourite.

To start, the octopus salad goes well with it: plenty of olive oil, onion and green pepper, served cool.

Address: R. dos Sapateiros 177, 1100-577 Lisbon.