Cabrito assado — slow-roasted kid goat — is the Sunday lunch dish across the mountain interior of northern Portugal, and Arouca is firmly in this tradition. The best versions are cooked in a wood-fired oven with garlic, white wine, and lard, and served with roast potatoes and greens. It is a simple dish that rewards good raw ingredients and patience; the meat should pull off the bone without effort.
Most restaurants in Arouca serve it at weekends. Arrive hungry: portions are generous and the full meal — soup, kid, dessert, wine — can run to a long and very satisfying afternoon. A full lunch for two with wine typically costs €25–35. The restaurants closest to the monastery square tend to be the best bets; look for hand-written menus on a board by the door rather than laminated tourist menus.