The streets behind the promenade contain a number of small family restaurants — tascas — where the cooking is honest, the prices are low, and the daily specials are chalked on boards at the door. This is where local people eat lunch, and where visitors get the most food for the least money.
The repertoire is classic central Portuguese: bacalhau (salt cod) in its many forms — à brás, com natas, à lagareiro; grilled sardines from June through September; caldo verde (kale and potato soup with sliced chouriço); and roast chicken for those who want it. A full lunch with wine costs very little. The atmosphere is plain, the welcome is genuine, and the food is the most honest in town.