Tasca da Fatinha

Fried cuttlefish, by the river

Tasca da Fatinha is a family fish restaurant on Avenida José Mourinho, the avenue that skirts the Sado to the west of the centre of Setúbal. It began in 1985 in an old tavern and moved here in 1999. It is run by Vítor, a fisherman, with his wife Fatinha in the kitchen and their three daughters. It has about 120 seats, 48 of them on the terrace.

What to order

The speciality is Setúbal fried cuttlefish, which according to the house is never off the menu. The fish is bought every day at the Setúbal fish market and chosen from the display case: sole, wreckfish, red mullet, gilthead bream, turbot, sea bass, horse mackerel, sea bream and others, grilled. From the kitchen: Setúbal-style caldeirada, seafood rice and açorda, grilled cuttlefish, octopus à lagareira, fried eels and the house cod. In shellfish, clams à Bulhão Pato, goose barnacles, oysters, scarlet prawns and Azores limpets.

When to go and where to park

It is open Tuesday to Saturday from 12:00 to 22:30, with the kitchen open throughout, and on Sunday from 12:00 to 18:00. It is closed on Monday. They recommend booking at weekends, on their website. In front and along the avenue there is public parking, both paid and free. It is a good stop before or after the Arrábida beaches: in summer, the beach buses leave from Setúbal.