The Best Portuguese Food Toronto Has To Offer

by Christopher RudderJul 4, 2018Canada, Toronto0 comments

Portuguese Food. Toronto? Yes Please.

On a recent trip to Portugal, I stumbled across some pretty amazing people, was introduced to some beautiful architecture and learned some fascinating history. But what really impressed me was Portuguese food. Being that a large percentage of Portugal faces the Atlantic Ocean it is safe to assume that majority of their popular dishes would be fish and seafood. However, I was pleasantly surprised with their pastries, their chicken, and their infamous Peri-Peri sauce.

I also discovered that they import lobster from the Canadian city St. John’s and the province of Newfoundland & Labrador.

After visiting Newfoundland & Labrador and learning about the Portuguese history and influence in the province, it all made sense as the best lobster I ever ate was in Newfoundland & Labrador. However, it is not the first place I ever tried lobster, more on that in a minute.

Lisbon By Night Restaurant | www.lisbonbynightrestaurant.com

While filming the Portugal videos for my YouTube channel and my blog posts: 48 Hours In Lisbon and 72 Hour Lagos Holiday, I discovered Fado Music, otherwise known as the Portuguese Blues. With my time in Portugal coming to an end, I desperately tried to find a venue/restaurant that had a dinner and fado music performance that I could experience. I was told by a local restaurant owner that Fado shows tend to be an all evening event, which results in a low customer turnover. Low customer turnover is typically not a good thing for a restaurant. So in order to honour their roots while staying profitable, they limit their Fado shows to one or two nights a month. Unfortunately, my timing was not so good and I ended up leaving Portugal without getting to watch a Fado Show.

Fortunately, for me, I live in one of the most multicultural cities in the world and on my last day in Lagos, I was able to find, book and interview Adelia Mejdoubi, Owner & Manager of Lisbon By Night and her daughter Soraia Mejdoubi who happens to be an amazing Fado singer. Win, win.

Lisbon By Night Restaurant has been the landmark of the Portuguese community for 40 years.

They have been known for bringing the warm and friendly atmosphere of Portugal to your heart with its authentic cuisine and live music.

In this video, I interview Adelia Mejdoubi, Owner & Manager of Lisbon By Night Restaurant

In this video, I interview Soraia Mejdoubi about Fado Music

The Fado Music

I have to be honest. Fado music is very depressing. Very powerful but very depressing. You need to be in the mood to listen to fado music cause if you walk in happy you’ll be walking out sad. Fado music has a long history and Adelia’s daughter Soraia not only sings like an angel but knows it’s history.

Now back to the part about St. John’s not being the first place I tried Lobster. That honour goes to Lisbon By Night, and luckily Adelia was on hand to walk me through it. In true Portuguese fashion, Lisbon By Night also gets their Lobster from Newfoundland and let’s just say that the seafood platter is simply to die for. The peri-peri chicken is only second to the peri-peri chicken in Portugal. The restaurant is also famous for it’s all you can eat fresh fish RODIZIO dinner which ends with a grilled pineapple delight. Speaking of dessert, the butter tarts instantly brought me back to a pastry store I fell in love with back in Lisbon. It’s century-old culinary art at its finest!

Just as a side note you can also reserve the third-floor banquet hall which is perfect for weddings, anniversaries, birthday parties etc.

Pin Me

Disclaimer:

Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. If you purchase a product, I may earn a commission. This commission comes at no extra cost to you. Please remember that I never recommend a product just for the commission — I only recommend something I genuinely believe in, trust and/or use personally. The small income I make here will help in maintaining this blog. Thanks for your support!