Last updated: 12/15/2020
It is always nice to take a trip to immerse yourself in the local culture and taste the gastronomy. It was with this in mind that we looked for a restaurant in Lisbon that would combine good food with performances of fado, the traditional Portuguese musical style. After evaluating some options, we opted for Adega Machado, located in the Chiado region and very close to the center and the hotel we were staying at. In this post, we share our experience at the location.
THE FADO
Even before making a reservation to enjoy a typical night in Lisbon, we went to research a little more about Fado, this typical musical style of the country, however, unknown to most Brazilians. Although the origin is still controversial, fado is a Portuguese musical style that is usually sung by a single person, called a fadista. The song is accompanied by an acoustic guitar and a Portuguese guitar. In 2011, fado became part of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.
The sung rhythm is very different from what we are used to hearing in other musical styles. Over time, fado acquired great melodic richness and rhythmic complexity. Fado songs have a melancholic content and emphasize suffering, the longing for a lost love, nostalgia, the miseries of life, jealousy, the night and the dark. Two great names in the history of Portuguese fado are Amália Rodrigues and Alfredo Marceneiro.
THE MACHADO WINERY
Adega Machado provides a dining experience accompanied by fado performances that are held right there in the hall, next to the public. The price, at first glance, is steep, but we did the math for a quality dinner + a fado show in a place that does not include dinner and the prices were very close. Therefore, we chose to enjoy the night at Adega Machado, making our reservation in advance through the restaurant's official website.
How it works?
There are two ways to order your dish at Adega Machado: through the ala carte menu or requesting one of ready menus offered by the restaurant. are made available 7 types of menus which include a Prohibited, a main course is dessert. Prices range from €44 to €49 (March 2017 values). The restaurant's full menu can be consulted. here.
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OUR EXPERIENCE AT ADEGA MACHADO
We made our reservation through the official website for 9pm. As we were staying relatively close, we walked to the restaurant in less than 10 minutes. Arriving there, there was a counter like a reception, but there was no one, but we could see the whole restaurant through a glass wall. We decided to enter through the door on the left and were served by a waiter who took us to the table.
As soon as we sat down, a fado performance began. The lights get lower, 3 musicians came in with guitars and then the fado singer. He was a relatively young fado singer and, for the first time, we had the experience of listening to fado up close. It was very different from anything we had heard in our lives. The fado singer sings with his feelings on edge, sometimes he even seems to feel pain, it's something quite theatrical too. During the presentations, silence reigns. Fado is a musical rhythm that needs to be listened to in almost absolute silence. Each fado singer performed 3 songs and left, so that the restaurant service could continue.
As for dinner, Ana asked for menu 3 which included a roasted tomato cream with chorizo as a starter; main course was the fish of the day (with vegetables and mashed potatoes); and for dessert a banana pie with spices. Everything was delicious: tasty tomato cream and mashed potatoes that accompanied the fish with a wonderful taste of Portuguese olive oil, the banana pie looked more like a mini cake.
Paul asked for Menu 4 which included a starter of xara head, croquette and pineapple chutney; the main course was a shrimp stew; and a fruit puff pastry for dessert. The food was good, but it could have been better. The shrimp stew had plenty of sauce, but no accompaniment.
We stayed for 3 hours in the restaurant and saw the 4 fadistas performing the night: a young male fado singer, a young female fado singer, an experienced and very fun fado singer and another female fado singer with an incredible voice, which reached very high notes. The fifth performance of the night, and the last we saw, the four fadistas performed a song together spread across the restaurant, accompanied by the 3 musicians. It was a very interesting and different experience to immerse yourself in Portuguese culture. For those who want to know a little more about the place and the presentations, the official website has a series of videos.
Final Evaluation: Experience at Adega Machado
We we like the food, although it is possible to find cheaper restaurants with tastier dishes in Lisbon. But, we were there not only for the food, but also to learn more about Fado. This Portuguese style is different and is far from one of our favorites, but it was really nice to have the experience of getting to know the portuguese musical culture closer.
The only caveat was the service delay. Although the waiters are friendly, the service was very, very slow. They took a long time to take our order (and they forgot to bring the wine list which was brought later, after more waiting), they took a long time to bring the 3 courses, and it took more than half an hour to bring the bill. What made up for so much delay were the fado performances that distracted us and took away the focus of all that delay. Anyway, it's an interesting experience and part of a nice visit to Lisbon.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Machado Winery
- Address: Rua do Norte, 91, 1200-284 Lisbon, Portugal
- Schedules: daily from 7:30 pm to 2 am
- Reservations: make advance reservations through the official website to guarantee your table
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