Restaurants and Cafés

Well located next to the river Sever in an area of trees 500 metres from the Toll roundabout and five kilometres from Marvão, the restaurant surprises the visitor. Firstly, because of the simple and graceful room with the terracotta tiled floors, tables with chequered cottoInstalled on the bank of the river Sever, in the shade of linden and sycamore trees, the restaurant opened in 1967, it now being a reference in the region for the quality of its facilities, the food and the service. This quality was enhanced with the recent transformation of the Pensão Sever, of which it was part, into the modern and comfortable Hotel Rio Sever. It now has two handsome rooms of a modern décor that incorporate rustic elements and different environments: one more cheerful, with large glass windows, where it is like being on a terrace; another more intimate, with indirect light, where it pays tribute to the people of Marvão with old sayings transcribed on a wall. The dark wooden tables and chairs and the immaculately white tablecloths are examples of the comfort and harmony that lie there. 

The cuisine is ostentatiously regional and is based on the local produce, examples in the starters being eggs and farinheira and different types of mushrooms, sautéed or with eggs; the main dishes include dogfish in garlic sauce, oven-roasted pork cheeks, roast venison with chestnuts and shallots; desserts are homemade conventual desserts. With our Spanish neighbours in mind a number of dishes are made especially for them, such as sea fish rice and the bacalhaus. A good selection of wines with close to one hundred and fifty brands, 90 of which are from Alentejo. Service efficient and friendly!n tablecloths protected by white paper covers  on top and walls decorated with images alluding to the region of 30 years before; the there is a terrace open to the hills with the Marvão castle in sight; and finally with the cuisine based on the produce and flavours of the region. Some of these products stand out for their unusual quality, such as the mushrooms of the most varied species, prepared in different ways, including “everything that appears on the hills during the right season and the Alentejo pork and lamb from this region also. 

The first chapter of the menu on the starters is one of the most interesting thanks to the mushrooms– boletes sautéed in olive oil, São Mamede shitake mushrooms with free range eggs, pinewood boletes with brains,  tortulhos de miolada, caesar’s mushroom (Amanita Caesarea) and silarca mushrooms (Amanita Ponderosa), among others –, to sautéed truffles and other regional appetisers, such as grilled cacholeira sausage or blood sausage (Montanheira), linguiça sausage and fried farinheira from Portalegre or acorn-fed Alentejo pork paio sausage (Montanheira), all the sausages being of Protected Geographic Indication, PGI. The mix of montado Alentejo pork is one of the most emblematic dishes, in addition to the lamb chops, also a product of Alentejo. Also a regional speciality is the grilled largemouth bass with a sauce of olive oil and coriander, as is the bacalhau dourado. A very good selection of close to 150 brands of wine, 90% being form Alentejo. Informal environment. Dynamic and friendly service.