I head into the back seating area to pay the bill, when sticking out of the wall is this big-ass stuffed bull head! I’m like, what the hell…but also like, well shit, that’s cool. I start looking around, and there’s all these cool pictures of bullfights around the room, with some action shots and some portrait-esque type pictures as well. This is when the waiter, who’s been bringing us all the free stuff and checking up on us throughout the meal, points to himself and then points to the picture on the wall, and then points to the stuffed bull up on the wall.
HOLY SHIT, THIS GUY WAS A BULLFIGHTER, THAT’S A PICTURE OF HIM FIGHTING A BULL, AND THAT BULL IS THE ONE THAT’S MOUNTED ON THE WALL!!! This meal was incredible before, not just because of the food, but because of the the great company of Diogo and his amigos. NOW this meal just became EPIC! We had a no-shit, bad-ass bullfighter waiting on us and taking care of us the whole time! His pictures are all over the place, some standing in his traditional clothing, some with him locked into battle with a bull, and one striking one in particular, of him with blood covering his face. I wish a knew Portuguese and had more time to talk to him, because I had probably 100 questions to ask him, but alas, it was time to go. We got out of there, hit a cafe for another coffee, and then headed back to Montijo where I snapped this beauty just before getting back on the ferry to Lisbon.
If you are planning on spending more than just a few days in Lisbon, I definitely recommend making it over to Alcochete. You can catch the ferry HERE, and then get a taxi/bus or try getting an Uber over to the downtown area of Alcochete. It’s a great place to stroll around and grab a coffee, follow it up with an amazing, traditional seafood meal, and then for a stroll along the river looking at Lisbon in the distance. The guys tell me the Spring and Summer are great times to go for you folks that like a good party, as that’s when all the big celebrations are taking place.
A big THANK YOU to Diogo, Mario, David, and Ruben….I had an incredible time, and learned so much about Alcochete, the Barrete Verde and bullfighting, and just in general a blast hanging with you guys. Hope we get to do it again sometime!
Be sure to leave me a comment, and let me know if you’ve ever been and what you thought about it…and if you end up going, leave a message and let me know what you think!
For directions to Barrete Verde, see the Google Map below:
