Restourant Tipico o Fado
Located in Porto, Portugal
Description
“Located in a centennial building, the Typical Restaurant o Fado preserves all the inherent uniqueness of this kind of houses, where there is a predominance of stone walls and a careful decoration, which sends us back to the beginning of the XX century.
With a family management, Artur Almeida, its current owner along with his wife Manuela, in charge of the kitchen, and their son André, are the guarantee of a quality service which prolongs itself in time, making this Restaurant a reference amongst the Fado houses in Oporto, that every night except on Sundays, gladly receives National and Foreign costumers, providing them with a well spent night, savoring exquisite traditional Portuguese cuisine, while listening to Fado through the voices of some of its best performers.”
Contact and information
Web: ofado.com
Largo de S. João Novo, 16 – 16A
4050-554 Porto
Tel:+351 222 026 937
info@ofado.com
Chip’s Notes
Our time in Porto began on Day 565.
Had a fun time eating local Portuguese seafood and listening to the classic Fado music, unique to Portugal. For a taste of both the food and entertainment this is pretty authentic.
Cyndy and I try the port-tonic that Antonio (the Uber driver) mentioned, and it is delightfully refreshing. The restaurant is large, filled to the seams with people and elaborate painting and belle epoch design. Forty five minutes into the meal a trio of players begin to set up on the dais in the restaurant. A mandolin, guitar and cello appear almost magically, and the three players tune their instruments. Then a woman with sharp features and dark hair flowing to her back arrives and stands quietly before us. She nods and then suddenly pierces the evening with her powerful voice. She is telling a story and it is not a happy one. None of us Americanos can understand a word, but we know that sadness and longing is in every note. Her voice is unique, neither operatic nor whining , but mournful. It trills and soars and then descends into sadness, and you are moved. This isn’t a dirge exactly, it’s a cry to others, a story that the singer wants to share because in the sharing, perhaps this is some solace. Later a man sings songs just as sad accompanied beautifully by the string trio behind them.
Here are some videos of the performers.