O Talho

The gimmick at O Talho is that it is a real butcher's shop and you walk through it to reach the dining room, past the counter and the hanging carcasses and the people buying their dinner to cook at home. The gimmick is also the guarantee: a restaurant that has to sell its meat retail to a neighbourhood of Portuguese cooks cannot get away with sourcing badly.

The cooking is straightforward in the best sense. Steaks are the obvious order — ask what is good, ask about ageing, and let the counter decide for you. The burger has a reputation and deserves it, ground in-house from proper trim rather than mystery mince. There are slow-cooked cuts for people who do not want a steak, and the sides are hearty rather than clever. Portions are large.

It is in Saldanha, away from the tourist grid, which means the room is mostly full of locals eating a serious lunch, and the prices reflect that rather than a Chiado postcode.

Honest notes: it is a meat restaurant with all that implies — vegetarians should go elsewhere, and even committed carnivores may find the menu one-note across a long meal. The dining room is plain and a bit brightly lit. And Saldanha is a metro ride from the centre with nothing much around it to make an evening of. Go for the beef, which is as good as any in the city, and treat the location as the reason it stays affordable.