Gastronomic Seduction :: Mercado da Vila (Town Market)

| Technical File

Mercado da Vila
Rua Padre Moisés da Silva
2750-437 Cascais

Summer and its warm days call for gatherings and meeting with friends, enjoying the terraces, light meals and fresh drinks, snacks and chats that extend until late hours.

In Cascais there is a place where you can enjoy all this, with the special perk of having large parking area, always available and a set of diverse irresistible restaurants and bars.

We present you with the picturesque and trendy Mercado da Vila (Town Market).

Located in the heart of Cascais, Mercado da Vila is a picturesque and antique municipal market with over 63 years of history. Here, besides being able to buy fresh fish, vegetables, fruits and flowers, everyday from 8am to 2pm, you can even find a typical “saloio” market (regional) every Saturday, on Wednesdays a clothes market, and other themed markets occurring monthly.

In 2012, Mercado da Vila gained a new dynamic life. After its reconversion and requalification, an ample and pleasant space appeared, excellent for having a meal, drinking coffee or tasting hand-made chocolate, eating some sausage bread and so much more. In fact, here you can find a little bit of everything here. From fish and fresh seafood – in a restaurant from where you can even see at the fish stalls, through its glassed walls – to pizza, pasta, typical Portuguese snacks, made out from codfish, piglet, salads, hamburgers or roast beef. If you are not hungry, you’re still welcome. Enjoy its terraces and taste a glass of wine, a gin tonic or a simple tasty coffee.

Besides all this, here you can also find Portuguese crafts, from the most antique to the most modern style, always expressing the pure Lusitanian soul.

Monthly themed markets are another attraction that brings back the visitors every month. From chocolate, convent sweets, wine, sardines and beer to cheese and sausages, chestnuts and honey, all are among lovers’ favourites. If you think this market’s dynamism ends here, we’re happy to tell you that there’s more than this. This market also has a multiuse area dedicated to intimate concerts, band performances, dance groups or even a sports events.

There’s nothing like trying all this with your five senses. The Portuguese edition of the famous weekly magazine Time Out – a kind of culture and leisure guide, filled with gastronomic and entertainment suggestions – has elected Cascais for one of theirs choices for this month and, among the 53 reasons recommended for discovery, Mercado da Vila is one of them. Come and explore it. If you are visiting us between 30th July and 2nd August 2015, you simply can’t miss the Sardine Festival and try it in the typical Portuguese style, over a generous slice of traditional bread.