Palácio Chiado - Brunch at the Palace

Want to eat at a real life Palace, surrounded by frescos, sculpted ornaments and chandeliers? Palácio Chiado is your jam.

Dukes and Barons lived there, partied there, perished there... (too dark?) My point: Palácio Chiado is filled to the brim with history.

It's home to restaurants, bars and even a pastry shop. You can eat A LOT in there.

Stuff Your Face, party of 1? Right this way.

It's all beautifully preserved, and what was restored, was done so beautifully. Except for the modern tables, chairs, and restaurant related equipment, the Palace holds an amazing old charm that allows you to almost go back in time and really feel the history around you.

It's the kind of building that makes you want to hide in the bathroom and hope someone leaves you there to wander free all night. Actually, that sounds terrifying. Let me try again: your food will get cold because you were staring at the fresco in the ceiling and you won't even mind. Ok, that's better.

Now, let's talk food. I can only tell you about what I tried: brunch. But, oh, there's so much to say about this in-between meal...

Perfectly cooked, soft, pillowy scrambled eggs? Check. Bread? Check. More bread? (I'm talking, homestyle bread, corn bread, toasted bread...) Check! And, if like me, you're a cheese person, they've got you covered: semi-soft cheese, creamy I-may-need-a-spoon cheese, lightly cured cheese, FULL ON this-is-kind-of-spicy cured cheese. (That last one is the Island's Cheese, or Queijo da Ilha, from the Azores, specifically the island of São Jorge). It's so good it makes you do a little dance in your chair.

But they don't leave you with "just" cheese. Presunto (Portuguese for Prosciutto or Parma Ham), farinheira, alheira and chouriço (Portuguese sausages), are also there to put a slightly greasy, happy smile on your face. And don't worry, there's a fresh fruit salad with passion fruit juice in it for when you need a break from all the filling portugueseness. Not a word, I know, but it's the best way to describe it.

Pair this brunch menu with a glass of chilled wine and watch yourself try not to roll down the street as soon as you step out of the Palace.

Price wise, at least for brunch, it's very reasonable: 1 brunch menu = 13€ (around 16$, if I'm not mistaken), and it's very generous, so you could even split it! Not expensive at all for some fancy living. Even if it's just for a couple of hours.

I was too busy taking in the surroundings and eating everything, so I didn't take enough pictures... But you can check out Palácio Chiado's website to learn more about the Palace and see for yourself how beautiful it is.

I mean, in one of the rooms there's a golden lion hanging from the ceiling. Now tell me you don't want to go there.

Have you ever been to Palácio Chiado?

What do you most look for in a brunch menu?