Get FREE email communications from Fodor's Travel, covering must-see travel destinations, expert trip planning advice, and travel inspiration to fuel your passion.
We've compiled the best of the best in Batalha - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
The "Old Donkey" may be a relative newcomer to downtown Batalha, but its recipe of traditional dishes and an informal, modern ambience has won over locals and visitors alike. All ingredients are fresh and organic when possible, and there is a range of house-made breads, as well as an excellent choice of wines. Try any of the fresh fish dishes or a hearty meat option.
The dishes of the day at this bustling second-floor restaurant are excellent value, and the house wine—from a local producers' cooperative—goes down well, too. Some tables in the main dining room have views of the monastery, but at peak times you may be seated on the covered terrace in back. Try the house bacalhau (fried with onions and tomato), roast octopus, barbecued squid, or lamb chops.
If you're a fan of hearty meat dishes, it's worth making the trip two kilometers (1.5 miles) south-west of Batalha to this famed purveyor of suckling pig---a regional favorite; its also offers a range of other traditional meat and fish dishes, and some vegetarian ones, too. There's a kids' menu, too. If you want to do as the locals do, order some Portuguese sparkling wine to go with your tender leitão assada.
