After an early start from London Luton, we jumped into a trusty Fiat Panda and headed south. Boards in the back, our eyes set on sunny blue, insta worthy Portuguese waves and nothing but pastéis de nata for days.

We stopped off for a quick bitoque, basically the Portuguese version of an English fry-up. Fried egg, rice, and a bit of steak to keep us moving before hunting down some waves.

The Portuguese weather had other ideas. What we found, though, was even better, something with a bit more heart...

Placed just above Praia Grande sits a small, family-run establishment that goes by the name O’Pescador. Even out of season, with the Portuguese side rain, we found a proper community hub, a meeting point for both fishermen and surfers (which in Portugal, is quite a lot of people).

After a surf spent dodging local legends and watching kids half our age launch airs over our heads, we were lucky enough to chat with one of the granddaughters from the family who ran the café. She told us how her grandfather started the place for his kids and how he used to catch the fish himself and cook for the whole family right there in the café. Even now, at 93, she says he still heads down to the water with a rod and tries his luck.

Mid pastel de nata, we bumped into Carlos - a true veteran and local legend at O’Pescador. He told us he comes every day without fail. A fisherman who’s spent over 50 years on the seas, Carlos has been providing fish for the villages all along this stretch of coast. Every morning, he brings in fresh barnacles for the restaurants to sell, the larger ones going to the tables and the smaller ones passed on to his boys for their own fishing trips.

The weather didn’t deliver, but Portugal always does. O’Pescador proof that the best establishment finds happen in the off-season.

Onto the next one :)