Tasca do Arouche, a traditional Portuguese restaurant, closes its doors in the center of SP

Portuguese cuisine restaurant in Largo do Arouche, downtown São Paulo, Tasca do Arouche had only six years of active life. After temporarily closing in the first months of the pandemic, still in 2020, the address will not work again – and now the list of places that closed activities because of Covid-19.

The closure was confirmed by staff at the San Raphael hotel. The restaurant was on the ground floor of another hotel, the San Michel, but was managed by the team of Raphael Jafet, who also runs the San Raphael hotel across the street.

The house, opened in 2014 and headed by José Maria Pereira from Ceará and by Raphel Jafet himself, became known among the regulars of Arouche and downtown São Paulo for its traditional Lusitanian dishes, served in a private setting.

The address was created without the pomp or the salty prices of the most expensive Portuguese houses in the city, but always with good food and good ingredients. There, it was possible to taste cod recipes for two people for around R$90. But there were cheaper options, such as the executive lunch, which cost around R$60, with starters, main course and dessert.

Still among the options with cod, one of the highlights was the one from Tasca — made in steak, in the oven, with onions caramelized in olive oil, broccoli, mashed potatoes, boiled egg, tomato and fried garlic. There was also the traditional à lagareiro, with empanada steak with onions, potatoes, broccoli, olives and garlic.

The menu also added to the octopus rice, grilled squid and lamb chanfana, for example.

Another hallmark of the space were the concerts and performances of fado, a popular song typical of Portugal, always on Sundays.

The Lusitanian restaurant joins other places in the city that did not survive the crisis caused by Covid-19, such as Frank Bar, Ramona, Mangiare, Clandestino, among others.