This unassuming little place off the Seven Sisters Road feels a genuine part of north London’s Portuguese community. Powder-blue walls and a simple café aesthetic give a hint of the Med, while the sunny little back courtyard holds families tucking into plates of Portuguese food as kids run around or slurp Ucal chocolate drink. Juan the owner is busy but friendly, and regular customers greet one other as they wander in and out.
We snacked on salt cod fish cakes with a smooth potato centre and the house speciality of empada chicken pie, which could have had a punchier filling. If you’re hungry, go for chicken gizzard stew (moela) or picadinho pork stew with chips. It’s also worth checking what other people are eating, as not everything that comes out of the kitchen is on the menu; we spotted some tasty-looking grilled prawns with aïoli.
Bom Pecado means ‘good sin’, and there are plenty of freshly baked cakes on offer; pastel de nata (slightly bigger than standard) had a thick custard filling and a crisp, flaky edge, and were served with a cute cinnamon shaker.