At the start of summer, the Outeiro de Polima Urban Park in São Domingos de Rana gained another great reason for a visit. The long-vacant restaurant space reopened as Anchor Terrace - a versatile eatery for any time of day, serving everything from brunch to pizzas, and more hearty Portuguese dishes.
With around 60 seats inside and another 60 on the terrace, which sits right next to the lawn - with views of the sea - this is a family-friendly restaurant, perfect for a meal while the little ones play freely in the garden. During the summer, Âncora Terrace even set up bouncy castles to keep the kids entertained.
Âncora is a brand founded last year by local couple Mónica Neves and Adriano Oliveira. They started by opening a space in the Oeiras Marina, followed by the Outeiro de Polima Park in June (close to where they live), and next up is the Lagoas Park business complex, where they will soon launch a buffet-style version of the restaurant, also intended to host events.
“Unlike the Oeiras Marina, which has a lot of international and transient customers, this is a local, family-oriented restaurant”, Mónica explains. “We wanted to create a pleasant space where people could leave home and feel good. We focused on flowers, pink tones, and creating a nice atmosphere. It’s more of a neighbourhood restaurant”.
The menu, vast and varied, served throughout the day, features some new additions compared to the Oeiras location, with more Portuguese dishes and starters. Everything is homemade, from the pizzas to the desserts. Soon, the owner adds, they will start offering fresh pasta made right on-site.
There are three brunch menus available, but you can also order the individual components à la carte. The Anchor menu (20€) includes yogurt with fruit and granola, a pancake with honey or Nutella, scrambled eggs, bread, cheese and ham, jam, fresh orange juice, an "abatanado" (long espresso), and either tea or a cappuccino.
With the Love menu (23,50€), you can choose any of the pancakes and one of the open toasts from the menu, along with the yogurt with fruit and granola and the same drink options. There's also a Vegan option (25€), which includes a vegan pancake with jam and an avocado and mushroom toast, as well as the other elements.
The open toasts (7€-9€), served on slices of rustic bread, are the bestsellers at Anchor Terrace. Try the mashed avocado with smoked salmon and chives, scrambled eggs with bacon, peanut butter with banana and berries, or, among many others, Philadelphia with scrambled eggs, salmon, cherry tomatoes, and avocado chunks.
There are also plenty of pancake, tapioca, and crepioca options, customisable bowls, oatmeal with fruit and homemade granola (6,50€), or açaí ice cream with fruit, homemade granola, honey or condensed milk (8€).
In the pizza department, the standout is the Caipira Chicken (14,50€), featuring tomato sauce, chicken, corn, bacon, red onion, and cream cheese. Classic options are also available, such as Four Cheese (14€), Pepperoni (14€), Bolognese (14,50€), and for those without pineapple prejudices, the Hawaiian (15€).
Âncora Terrace also offers a variety of pastas, lasagnas, and meat, fish, or vegetarian dishes. From the classic steak with rice and chips (9,50€) to the burger with homemade fries, served in a bun with salad, cheddar cheese, bacon, egg, and garlic mayo (14,90€); from prawn curry with basmati rice (14,50€) to the seitan burger with beetroot bread, served with salad (14,50€), or falafel with salad and chickpea and beetroot hummus (12€).
On Saturday nights, they often have a cover band to liven up the venue. During the summer, DJs played music for the park. They also host themed parties based on the season; right now, they are planning for Halloween.
Rua Pedra da Lua, 114, São Domingos de Rana. Tue-Sun 09.30-23.00