Casa d’Armas

Head to Viana do Castelo waterfront and there you’ll find the symbol of Minho restaurants, the Casa d’Armas. Facing the River Lima, the restaurant has earned acclaim for the choice of wine it boasts and the service it provides. With its medieval atmosphere, the eatery is a cosy and traditional space, in what was once a manor house. We are talking about a place with more than three centuries of history, in the city centre, where the famous gastronomic menu is seasonally enriched with different dishes, each on as tempting as the next. But let’s know more. 
On April 27, 1987 the restaurant opened its doors, something that owner Fernando Julião recalls with enthusiasm: «the space was opened by the Prime Minister at the time, Cavaco Silva. I bought the space and came here, for good. I’ve been here for more than 27 years.» The original name of the house has always been «Casa d’Armas», so the team decided to preserve it thanks to the presence of evocative symbols, such as the coats of arms. «It made perfect sense to keep the name. Not least because the image was created,» clarifies the owner. Not knowing if he would succeed in the restaurant world, the owner banked on a rustic-looking house, delving deeply into Mediterranean cuisine and featuring wine cabinets displaying very rare examples.

Earning acclaim for the choice of wine it boasts and the service it provides

With its own seafood tank, including lobster, Casa d’Armas is a delightful experience, from the Açorda de Lavagante e Gambas [Lobster & Prawn Açorda] to the Tornedó d’Armas [D’Armas style Beef Fillet]. Other flavours are available in the à la carte service, but the soul of the business is shaped by fish and shellfish. The focus on fresh and high quality is never too much and Fernando Julião gives us some details: «all the dishes are devised by us, some of them we have been doing for 35 years, when we first opened. » He adds, «everything has been conceived this way, to match the rustic style of the house, and all the decoration is part of the concept that the original owners established. I just continued this, adding my personal touch.»
Although it has preserved what belongs to history, the restaurant has been adapting to the needs of the current market, keeping what makes it iconic and creating what modern cuisine demands. Julião’s wife Nídia is the force behind the cooking of great dishes, hiding behind the pans because she wishes to remain discreet in her kitchen. 

Delving deeply into Mediterranean cuisine

«She doesn’t like to be called a chef, » explains the restaurateur. Fernando went from being a car mechanic, specialising in Mercedes Benz, to restaurant owner, having worked in places that gave him a new lease of life, «I only entered the hotel business by accident, because I couldn’t find work in my field. If this accident hadn’t happened, I probably wouldn’t be here today.» Used to a frenetic pace of work, Julião assures us that he dedicates a large part of his time to the business, and always finds himself leaving the restaurant after midnight. The demands are high and options abound at Casa d’Armas. There are more than 400 types of wine, as well as countless dishes, delicious desserts and service with a smile, all of which are decisive factors in bringing in guests from Braga, Guimarães, Vigo and Baiona. «If a guest comes all this way to a restaurant especially, it’s because something entices them,» Julião reflects. 
This is how a path of many years has been trodden, always with the same level of quality and uniqueness of mind. It hasn’t always been easy and the pandemic demanded some thinking on their feet, but «everything is worth doing if the soul of the doer isn’t small,» as Fernando Pessoa would say.