Feel at home in Estremoz
Known as the “white city”, thanks to its white marble deposits, Estremoz is a city full of history, charm and tradition.
Surrounded by vineyards and olive groves and its ancient fortifications, it comes to life every Saturday morning with its famous market where locals and tourists come in search of everything from fruits and cheeses to antiques, plants and chickens.
A few steps from this exuberant hub, you will find Casa do Gadanha, a new 12-bedroom boutique hotel. Once an old manor house, it is more of a guest house than a hotel, where every guest is made to feel like an old friend.
Ruben Trindade Santos
Its owners, chef Michele Marques, behind the iconic Mercearia Gadanha, and her husband, chef Ruben Trindade Santos, poured their hearts and souls into the project, where simplicity is key.
Down to earth, welcoming and experts in their fields, the pair go out of their way to make clients feel at home and to offer them exquisite experiences.
Whilst Michele runs the Mercearia Gadanha restaurant, where her creative dishes highlight regional products, just a few hundred metres away, Ruben has taken the reins of Casa do Gadanha since it opened its doors in 2022.
Born and raised in Lisbon, Ruben Trindade Santos gained experience at notable Portuguese restaurants, including Feitoria in Lisbon and Ocean at Porches’ Vila Vita Parc, before heading to London, where he worked at chef Nuno Mendes’ Viajante, and then venturing to Latin America, where he worked in two restaurants distinguished by The World’s 50 Best Restaurants.
“It never crossed my mind to leave Portugal and not return,” admits the chef. “We must travel abroad to broaden our horizons and experience different techniques and cultures, but we must also come back home to put that inspiration into practice.” And that he did.
He returned to Portugal in 2017, where he became Michele’s husband and business partner at Mercearia Gadanha, and five years later, they opened Casa do Gadanha, “combining the comfort of a country house in the city with the gastronomic richness of the region”.
The beautiful white building the hotel is set in was refurbished to maintain as many of its original features as possible, creating an environment equally elegant and ancient as it is simple and modern.
Old doors, traditional tiles, iron handrails and distinctive marble sinks are complemented by delicate materials and contemporary details.
The 12 rooms, distributed over two floors, are divided into two categories – City rooms and Superior rooms – and differ in size and brightness. No two rooms are alike at Casa do Gadanha.
Just like in a family home, each one has its own personality and charm. The living room, with a fireplace and comfortable sofas, feels like home at Casa do Gadanha, with a coffee and tea maker and blankets for added comfort.
On the ground floor, the restaurant, already endorsed by the Michelin Guide, is managed by chef Ruben.
The cosy restaurant, with wooden tables and chairs and hydraulic floor tiles, focuses on local products sourced through partnerships with small producers. This ensures quality and freshness and enables the team to use unique ingredients.
“We only work with seasonal, local and organic products, most of them from regenerative agriculture,” he insists.
The dishes are primarily made for sharing and combine modernity with the intensity of the Alentejo. Guests can order à la carte or choose the Chef’s Experience, featuring six (€55) or eight (€75) moments tailored for each guest, to which can be added a regional wine pairing (€30).
The couvert includes homemade sourdough bread served with pork lard and paprika butter, and pennyroyal pesto with cherry tomatoes. The first course could be a duck croquette with carrot mustard, followed by tuna tartare with muxama (salted dried tuna), and a vegetable dish: roasted aubergine glazed in honey with spices, served with yoghurt, chimichurri, sprinkled with crushed cashews.
More consistent dishes include line-caught hake with earthy chard, razor clam salad and fish broth, and Black pork neck with caramelised onion purée, roasted onion, beef jus, and turnip greens. And to finish on a sweet and fresh note, cherries with cream and blueberries.
For lunch, before heading out to explore the city, you can opt for a pizza (€15). An unusual choice for a gourmet restaurant that chef Ruben explains “was something that was missing in Estremoz”. But these are not ordinary pizzas; they are made with “slow, 72-hour fermented dough, topped with organic, local and seasonal ingredients”.
In addition to the restaurant, Casa do Gadanha has a bar area on the top floor and a large panoramic terrace with one of the most beautiful views of Estremoz.
Here, guests can relax in the sun and cool off in the plunge pool while sipping a cocktail on summer afternoons or, in winter, stay warm around the fire pit, enjoying snacks such as the restaurant’s pizzas.
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