Pensão Flávia in Historic Center - Santo António Street

Hello everyone and welcome to my blog :-)

Let's continue our journey through Chaves and its charms.
In the heart of the historic center, the balconies on Rua Direita are a real attraction. Walking calmly through the ancient streets, allowing yourself to savor every moment (after all, who said that a trip should be rushed), it is possible to appreciate true jewels of the past, when the town was protected by high walls.

Balconies emerged as a smart solution to optimize space, as houses were modest, even spread over several floors. Today, these balconies display vibrant colors, further beautifying the beating heart of the city.
The streets are full of shops where we can find a little bit of everything. The ones that capture our attention the most are smoked meats and organic vegetables.

The windows are full and outside are baskets with fresh fruits and vegetables that we can choose. The streets were full and it was already close to lunch time. As it was a weekday we risked visiting the famous restaurant "Pensão Flávia" without booking. Everyone who passes by tries their luck (like us) or makes a reservation. The restaurant is very simple and is "hidden" on one side of Rua Santo António (one of the main arteries).

One of the differences between this place and other places is that here you don't choose what you eat, but rather what you bring to the table. But before explaining how it works, pay attention to the decoration. Right at the entrance we have a map explaining the National Route 2, a counter, many dedications and stickers, drawings on the tables, telling a little about the history of those who passed by. We pass the first door and we have a new counter but this time for having a coffee or an aperitif and just ahead the entrance to the dining room. The dedications and drawings are still scattered around the room and are an integral part of who passed by, as well as a number of guitars.

We sit down and immediately frying pans with traditional and contemporary food (cold and hot dishes) begin to arrive.
What I remember they served to us were: boiled prawns, rojões, cheese, sausage and ham, roast veal, mushrooms, sautéed prawns, shredded cod, alheira, grilled meat with mashed potatoes and to drink Sangria (which is the house specialty ). For dessert, an apple dessert with lemon sauce and something crunchy that I can't say what it was. I don't know if all the dishes we ate are here because they were actually huge. The advantage is that you can repeat what you want and as often as you want, just like the drink. At the end we received a visit from the boss who was very friendly, he told us that he sang and played here, but I believe on special nights.

When it comes to paying what is indicated to us, there is a base value: €20 per adult and children, we decide. You can pay just €20 per person or pay more. It is at your discretion, however we know that this decision to implement a base value was taken in 2022 (after covid), until then everyone paid what they wanted.

Now, after eating so much food, we really had to walk and returned to Rua Santo António. We noticed that the benches on which we can rest face the stores and not the street, something we hadn't seen anywhere else.
Here we find a large square with the name of the city in giant letters. This square also includes the Municipal Library, the Post Office and the High School (something that is also not very common to see).
Our day didn't end here, tomorrow I'll show you a little more of this itinerary.

I hope you enjoyed.
See you around.
Wishing you much peace and health

Those who pass by us do not go alone. They leave a bit of themselves, taking a piece of us."
Author: Antoine de Saint-Exupery, The Little Prince.

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Text & Photography by @Onyfest

With love @onyfest