The inner western suburb of Petersham is Sydney’s ‘Little Portugal’ – with everything you need for a vicarious Portuguese gourmet tour in a short strip of New Canterbury Road. There’s a butcher, a baker, a deli, liquor store and authentic Portuguese chicken shop. Here’s where to stock up on Sydney’s best Portuguese food and drink.
Sweet Belém
Sweet-tooths all over Sydney head to chef Jose Silva’s bakery for Sydney’s best Portuguese tarts made with buttery puff pastry, fresh eggs and milk, hand-filled and baked on site daily. But it doesn’t end there, the traditional breads, chouriço rolls, chouriço and cheese brioche and pies (including bacalhau) get rave reviews, while the range of lesser-known traditional Portuguese sweets, such as queijadas and guardanapos, are an education in themselves!
Charlie’s Deli
Carmelo (“Charlie”) Santoro opened Santoro Deli in 1980 with his wife Carmela, and changed the name to Charlie’s a few years later because that’s what everyone called it anyway. Today siblings Sam, Ang and Lucy continue their parents’ legacy, opening 7 days a week to provide locals and food-loving visitors with bacalhau, piri-piri sauce, Portuguese cheeses, groceries and gorgeous terracotta servingware alongside friendly service and cooking advice.
Portuguese Spanish Butchery
Hailing from Madeira, Orlando and Ivone Camacho’s family has been running Sydney’s best Portuguese butchery for over 32 years. Alongside the usual range of fresh meat, there’s special churrasco cuts, house-made Portuguese and Brazilian sausages (like alheira, morcela and morcela de arroz), a great selection of smallgoods and a small range of specialty Portuguese, Brazilian and Spanish groceries. Plus friendly advice from Orlando himself, of course!
Frango’s
With Portuguese charcoal chicken outlets on almost every corner, it’s hard to know where to head to for the ‘real thing’. Look no further than this unassuming diner opened in 1989 by the Angolan-Portuguese Fernandes family. There are now 6 more stores from Penrith to Camden, all basting delicious charcoal-grilled chicken with the family’s ‘secret’ piri-piri sauce, created by Grandma Fernandes in Angola.
Petersham Liquormart
Whether you’re after a vinho verde to quaff with your caldo verde, some aguardente to flame your chouriço à bombeiro, or a bottle of Madeira or Port to serve alongside dessert, you’ll find Sydney’s best range of Portuguese wines and spirits here. There’s a good range of Brazilian cachaca, Mexican tequila and mezcal, and Spanish wines and spirits too. Worth a browse to discover something a little different.
Like Portuguese? You’ll love A Month in Portugal Recipes+Videos Pack Inspired by Jose Silva.
