Margarida

We stopped by for some sweets to go… had the chocolate salami and an orange cake made from oranges from the south of Portugal. I thought the salami was a bit dry and definitely not as good as the ones I had in Lisbon. The orange cake was quite moist but lacked some flavor. The store itself is a mix of specialty clothes, artifacts, food (small selection)… very interesting and the person helping us at the counter was very nice and explained things to us :)

I met Marc over a delicious morning smoothie and completely fell in love with his store. It was by far the highlight of my trip to Amsterdam, such an eclectic and beautiful variety of clothing and jewelry, and absolutely divine baked goods and drinks. this place is a MUST

I was kinda hoping margarida would be the Portuguese version of 1 of my favorite cocktails, but no cocktails. For summer, they do serve milkshakes and iced coffee made with mövenpick ice cream!
On discovery, the store is named after it’s owner. Ms Margarida is actually from Portugal and most of the products on offer are from her native country.
The shop is a hotchpotch of original Portuguese crockery and cups, jewelry, door knobs, woven cardigans, hats, scarfs. You name it. Lots of vibrant colors! Great for unique gifts!
The shop owner’s boyfriend is sort of a jack-​of-​all-​trades. He designed some of the jewelry sold in the shop and makes a mean ass Há Bifanas, a warm sandwich with pork braised in a spicy garlicy wine & beer sauce that tastes of Portugal. If it’s not spicy enough to your liking, you can always at hot extra hot sauce. Sultry fado music playing in the background completes the experience.
I love how every part of the sandwich comes from a special carefully selected supplier. For example, take the Portuguese type buns. Different from the widely used pistolet type buns. The pork, he gets from butcher Reinhart. And as the finishing touch, a little sprinkling of fleur de sale on top of the pork, which lifts up the flavors.
Also tried the Torta de laranja, a moist bread pudding type of cake with refreshing orange and the chocolate salami, an oreo cookie on steroids. You can also get the traditional Pastel de nata.
Apparently, they serve some wicked espresso and I have yet to try pumpkin jam, the Nata de Bacalhau, the chicken piri piri and the «criminally insane» Sandes de leitao (suckling pig sandwich)…all on my bucket list!
Did I already mention they also have a small selection of Portuguese wines and port? Oh, soap anyone? Like I said, hotchpotch!
This place comes with the local senior hedonist on the lookout for anyone who will strike up a conversation, while enjoying a cup of bica. After five, Portuguese will accumulate at the store to chill, have a beer and munch on some tremoços (lupin beans) or sip on some ginja.