You eat Portuguese food at Vasco da Gama Taverna, a De Waterkant pub that has been open since 1972. The bar counter is still its original yellow Formica, and the kitchen serves hearty portions of peri-peri chicken, trinchado, and seafood. The place was men-only until 2000; now families fill the courtyard at lunch, sheltered from the wind by the buildings around it.

The taverna pours Castle Tank Beer and mixes Catemba — Tassenberg wine with Coke — in draught glasses. Downstairs, slot machines and horse race betting run alongside live sports on multiple screens. Upstairs, private functions take over what regulars call The Vatican, a space that also hosts poker nights and quizzes.

The building is made of stone from the old Strand Street quarry, with opaque yellow stipple glass and black tiled floors. The current owner expanded into the space opposite the original bar, keeping the taverna’s character while adding room for events. Garlic hangs in the air, and the kitchen sells its trinchado sauce to take home.