In the heart of Esch-sur-Alzette, right in front of the city’s train station, lies the traditional tavern of Tasquinha da Gare, the kind of which are becoming rare even in Portugal.

It’s a place where the doors open at 07:00 to serve coffee and bagaço (a type of brandy), where a good part of the population who travelled alone to Luxembourg comes to drown their sorrows, and where the famous Portuguese gastronomic tradition of petiscos (platters) are still served.

“This is the food that the poor have used to stave off hunger for centuries in Portugal,” says owner Alda Caçoilo, known as “auntie”.

A pan of bifanas – traditional pork sandwiches – always burns on the cooker. The regular ones are served for €7.50, well-seasoned with paprika, garlic, and white wine.

On the counter, a plate laden with salt holds a good dozen boiled eggs, a snack for just €1 each. And then there’s the true treasure of the house: eight trays constantly being heated, where the Portuguese-style petisco reigns supreme.

Susana Vicente and Alda Caçoilo keep the food coming for hungry customers throughout the day © Photo credit: Ricardo J. Rodrigues

There’s always the iscas de cebolada (liver with onions), sliced ​​thinly as they should be. And today, by chance, they have run out of rojões (pork pieces) but they’re usually a regular feature in the display case.

Instead, today there’s picapau de vaca (beef) and the daily salads, such as de orelha (pig’s ear) and chispe (pork trotters), well-pickled. There’s always pickled fish: usually small sardines. Next to it there’s fried moray eel, and further on, pork belly in pepper sauce. Each portion costs €7.50, but if someone wants an extra portion, the price goes up by €1.

Susana Vicente is also there stirring the pots, and there’s a daily special every day for €12. On Mondays, it’s dobrada (tripe and bean stew) and cozido à portuguesa (Portuguese stew) on Tuesdays.

From Friday to Saturday it varies, but the Portuguese flavours remain. Today there is another stew – rancho – tomorrow jardineira (vegetable stew), but stews with beans with pork ribs and chicken giblets are also regularly served. “It’s all home-cooked food, because it’s inside the pot that you feel the taste of our country,” explain Caçoilo and Vicente.

The soup varies each day, but the caldo verde (kale soup) and chicken soup are absolute certainties during the week. There are no French fries served, but anyone who wants one can order a side of arroz de feijão malandrinho (creamy rice and beans). “This is a real tasca (tavern),” says Vicente.

‘Tascas’ on the verge of extinction

Susana is sometimes irritated by the phenomenon she sees happening in Portugal. “The pastry shops, the taverns, the old cafés are disappearing and I think that’s due a lot to tourism. We find fewer and fewer of these truly Portuguese places, which have been operating in the same way for decades. Or for centuries, even,” she says as she prepares the table for a father and daughter who have just arrived.

“Auntie” Alda greets the arrivals. She says that 80% are loyal customers. “I’ve been here since 2017, then I took the helm of Tasquinha in 2022 and did things my own way. But, in all this time, I’ve seen people born and others die, people who arrived with nothing and built their lives, others who fell into misfortune and whom I had to feed so they wouldn’t go hungry. I’ve had so many conversations that brought me to tears. A tavern is also a psychologist’s office, you know?,” she says.

As evening approaches, the regulars begin to arrive, men who have come to Luxembourg alone in search of a better life. There are many Portuguese and many Cape Verdeans, so there’s always grogue – a type of rum – on the shelf that doubles as a bar. This counter-turned-tavern in Esch satisfies hunger, yes, but also wards off loneliness.

Conversation at the counter is a central feature at the tavern © Photo credit: Ricardo J. Rodrigues

But diversity is also the rule of the house. Caçoilo and Vicente have their doors and arms open to everyone. “People come from all countries and all walks of life. Of course, the bulk of the clientele are still workers,” says Caçoilo, “but more and more people from higher income brackets are coming, who like food and appreciate our authenticity.”

Someone nearby overhears the conversation and throws out a joke, which may not actually be a joke: “They [the wealthier clients] go to the Michelin stars and then they go to Tasquinha da Gare.”

As evening approaches, half the world begins to arrive by train, and the tavern fills up. The seven high stools at the counter are now in high demand; some wait their turn, while others lean against the counter to eat standing up, carrying the weight of the day on their shoulders.

“There aren’t many places where you can eat this, are there?” asks one of the customers, facing a portion of chispe (pork trotters), only to answer himself immediately: “There aren’t, no.”

Tasquinha da Gare is located on Boulevard John Fitzgerald Kennedy in Esch-sur-Alzette and is open from Monday to Saturday, from 07:00 to 21:00.

(This article was originally published by Contacto. Machine translated using AI, with editing and adaptation by John Monaghan.)