TA Restaurant

A big Main-Street restaurant with a friendly family atmosphere, TA is an opportunity to eat meals that are well-seasoned by the spicy Portuguese culture that is so much a part of southern Massachusetts. Formally named Tabacaria Acoreana, it is a great place to come for a simple chourico sausage sandwich on a bakery roll, or for an inexpensive but hugely satisfying pay-one-price lunch buffet any weekday at noon, when you can help yourself to such dishes as alentejana (marinated pork pieces with steamed littleneck clams and potatoes) and baked cod.

For many families, TA is the place to gather for a full-course dinner complete with a choice of Portuguese wines. The complete TA experience starts with kale soup and a wide platter of littlenecks in beer and garlic, or perhaps with the item called “shrimp with lots of garlic.” Take that title seriously; in this restaurant, lots of garlic means lots of garlic! After that, move on to a big plate of crusty-skin chourico sausage that is carried to the table in flames on its piggy platter or any number of vividly spiced plates of shellfish stew.

Excellent as the high-flavored ethnic items are, unadventurous eaters can come to TA for an American square meal, too. The kitchen makes a lovely plate of liver and onions; you can even get a cheeseburger or a hot dog!