There is a saying that no food is as good as grandma’s. Well, neither of mine knew how to cook...But I can assume that whoever said it had someone like Dona Celia in the family. At 80 years old and with no signs of slowing down, she runs the show at Hotel Roma, in Porto Alegre.

Nearby the airport, this simple hotel holds on the ground floor a very special restaurant that in my opinion is not only one of the best in town, but also a national treasure.

Dona Celia is the person in charge of both the kitchen and service and I can assure you that she and the whole team will make you feel at home. Putting the food aside for a minute, because having a meal there goes way beyond the food in itself, you’ll feel welcomed and a positive energy all over the place.

The staff serve homemade food made with love and the impression that I had is that they’ve been working together for so long and with such joy that they’ve come to love one another. The result is that it is impossible to leave their table without a big smile on your face.

Having said that, we can now go into the food.

It all starts with a fresh plate of salad and then things escalate quickly and several different plates are put on the table, including rice, beans, gnocchi and beef ribs with cassava, both of which melt in your mouth like butter.

But the real magic happens on the rotating service of complimentary dishes. Thin slices of steak perfectly seasoned and served fresh off the griddle, as well as a tray of fritters that include their signature “bolinho” made with potatoes and filled with minced meat, and fried cabbage, my personal favorite.

Desserts are also very good, but it is hard to leave space for them, especially with Dona Celia coming by every now and then to insist that you eat a little bit more - just like loving grandmas usually do.

(Versão em Português nos comentários)