I returned to the friendly Portuguese Leitao in the West Village, again lucking out to sit at one of the two fairly quiet window tables — this time with my grad school roomie and her hubbie.

Their Iberico pork ribs, Porco Preto ($22), cooked in wine, capers and housemade Calabrian garlic chili, were as delicious as last time. Again, the meat fell right off the bones.

This was my first time sampling their thinly sliced Portuguese octopus with chorizo, red pickled peppers and potatoes ($28), but it won’t be my last.

The plentiful Arroz de Marisco ($39, seafood with rice) with shrimp, clams, mussels, cod and chorizo in a flavorful saffron-infused rice was even too much for three. We dipped their thick Portuguese bread into the yummy broth.

The only disappointment was the dry piri piri chicken. I had been looking forward to the 6/10 spiciness of the flavorful sauce, but that couldn’t counteract the overcooking.

Don’t skip the Pasteis de Nata, the traditional custard tarts flavored with lemon and cinnamon. We had to as we were rushing to our reservation at Raines Law Room, my favorite local speakeasy.

I recommend Leitao.

Leitao
West Village
547 Hudson St
New York, NY 10014
(212) 810-9944
leitaonyc.com/