On first blush it looks like a post office, though on closer inspection you notice that the many compartments that line the walls hold cans of sardines packed together like — well … sardines. Say hello to the Fantastic World of the Portuguese Sardine, a retail outlet and museum of sorts with its roots in Portugal. This newly opened store at the corner of Broadway and West 48th Street, is its first outside the homeland.
As you examine contents of the shelves, you note that each can of the little fishes has a date stamped on it, and that the cans have been arranged chronologically beginning in 1916.
Among the cans that are for sale is one of roasted sardines with sweet peppers, described as “the closest you can get from how the Portuguese eat sardines.” Other options include smoked and spicy sardines with lemon and tomato and premium Ouro Portugues — a product that generates much curiosity because of the edible gold flakes sprinkled on the contents. Prices range from $15 to $44.
The Fantastic World of the Portuguese Sardine, 1592 Broadway (at W. 48th Street), 347- 888-7964.
