For me, of course, the true draw is on the upper level. On a recent weeknight, the restaurant was fairly empty, save for the decorations: dolls, pottery, azulejos (tiles) and fado memorabilia, including a guitar, shawls and record covers. Streetlights placed intermittently between tables give the room a stagey look, as if it was not a real eatery at all but a set for an al fresco cafe.

If you were at all disoriented, the homey and rustic cooking would bring you back to attention. We picked from a basket of ordinary rolls and butter in pre-wrapped pats, plus glossy black and green olives in a bowl. We ordered a carafe of house tinto, which was the consummate table wine — simple and dry.

The first of our appetizers, chouriço assado was served ablaze in an assador de barro, a kind of ceramic boat with grill ridges. When the flame died out, having burned off all the alcohol, the long link was sliced up tableside. The fire left its lacquered casing crisp, and the rosy meat inside was juicy with deposits of fat.

Another appetizer, rissois de camarao, or fried shrimp cakes, were fanned out across a generously sized platter like lucky coin purses. To the eye, the empanada-shaped pockets looked dense, but on the tongue the dough was light and crisp, revealing a creamy shrimp and pepper sauce inside.

Next, we dug into an enormous casserole of bacalhau à Gomes de sá, salt cod, potatoes and onions, garnished with wedges of hard-boiled egg. The alternating layers of caramelized onions, feathery flakes of fish and potatoes were cooked until the flavors melded into a rich salty-sweet amalgam.

The menu includes a number of traditional dishes featuring shellfish, and we sampled the mariscada, a tomato-and brandy-based seafood stew. It arrived, shells akimbo, the garnet-hued broth practically brimming with clams, meaty mussels, scallops, shrimp and lobster. Luckily, any saucy overflow was absorbed by an underlying heap of saffron rice, which, along with sauteed vegetables, was served family-style.

For dessert, the selections vary, with daily specials like "sawdust" pudding with cookie crumbs. We sampled the shimmering and shimmying pudim flan. The egg custard was soused in syrupy caramel, but its texture was pleasingly cakey.

On the way out we peeked into the bar, which, by that time, looked to be much busier than the dining room. There were no regrets, though. I know where I stand with Tio Pepe and it's upstairs all the way.

(e_ludwig@citypaper.net)

6618 Castor Ave., 215-742-4775

Open daily 11 a.m.-10 p.m.

Appetizers, $2.95-$9.95; entrees, $12.95-$28.95

Credit cards accepted