Prego: how to put it on the menu
The prego is a sandwich of thin beef steak, grilled or fried with garlic and butter or olive oil, in a crusty roll. In Madeira it comes in bolo do caco flatbread.
Updated October 2026
How it reads on the menu, in each language
| Language | Name | Line for the guest |
|---|---|---|
| Portuguese | Prego no pão | Pão com bife de vaca fino grelhado com alho. Pode pedir com fiambre, queijo ou ovo. |
| English | Prego | Steak sandwich: a thin beef steak seared with garlic in a crusty roll. Ask for ham, cheese or egg. |
| Spanish | Prego | Bocadillo de filete de ternera fino a la plancha con ajo, en pan crujiente. Con jamón, queso o huevo a elegir. |
| French | Prego | Sandwich au steak : fine tranche de bœuf saisie à l’ail dans un petit pain croustillant. Avec jambon, fromage ou œuf au choix. |
Usual allergens to check
- Gluten
A guide based on the traditional recipe. Only your recipe and your suppliers tell you what the dish contains. How to list allergens
What Prego is
It is how many Portuguese meals end: after the seafood, in a marisqueira, people order “um prego” to finish.
How to write it for visitors
List the versions as options of the same dish — plain, with cheese, with ham, or prego no prato (on a plate with chips and egg). If it comes in bolo do caco, say so: it changes the allergens.
Where and when it is eaten
All over Portugal, in cafés, beer halls and seafood restaurants; in bolo do caco in Funchal. See the bifana, its pork cousin.
Frequently asked questions
Which allergens does a prego contain?
Gluten (the bread), and milk if the steak is cooked in butter or comes with cheese; egg in the egg version.
What is a “prego no prato”?
The same steak served on a plate, with chips, a fried egg and sometimes rice, instead of in bread.