Fall River’s Sagres Returns to Newport Again to Feed ‘Gilded Age’ Crew

There’s something pretty special happening in Fall River right now, and it involves a popular Portuguese restaurant that has stepped onto a much bigger stage.

Sagres Restaurant has once again been asked to cater for the cast and crew of HBO’s The Gilded Age, currently filming just down the road in Newport. It also happens to be the second year in a row they’ve gotten the call. This time around, though, they decided to share the moment.

“It’s been a privilege, once again, to provide our food to the cast and crew,” Sagres posted on Facebook alongside a photo of trays packed with Portuguese favorites.

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A Last-Minute Call Turned Into a Massive Order

Owner Victor DaSilva said the whole thing came together fast, and not exactly at the easiest time.

“We got the call on a Friday night,” he said. “We didn’t have a lot of time to really plan it out, so we had to do whatever we could at the time.” “Whatever they could” still turned into a full spread for a seriously big crowd between 150 to 200 people.

READ MORE: Everything We Know About Newport Filming of The Gilded Age’s New Season

They kept it classic and practical for large-scale catering, putting together tray-style dishes that could feed the entire crew family-style.

“We did paella, roast chicken, pork and littlenecks, sautéed vegetables, salad and potatoes,” DaSilva said. “Something that could be done in trays and served easily.”

Why Sagres Keeps Getting the Call

Here’s the part that really stands out: nobody from Sagres knows exactly how they got on HBO’s radar in the first place, but after delivering last year, it’s pretty clear why they were called back.

“I think because we did a good job last year,” DaSilva said. “You know, it’s really nice to have something like that recognized.”

Also, let’s be honest for a second. If you’re filming in Newport, you’ve got no shortage of restaurants to choose from. The fact that the production skipped all of that and came straight to Fall River? That speaks volumes.

Nearly 50 Years of Hard Work Paying Off

For DaSilva and his brother Emmanuel Ferreira, who serves as the restaurant’s chef, this moment hits a little deeper. Sagres is celebrating 50 years in business, and this kind of recognition doesn’t come overnight.

“We worked very hard,” he said. “We sacrifice a lot, so it’s always great to get something like this. It’s great publicity."

One Dish That Didn’t Make the Cut

Now, I had to ask: was the grilled octopus involved? If you’ve been to Sagres, you already know it’s one of the most talked-about dishes on the menu.

“I almost sold the octopus,” DaSilva said. “But they didn’t want it.”

He said he understood, however.. For people who’ve never tried it, octopus can be a tough sell. Still, locals know the truth that it’s one of the best around, and people travel from all over just to order it.

From Fall River to HBO

At the end of the day, this is one of those stories that just makes you proud to be from the SouthCoast: a family-run restaurant, grinding for decades, gets a call out of nowhere, and ends up feeding a major HBO production, not once, but twice.

If history tells us anything, there’s a pretty good chance they’ll be getting that call again.