We will travel to Portugal this summer and are looking for restaurant (dinner) recommendations - we are interested in high-end and small mom-n-pop places and everything in between. Anybody with recommendations for good restaurants in Lisbon ?
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Ramiro & Prado.
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A second thumbs up to Prado.
And a strong vote for O Frade in Belém. Cuisine from the Alentejo region.
The gastronomic blog, Mesa Marcada, proclaimed JoĂŁo Rodrigues of Canalha as top chef of the year and his restaurant number one in Portugal.
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Canalha also is distinguished by the Michelin guide as a Bib Gourmand.
O Frade
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I loved Ramiro!! Top quality, unadorned seafood…several types of shrimp including carabineros. We did have dinner at Belcanto; I had tried to book but had no luck but the hotel managed to find us a table last minute.
It’s lovely, delicious and with beautiful plating, but we had more fun at Ramiro–different ends of the spectrum. I’d return to Belcanto, though, and order a la carte. And would certainly return to Ramiro. They seated us upstairs which is quieter (they seem to put a lot of foreigners up there) but I think the ground floor, with all the action, is a better place to sit.
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I enjoyed Ramiro as well until the very end…when the waiter suggested that we add a tip to our final bill on his tablet because “service wasn’t included”. I don’t know whether or not management now orders the wait staff to do this, but we declined and instead left a small tip in change at the table.
Maybe the Bourdain effect???..we were placed at the enclosed terrace along with most foreigners, perhaps because the waiters assigned to the terrace spoke excellent English.
We ordered the shrimp in garlic sauce (gambas al ajillo), accompanied by their wonderful buttered bread (Pão torrado com manteiga) to soak up the sauce, their clams (Amêijoa Bulhão Pato) and scarlet prawns (carabineiros), along with a bottle of Quinta Soalheiro from the Minho, “the best wine at the best price”, proclaimed our waiter.
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I still dream of those scarlet prawns!
@honkman
If you check www.guiarepsol.com on April 7, after the first ever Repsol Gala awards are held in Santarém, you can see to which Lisbon & Porto restaurants the Repsol inspectors have awarded a Sol (the Repsol guide’s “sol” is the Iberian homemade alternative to the Michelin star).
This guide, which used to be called Campsa, originally recommended restaurants in both countries, but when it became the Repsol guide, they removed the Portuguese recommendations. We used to carry the Campsa guide around with us when exploring both countries. Now the Repsol guide is online and has an app.
It was announced at this year’s Repsol Gala in Tenerife last Monday, that Repsol Portugal would have its own distinct dining guide (like the new red Michelin exclusively for Portugal). I’m interested to see which Lisbon and Porto restaurants will be designated with a Sol.
Rumor has it that Belcanto and Alma will most likely be awarded with a sun, as they both sport two Michelin stars. Both have a la carte options.
Marlene’s eponymous restaurant, now with a Michelin star, is another contender (tasting menu only). Her casual spot, which we enjoyed, is Zum Zum Gastro Bar.
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@honkman
For casual in Lisbon, look at this thread with reports by Ziggy and others
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Shortcut to my Lisbon report
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We also liked Tapisco as a Spanish-Portuguese hybrid, tapas/petiscos. We’ve gone twice.
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I like A Marisqueira do Lis, which is frequented by locals.
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