The Portugal food and lodging guide, Boa Cama, Boa Mesa, recently presented its yearly awards to the best restaurants of the year and chef of the year. Here are this year’s recipients.
Garfo de Prata (Silver Fork)
100 Maneiras (Lisboa)
Antiqvvm (Porto)
Cura (Lisboa)
Euskalduna Studio (Porto)
Ferrugem (Vila Nova de Famalicão)
Fortaleza do Guincho (Cascais)
JNcQUOI Avenida (Lisboa)
Largo do Paço (Amarante)
LOCO (Lisboa)
Ó Balcão (Santarém)
Pedro Lemos (Porto)
Pequeno Mundo (Loulé)
Prado (Lisboa)
Herdade do Esporão (Reguengos de Monsaraz)
Restaurante Noélia & Jerónimo (Tavira-Cabanas)
Solar dos Presuntos (Lisboa)
Garfo de Ouro (Gold Fork)
A Cozinha por António Loureiro (Guimarães)
Alma (Lisboa)
Casa de Chá da Boa Nova (Matosinhos-Leça da Palmeira)
Feitoria (Lisboa)
Fifty Seconds by Martín Berasategui (Lisboa)
G Pousada (Bragança)
Il Gallo d’Oro (Funchal)
Mesa de Lemos (Viseu)
Vila Joya (Albufeira)
Vista Restaurante (Portimão)
Vistas Rui Silvestre (Vila Real de Santo António)
Garfo de Platina (Platinum Fork)
Belcanto (Lisboa)
Ocean (Lagoa)
The Yeatman (Vila Nova de Gaia)
Rei dos Leitões (Mealhada)
Thanks for posting. I’ll be spending 2 nights in Lisbon in May - not sure if we will do “fancy” food or walk around and find little casual spots . . . but gives me some things to research before I go! Thanks
Two little casual and inexpensive spots, but very popular, kind of “hidden” on a side street, Rua São José, that runs parallel and east of the Champs-Elysées-inspired, beautiful Avenida da Liberdade–
Taberna Anti Dantas and Sr Lisboa, at #206 and #134 and not frequented by many tourists but loved by locals and very reasonably priced, quaint and charming.
Thanks for posting this and for all of your other posts! I’m glad to see that three of our reserved restos (Belcanto, 100 Maneiras and JNcQUOI) are still well regarded.
Do you have any opinion on Semea by Euskalduna? We have a reservation there (based on the chef and a reasonable ranking in Mesa Marcada). I would have preferred going to Euskalduna but we are 5 adults so counter seating doesn’t really work and a more budget friendly option is always appreciated.
I don’t know that it’s relevant but we will be in Portugal mid-June.
I haven’t been to Semea by Euskalduna in Porto but I wouldn’t hesitate to book there and probably will when we return in October, since it’s the budget friendly option of the 2.
We had 2 informal meals at JNĈQUOI last month, in the downstairs Deli Bar, which we really enjoyed.
2 simple meals–the first consisting of their charcuterie platter of Iberian ham served with delicious tomato bread (the bread in Portugal is exceptional) and a cheese platter of Azeitão, Serpa and Estrela cheeses. served with a pumpkin marmalade and toast. And for dessert we shared their famous pão-de-ló de Ovar cake (a type of sponge cake). Service was excellent.
Our second meal at the Deli Bar was on a very busy and crowded Friday night, when a D.J. provides music starting at 8. The bar at night draws a fashionable crowd and is very Instagram-able, but service was more rushed. We had another simple meal (prices here are high so we needed to show restraint)–their famous and enormous hamburger on brioche bun with fries, a Prego sandwich also served with fries and another charcuterie platter.
To drink: the Quinta Soalheiro alvarinho from the Minho, the best white wine for the best price, our waiter explained.
The upstairs restaurant is simply gorgeous and would be a quieter option (although quite busy as well) for an elegant evening meal.
They have also opened an outdoor terrace.
JNĈQUOI is certainly a hot table, a “see and be seen” place that we’re not usually drawn to, but the food is of a very high standard (pricey but high quality). We were staying at the Hotel Britânia, just a block away, so it was handy.
