Avenida SushiCafé
Rua Barata Salgueiro, 28
211 928 158
Closes on Sundays
Price per person: €35
gruposushicafe.pt/avenida
This restaurant specializes in traditional Japanese cuisine, created by professionals with experience in reputable Japanese restaurants around the world. The space is elegant and contemporary, divided into different ambiances, from the bar and dining area for faster sushi meals, to the more formal dining room lit in purple tones.
The menu goes beyond the sushi, sashimi and Tamakis, mixing lesser-known Japanese dishes.
Bonjardim
Travessa de Santo Antão, 11
213 424 389
Opens every day
Price per person: €25
facebook.com/RestauranteBonjardim2016
It's a local favorite since the 1950s, and the word has spread to guidebooks, which recommend the so-called "king of chickens" as the place to enjoy Portugal's famous spit-roast chicken in Lisbon. The chicken is served slightly spicy, with French fries and salad on the side, but you may always add some extra piri-piri sauce.
In addition to the famous chicken there are several options of traditional Portuguese cuisine.
Casa do Alentejo
Rua Portas de Santo Antão, 58
213 405 140
Opens every day
Price per person: €20
casadoalentejo.pt
A beautiful palatial residence originally built in the 1600s was turned into a social club for those from the Alentejo region living in Lisbon, with a restaurant upstairs. It's accessed through a stunning and unexpected Moorish-style courtyard, and up the stairs you reach a Louis XVI-style ballroom which may be booked for special occasions. At the two dining rooms you see some beautiful tiles from the 18th and 19th centuries on the walls, and are served a menu of traditional Portuguese cuisine, with a focus on the regional specialties of the Alentejo.
Cervejaria Liberdade
Avenida da Liberdade, 185
213 198 620
Opens every day
Price per person: €45
facebook.com/cervejarialiberdade
It’s the most sophisticated beer house or seafood restaurant in the city. It has an elegant décor, with blue velvet curtains, classic furnishings and a display of seafood on ice, fresh from the Portuguese coast (from Aveiro to Algarve). Oysters and clams are the favorite choices, but there are also meat dishes.
Eleven
Rua Marquês de Fronteira
213 862 211
Closes on Sunday
Price per person: €75
www.restauranteleven.com
It was Lisbon's most ambitious restaurant when it opened in 2005, and was soon recognized with a Michelin star. It's found at the top of Edward VII Park, and offers a panoramic view across the park and the city.
The innovative cuisine, using some rare and seasonal products, is served in a sophisticated, contemporary space. The German-born chef has worked at a 2-Michelin-starred restaurant in Spain so you'll find a strong influence of Mediterranean flavors.
Gambrinus
Rua das Portas de Santo Antão, 23
213 421 466
Opens every day
Price per person: €50
www.gambrinuslisboa.com
A Lisbon institution since it opened in 1936 as a German beer hall, it became an upscale restaurant in the 1960s serving Portuguese cuisine and specializing in seafood. The décor with exotic woods and stained glass alluding to King Gambrinus remains the same, as does the old-fashioned service, which guarantees many repeat diners.
Guilty
Rua Barata Salgueiro, 28
211 913 590
Opens every day
Price per person: €30
restaurantesolivier.com/en/guilty
Over the years, chef Olivier has presented his personal interpretations of international cuisine, has experimented with sushi, and for his fourth restaurant he decided to concentrate on guilty pleasures: wood-oven-baked pizzas, burgers, and pastas. Found just around the corner from Avenida da Liberdade, it has a laid-back atmosphere, and the interior includes a DJ booth and tables with an electronic device to draw the attention of your waiter. It's also a good destination for pre- or post-dinner cocktails at the bar.
JncQuoi Avenida
Avenida da Liberdade, 182-184
219 369 900
Opens every day
Price per person: €45
www.jncquoi.com/avenida
Three floors of the Tivoli Theater were divided into a restaurant, bar, gourmet store, and men's boutique bringing together several luxury labels. The name is pronounced "je ne sais quoi," and the place does have a certain Parisian touch, starting at the entrance with a corner of the French luxury bakery Ladurée, with its famous colorful macaroons.
It’s a destination for any time of the day, from lunch to 5 o’clock tea and dinner. On the ground floor is the "delibar,” a gourmet store and bar serving light meals accompanied by wine or cocktails, and downstairs is the boutique. Upstairs is the restaurant, for which you need to book a table in advance. It has an open kitchen, where Portuguese and international dishes are reinterpreted by the chef, and a curious life-size skeleton of a velociraptor dinosaur in the middle of the room. The entire décor respects the elegant and sophisticated style of the building, with marble and mirrored glass, and preserves the old frescoes.
JncQuoi Asia
Avenida da Liberdade, 144
210 513 000
Opens every day
Price per person: €50
www.jncquoi.com/asia
It’s one of the city’s trendiest restaurants and one of the most photographed, thanks to the skeleton of a dragon hanging from the ceiling. It’s divided into four different areas -- the bar at the entrance, the main dining room where cuisine from various corners of Asia is served (plus some delicious signature desserts), a sushi room, and a terrace -- all decorated with Asian motifs.
Luzzo
Rua de Santa Marta, 37
213 570 518
Opens every day
Price per person: €20
www.pizzarialuzzo.pt
This pizzeria is inspired by Neapolitan pizzas, prepared in a wood oven, but adds Portuguese flavors through the use of local products. The space is divided into two rooms, with walls covered in wood, tiles, and images of vegetables. At the tables, instead of plates are wooden pizza paddles, while orders are placed on a tablet which lists the menu that also includes salads and carpaccios.
O Churrasco
Rua das Portas de Santo Antão, 83-85
213 423 059
Opens every day
Price per person: €25
facebook.com/restauranteochurrasco85
If you enjoy food straight from the grill, and especially chicken, you won't leave this restaurant disappointed. It stands out on a street full of touristy restaurants, with good options of grilled meat and fish. It maintains a 1960s interior, and also offers outdoor seating.
Os Tibetanos
Rua do Salitre, 117
213 142 038
Opens every day
Price per person: €20
tibetanos.com
Located not far from Avenida da Liberdade, this Tibetan-inspired restaurant serves vegetarian meals. It's one of the oldest veggie restaurants in the city (it's part of a Buddhist school found upstairs), and includes tables in the patio, open on warmer days and heated in winter.
Otro
Rua Rodrigues Sampaio, 94
963 620 129
Closes on Sundays and Mondays
Price per person: €65
otrorestaurante.com
This restaurant is for when you’re looking for something different and memorable. When you enter, you have a bar for cocktails or glasses of champagne before moving on to the elegant dining room, decorated with luxurious materials in green and gray. Outside, there’s a small terrace with chillout music.
The menu was created by renowned chef Vítor Sobral, and mixes traditional Portuguese products and international ingredients, like cod, caviar or white truffles. The drinks and wine list is also filled with national and international options, such as Pêra-Manca or Châteauneuf du Pape.
Pinóquio
Praça dos Restauradores, 79
213 465 106
Opens every day
Price per person: €30
www.restaurantepinoquio.pt
With tables outside facing the bustling Praça dos Restauradores, this restaurant attracts tourists but also many locals who have always enjoyed its seafood, especially the clams. The steaks are also popular, all served in a very relaxed ambience.
Ribadouro
Avenida da Liberdade, 155
213 549 411
Opens every day
Price per person: €35
www.cervejariaribadouro.pt
As soon as you enter, you know that the seafood served here is fresh. You see it swimming in a tank before it's taken to the pot and served on your plate. It's also a beer hall, perfect for when you have to wait for a table. The kitchen remains open until late, in case you feel like having a late-night dinner.
Outside is a kiosk serving the same dishes, for open-air meals.
Seen
Avenida da Liberdade, 185 (9o andar)
210 965 775
Opens every day
Price per person: €50
seenlx.com
It shares one of the best views of Lisbon with one of the most popular rooftop bars in town, and is a place “to see and be seen.” It serves dishes from different world cuisines, accompanied by signature cocktails. The well-decorated interior features a large tree in the middle of the room.
Solar dos Presuntos
Rua das Portas de Santo Antão, 150
213 424 253
Closes on Sunday
Price per person: €35
www.solardospresuntos.com
It’s the most recommended restaurant in Lisbon for authentic Portuguese cuisine, attracting locals and tourists -- plus many national and international celebrities, as seen on the photos covering the walls. This is not fine dining, and it’s quite laid-back, but the food is generally excellent, mainly following the traditions of northern Portugal.
Varanda
Rua Rodrigo da Fonseca, 88
213 811 400
Opens every day
Price per person: €90
The Ritz Four Seasons Hotel reserved its top floor for a sophisticated restaurant overlooking the city. It's popular at lunch time for a buffet, while at night it offers an a la carte service. The award-winning cuisine mixes traditional Portuguese, French and Mediterranean flavors, and there is also an excellent selection of wines. You don't have to stay at the hotel to enjoy the restaurant, but you’ll want to book a table in advance and to dress up.
Yakuza Lisboa
Rua Júlio César Machado, 7
934 000 913
Opens every day
Price per person: €70
restaurantesyakuza.com
Located around the corner from Avenida da Liberdade, in the Avani Hotel (but with a separate entrance), this is one of the best Japanese restaurants in Portugal. It presents a list of original dishes mixing Japanese traditions and Mediterranean flavors, to be accompanied by signature cocktails. The décor takes you to Japan, through the plants and the images of geishas on the walls.
