ekscrunchy

I've had no luck with my request on a food site, so maybe some Fodorites can give me a hand here. I've done a ridiculous amount of reading and watching food videos, as usual, and come up with about 6 places for 5 nights in Lisbon. So I need to cut at least one from this list. Or maybe cut more than one and add another.

Budget is generous but do not favor very formal or stuffy. I'm very divided on Belcanto and would like to hear from people who have been.

We live in Manhattan and have very good high-end restaurants, so only will keep Belcanto if it really is quite special.

I love shellfish. Partner does not, but is content to go to a shellfish place and order a steak sandwich (Ramiro).

Staying in Bairro Alto but willing to walk or take taxi.

OK...here is my current list:


BEL CANTO. I am more than happy to pay the price if it is a truly special place with exceptional food. But some reports speak of disappointments...should we go?

MINI BAR TEATRO. I liked Tickets in Barcelona; should I keep this on the list? Substitute for Belcanto (same chef,, who trained with Albert Adria) or do both?

CERVEJARIA RAMIRO. I'm pretty set on this unless I read otherwise. Apparently one can reserve for upstairs; will I miss out on the bustling atmosphere if I eat there?

PEXIERIA DA ESQUINA

IBO (Mozambiquan; just cause I've never had this and am intrigued by the spicing)

100 MANEIRAS

SOL PESCA (this sounds like a version of Quimet in Barcelona in that they serve only seafood conservas; might stop in and try some canned seafood for a snack.)

Also, planning to bring home large amounts of good quality canned seafood. Prices at SOL PESCA seem high; which would be the best place in Lisbon to buy these? Supermarkets near Bairro Alto? Corte Ingles?

WoinParis

No idea of yours. So just to complicate : I've been to Mar Ao Carmo and loved it. Shellfish, nice welcome etc.

danon

I have been to 100 Maneiras ( bistro).
Very good food and service.

Elizabeth_S

tedgale ate at some of those I *think* - here's a link to two TRs of his

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-7-25-2015.cfm

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-amsterdam.cfm

I'll flag this post for him too (on FB)

luz_de_lisboa

For canned fish to bring home, Loja Das Conservas is great. Huge selection. Helpful staff. Two locations - near Cais do Sodre and Praça das Flores.

ekscrunchy

Thanks to you all!

Elizabeth: Great to "hear" from you again!

I've now got two more possibles for dinner:

BAIRRO DO AVILLEZ (brand new from Belcanto chef)

MARISQUERIA NUNES in Belem (presented as as alternative to Ramiro)

Will definitely check out Loja Das Conservas. Do they sell skinless sardines in Portugal? (Yes, wimpy but I do prefer them to the ones with the skin still on)

tower

EK
have a great trip...we enjoyed Portugal immensely...not being a foodie, per se', we ate in a number of mom and pops all over the country and were never disappointed.

As for sardines, seems like the national fish of Portugal! I love them in garlic and oil sauce, skin and all. Roz did not agree. If you go to Nazare' and take the funicular up to Sitio...(recommended...Great views of the Atlantic)there's a restaurant across the square from the main chapel and I saw them skinning sardines for one of the patrons. Owner stands outside and grills! Good choice....only restaurant in the vicinity.(see pics below)

Also, when visiting the castle in Lisbon, on your walk up the street from the main entrance, there's a little place called "Santiago" that features sardines. Outstanding sauces.(also other foods...wonderful clam dish)

Have fun!

stu

tower

EK
https://goo.gl/photos/wBsF4V98V8iJgjhX8

"Comida de Santiago" resto walking up to the castello.

I'm sure I have sent these before..but now it's on Google. What a headache transferring everything. To get any captions, just hit on the little "i" icon/

lobo_mau

You have a nice selection if you like "haute cuisine" and Michelin Stars.

thursdaysd

Of course, you could always go completely down market (paper tablecloths) for the best chicken going at Bom Jardim....

frencharmoire

Do you and your partner like chicken? Lisbon has wonderful roast chicken with piri piri sauce, and Bom Jardim is probably the most famous place, in a pretty setting with outdoor tables if the weather is dry.

I have to say that even though high end restaurants are downright cheap in Lisbon as compared to other European capitals, I skipped them in favor of neighborhood places that served octopus, grilled fresh sardines, abundant soups, that beautiful egg-cod-potato dish whose name I can't pronounce. Only once did I hit a bad meal that was too greasy, start to finish. There are couple of really touristy streets/areas in Lisbon and we avoided those for eating. You'll spot them right away -- lots of tourists scarfing up cheap beer and fried stuff at outdoor tables -- but otherwise we enjoyed staying out of destination restaurants or "creative" places.

I did eat at Ibo, however, which is tucked away with a really pretty view of the river, and very much enjoyed the food. I haven't the faintest idea of what Mozambiquan food is supposed to taste like, but this was aromatic rather than spicy. I ate shellfish there, and don't remember if they served meat.

Something I remember enjoying in Lisbon was bread from the bakeries (we had an apartment), so if you like bread, you might want to spend some time poking around bakeries. Curiously, I never warmed up to those little egg custard tarts, but I didn't try the famous ones from Belem. The ones I had were incredibly rich, however, super-filling, which given how much other food I was eating, just felt like too much. All the tropical fruit I ate in Lisbon was great.

Sorry I can't help you with specific addresses and names. We relied on our apartment owner who put x's on a map, or else just our own instincts when we were hungry. I've heard some of the hotels have nice restaurants if you prefer serene settings and nice decor.

frencharmoire

2 votes for Bom Jardim from 2 people writing at the same time!

jamikins

We loved 100 mani eras when we went in 2010. Note that they have a bistro and tasting menu restaurant, both with the same name so when you reserve you need to specify!!

ekscrunchy

Lobo Mau: I see that you do not comppletely approve. But surely Ramiro, Ibo, and Sol Pesca do not fall into that category. Any comments on those? Especially interested in C. Ramiro. If you have been there,, could you tell me if I will lose the fun atmpsphere if I sit on the second level, where I believe I can reserve? Is this, in fact, true?

I did read of a less frenzied alternative to Ramiro, Marisqueria Nunes in Belem, but that looksk to me like an upscale fish place without the fun atmosphere of Ramiro and the prices looked very high. What time do I need to get to Ramiro (in case I cannot book ahead) in order to avoid standing on line for an hour, which will not go over well with the shellfish-shunnning travel partner?

I LOVE peri peri sauce. There is a new-last-year Portuguese restaurant in my home city, run by a "real Portiguese" chef, Georges Mendes. This is his more casual place; the other is Aldea. He has written a nice cookbook. So I went to Lupolo especially to try the famous peri peri chicken. (Way too spicy for partner; so I think I need to try it in a more original venue and willl add Bom Jardin to my list. Although I listed mostly high-end places here, neither of us has any problem with holes in the wall with no atmosphere, as long as the food is great. We are not going to any of the famous 3-stars in San Sebastian; too many good pinxtos around.


But which to eliminate??? I am thinking 100 Maneiras can go. (??)

Since we get free breakfast at the hotel and seem incabable of passing that up, we rarely eat lunch, but maybe a small peri peri chicken!?

mnag

We enjoyed the time out market lisboa. Really great experience and the selections including cheeses, pastries blew us away.

frencharmoire

Do you know the Portuguese chef in your home town? Even if you don't, in my experience, if you go to the restaurant for a meal and ask, by the by, if you could e-mail the chef when he's not busy or speak to him some night about where to eat in his (her) home country, and what to eat, they can be really helpful. Enthisiastic. it's of course possible they will steer to their friends, or pooh-pooh good chefs they don't like, but I bet it would be an interesting conversation.

I am not an expert on Lisbon, but my impression from visiting (and loving food!) is that there are 2 approaches: There are chefs interested in creating "great" food by international standards, and some of them succeed, and there are people who run neighborhood restaurants who dish up the fundamental centuries old recipes of Lisbon for people who don't have much money in their pockets. In the second group, sometimes the food is not great. Not even good. But when it is good, it is interesting, tasty, has lots of character and really reflects the amazing melting pot that Lisbon has been. Indian flavors, Brasilian flavors, African flavors, European and Jewish traditions. There are somethings you can eat in Lisbon that are not "great" but are fascinating and tasty. Even though I wasn't wild about those egg custard tarts they were interesting to eat. (One will last you well into the day -- if your hotel serves them at breakfast, beware!)

Lisbon is no longer rich enough to support super-high-end-gastronomy, even though some native chefs follow the trends. So you need to keep that in mind.

ekscrunchy

That's an excellent idea, to ask the local chef. And you brought up some interesting points. Many thanks.

AnselmAdorne

ekscrunchy, we had the "Discoveries" tasting menu and wine pairings at Bel Canto in March, 2015. The dishes were imaginative, and superbly flavoured. The wine showcased the beauty and scope of Portugal. Equally memorable was the warm hospitality and gracious service.

One point of interest: we were unable to book an evening meal on any of the three days we overlapped in Lisbon with my daughter and her partner. We settled instead on a 1pm booking and the four of us spent an indulgent few hours over the meal.

Expensive, yes, but unforgettable.

ekscrunchy

AA: Thanks very much. There is a conference in Lisbon for part of our stay so I wanted to get my reservations in early. After reading your comments, I sent off a request to the hotel to book Belcanto for dinner. I'm glad the service was gracious and the feeling was not stuffy.

ekscrunchy

Well, the Belcanto question may be moot at this point. Even about 7 weeks out, they have no room at dinner on the first date I requested. If they cannot find another date I may book at Mini Bar Teatro, part of the same chef's empire.