Our Selection Of The Most Coveted Restaurants of 2019 ♦ There are thousands of new restaurants in the country, opening at the speed of mushrooms! Secrets From Portugal brings the top choices of the best newly opened restaurants: from author cuisine to natural fermentation pizzas there are lots of options to choose from. Enjoy our CovetED guide!
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Caffè di Marzano
At Caffè di Marzano, they believe in the gift of time: time to stop and grab a much-deserved drink or a delicious bite to eat. Inspired by the Italian way of life, we are more than a coffee shop, a bar or a restaurant.
Inspired by the vermuterias found across New York and Italy, at night Caffè di Marzano becomes a charming vinoteca, bringing an old-school vibe and bohemian glamour to the heart of Lisbon.
Plano, Graça Lisboa
There is an oasis in Graça where Portugal comes to the plate from the fire. A place where the table brings people together in a dream uncovered and candlelit materialized the dream. Flat, as it was baptized, is the latest adventure of chef Vitor Adam individually, and we realize that in the kitchen, as in life, madness also fits a method.
Semea by Euskalduna, Porto
Semea is all about sharing. They believe that everyone has special memories of being at a table with their loved ones and that these moments will always have a connection with food! Semea – that means son in Basque – is an extension of Chef Vasco Coelho Santos vision and influences.
At the restaurant, people are invited to a casual and friendly environment. The food is a combination of fresh ingredients and the Portuguese essence. We respect the origin of the product so that the end result is a sustainable menu that results from the combination of outstanding ingredients.
Enoteca 17.56, Gaia
With a vast wine cellar of national and international wines, Enoteca 17 • 56 aims to combine the best of contemporary, Mediterranean and fusion cuisine with the wine universe.
Being the city of Porto one of the 10 world capitals of wine, the Enoteca 17 • 56, located in Cais de Gaia, presents itself as a tasting space par excellence, with a wide gastronomic offer, where the wine is King.
The George Restaurant & Terrace, Gaia
A journey down the Douro river from the mountains to the estuary, strong northern roots in an urban environment: this is what you will find at The George Restaurant & Terrace. In a unique riverfront location right next to the Douro river and overlooking the Ribeira, The George Restaurant & Terrace presents a selection of typical flavours from the north of Portugal with refreshing and contemporary twists, paired with the best Portuguese wines. The extensive cocktail menu is inspired by Port Wine, presenting unique signature creations and beloved classics in a perfect riverfront location.
At the Terrace, you can relax by the river and enjoy the lovely view of the Ribeira. The George Restaurant & Terrace is the perfect place for an after-work original Port Wine cocktail or a sharing a snack with friends, taking in the unique vibe of the Vila Nova de Gaia riverfront.
Fava Tonka, Leça da Palmeira
The menu of this vegetarian, seasonal and organic restaurant changes – and a lot – depending on the season. At this time of year, mainly the tubers and roots come in. “There is plenty of everything that is sprouts, greens, turnips, turnips,” says chef Nuno Castro, who accumulates the kitchen of Fava Tonka with Esquina do Avesso, both in Leça da Palmeira. And it’s all Portuguese, grown mainly in the Marco de Canavezes area. In the menu, now with only two cold dishes, there is the beetroot tartare with goat cheese ice cream with seaweed caviar and purple endive leaves (€ 9).
In the warm suggestions – which invite to share – the topinambur with boletus, truffles and raw chestnuts (€ 12); grilled heart cabbage with potato emulsion and organic olive oil (€ 10); a plate of various turnip textures with beurre blanc of seaweed and raw baby carrots (€ 9.50); or the beans with morilles mushrooms and cabbage heart, with garlic fried bread (€ 10), reminiscent of a feijoada. Finish the meal with the cauliflower, hazelnut and salted caramel dessert (€ 5), which results in part from “harnessing the cabbage shavings that make a crumble of hazelnuts,” says the chef. A sign that in Fava Tonka, nothing is lost, everything is transformed.
Vila Foz: Fish and seafood in chef Arnaldo Azevedo’s new author’s restaurant
Perhaps this is why Arnaldo Azevedo (for the past seven years in front of the Palco restaurant) gets a Michelin Star. At least that is your expectation, she confesses, like the menu, she designed for Vila Foz – the fine dining restaurant of the hotel of the same name in Foz – could take you further. Dedicated to fish and seafood – it has only two meat dishes (pigeon and mature cow, each € 40) – the menu follows the seasonality of the products: sea bass with beans and veal (€ 37), lobster with salsify and vegetables from the season (€ 40), as well as the well-known crayfish, foie gras and morilles (€ 30) and beet ravioli, fermented kale and fennel sauce (€ 18).
In the living room, decorated by Nini Andrade Silva, there are still two places reserved for those who want to see the chef cook (€ 200 / person). Arnaldo Azevedo is also responsible for Flor de Lis, the most informal restaurant in the five-star hotel, where he serves roast-breaded fish from the market (€ 17) and oven-roasted lamb shovel with battered potatoes and greens (€ 38). , a kitchen that reminds you of childhood, reveals.
K.O.B.
KOB by Olivier Restaurants are sophisticated steakhouses with matured meat. The origin, the cut and quality of the meat are key elements for the varied menu organised by countries and maturing time.
With 22 years of professional career, chef Olivier da Costa is already a milestone in the history of restoration in Portugal for the revolution that he brought in its spaces, trends and concepts such as the brands Olivier Avenida, Seen by Olivier, Guilty by Olivier, Yakuza by Olivier and KOB by Olivier, where he wants to ensure that each customer lives an experience and a unique moment, whenever they enter a space with the signature by Olivier.
Rossio Gastrobar
Voted one of the 10 Best New Rooftop Bar for Summer 2019 by Forbes magazine, the all-new Rossio Gastrobar is one of the must-see addresses for the coming months. Avoiding clichés and adjectives is a difficult task – we have written it once and repeated it – when we go up to the seventh floor of the Altis Avenida hotel and come across a landscape that reveals São Jorge Castle, the Tagus River, the Santa Lift. Justa, the area of Grace and the Pombalino houses. From the menu, designed by chefs João Rodrigues (in front of Feitoria, at Altis Belém Hotel & Spa) and João Correia (who takes the lead in Altis Avenida cuisine), we have to start with oxtail croquettes and homemade mustard sauce (€ 7, 4 units) and the fake cherries of foie gras and toasted brioche. In the Bowls category, we highlight the arouquesa and caviar tartar (€ 20, € 12 without caviar), and in the bread category, the Alentejo pork sando katsu and onion pickle (€ 12).
In Comfort, the largest section of the menu, grilled white asparagus, ripened cow cheese and Dutch sauce (€ 11) and squid, shitakes and citrus butter sauce (€ 18) are irresistible. Finally, strawberry, yoghurt and meringue (€ 6) or chocolate, hazelnut and tonka bean (€ 6), two temptations in the form of a trilogy. All thought to share, accompanied by a cocktail (ten on the list), wine or craft beer, and DJ music from Thursday to Saturday.
Meat Me, Lisbon
A treat for carnivores:
While waiting for a table, you have to sit at the bar sipping a cocktail and chatting with experienced head bartender Vasco Martins. This is a good way to start the next banquet at the Meat Me restaurant, sock-walls with the São Luiz Theater in Chiado, so you can learn more about the cocktail party from the 1920s to the 1960s. On the menu, designed by Tomas Pires, a disciple of French chef Aimé Barroyer, there are various types of meat (and cuts), such as wagyu, from free-range pastures, and black pig, fed on an acorn in the Lower Alentejo.
It is divided by animals: of cow, there is loin (250g / € 27), El Capricho chuleton (€ 95 / kg), empty with bone (€ 195 / kg); pork, the belly of the piglet (€ 17) and the black pork tomahawk (€ 35); and beef, the chuleton (€ 180 / kg), which are then grilled at Josper. Mention is also made of José Gordon, owner of El Capricho Winery near León, Spain, who is considered the producer of the best meat in the world by Time magazine, and who supplies Meat Me. Every day is good for lunch or dinner. Here is the tip: on Thursdays, guests have the opportunity to taste unique and exclusive wines by the glass.
JNCQUOI Asia, Lisbon
JNcQUOI Asia is a space that tells the story through the food of a small nation and its adventurous, curious and tenacious people, who extended their influence overseas, opening up food and spice routes to all four corners of the globe. These travels resulted in a fusion of cultures that allowed Portugal to extend its influence to India, Siam, China and Japan. We are the true “Heroes of the Sea”! JNcQUOI Asia is the revelation of the Portuguese legacy in the Orient.”
The Asian restaurant stands at the very centre of the venue, combines striking shades of red, golden and green with materials such as velvet, wood and leather. Designed with keen attention to detail, the kitchen is packed with traditional utensils from each region, and features the Tandoor oven, the Peking duck, the great robata grill and several wok stations, allowing the utmost authentic regional flavours to flourish.
