Regular Business place

Discreet behind a long corridor, a reasonable restaurant, with some quality intentions is mainly aimed to professional meals than touristy ones – its location, out of the touristy paths, recommends that orientation. 

​I had a good lunch, paid a little more than 20 €, and came out, pleased but with no particular reason to go there again – or to avoid it.

Address: Av. Marquês de Tomar 83

Phone: 217974580

Good first impression

Located in the edge of the touristy area, but in the best area for hotels and transport (near Saldanha, in the back of Gulbenkian museum) there’s a quiet area with a few esplanades serving restaurants. We decided to try this one and didn’t regret.

​The food was well prepared, the menu was interesting, the service correct, and the price as expected. Nothing in particular to remember, but a positive impression.

Address: Av Conde de Valbom, between Avenida Elias Garcia & Avenida Visconde de Valmor

Phone: +351 21 797 0410

Classical style

Once upon a time, in the middle of last century, high society living in the new quarter called exactly “Avenidas Novas” used to gather in selected places, for the 5 o’clock conversation with or without tea.

Versalhes was in the top, a real landmark.

Times changed, coffee houses were replaced by banks or phone houses, the most resistant tried to survive selling something to be eaten on foot, but not Versalhes.

There it is with a shining facade, assuming its role of a social monument of town.

Nice!

Address: Avenida da República 15A, 1050-185 Lisboa

Phone: +351 21 354 6340

Website: Versalhes

Everyday food

If you find yourself in the new part of Lisbon, around Arieiro or Av. Roma then you may eat at “O Pote”. That’s my everyday restaurant in Lisbon.

It features Portuguese food, homemade type, with a long menu, good quality and reasonable price. I started to eat there in 1962, when it was only a small tavern, with prices for student. The employees (9 brothers at all) bought it later, and started to enlarge and modernize the place, always with good attention to the clients.

​Now, those kids are old guys like me, but it’s good to confirm, each time I go there, that everything remains as before.

Not convinced

Many decades ago, while visiting “O Pote” as a regular costumer, I witnessed the opening of another restaurant, across the street, with a more impressive image, and, (I thought), another range of price. I never entered it.

A few days ago, I went to Pote again, but… it was closed for maintenance. Fernanda suggested to try the facing restaurant, and I entered it for the first time. Forty years passed I realized that (now) it is not an expensive place, neither… good. The food was so common and industrial that we all decided to forget the place. Besides, “our” Pote opened the next week…

Address: Av João XXI       Phone: +351 21 849 8730

Unbelievable

For almost one year I was delaying my notes about one of the best restaurants in Lisbon, if you care about price/quality ratio. Last week I went there once more, and… it was closed, not surviving the crises.

But… no! It is impossible!

It opened again with a new name, “Martinez” and I don’t know if it keeps the quality and standards. The new owner is Spanish, and that may mean a great difference. I will check it out.

Surprisingly cheap

From the old days as student, I kept the idea that the restaurants in Roma avenue where expensive and… bad. For more than thirty years I skipped them.

Recently, I had something to do in the area, with only twenty minutes to have lunch. This restaurant was close to our destination, and Fernanda insisted to try it.

My first surprise was the answer when I asked it it would be possible to be served and eat in twenty minutes – YES.​

Bife da Portugalia

Forty five years ago, I found a restaurant in Lisbon with a special steak, swimming in an exclusive and delicious sauce. Though ninety per cent of the costumers eat seafood with beer, I always keep eating the steak… with wine.

Once, I found near the Liberdade Avenue another restaurant with the same recipe – the Ribadouro. I tried it, and… an absolute disaster. Obviously, it was my first and last visit.

A Double surprise

If you risk to read my tips, maybe you found one of them that I called “you’re lost”, to write about this residential area of Praça do Chile, where (I thought) tourists would never come.

I was wrong (or maybe, things had changed).

Not only I saw tourists dragging their bags in Morais Soares street, but I had the surprise to see in this restaurant, where I entered for the first time, that the other customers where (only) a french family.

The restaurant was a very positive experience.