Lauren Posted February 11, 2014 Six of us are taking a cruise which starts in Lisbon and will be spending three evenings in there in the middle of April. We're staying at the Hotel Avenida Palace near the Restauradores Square. I'm needing recommendations for dinner on Thursday, lunch and dinner on Friday, and brunch and an early dinner/late lunch on Saturday. We have to be on the boat around 8 PM on Saturday. We've been looking around and have come up with a list of possibilities. Thoughts? Any current recommendations? Assinatura - for a nicer dinner. Ramiro - Evidently this place is packed since Bourdain went there. We'll probably do a lunch there so we don't have to wait in line. Taberna Moderna - for the gin and tonics of course! The Decadente We're also wanting to hear some fado music. Probably not for dinner but as an after dinner thing. Does anyone have any recommendations? 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
squibble Posted February 12, 2014 Hope you have a wonderful time! We went to Lisbon many times and usually stayed in Sintra at the Palacio de Seteais before they closed for renovations for a few years. Sorry, I just had to mention Sintra although I realize your time is short. My only recommendation for food in LIsbon is Pasteis de Belem for pasteis de nata. April will probably be a nice time of year to go. Our trips were mostly in Feb. - March - also quite nice - early spring weather. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lauren Posted February 12, 2014 Yeah, we wanted to see Sintra but we're barely over 48 hours in Lisbon so it will have to wait for another time. I have pasteis de nata on my must-try list. Thanks for the recommendation of Pasteis de Belem. I'm hoping for decent weather in April. I'm sure it will be cooler than I hope but I hope for not too much rain. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sneakeater Posted February 12, 2014 You don't "see" Sintra. You experience it through the fog. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Daisy Posted February 12, 2014 I stayed in Sintra in late May/early June and it was warm and sunny. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
squibble Posted February 12, 2014 That makes me feel nostalgic. Sorry Daisy, meant Sneak's post. We were there in foggy weather and yet, it was always beautifully sunny during the day except for one trip when family met us and there was a lot of rain and gloom. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wilfrid Posted February 12, 2014 Do look out for lampreys. The gastronomic highlight of my visit, by a long way, was coming across a blackboard offering a lamprey special outside a random fish restaurant. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sneakeater Posted February 12, 2014 Yes, the spring is the best time to visit Portugal. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nuxvomica Posted February 13, 2014 Lisbon is wonderful, inexpensive and the food (and wine) is great. Second the pasteis de nata - get a couple more than you think you want. Trust me. We loved Assinatura and also 1000 Maneiras - these were the two top meals of many excellent ones. For some other ideas and wine bars, see here: http://thesavvyexplorer.com/lisbon It's a wonderful city, enjoy! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lauren Posted February 13, 2014 Lisbon is wonderful, inexpensive and the food (and wine) is great. Second the pasteis de nata - get a couple more than you think you want. Trust me. We loved Assinatura and also 1000 Maneiras - these were the two top meals of many excellent ones. For some other ideas and wine bars, see here: http://thesavvyexplorer.com/lisbon It's a wonderful city, enjoy! I'm glad to hear you loved Assinatura. And thanks for the rec on 100 Maneiras, I hadn't come across that in my searches. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Suzanne F Posted February 14, 2014 I wonder if there are any recommendations on the Leite's Culinaria site? I would trust David to have good information. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lauren Posted February 18, 2014 I love that site - I had now idea he was Portuguese-American! Thanks for pointing me there, I've just begun to poke around and have already found some good stuff. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Suzanne F Posted February 19, 2014 You're very welcome. You might want to get his cookbook, The New Portuguese Table. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Orik Posted June 6, 2014 Ramiro is very nice. The cooking is not as careful as in the best places in Spain, but the selection of seafood is staggering. Friends took us to Setubal, which has a world class little market (the sort of small-wholesale + retail operation that really works) as well as some places you won'f find on many lists - for example the location of Baluarte do Sado in the fishing / boating club, not the one in the center of town. The formula is simple - you sit down and for the next couple of hours a parade of grilled and fried fish goes through the room, accompanied by inexpensive wine, bread, and salad. Sardines (of course), robalo, dorado, octopus, baby red sea bream, a fish I only know as Saragus in mediterranean-ish (the name in Portuguese was similar), and about a dozen others with quality ranging between adequate and very good. no faults in preparation, but then also not much effort to clean the fish or anything that fancy. 50 Euros for four people including four carafes of wine. Ramiro: Market: Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Orik Posted June 7, 2014 I think Belcanto sort of showed us exactly why we're uninterested in SP restaurants. It's more delicious than the average for the genre, but are you seriously serving stuff over saran wrap covered pots to someone who worked at Corton? or El Bulli 2005 olives to anyone? or, wow, foie and hazelnut thingies and then a dessert that looks exactly the same? get over yourself and just serve good food. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
