Restaurant - Carvoaria Jacto

Loin

Fellow meat lovers, I am happy to announce that there is a place... a place that will change your life, it is called Carvoaria Jacto.

I went there yesterday with some friends and it was excellent...  everything, the quality of the food, the service, price, variety, its big and there is a smokers room! The only thing I could point out as not good is the location, but it is a small price to pay.

I tried the vazia(sirloin), lombo(loin) and posta mirandesa(rump from Miranda), although everything was very good, for me the vazia was the best and it was the cheapest of the three!
You can also eat fish but this place is definitely specialized in grilled meat, very similar to Grill 20(there is also a salad buffet with mayo souces, several meat types and sizes) but better and cheaper.
On the quality/price/quantity it is even better than Tachadas!

The house wine was good(can't remember the name) and they have a great wine collection, you can even get a Barca Velha... if you have 400 euros to spare :P

Sirloin

As you may know I don't usually eat dessert, but I tried some of my friends and I must say they were very good, specially the "Best chocolate cake in Ribatejo".

So, if you come to Lisbon, this place is mandatory, go there and thank me later, bon apetit!

Posta mirandesa

Misc:
Average price: 10 ~ 20 Euros
Smokers: on a smaller room
Multibanco/Visa: Yes
Closed at Sunday

Pros:
- Excellent meat, salad buffet
- Good for large groups
- Central, Subway near
- Excellent quality/price ratio

Cons:
- Not very good neighbourhood
- No near places for a drink afterwards

Google maps

Rua Maria Andrade 6 B | Alfama & Graça | +351218147555
Mon – Sat 12:00 – 22:00

Restaurant - Dervixe

This is the first time I went to a turkish restaurant, and I must say I liked it, the food, the decoration and the service. The closest thing I tried was the famous middle eastern Joshuas Shoarma fast food franchise, obviously limited in variety and quality.

The first thing I thought when looking at the menu was "I must try everything!", and you almost can because they serve tasting dishes, with different types of food. I can't really remember the names but I liked everything, except the french fries, but then again they are not a traditional turkish food...

As you may know, in the turkish culture they smoke the famous Nargile, which you can try(for 10 Euros), and are not really fond of alcoholic beverage, so you can't order wine or beer, the good news is that they allow you to bring your own.

The owner/waiter was very nice and attentive, but that day were few customers, I don't know how it is on a busy day. The decoration is very pleasing and on the 1st floor you have some nice sofas where you can have a nice relaxed meal and socialize with your friends.

I must definitely go there again!

Misc:
Average price: ~12 Euros
Multibanco/Visa: Yes
Smokers: Outside
Closes at: Monday

Pros:
- Nice price/quality ratio
- Good for groups and couples
- Lots of variety

Cons:
- No near subway
- No alcoholic drinks, but you can bring your own

- Location is not very interesting

More info:

Facebook

Google Maps

Restaurant - Esquina da Fé

Like I said before, there are some nice and cheap tascos in hidden roads. This is one of them, located near Restauradores, with a great variety of dishes to choose from and a traditional decoration.

Mr. Meireles will be your waiter, a friendly guy, don't forget to order some nice Croquetes for starters.
Take my advice and try the Polvo à Lagareiro(octopus with potatoes and pepper) or the Cabrito à Padeiro(Roasted Goat). The house wine is not too bad, but if you want something better but no too expensive you have always have the Quinta de Cabriz wine or the JP(most restaurants have them).

For dessert, unfortunately I can't really help much because I don't usually eat them, but they have some traditional desserts, give them a try and post on the comments!


Misc:
Average price: ~11 Euros
Multibanco/Visa: Yes
Smokers: No
Closes at: Sunday

Pros:
- Good price/quality ratio
- Good for groups
- Lots of variety
- Traditional portuguese dishes

Cons:
- Difficult parking
- Not a very good neighbour


Facebook page

Google maps

Restaurant - DAO

Moar sushi! That's right, my first post about a Japanese restaurant.

Before we had just a few Japanese restaurants in Lisbon, all very expensive with the typical minimalistic nippon decor, and the Hatori Hanzo looking chef. I've tried a few and I liked, not a huge fan but it was a good experience, the only problem was that they were too expensive(over 20 €) for me to go back more often.

Some years ago sushi restaurants start popping everywhere like mushrooms, but this time in a buffet style(all you can eat) and with prices under 16 €! Hurray... not so fast, it turned out that they were chinese restaurants making japanese food(at least most that I tried were), wait what? That's right, and it makes sense, chinese people love to copy your fancy stuff and make it cheaper. The drawback of course is a decrease in quality, and this was confirmed by my experiences. Hope was lost...

Then while ago a friend of mine invited me for a dinner with some friends, and as she told me about this great sushi place, cheap and near Martim Moniz, I thought, oh well another crappy sushi wannabe...

I was surprised! It was very better than all the others, cheaper (~10 €) and It was "à la carte" instead of the usual buffet, for those who are not familiar with the terms, it means you just point at the list and the waiter brings whatever you want instead of having to get up and pick the food from the buffet trays.

They have a wide variety of dishes, sushi, teriyaki, etc. (and sake!) everything you'd expect from a japanese restaurant, plus some other stuff I never tried before, all good, and the famous cantonese dim sum, nham!
I don't think the owners are japanese nor chinese, maybe somewhere in south asia.

The only problem is the service, they try to be very nice, but just mess up your orders, specially if the place is full, they forget stuff, bring you things you did not order, but as I am not picky I just eat them all. Maybe with practice they will get better...



Misc:
Average price: ~13 Euros
Multibanco/Visa: Yes
Smokers: No
Closes at: ???

Pros:
- Excellent price/quality ratio
- Good for groups
- Lots of variety
- "à la carte"

Cons:
- Service messes up your orders

- Not a very good neighbour

Facebook page

Restaurant - Mestiço

The Kretcheu association has tried to establish itself in Lisbon several times, from what I know. They want to give this city a place that promotes the culture of Cape Verde, their music, dance, art and food.

The latest attempt is a restaurant, that may also serve for music concerts, workshops and art exhibits. I have been there 2 times and I liked it, the food, ambience and service was good, and it is cheap!

The manager(I think) is Aires Silva, a friendly guy that is also an African dances teacher, if you are interested give him a call.

Its a good place to make group dinners, and it is also very cosy, nice place to take your date. On weekends night sometimes they have live African music.

I have tried the Cachupa, Moamba and the Caldo de Peixe, all good, normal doses around 6 Euros. At the end ask for the Grog(strong sugar cane firewater) or the Ponche(less strong but sweet), traditional drinks from Cape Verde.

Its near the Terreiro do Paço subway station, and parking should not be difficult, afterwards you can go to Bacalhoeiro for a drink with your friends.



Misc:
Average price: ~9 Euros
Multibanco/Visa: No
Smokers: No
Closes at: Open every day

Pros:
- Good ambience and service
- Good for groups and dates
- Live African music
- Very good quality/price ratio

Cons:
- Nothing to point out



Facebook page

Google maps

Restaurant - Cantina Baldracca

If you like Italian pastas, then you should try Cantina Baldracca, very good price/quality ratio, good ambience and well served. They also serve steaks with special sauces but you have better places for that.

The pastas... nham! Farfalle, Spaghetti , Penne amongst others and lots of sauces and ingredients, you can make your own or just pick one off the menu, and what better to go with that than a nice Sangria :)

Good for groups, and also for a date, but gets a bit noisy when full. In the summer is too hot, they should get an air conditioner... The service is good and you can have a nice dinner with drinks for under 10 Euros, probably one of the cheapest restaurants with Italian pastas in Lisbon.

Photo from IMatLX

Misc:
Average price: ~9 Euros
Multibanco/Visa: No
Smokers: No
Closes at: Sunday

Pros:
- Good ambience and service

- Good for groups and dates
- Lots of pastas, sauces and ingredients
- Very good quality/price ratio

Photo from IMatLX

Cons:
- Difficult parking
- No near places for a drink afterwards
- In the summer is too hot inside

Google maps

Facebook page

Restaurant - Alcaide

Some times you go to a place, and you have that strange feeling, you can't really explain it... but you just feel at home.
One of those places is Alcaide, a small restaurant located in Mouraria district, but as soon as you get there you will realise that it is much more than a restaurant, it is a place where friend meet for a drink, chat, listen to  music and dance. The owners Sandra and Walter are also very friendly.

Most nights, I think, they have live typical music from Brasil and Africa, and if you have some music talent in you feel free to join in.

They have brasilian, african and portuguese food, all good at affordable prices, my favourites being the chicken Moamba and the prawn Muqueca. You can make a reservation and ask for traditional dishes that are not usually in the menu(check the site).

For all of you visiting Lisbon, this restaurant is on of those "must go" places, I promise you will have a great time there!



Misc:
Average price: ~13 Euros
Multibanco/Visa: No
Smokers: No
Closes at: Sunday

Pros:
- Feels like home
- Good food from Africa and Brasil
- Live brasilian and african music
- Moamba!

Cons:
- Small, not good for large groups
- No near places for a drink afterwards

- Sometimes the music is too loud, not good for chatting

Website

Google maps

Espiral

Espiral is a place about nature, ecology and spirituality. There you can find a bookshop, a bioshop, a gym for therapy and martial arts, and a vegetarian restaurant(also serving fish).

I have only tried the restaurant, so this post is about that. Being a meat lover I don't know many vegetarian restaurants, but so far this is my favourite. It is cheap and well served, calm and cosy and some nights you get live music. There is free tea with your meal, and you have a variety of dishes to choose from(check the website), the ones I tried were good.

It is a good place to take your date, specially is she/he is eco/bio/vegan nature lover, the decoration is good and they have candles ;)

Misc:

Average price: ~8 Euros

Multibanco/Visa: Yes

Smokers: No

Closes at: Does not close

Pros:

- Excellent quality/price ratio

- Cosy and calm

- Live music

- Great food variety and large doses

Cons:

- Not good for large groups

- No near places for a drink afterwards

Facebook page

Website

Google maps

Restaurant - Toscana

Almost every time I meet a new person and we end up talking about restaurants in Lisbon, Toscana is referenced as one of the best places to eat fish.

It is small, typical, is not expensive and the waiter is very funny, treating the ladies with cute names and always multiplying your order by 10(but you really get what you ordered).

I strongly advise the codfish, but only if you like it with garlic and olive oil. Every other fish is also good and I can't tell about the meat because... I haven't tasted it yet.

It is a known place so you may see there some celebrities and expect it to be crowded, book a table or get there early ~19:30.

Misc:

Average price: ~13 Euros (not sure)

Multibanco/Visa: Don't know

Smokers: Don't know

Closes at: Sunday

Pros:

- Good quality/price ratio

- Excellent fish

- The waiter is very funny

- Afterwards drinks at Santos, not far

Cons:

- No near Subway

- Difficult parking

- Small, not good for large groups

- Crowded, go early or book a table

Google Maps

Restaurant - O Pocinho

In portugal we have a lot of restaurants, most of them are what we call Tasco, they are small, family managed, cheap and have typical Portuguese food.

Pocinho is one of my recurrent options because of its location(in Santos), good quality/price ratio and of course, it is smokers friendly. There are also 2 strategically placed TVs, always good for football nights, and for a snack while watching the game you have Tremoços(lupines?), Clams and Snails!

They have different dishes every day of the week, like roasted pig leg, duck rice, grilled fish, feijoada, cozido à portuguesa, codfish, etc. You can check out the Portuguese cuisine here.

After many years browsing the roads of Lisbon for Tascos, I'll let you in on a few secretes to find the good ones:

#1 - They are almost never located on the main streets, look for the secondary small roads.

#2 - Check the prices on the window/door, good Tascos have dishes around 5 ~ 6 Euros.

#3 - Look for typical Portuguese daily dishes, like stews.

Misc:

Average price: ~9 Euros

Multibanco/Visa: Yes

Smokers: Yes

Closes at: Sunday or Monday, not sure

Pros:

- Good quality/price ratio

- Lots of places nearby for a drink afterwards

- Try the roasted pig leg!

Cons:

- No near Subway

- Difficult parking

- Small, not good for large groups

Google Maps

Restaurant - Grill 20

There are days I feel like having a steak... a good large yummy steak. Usually I would go to Tachadas, but it has a problem, sometimes the meat is not excellent, just OK. So if you want to pay a bit more and have an excellent steak I advise Grill 20.

You can have the several types of meat and sizes, varying from ~6 to ~14 Euros and a free buffet of vegetables and sauces, with rice, French fries or spinach as a side dish.

I usually go to the Braancamp restaurant, as you can see in the site(link below) they are in 5 locations, also from the same company there is a butcher's shop, maybe the secret for their great meat.

Misc:

Average price: 10 ~ 20 Euros

Smokers: no

Multibanco/Visa: Yes

Braancamp closed at Sunday

Pros:

- Excellent meat, salad buffet

- Good for large groups

- Central, Subway near

- Good service

Cons:

- Can be expensive if you are not careful

- Difficult parking

- No near places for a drink afterwards

Website

Restaurant - Farah's Tandoori

I must admit I love Indian food, hot spicy and strong flavoured tastes, there are many Indian restaurants in Lisbon but unfortunately most of them have been slightly occidentalized so that we better accept the Indian gastronomy.

There are few restaurants that feel a bit more genuine, this is one case, in Farah's you will get good strong flavoured food, nice sauces, tasteful samosas and a good service!

But beware when asking for hot food because it will burn you!

Misc:

Average price: ~16 Euros

Smokers: no

MultiBanco/Visa: no

Closed at: Monday

Pros:

- Good tandoori food, large doses

- Sometimes they have different dishes, like crab curry

- Cosy and quiet, good for couples

- Good Samosas

Cons:

- No near subway, difficult parking

- No near places for a drink afterwards

- Small place, not good for large groups

- Not very cheap

Google maps

Restaurant - Zuari

Probably the oldest Goan (Goa is a state in India) restaurant in Portugal with more than 30 years, Zuari is one of those places that you feel like being transported to another country and culture, with all those strange and different flavours, not your ordinary Indian restaurant for sure.

And it is true, Mr. Orlando (the owner) has pride that all of his recipes are still the same that he made in India!

This may be a problem for those of you that don't like hot spicy food... as he says "All my recipes are original, and they are all spicy, so if don't like spicy... well you better go to another restaurant."

I just love the Vindalho (a recipe that has origins in the Portuguese gastronomy), the Prawn Curry and the Samosas, yummy! remember to ask for the Mango Achar(a sauce) and the Apas(flat bread), finish off with the famous Bebinca.

Misc:

Average price: 10 ~ 16 Euros

Smokers: no

MultiBanco/Visa: no

Closed at: Monday

Pros:

- Genuine Goan food

- Central, is in Santos, lots of places for a drink afterwards

- Very good quality/price ratio

- Great Samosas!!!

Cons:

- No near subway

- Difficult parking

- Small place, not good for large groups

- Sometimes closes early

Website

Restaurant - O Tachadas

Being one of my favourite restaurants in Lisbon, "O Tachadas" has one of the best quality/price ratio I have ever found.

A normal dinner(olives for starters, main dish, house wine and coffee) will cost you 10 ~ 14 Euros, but note that some dishes are huge, so you can order 2 for 3 persons.

Usually we go there for the grilled meat(which is great), but many of the other dishes are also very good: Rice duck with orange, Portuguese cozido, codfish, alentejano soup, grilled fish, but unfortunately some are only available at lunch.

Beware of Friday and Saturday nights, it's crowded so go early(8:00 pm) or late(11:00 pm).

Pros:

- Excellent quality/price ratio

- Central place, in Santos, nearby places for a drink afterwards

- Lots of different meat and fish dishes

- Meat!

Cons:

- Difficult parking, no near subway

- Gets crowded on Friday and Saturday

- No smoking

- Service is slow sometimes

Facebook

Google maps

Restaurant Sr. Taco

Today, I'm having my birthday dinner in a Mexican restaurant, I don't go there often because its a bit off my usual budget(under 10 Euros), but when you have to choose a place for a large group there are several aspects to take in consideration(see below on pros & cons). Its inside the Amoreiras Mall, so also good to take your other half and see a movie afterwards!

Average price:

~15 Euros

Food:

Mexican, grilled, hot, tacos, sauces, etc.

Pros:

- Large groups

- Smoking area

- Free parking

- Average/Good Mexican food

Cons:

- Its inside a Mall

- No good nearby places to have a drink afterwards

- Not cheap

- No TV

Google Maps Link