It's always a very good sign when many of the customers are Portuguese in a Portuguese Restaurant. They serve up a very tasty fish stew.

We stumbled on this place while looking for a completely different restaurant (As Velhas - recommended in the Lonely Planet guide book), for our pre-jazz club meal. The interior looks quite chaotic, with a wall of wine bottles separating the diners from the staff, but quaint. There was no hard sell, as we were allowed to peruse the menu at our leisure but, obviously sensing that all four of our group were unsure of what to eat, we were shown a large metal bowl and told that we could have a mixed fish dish for two for 25 euros. The menu said something like "bouillabaisse", so we gathered it would be like fish stew and happily ordered it. Also sensing that I was unsure of the extensive handwritten (and slightly scribbled) wine list, the waiter/manager also suggested a nice white wine to go with the meal (after asking whether I wanted dry/sweet, flowers/fruit) and advised that, if I didn't like it, I could try something else instead. Luckily, the first choice was spot on and I managed to quaff most of the bottle, with my wife helping out with a glass herself. As seems normal in Lisbon, we were offered a plate of appetisers (rather heavier on the meat than the cheese), which is tagged on to the bill at the end, but it was very tasty and kept us going during the fairly lengthy wait for the fish stew. When it arrived, it was delicious, so the delay was down to it being cooked properly from fresh rather than any disorganisation in the kitchen. Cod, salmon, tuna and whole prawns in a tasty broth with potatoes. The meal was rounded off with a complementary shot each of an almond liqueur - Amendoa Amarga. Absolutely delicious, it will have me hunting it out for the Xmas drinks cabinet! 95euros for the whole meal and wine, plus beer for my companion diners was very reasonable, and we left two hours after arriving happily satiated and looking forward to the jazz.

This is an excellent restaurant just off Av. Liberdade. Defintely a MUST visit. Unlike other restaurants in the area, food is fresh and authentic Portuguese. We had dined at other spots in the area (also on rua portas santos antao-close to the national theatre) after having read excellent reviews on TripAdvisor but they were all so disappointing– they had a predisposed touristic menu and ‘fake’ atmosphere and the prices were unreasonable. This is truly a ‘gem’ capturing Portuguese culture and it gave us an opportunity to really enjoy and taste typical meals. Provides a wide range of fish selections as well as Portuguese meats and sausages not to mention the amazing wines available. Our Portuguese waiter Jorge, was extremely kind (unlike other waiters who just try to be nice for the tip) and his service was impeccable. We were taken away by the surprise by complementary Porto Wine Glass, truly exquisite and very generous. Also depending on the selected meal you may receive a complementary platter of Portuguese appetizers– I got it since I had ordered a typical Seafood Rice (which was delicious and the fish was extremely fresh. Jorge and the rest of the staff does it best to cater the clients and the hospitality is exceptional. Price not expensive-wide range. I can assure you that this is a really good restaurant. We found this treasure by chance as were going to go to another restaurant on the same street recommend by other reviewers on Tripdvisor, but so glad that we found this one instead. One must be truly careful as the area provides numerous restaurants, and the reviews on trip advisor seem to be very positive, but in reality it isn’t so and just a disappointment. We are just so glad that we bumped into this one and we therefore strongly recommend it. It is a true must visit midst all the touristic expensive restaurant. This deserves a 4.5/5 rating – truly impeccable.