Restaurants: The 16 most trendy in Lisbon

Lisbon is under constant innovation. Every day there is a new exhibition, a new restaurant, a new bar, or a new store. In every corner of the city a new concept flourishes with a decoration never seen before. Lisbon is increasingly focused on design and modernisation. Restaurants are an example. Increasingly experimentalist, original and creative, the cuisine is still faithful to the flavours of the highest quality ingredients. These spaces are more than interesting, they are unrepeatable. We present here a list of the trendiest restaurants in Lisbon. And what makes a restaurant trendy? It is a combination of several factors: the decoration, the food, the people who represent it or those who are clients there. They are trendy because we never feel the same anywhere else, and at the end of the meal, we want to sit at the table for long hours. Above all else, it’s because the space is modern and original and the food pleases contemporary tastes. But also because it is a place we go to see and be seen. 100 Maneiras The Bosnian cook, Ljubomir Stanisic opened “100 Maneiras” in Bairro Alto, after having closed the same restaurant in Cascais. The big difference between this new restaurant and the old is the price, which decreased substantially. Ljudomir brings home everything a good cook should bring: product quality, creative cuisine, talent, imagination and kindness. Stanisic visits the Ribeira food Market every day and makes his daily menu depending on the fresh products he encounters there. “100 Maneiras” has a friendly atmosphere. It is a small restaurant where we feel we’re eating at a dear friends house, who is also one of the most interesting chefs with one of the tastiest cuisines in Lisbon. Address: R do Teixeira, 35 (Bairro Alto) (M: Baixa / Chiado) Phone: +351 210 990 475 Time: Mon-Sat 20.00-02.00 (kitchen until 22:30), Fri-Sat 20.00-02.00 (kitchen until 23:30) Average price: 35 € Smoking Area: No Bocca This is a Mediterranean restaurant. Try out the food at Bocca and experiment the freshness and flavour of the best national products, influenced by the food of other countries that border the Mediterranean Sea. A small window in the kitchen opens into the restaurant and shows the chef, Alexandre Silva, in action. The wine list certainly stands out, with some of the best Portuguese wines and some excellent foreign wines, from Spain to New Zealand. The decor mixes glass and mirror, the colour green and real wood, with white walls. With a fresh white background and a friendly service, you are guaranteed to leave here with a satisfied appetite and a light soul. Address: Rua Rodrigo da Fonseca 87D (M: Rato, Marquês do Pombal) Phone: +351 213 808 383 Time: 12h30 - 14h30 and 20h - 23h Average price: 50 € Smoking Area: Yes     Brasserie Flo The speciality at Brasserie Flo in the Tivoli Lisboa are the fish and seafood dishes. Since April 2008 this sophisticated French corner restaurant has pleased the taste of those who have visited it. Faithful to the French tradition, the Brasserie Flo has an écailler with oysters, mussels, and giant clams preserved in the best conditions. Of course, one can not forget the champagne to accompany these dishes. This space reminisces the days when Paris and its brasseries were in fashion; nothing is lacking in the charm, classy atmosphere and sophisticated service of the maîtres who work there. Address: Avenida da Liberdade 185 (M: Avenida) Phone: +351 213 198 977 Time: Every day, 7h-24h Average Price:  25 € Smoking Area: No Bubbly Bubbly, friendly, lively, colourful... this is how the restaurant named after champagne bubbles is. The choice of wines is impressive and some dishes are made with champagne. But apart from a warm and colourful decor, Bubbly serves great food. However, its speciality is the design of all the dishes. Bubbly serves modern Portuguese cuisine and gives special attention to the ingredients chosen. Some ingredients have even been chosen from a particular farm in the Alentejo (south of Lisbon). Some of the owners overlook the restaurant floor attentively, making sure the service is efficient and very friendly. In the heart of Bairro Alto, Bubbly cheers up your appetite. Address: Rua da Barroca 106 (Bairro Alto) (M: Baixa / Chiado) Phone: +351 211 556 042 Time: 2h Closes, Closed on Sundays Average Price: 35 € Smoking Area: No     Colcci Café The Colcci Café in Chiado is a pleasant surprise the moment you walk in. Employees excel in smiles and attention. With two rooms with large windows, whatever area you choose for lunch (you can only have lunch), smoking or non smoking, is delightful as the whole restaurant is bright and airy. It has some dishes of the day to choose from and if you do not wish to have anything on the menu, or would like to change something to please your taste, here is the place. Nothing is missing in Colcci. The fish dishes, pasta and salads, are all a safe bet for those who come here in the middle of the day. Even with the decoration, Colcci has been venturesome and has been successful with the mixture of colours and styles that give this restaurant a very cheerful air. But the best of all, comes at the end of the meal. The choice of desserts, though not extensive, is divine with a presentation worthy of the best restaurants. Address: Rua Ivens, 59 (M: Baixa / Chiado) Phone: +351 210 991 613 Time: 10:30 - 19:30 (closed Sundays) Average Price: 16 € Smoking Area: Yes Cop'3 You can call Cop'3 a sophisticated tavern, or an extremely sophisticated tavern. There is a tendency to overstate because the space has huge crystal chandeliers, very high ceilings, the walls are covered in white marble that give a fresh air to the restaurant, and various lamps hanging from cables that give it a modern twist. The sophistication of this modern tavern is even more apparent when the dishes arrive at the table. The chef, Nuno Mendes, who won the Chef of the Year 2006, follows the line of the new Portuguese cuisine. Portuguese food is safeguarded here and is presented in the form of startling dishes that combine the familiar Portuguese traditional meals with the novelty and imagination of the chef. Reservations required. Address: Largo Vitorino Damasio, 3 (Santos) Phone: +351 213 973 094 Hours: Monday to Friday 12h30 - 14h30, 20h - 23h. Thursday to Saturday 20h - 24h Average Price: 40 € Smoking Area: Yes Eleven This project created by 11 friends, including Joachim Koerper, the restaurant's chef, established itself as one of the best restaurants in Lisbon since its opening on the 11th of November 2003. A Mediterranean cuisine is prepared here with great care to preserve the true flavours of the ingredients. The menu will vary according to season, remaining faithful to the quality of the national ingredients. Visitors become the audience of Lisbon as they watch the city on stage through large windows, and see the Eduardo VII Park, the river Tagus and the Castle as the main actors. At night, when the lights fade, the focus turns inward, creating an intimate atmosphere within a minimalist and cosy restaurant. Address: Rua Marques da Fronteira Jardim Amália Rodrigues (M: Marquês de Pombal Praça de Espanha) Phone: +351 213 862 211 Time: 12h30 - 15h, 19h30 - 23h (Sunday, Monday, holidays closed) Average Price 65 € Smoking Area: ---     Esperança This is a pizzeria with white marble walls and dark tables under candlelight. This place is more than cool. It has a relaxed atmosphere for a dinner with friends. This former grocery store and refurbished tavern, has retained its old-fashioned charm with a modern twist. The food is great, although that is not the main reason why this is a trendy restaurant. Esperança stands out for its decoration and welcoming and friendly service. The choice of pizzas is huge, but a pasta dish is also a safe bet. And on top of it all, it’s in the heart of Bairro Alto. Address: Rua do Norte, 95 (Bairro Alto) (M: Low / Chiado) Phone: +351 213 432 027 Time: 19h30 - 24h30 (Monday to Friday) 13h30 - 16h and 19h30 - 24h30 (Saturday to Sunday) Average Price: 25 € Smoking Area: No Foral da Vila David Igrejas manages the kitchen of Foral da Vila in Cascais. This young creator has dishes of all kinds, from delicious pasta to soft tuna with a crust of seeds. The youth and joy of this project is visible in the decoration of the restaurant. Several chair of different designs are placed around the tables with modern lamps illuminating the green painted walls, which give this restaurant a modern and beaming air to it. The perfect symbiosis between the space, the decoration, the service and the menu makes this restaurant a success. The cuisine combines flavours and dishes from around the world, in a light and contemporary way. Address: Avenida D. Carlos I, 48 Phone: +351 214 840 258 Time: Mon: 20h30 - 02h, Tue - Fri: 12h-15h, 20h30 - 02h, Sat: 20h30 - 04h. Closed Sundays. Average Price: 35 € Smoking Area: --- Gemelli This was one of the first signature cuisine restaurants to open in Lisbon. It may be (and probably is) the best Italian restaurant in town, although it is much more than just Italian. Augusto Gemelli, the Milanese chef who gives the restaurant its name, goes beyond the borders of imagination or geography. Gemelli offers an Italian inspired cuisine, which breaks any barrier we may be accustomed to by combining the best flavours from various regions of the world. The menu changes depending on the season and according to what the chef learns on his constant discoveries. You may experience this in restaurant that has opted for a modern environment, a room with large windows that allow the radiant Lisbon light to sit with you at the table, a friendly atmosphere and a small cosy place. Address: Rua Nova da Piedade, 99 (M: Rato) Phone: +351 213 952 552 Time: 12h30 - 15h and 20h - 23h30 (closed Saturdays lunch and Sundays) Average Price: 40 € Smoking Area: No Inevitável For steak lovers, it is inevitable to pass by this Steak Lounge in Estoril. The Mediterranean cuisine tries to preserve the true flavour of the steak. All dishes are grilled, to preserve the quality and nature of each steak and the use of olive oil is paramount to keep the flavours in this kind of Portuguese cuisine. The only dish that is fried is the “Bife frito à Portuguesa” that is a delight too. In a modern environment, across the street from the sea breezes of the Estoril Coast, Inevitável is one of the most central and beautiful restaurants in Estoril. Address: Vila Gale Estoril (20 km from Lisbon) Phone: +351 96 20 50 500 Time: 12h30 - 14h30, Tue - Sat: 19h30 - 24h, Sat and Sun: 19h30, 22h Average price: 30 € Smoking Area: --- Maritaca Another Italian for the list, and this one tries to please everyone. A place with a trendy atmosphere, in what appears to be a recovered warehouse converted into lofts, each with large windows, pipes on the outside of the walls, a giant metal structure, and large chandeliers made of iron. A bar in the centre and an open oven from which you can see the burning wood, make this space a modern, large, cosy and informal place. The menu offers dishes such as sandwiches and original pizza rolls, a concept brought from Brazil by Becas do Carmo and Luís Horta Osório, but what stands out the most are the thin-crust pizzas... crispy and very tasty. Address: Avenida 24 de Julho, 68F (Santos) Phone: +351 213 939 400 Time: Tuesday - Thursday 12:30 - 15h and 20h - 24h, Fri - Sun 13h - 15h30 20h - 01h (closed Monday and holidays - except on weekends) Average Price: 20 € Smoking Area: Yes     Meninos do Rio This is the perfect terrace for a sunny day. This is one of the best places in Lisbon by the river to spend the afternoon. As you arrive from the car park you will see a wide open-space terrace with colourful canvas awnings, a few wooden tables, irresistible deck chairs, palm trees in the surroundings, and a bar with chill-out music. This is the perfect environment to relax with the waterfront breeze. Meninos do Rio is ideal for a light lunch and the menu offers some excellent salads. But, of course, only during a hot sunny day. Address: Rua da Cintura do Porto de Lisboa Armazém 255 Phone: +351 213 220 070 Time: 12h30 - 04h Average Price: 20 € Smoking Area: All Olivier - Restaurant One of the best known names in Lisbon’s restaurant scene is, without a doubt, Olivier Costa. He defines himself as a restaurateur, and this is exactly the impression you get as are greeted by him the moment you enter the restaurant. His second speciality (not naming it in order of preference) is the food. There is never a disappointment with his dishes, so the only risk you take in trying the tasting menu is to leave with a great desire to return. The decoration is inspired in the luxurious French courts of the 18th Century, with large blue and pink velvet chairs, satin ribbons and golden cloth tables. In Olivier all the senses are satisfied, including the sixth sense that forces us to sin to satisfy our greed, but only for dinner, and until the early hours of the morning. Address: Rua do Alecrim, 23 (M: Baixa / Chiado) Phone:  +351 213 422 916 Time: 20h - 01h (closed Sundays) Average Price: 35 € Smoking Area: Yes Peixe e Sushi na Linha In Bafureira Beach in S. Pedro do Estoril, there are two restaurants that prepare fish in two ways: the Mediterranean and Oriental way. These two restaurants decorated with a sea-front fresh and clean touch, prepare a high quality fish with the utmost care. The first restaurant prepares the fish based on the Portuguese speciality, keeping the original fresh flavour of each fish. The second makes sushi, sashimi, temaki, among other Japanese specialities. Both are a fine dining experience. Address: Avenida Marginal, Praia da Bafureira, S. Pedro do Estoril. Phone: +351 214 685 388 Time: 12h30 - 15h30, 19h30 - 24h Average Price: 30 € Smoking Area: --- Sofisticato The decor transports you to a cool restaurant in New York. Probably this is the objective, considering that two of the owners brought the idea for this restaurant from the Big Apple. Two of Alessio Carrer’s passions, the Italian Chef, are sport and food. Sport took him to both the mountains and the sea. Combining flavours he discovered throughout his travels, Alessio prepares wonderful dishes, with a greater influence from his native country. This is a trendy place for a small lunch with friends, or a dinner group, in Santos, one of the most cosmopolitan centres of Lisbon. Address: Rua São João da Mata, 27 (Santos) Phone: +351 213 965 377 Time: 18h30 - 24h Average Price: 25 € Smoking Area: Yes  Staying in Lisbon? Visit our website to find the best rates for the best hotels in the city