Where to Eat in Lisbon

German chef Joachim Koerper helped pave the way for foreign cooks who made their names in the Portuguese food scene — many of them with great accolades. He arrived in Lisbon in the early 2000s (after years living in the country's interior) when the city was still opening to gastronomy. One year after opening Eleven, he won the first Michelin star in the city. Koerper’s new menu is a celebration of his 50-year career, from his upbringing in Germany to stints in other countries such as Switzerland and Spain. Although the main inspiration is the chef's path around the world (from eisbein, the pork knee from his homeland, to mullet from the Spanish coast), Portuguese ingredients are present throughout the 5-course menu.

Semente (seed), Chef André Cruz's first signature menu, is presented in 4 options: the Semente 8 steps, the Semente 6 steps, and the two vegetarian versions, respectively.
Semente, in the words of the Chef, “privileges the quality and seasonality of the products, whenever possible with certified organic products from small producers, where the balance between the use of animal protein and vegetable protein predominates”. 
The result is an author's menu, focused mainly on Portuguese products, which captures the essence of flavor and authenticity of ingredients and a deep respect for the product.

Chef Alexandre Silva (from Michelin-starred Loco) opened this restaurant just before the pandemic to serve a type of cuisine that speaks to his heart: ingredients cooked directly in embers and fire. His open kitchen is at the end of a dark room with fiery lights, where Portuguese seafood, fish, meat and vegetables (even some desserts) are cooked over a collection of open flames. The result is dishes with lightly smoked flavours and lavish textures, something only a skilled chef can achieve with diverse techniques, ranging between grills, open flames, and iron pots. 

From a small U-shaped counter in charming Belém, Sergio Frade's restaurant offers a menu inspired by national gastronomy and focused on the matrix of Portuguese flavors. Chef Diogo Carvalho also signs new dishes such as the special Rissol with cannolicchi, oxtail stew with vegetables, creamy rice with mushrooms (vegetarian option), or the already famous 'Frade à Frade' duck rice.
Desserts include walnut cake and ice cream or Dom Rodrigo, lemon, and meringue. These gastronomic proposals reflect the evolution of the concept and all the knowledge that has been years in the making, with maturity and consistency. The restaurant team tries to work with fresh and exclusive ingredients every day.

The restaurant is part of a hotel located in Graça, in a 19th-century building that hides a jewel: a green yard with an orchard and a pool, where chef Vítor Adão often cooks on warmer days, preparing his dishes over an open fire for guests sitting at picnic tables. On other days, he returns to the indoor kitchen to serve traditional Portuguese dishes - and those from his home region of Trás-os-Montes - with a modern approach. His creations encompass squid with escabeche and spinach pesto, head cheese with tartar sauce and carrot pickle, and scarlet prawn with tomato cream and coriander oil.