Inventive names, inventive recipes, and an inventive space set the tone for a lovely evening out.
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Rua de São Bento 202, 1200-816 Lisboa | website
São Bento
Daily, 12h – 24h
Perfectly crispy eggplant croquettes infused with gooey São Jorge cheese atop a creamy egg-based whiskey sauce started the evening off — and ended up stealing the show. The small dish, named Venham mais cinco, mas não paga o Zeca, was the perfect introduction to what was one of the more inventive menus we’ve encountered in a while. A slew of options for all dietary restrictions are given appropriately quirky names at this charming restaurant across from the parliament on São Bento, set off by its name on an archway made up in old cinema lights that leads to a side garden. This will undoubtedly be the place to be once Spring arrives.
Other memorable menu items were the Dama e Vagabundo, a very simple spaghetti served with seaweed caviar, which outperformed our expectations once the creamy butter sauce delivered a delightful surprise when mixed with its delicate topping. The Não se fala com boca cheia stewed cabbage-wrapped goat concoction was divine, as was the entrecôte drizzled in a port wine and soy sauce reduction, served aside a crispy scalloped potato stack, otherwise known as the Bife a Jardim.
We also tried the charcoal-crusted Pleurotus mushrooms and the octopus and grilled fennel from the piquenique menu, but they were outshined by the aforementioned show-stoppers, not to mention the incredible Rol de Coisas Antigas 2017 red wine by Campolargo.
Highly recommended for a special evening out, a business lunch, or a spot to stop for a snack and a drink before heading out elsewhere. The attention to detail in the space, on behalf of the staff and in the kitchen, makes this place memorable, and not just because of the hefty bill.
