Stylish rooftop restaurant with warm service, good cocktails, crowd-pleasing food, and lovely views
€€
Templo da Poesia, R. José de Azambuja Proença, 2780-257 Oeiras
Paço do Arcos
215 946 754 | website
Mon, 11h – 12h; Tue – Thu, 11h – 1h; Friday – Saturday, 11h – 2h; Sun, 11h – 12h
There are few better ways to round off a long, meandering walk through an inspiring park than with a rooftop table, a cocktail, and absolutely nowhere else you need to be. Part of the Templo da Poesia at Parque dos Poetas, Verso Rooftop has the setting to make you want to linger: spacious, beautifully designed, and blessed with glorious views across the surrounding landscape.
The welcome is warm, the service is intentionally attentive, and the pace is refreshingly relaxed. Nobody’s rushing you out the door, the kitchen keeps things moving, and the cocktails arrive as they should — before the food. It’s the sort of place where you can actually enjoy the moment instead of wondering when someone might notice your empty glass. Pro tip: There’s a set brunch from 24 to 28 EUR that could impress that certain someone, but the jury is still out on whether or not it’s worth it.
The menu has something for just about everyone, including the more discerning small people at the table. We tucked into a crispy tosta mista, refreshing carpaccio (a little generously sliced for our liking), a salmon poke bowl, and ovos rotos — fried eggs over French fries. The food was good, if not necessarily the main event, and prices do sit a bit above your everyday café fare. You’re paying for the whole experience, and here, that feels fair.
Couples, families, and groups of friends will all find something to like, whether you’re stopping in for a proper meal or stretching a park visit into a lazy afternoon. With its excellent service, aesthetic interiors, good cocktails, and views worth lingering over, Verso Rooftop is less a quick pit stop than a reward for getting out and exploring.
Come when you have time. Order something to share, find your favorite view, and let the afternoon unfold.
And finally, bear in mind this review is for the rooftop café only— there’s a full-fledged restaurant on the floor below, which we have yet to try out ourselves. Do so at your own discretion.
