A Tasquinha Canto do Fado — Restaurant in Lisbon

We stumbled upon this restaurant as it was right around the corner from our apartment and our last night in Lisbon we decided to try it since we had yet to experience Fado. It was perfect! The food, the music, the service, the atmosphere, everything was incredible! This was definitely our best meal in Lisbon and maybe one of our best and most memorable out of everywhere we went in Portugal. We will definitely never forget our night here. The food was outstanding! We tried the bacalhau, the shrimp, the tenderloin with chorizo, and the avocado and feta salad, and it was all delicious. The tenderloin and chorizo was my favorite dish, so good! We stayed for a while, drinking sangria and Ginjinha and enjoying the Fado. We couldn't understand any of it, but we felt it in our heart and soul, the singers were amazing. What a great last night in Lisbon, I don't know why the reviews of this place don't reflect the exceptional experience, it definitely deserves a high rating. A lot of the bad reviews are people complaining about the Fado tax for not a lot of music and not being told before the bill came as well as saying they were shushed during the show. It clearly mentions the tax outside the restaurant, and that's common for a lot of restaurants that do Fado, just think of it as tipping the musicians (which they rightfully earned, they worked hard!). As for the lack of music, we heard many songs on and off for hours. Finally for those who were shushed, it is part of the culture not to speak during emotional Fado songs, so you'll get that at any Fado show. I recommend getting there before the music starts at 8:30pm to get seated and get your food ordered before the music, it can get a little hectic after it starts, but there are plenty of less emotional songs and breaks you can...

I stumbled on this place after dinner my first night in Lisbon. Music and singing drew me from the street. Staying close by, I returned here every night, for drinks and the music. On nights with no music, I still stopped in. The folks were very friendly and fun to talk with. The guitar players were exceptional. The guy playing the 12-string Portuguese guitar was talented carrying the lead of each song. The Spanish classical guitarist accompanied him with the bass line. The singers were all exquisite. One night some guy in work overalls stuck his head in the door, singing along. He was invited in and carried a few of the tunes. Obviously he was no stranger. One night the singer sang fado in Spanish for a group of Spaniards dining. At the end of their night, the performers would gather at the bar with the bar tender for shots of ginja, a local cherry liquor. I admit I did not dine here, but the diners all looked satisfied, and the dishes coming out of the kitchen were all admirably done. I probably should have explored more fado houses in Lisbon, but this was steps from my apartment, and I was perfectly happy coming here every night. When it’s exceptional, why go anywhere else?

I highly recommend this two block neighborhood. I started my morning coffee here, explored Lisbon, had lunch somewhere else, but returned here every night for drinks, dinner, and fado. This was the sweetest place to land in Lisbon. Check out my Google reviews of these neighborhood joints: Cantinho do Aziz, O Trigueirinho, Union Empanadas, Tasqinha Canto do Fado, O Velho Eurico, and Leitaria Moderna. There are other places including an Italian restaurant and a gelato shop. You cannot go wrong staying in this area. The people were friendly, inviting, with big smiles and bigger laughs. I...

We were here late one night, and we had a great time with the fado music with great food.

We arrived past 10 pm on a Monday night, so we expected that there's not going to be a crowd. Our hotel is nearby and we always notice this place is packed at night but it turned out we were the only group there that time We were worried that there won't be any fado anymore since there'sonly us, but the live fado still did a set and felt like a private show for us. We enjoyed every song they did.

We ordered the tomahawk and the octopus dishes. The tomahawk was cooked medium rare, although we were not asked - not sure if this is normal since it was our first and the only order of steak during our trip. It came with breaded calamari and shrimps, which were all grilled/fried perfectly and tasted great. The octopus was cooked tender, not chewy, with the full flavor of the grill and spices. Since it's already really late, we skipped on the potatoes and fries but later found them to be too salty.

The staff are very friendly and attentive but of course, maybe bec there was only us in there at the time.

Quick note - they take cash only.

Highly recommend this place if you're looking for a fado restaurant that won't break the bank. They may not be the best fado, but we still got...