Bel Forno — Restaurant in Lisbon

Perfect if you like the taste of frozen seafood! I ordered the rice with mariscos. Not a single ingredient was fresh; frozen clams, frozen squid, frozen shrimp, and frozen crab (confirmed by waiter). The rice was watery and was not blended with the seafood. In my opinion, the abundant coriander was an attempt to disguise the taste of a very poor product. The freshness of the seabass my colleague ordered was also very questionable. The waiters were the only positive note of this restaurant; very polite and forthcoming. They also happily confirmed my doubts. As a fish lover, in a seaside city like Lisbon, it was a very big disappointment. Unfortunately, I would not repeat this experience. Is the quality of the ingredients dictated by the owner or the cook?- shame. Although I detest leaving bad reviews, hopefully my comments can help them understand that rather than serving a bucket of rice, they should focus on quality. Unfortunately, the last disappointment was the bill where they automatically applied a 10% surcharge (as a tip), without informing us. This is, to say the least, Cheeeeeky, or a tourist trap. Vergonha, you do not represent Portuguese...

My wife and I were in Lisbon for a few days in October 2024, and there were many restaurants within a few steps of our hotel. We happened to choose Bel Forno one evening and were very impressed. The place doesn't look much different from the restaurants nearby, but the food and experience proved to be much better. In fact, in our two weeks in Portugal, the food we had at Bel Forno was the best we ate. Seasoning and preparation were outstanding, but there's more. The young man who owns and runs the place told us his story, bringing the restaurant up from not much in late 2023 when he bought it, to what it is now. This guy has put everything he has into his restaurant, and it shows in the way he treats customers. His staff is excellent, too. The young lady who served us was exceptionally good at what she does. If you want to reward the hard work and risk taking of a young man and his team, and you want to enjoy some great meals in Lisbon, you won't be disappointed...

I ordered seafood rice as the entree, dining outside (ugh…covid requirements!) in moderate temps. Admittedly, it took some time to prepare. But, boy o boy…was it worth the wait! (Just more opportunity to savor Portuguese wine.) They must have read my mind; I love for my food to be hot. For a large dish on a plate, it is impossible to eat it quickly enough that last bite is warm. That is why I was so thrilled when they brought my order in a metal pot with a lid; so I could take to the plate and eat an amount that would stay hot, while the remainder (in the steel pot) stayed hot! It was different than other seafood rices I have had: this one had a sauce (in Louisiana we call it a roux). But I appreciated the difference immensely. Finished it with a lovely pastel de nada, and labeled it the perfect meal. Highly recommend the place; the server was perfect, the food was perfect, so what more could...