Nicola — Restaurant in Lisbon

Well, mates, let me tell you about this recent dining experience my missus and I had. Now, I'm all for believing that a dodgy meal should be a rare thing, but sometimes life serves up a clanger, and this was one of those times.

So there we were, strolling down the street, when our peepers caught sight of this bustling joint. Grilled prawns sizzling away, fish dishes that'd make Poseidon proud – it all seemed like a jolly good spot. We thought, "Why not give it a whirl?"

The missus fancied those grilled prawns, bless her heart. She went all in, ordered a whoppin' 400 grams of the beauties. Yours truly, I had my eye on some local cod, and another fishy number to boot. Chuck in a bit of simple lettuce action, and of course, a pint of the good stuff and a dash of sparkling water.

Now, the service kicked off with a bang. That pint and bubbly water slid onto the table faster than you can say "knife," and those prawns danced their way over too. Let me tell you, they were a masterpiece – juicy, fresh, cooked to perfection. Mouth waterin' just at the thought.

But here's where the hiccup hit. My grub? Nowhere to be seen. The missus polished off her plate like a trooper, and I was still twiddlin' me thumbs. Even the second pint the waiter kindly offered took a gap year before showing up.

Waited around 20 minutes, or maybe it felt more like a bloomin' hour, and still no sign of my order. Hangry vibes were in full swing, and we were well and truly parched. So, after a solid 25 minutes post-prawns, we threw in the towel, canceled the rest of the order, and hightailed it outta there.

So there you have it, chums. Not every meal can be a smash hit, and this time we drew the short straw. The prawns were the real heroes of the day, but sadly, the rest of the experience left us with growlin' stomachs and a longing for more...

Tourist trap, trust me. Scammed us too. I asked for an inside seat, they sat us at a dining table, never asked if we were only getting drinks or with food. Then when I was about to order the waiter said “you know these tables are only for food.” So I offered to move. But then he insisted that I still sit there because he’ll make an exception for us this time. Wow I feel SO special in this empty restaurant 🙄 Then when the food came he put something on the table we didn’t order. And he insisted that I had asked for it. In the end he acknowledged his mistake, said we don’t have to pay for it but he’ll leave it on the table because he’ll get in trouble if he sends it back. It got really awkward because he kept saying “it’s my mistake so I’ll pay for it and eat it later. Wow it’s 13€, it’s my mistake!” Yea glad you know your food is over priced. The coffee was mediocre at best. Hot chocolate came COLD, had to send it back for them to remake it. What kind of HOT chocolate comes cold???? When we paid he manually deducted the dish we didn’t order but then added 2€ for bread which I already saw was charged on the receipt. He was holding the receipt away from me and wouldn’t give it to me to look. I knew what he was doing, trying to reap his loss. I didn’t want to argue anymore and just wanted to leave. Then before I was about to pay he had the audacity to say “don’t forget my tip” AVOID THIS PLACE...

Good food, on the higher end of the price scale. Convenient location with exposure to all the tourists checking out Lisbon, this place may be a bit dated at first. Waiters seemed friendly and communicative but be careful when you order. My wife and I, we went for the sea food dishes and have received, waiting for our order, a stater dish pack (bread, deli meat and spreadable cheese). We have rejected that which was fine, the bread was kept on the table though. Our order came fast, food was averagely tasty, nothing to complain about here. At the end, we payed by card, which again was fast and very accessible but as a piece of advice, check your final note before doing the payment. Ours had an extra water bottle on it which I highlighted and have received the classic " it was a honest mistake when printing the bill ". After payment, I did the numbers and obviously, the water we didn't receive was included which made me ask for it for take way. No problema there, received it with apologies for the situation, but I feel that's more of a cheap show rather than an actual mistake. Don't forget tipping is highly encouraged, feeling the pressure of the waiter rather than having this option as a way to quantify the quality of the service.

Overall, I am not dissatisfied but this is clearly a tourist trap which makes me think twice if I would have to come back...