Casa da Tia Helena — Restaurant in Lisbon

After a long search for authentic Portuguese food, we discovered a hidden gem just after visiting the Miradouro de Santa Luzia—and it turned out to be one of the highlights of our trip.

As we walked into the restaurant, we overheard an older couple at a nearby table say, “This is our second time here. When we find a good place, we tell no one and just keep coming back.” That was our first clue we were in for something special.

We ordered the sea bass and the sardines, and both were absolutely spectacular—fresh, perfectly seasoned, and bursting with flavor. The service was friendly and homey, the kind that makes you feel like a welcome guest rather than just a customer.

And the price? Incredible. We paid just €38 for two people, including drinks and starters.

That couple may want to keep it a secret, but being a good Samaritan, here’s my recommendation: don’t miss this place. We’ll definitely...

Ordinarily this would have been a Five-star review, but the experience of our second visit lost the restaurant one of its star ratings. This restaurant was the closest one to our hotel and so made the perfect spot for a 'welcome to Lisbon' glass of wine whilst we got our bearings, served by an ever so friendly young waitress. The menu however looked lovely, so we regaled ourselves of local chouriço and a home-made chicken and beef stew with fresh bread -- the stew in particular was outstanding. Fast forward to the next evening when, after a heavy lunch in Cascais, we didn't want dinner, only a couple of drinks. Despite a few empty tables, the waiter was insistent that we he couldn't give us a table for drinks only. He asked that we leave. Maybe it's a local thing to deny customers in this way, but whatever, we didn't cross the restaurants' doorstep again. What...

After being a bit disappointed with the portugués kitchen we winded up discovering casa da tía helena. And it was amazing! The restaurant was exactly how I imagined a cosy eating place in Lissabon, crew was friendly and professional and the food, my good, food was amazing! We ate grilled fish, it was nicely done and split fish risotto /paella. The paella was fantastic! It serves two (so actually it could feed up to four people) and was perfectly seasoned, fish, gambas and rest of sea food creatures were fresh and delicious. Add some white wine and some olives with bread as starters and you will have the most perfect Lissabon experience. We didn't try any desserts (we were so stuffed with all the fish..) but all cakes looked nice too. So, don't miss casa...