El Clan - Restaurante Português — Restaurant in Lisbon

This place sucks. Seriously. Where do I begin… they are understaffed, or their employees just don’t care to actually do their jobs. Might be a mixture of the two. They gave me a dirty water glass with lipstick on it from the last customer. My friend ordered the shrimp rice dish. No where did it mention on the menu that it included other fish. What she got was a disgusting mystery fish meal. We lost our appetites trying to figure out what the meat was. I ordered the gnocchi. Let me tell you this looked nothing like the photo. It was a soup, and not a good one. The tomatoes weren’t cooked, the gnocchi was so over cooked it was squishy and falling apart, and soaked in this unidentifiable liquid that was sour. Make it make sense. We asked politely for my friend’s mystery fish meat dish to be taken off the bill, as she doesn’t eat other meat besides the shrimp she thought she was ordering. Again, the menu did not say in English that there was other fish in the meal. The employees were so rude and unhelpful and put up a fight that lasted about 30 minutes. We ended up finally getting the dish removed (didn’t even mention my nasty food), and went to a different restaurant. It’s also in a sketchy neighborhood that made us feel uncomfortable. Could not recommend less! Tons of restaurants in Lisbon, pick...

We visited this restaurant based on a friend’s suggestion, as we happened to be in the area. At first, we were pleasantly surprised by the service: the staff were polite, attentive, and genuinely welcoming, which created a positive first impression. Unfortunately, the overall dining experience did not meet our expectations, and we left disappointed.

For our meal, we ordered a steak, a paella, a salad, and a beer, with the bill totaling €60. Considering the price, we expected higher quality and more generous portions. Instead, the dishes were noticeably different and did not resemble the photographs shown on the menu. The steak was particularly underwhelming—it was thin, lacking in flavor, and certainly not worth its price tag. The salad, which included chicken, tasted as though it had been prepared earlier and stored in the fridge for hours before serving, which made it far from fresh.

While the service itself was satisfactory, the quality of the food was below average, especially when compared to other excellent restaurants we enjoyed during our tour in Portugal within the same price range. The high rating this restaurant holds may be influenced by staff encouraging reviews for their service. However, the food simply does not justify the cost, and for that reason, I would not recommend it...

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “In Sheikh We Trust”

We walked into El Clan with empty stomachs and left with full bellies and a new life motto: Follow the Sheikh. Our adventure began with a menu where everything sounded tempting — from the paella that seemed to sing to us from the kitchen to the Aperol Spritz whispering, “Order another one.”

And then he appeared: Sheikh. Not just a waiter, but a culinary guide, an entertainer, and possibly a salsa-dancing pirate in a past life. He delivered our dishes with such flair that even the shrimp seemed to smile.

On the bill, a note was circled: “Tips are not included.” Of course not — how could you put a price on charm? We paid €150 for a €147.50 bill — not because we had to, but because we wanted to invest in Sheikh’s smile.

At the end, we got a card to leave a review. Sheikh said: “Make sure you put my name in there.” So here it is: Sheikh, you are the reason El Clan is now officially our go-to spot in Lisbon. Food? Delicious. Drinks? Perfect. Sheikh? Glorious.

Next time we’ll bring a bigger wallet — and maybe join the dance.

– The Glaze...