Garden Balthazar Caffe — Restaurant in Lisbon

I am so sorry for posting this not nice review but just want to warn people like me. So I had a meeting about my job and I was asked to pick the place. Everything looked nice on the pictures and reviews were nice too. So I tried to book a table but it was said everything is booked. So I risked and went there. Plenty of tables were available (good for me), the host was very welcoming so I took the table and was waiting for other guests to come join me. Then it was a nightmare…I was a bit pushed to order as I understood it’s not nice to just sit and wait for others (understandable but I was there alone max for 13 min), then the waiter came and she was very uncomfortable with me NOT talking Portugese (I politely said I can’t speak and if she will understand me?). She continued to be annoyed and talking Portugese trying to take my order. I was showing her the English version on my phone but she kept pointing in Portugese Menu on the table. I started to ask to call someone who speaks English because I also need to disclose the fact of having severe allergy so it’s IMPORTANT for them to understand me. I don’t know how FINALLY other waiter came and solve the issue. He was very nice BUT the food…my God. It was very bad! Meat was so stiff it was impossible to cut it with the fruit knifes that they gave us. The food had very strange chemical taste (veggies, rice and meat itself). I tried to eat (I was hungry) but felt sick. Juice of the day felt like they cleaned the juicer and in that water they put ice and gave it to us….maybe coffee and deserts are good there, but be careful with the meals. I felt so embarrassed in front of people I invited there to eat. We we all had...

I don't recall giving such poor rating to anything. This was my second experience at the place. The first time it was at the beginning and I thought the long waiting time was still an adaptation period. Now there shouldn't be any excuses. The concept is nice and the menu seems promising. The decor is nice and the service should be better. There is a small army or staff at the service of the tables and they are kind of nice and agreeable. But I don't understand why it took them so long to get the group of people ahead of me to their reserved table. After that they were quick to get me into a table, in spite of not having a reservation. They got me the menu and I was told to raise my arm when I was ready to order (a bit strange and , of course it took them a while to notice my raised arm). After ordering the food, something that was already precooked , it took more than 30 minutes to serve the order. The kitchen is really the worst part of the service. It must be understaffed and of no great quality The sushi rice was poorly cooked (don't remember to eat such poorly cooked sushi rice). The tuna was ok. The vegetable were not great. The list mentions avocado but there was none and no explanation about its absence. In summary, I don't plan to return to the place. Which is a pitty because the idea and concept are actually...

[FOOD POISONING ALERT] I made the regrettable decision to order from this restaurant through Uber Eats, misled by its high ratings and steep prices into believing it was a high end establishment.

What a disaster! The pancakes arrived charred, and the so called yoghurt was more like diluted water with a disgusting surprise a strand of long hair. Importantly, both of us who dined have short hair and one of us is bald, making this particularly alarming.

To make matters worse, the "royal eggs" led to an almost immediate case of food poisoning. Clearly, there's a serious lapse in quality and hygiene here.

I’m also making an official complaint to the food and economic authorities (ASAE) to conduct a thorough investigation of the place. There’s no excuse for messing up royal eggs unless there’s improper storage of ingredients like salmon, which should then be removed from the menu.

The only barely passable aspect were the drinks which, despite their exorbitant price of 4€ for a measly 100-150ml, were acceptable in taste. However, that does little to compensate for the overall dreadful experience. Avoid at all costs!

For the restaurant owner: Please investigate the person with long hair who was cooking/packing on the...