Maria Peixeira — Restaurant in Lisbon

Sarah and I finally returned to Maria Peixeira in Avenidas Novas with neighborhood friends and we were blown away! Our first visit several months ago was delightful but our second experience was only okay. We were so glad our friends suggested we join them for an al fresco dinner! Patricia, daughter of the owner/chef, Filipe Lopes, provided wonderful, friendly service and we felt like we were part of the family, in the best way possible. We started with their delicate salada de polvo, lightly marinated and with tasty bits of octopus that nearly melted in our mouths. We then moved on to mains, with three of us in heaven with the Bife de Atum, the seared tuna loin, with horta verde and a house made soy reduction. Oh, my, the tuna was so tender and flavorful, and we loved the foil of the green beans, prepared just a touch al dente. The fourth plate was the bacalhau com pão specialty of Maria, and it was also judged a pure triumph of design and execution—oh, yes, and savory deliciousness. Patricia also recommended a bottle of Flor de Sal IV Bronze, a blend of the Antão Vaz grapes from Alentejo with a hint of sweetness from Semillon grapes from France. Sarah highly approved its fresh, young flavor that provided an excellent match for our entrees. Oh, did we forget sobremesa? Of course not! True to form, I went for the “stupid” bolo de chocolate, which was richly deep and dark in its bittersweet flavor and rich, velvety texture–stupid, indeed–while Sarah loved the “Não e gelato,” or “fake” ice cream–an intense lime flavored, icy cold concoction with a waffle cone leaning into the dish! Not ice cream, but wow! Our friends shared the doce de Maria, and we all agreed it surely was the champion: so creamy, so rich, so smooth, you’ll just have to stop by Maria Peixeira soon and give it a try. Our only regret? We were so engaged with the marvelous food and wine, along with vibrant conversation, I only remembered to take a single photo. Guess that means we’ll have to stop by and enjoy Maria Peixeira again. Soon! Highly...

I had dinner at Maria Peixeira last night (January 14th, 2023), we were four persons, I had a terrible experience. The main dishes were served about one hour after they were ordered, by the time the food arrived, we were hungry. Three of us ordered dish with rice (supposedly a risotto) with Vieiras and lingueirao, the rice was so overcooked that it tasted as a puree, and, I was concerned the lingueirao (a form of razor clams) were not fresh, and could cause food poisoning. My wife had an octopus dish, which was also overcooked and tasted very bland. We relayed our concerns to the waitress, who replied in an aggressive and defensive manner. We requested the waitress to remove the dishes. She resisted leaving the table, insisting the food was fresh and well cooked. I had to request multiple times for the waitress to leave our table and stop telling us how good the food was. Upon requesting the bill, I requested the manager to remove the price of the three rice lingueirao dishes, which he refused, and insisted we paid the bill in full. To reduce the unpleasantness of the situation I paid the bill in full, and requested the Livro de Reclamações (Complaint Book). It took quite some time for the Complaint Book to arrive, and when it finally arrived, I filled Complaint Form Nº 27846201, detailing my poor experience at the establishment, the poor service we received, our concerns that the seafood appeared to be unhealthy for human consumption, and the extraordinarily bad response of the manager. I sincerely hope the Lisbon Restaurant regulatory agency inspects this establishment to ensure the safety of the guests. Usually I am delighted to write a good review, it is with sadness that I write...

I was the first one arrived at the restaurant & first one to order. However, my main dish arrived only 45 minutes after. Much later than a table of 5 that arrived after me. The food was so so at best. The sautéed shrimps & chilli are quite salty, and the shrimps are mushy, definitely far from fresh. The specialty dish - roasted octopus was nothing special, the vegetable bed beneath actually tasted like it has gone bad. The octopus doesn’t taste fresh, not well roasted so there’s a little fishy smell to it. The service was ok. When i provided feedback about the prawns not being fresh, there wasn’t any actions or comments from the waiter. No one explained why my main dish took so long, no one apologised for the wait, the bill also took very long to arrive. So much rave from other reviewers that I don’t see why. *Revised my rating because this restaurant is too cocky to listen to customer’s feedback - just look at their reply below. I clearly told the most senior wait staff (in terms of age) that the shrimps weren’t fresh, that the last few shrimps were mushy. I also asked for my main dish after finishing with my starter and seeing the table of 5 that arrived after me got their main first. The waiter then said it was coming soon. I had to wait for another 5-10 minutes. When he cleared the table & asked about the main - i told him “it was just so so”. He didn’t care to ask why. I then just asked for the bill. I also didn’t finish my food. Please talk to your staff to get the full story before responding to your customer and telling lies. And it’s always good to be humble, receptive of feedback especially when your food is not that...