O Palmeiral — Restaurant in Lisbon

I had never planned on writing a review for O Palmeiral until the restaurant decided to troll me on social media after I left a comment on a local restaurant critic's Instagram post.

I commented: “We went to O Palmeiral. It was OK but not great”. I didn’t even tag the restaurant.

The restaurant messaged me privately, saying it was uncalled for and a “mean” comment to make on a public post. They also proceeded to make snarky comments on my own SM posts of a recent family holiday, “ OK photos, but not great”. I thought this was extremely childish, not to mention very unprofessional.

As it appears that this restaurant is not equipped to deal with even minor criticism as part of growing a successful business, I thought I should share why we thought our experience lacked the hype O Palmeiral receives, especially via social media, as one of the “it” places to eat. And share some of the highlights (Yes, there were some great dishes) of what was ultimately an underwhelming experience.

Yes, the place has all the cutesy vibes that make it a darling on Instagram, attracting tourists and the Lisbon expat set. But it appears that only a few are willing to call out some of the failings of their service and menu. (I have read other reviews similar to mine.)

The service was friendly but way too rushed: We had a reservation for 4 at 7.30 and the restaurant was not busy yet. The other two in our party had only just sat down and ordered a pre-dinner cocktail when we were being asked for our order. They hadn’t even seen the menu.

The starters arrived before we finished our pre-dinner drinks, or the couvert was cleared, and the main course was placed in front of us immediately as the starter plates were removed. Our guests were quite shocked at the pace of the meal. Four people, 3 courses, with a pre-dinner drink - In and out in a little over an hour!

We had been looking forward to a relaxed dinner with visiting friends. We were never advised of any time limit on our table. We wouldn’t have booked if that was the reason for the super-fast service.

Two of the party ordered the Novilho Tonnato as a main. Both said the meat was stringy and difficult to cut, and overall, the flavour of the dish was quite bland. I tasted it and agreed. I said they should send it back, but they didn’t want to make a fuss. Neither of them finished it, leaving more than half on the plate. The staff did not think to ask if there was a problem with the dish; they just whisked the plates away.

The Frango Cacciatore in Bianco was tender, but way too salty. The pork chop was cooked very well, but again, way too heavy on the seasoning. We ordered sides, one of which never appeared (although we were not charged). The potatoes were also a little OTT on the salt or whatever seasoning they used, and the beans were overcooked.

The winners of the evening were the starters and desserts. The Tortellini in Brodo was good, as was the octopus salad. The cup of prawns dish was nothing special. But what would you expect from a cup of prawns with piri piri mayonnaise?

We especially enjoyed the Tiramisu and Lemon Cream dessert.

We all agreed when we left that the overall experience was just OK and probably wouldn’t return.

I believe we are all entitled to our opinions about any restaurant we pay good money for, and in this digital age, restaurants should be engaging professionally with comments about their business, good or bad, to show they care when they don’t get it right.

Indulging in petty social media trolling because someone called your service out for not living up to the hype is nothing more than childish. I hope you don’t have any greater disappointments in your business than being called OK, but not great. Best of luck, your little restaurant has...

Previously dined here when it was Moya and enjoyed it then and so been wanting to try its new incarnation as O Palmeiral for a while now.

Left with mixed feelings. Ordered the peaches and mozzarella, tortellini em brodo, osso bucco and melanzane.

Peaches and mozzarella were excellent, loved the dish especially now with peaches being in season, and although simple, the peaches were cooked to perfection.

Tortellini broth was good, reasonable depth of flavour, but tortellini themselves were a bit ‘meh’. Maybe lacked a bit of seasoning but were a bit disappointing relative to the broth.

The ossobucco was pretty decent itself, great spicing and herbs permeating the meat well, and meat was reasonably tender. The dish fell down a little though with the ‘gremolata’ which was carrot, celery and what felt like frozen peas.

Finally the melanzane wasn’t great. Not sure if the eggplant wasn’t salted enough or not but some of the bitterness remained in the final dish. The tomato was also a bit bland and the would’ve liked it more punchy and prominent. Needed more depth of flavour all round.

The location, as before, is enjoyable. Quaint location, spilling out on to the street, in the sun. Decent save for the odd scooter or truck fumes. Staff and service were excellent.

Overall hope the food can improve because would like to return to enjoy the al fresco experience the...

Located in a really stunning historic spot, that feels off the beaten track, just southwest of Jardim Principe Real is this chic, authentic gem.

First impressions; we arrived early (7pm) and settled into a romantic table. I was impressed by the gorgeous window-seats, audiophile soundsystem and a punchy dry martini. The waiter had plenty of time to talk us through the menu, help me choose a delicious bottle of red, and made us feel very welcome.

Food: my starter was a refined classic - a pile of chilled prawns with a simple chilli oil dip. Sweet, juicy and extravagant, I could eat those little beauts every day. My main course was a traditional Portuguese classic. Fluffy, light rice with a rich meaty duck topping, gently crisped in the oven. A small, shared sweet chocolaty dessert finished it all perfectly.

By the time we wobbled off, the place was completely full of locals. People were ordering food from the tables on the street (in December!), so I recommend booking, as its not huge inside.

ps. They took my call in English, and made booking a table super easy.

These guys are smashing it. Thanks for the lovely date night, certainly one i'll remember. Obrigado!

didnt take photos (soz!) - i was having...