Osteria Bellosguardo — Restaurant in Lisbon

My husband and I went here on Thursday night. We were excited to go due to the high rating and the great reviews. I have to sadly say we’re completely disappointed. Our server that night made us feel completely unwelcome and dismissed. I don’t think he said more than three words to us the entire time. We almost walked out due to how long he ignored us and now wish we did! First, we knew we wanted to get pasta, the menus provided do not have the pasta listed, it just say ask for the daily specials. When the server finally came to our table we asked what pasta they had, he said nothing and pointed to a board that was outside on the wall with a few pastas listed. I don’t know how we’re supposed to know that was even there. So when he finally came back, we ordered the White Ragu and the Bolognese with a liter of the only red wine they had. The food looked really good but was sadly underwhelming. The Ragu was supposed to come with Guanciale I believe, but just had what I believe to be ground beef and was lacking in flavor. The bolognese was very sour. The wine seemed to barley contain any alcohol content and was not that great. We were so disappointed, this was our last night and last dinner in this beautiful area. This place is not worth all the stairs to get to and I have no idea how that have the rating they do. I would not recommend wasting...

My friends and I had an insane experience there. The staff was extremely rude and inconvenient, but the food was very good. When we arrived (at 9.30 pm), the waiter was already warning us the restaurant was about to close and was rushing us to decide what to order, even though they officially close at 11 pm. He said they didn't have any starters because the kitchen was closing, and laughed at us when we asked what some Italian words on the menu meant. He was also rolling eyes and visibly annoyed. My friends were rudely stared at when they went to the toilet (the owner later even apologized), as well as other customers. When we decided to order desserts, the waiter said the kitchen was closed. Funnily, when we tried to order desserts to the owner himself, they came in less than 10 seconds. Unfortunately, it seemed like the owner did not want to take responsibility for the terrible evening other than finding excuses and apologizing.

The food was...

An absolute gem of a find. Thank you Google reviews! This place is tucked away on a tiny cobbled street in the Alfama region of Lisbon and would be easily missed by most. My journey to find it was down several flights of steep cobblestone steps. Do not be fooled by the simple green metal tables and chairs outside and the basic decor with wooden tables and chairs inside. The food is so obviously made with care, freshly cooked and tastes delicious. Such a contrast to the standard factory fare served at most high street 'Italian' restaurants. I had the white lasagne made with Italian sausage, mushrooms and what I believe to be smoked cheese. The bechamel sauce had a hint of nutmeg and rounded off the flavours perfectly. This was accompanied by a simple green salad and an excellent glass of red wine. 10/10. Please, please hunt this place out and give it your custom. It has brought my faith back to authentic Italian...