Oyster & Margarita Príncipe Real — Restaurant in Lisbon

After seeing such excellent reviews for this restaurant, I imagined we were in for a fantastic meal. When we arrived, and were told by the host that they could just squeeze us in for 45 minutes, I was even more certain that we had found a hidden gem in Lisbon.

That's about when the trouble started. As soon as we sat down and went to order, we were informed that the very first three things we had hoped to order were not available to us:

grand seafood platter: "We're out of caviar" grilled octopus: "We're out of octopus" grilled dorado: "It's going to take too long to cook and serve, and you only have the table for a limited amount of time."

Given the excellent reviews, we remained confident that we would still have a solid meal at this establishment.

I've updated my review for brevity's sake. In a city that has no shortage of fantastic dining options, this restaurant stands out for its mediocrity. The food (that we were actually able to order), while undeniably fresh (oysters were good), was lacking in flavor (whoever cooked the mussels has never heard of seasoning, and overcooked them, to boot), and the prices, while reasonable, are in line with other, better places. The servers would have done better to simply tell us nothing we wanted could be ordered before seating us. Also, we had to ask them for the check, a fair bit after the time limit that was supposedly so strict we couldn't order cooked food, but evidently they exaggerated their time assessment.

The owner, meanwhile, had taken a seat at a table behind us, chatting with the female patrons there. For what it's worth, he seemed to receive excellent service, so maybe you just have to be an owner to get solid service there. Not sure if he was able to order...

If you’re gluten free, you’ll be able to eat here! We loved it so much we’re going back again before we leave Lisbon! Cocktails were top tier - highly recommend the spicy mezcal margarita. We had oysters (and ordered more because they were so good), sashimi, tuna tartare, and octopus with spinach and potatoes. Our server was very friendly (as was everyone else there) and extremely helpful with understanding gluten free and talking to the kitchen to determine what I could have or what could be modified for me to have. She even knew that soy sauce has gluten and knew what sauces had gluten/checked what could be made differently without soy sauce. I honestly can’t imagine anyone finding the food here not amazing…if you like good food, raw seafood, and good cocktails and know the cost that comes with it anywhere, you’ll find this place extremely enjoyable and extremely well priced. We honestly found it very affordable for the quality. And if that’s not enough to make you visit…music and atmosphere was great. It’s a very laid back environment but fun...

A very interesting experience, definitely worth it.

For my taste, the highlight is without a doubt the Salmon Tataki: perfectly cooked, outstanding salmon — truly one of the best I’ve ever had. The bread and butter served with the oysters were also excellent.

The oysters themselves were good, though heavily garnished with various ingredients (vegetables, caviar, spice). This, of course, prevents you from fully tasting the oyster on its own, but creates a pleasant combination.

The sashimi was of excellent quality. Personally, I found it a bit over-seasoned, which again tends to mask the raw flavor — though it was still very enjoyable.

The Pavlova was truly exceptional: a meringue base topped with cream and berries, absolutely superb and highly appreciated — an excellent choice.

The cocktails were also very good, though perhaps a little small for...