Palácio Chiado — Restaurant in Lisbon

Take my word, it's very Pretentious restaurant across my hotel where I stayed at.

MARK MY WORDS, you are paying for the ambiance NOT FOR THE TASTE OF THE FOOD. Beware and stick to the bar for drinks only if you must but do not eat.

First, the Poke Bowl ordered was way way way too salty (I live by NYC and eat this daily). I ended up eating only the tuna and sadly threw the rest. There was so much soy sauce in the plate that it was soy soup. This place is a joke.

The bacalhau was small, covered much in tomato and potato (see photo) but MOST IMPORTANT, IT WAS VERY VERY BLAND.

The establishment told me they make their own butter which was meant to impress me. Our waiter asked me if I want another butter and he stated jokingly that it will be "our secret that I'm getting another butter". I really didn't want another but since we were waiting for our entree anyway I told him yes. When our check came out, they charged me 6 euros for the 2nd "our secret" one small butter that we did not even touched and threw away.

Our waiter asked if we wanted water and I said yes. So a lady came out and poured our water from her jug of container (she poured half a cup only on each small glass which was small amount - see the pictures I took before we even drank it). When our check came out we were charged 4 euros for two small glass of water (see pic before we drank it)

When we ordered iced tea we were shocked that a place of this supposed reputation gave us a CAN LIPTON tea not home made iced tea which was easy to make. Where I come from, this is called McDonalds (and even McDonalds don't give it to you in cans but you get the point).

The margarita I ordered was OK but served low because our waiter TOOK A SIP AND DRANK IT BEFORE SERVING TO US (see picture). What a shame! He told us that the salt was missing in one area because that's the way it was and he didn't mention why the liquid was low (see picture before we drank it). His lip line matched the missing salt in the glass.

The bread was the only good thing I liked about this place.

I told our waiter that we have friends waiting for us for desserts at another restaurant so it was imperative we had to leave soon and get our check ASAP. When we asked for our check, our waiter did not give our check until 20 minutes later. Had I not complained and remind him again where is our check I asked for 20 minutes ago, our wait would have been much longer. When he gave the check to the party next to our table, I told him that we have been waiting for our check before the table next to ours so where was our check? He only joked that it was coming. He proceeded to ignore us and chat more with the front desk. At this time we were so upset that we just paid cash and left in front of him much to our disapproval

We would not come here again. Sadly the only good food we ate here was the bread.

This place nickle and dime you for everything. Be careful when you say yes because it is always charged back to you. Water in restaurants should be complementary and charging customers for that is nickle and diming us. I'm used to paying high fare for true fancy restaurants in NYC but this place is a joke.

I gave it one star for the ambience but certainly not for their ability to cook and CON...

This is a nice restaurant with great atmosphere, great location and nice views. They did a good job with the restoration of this old edifice. The food was fine, nothing too exceptional, and nothing too bad, nor anything notable. There were only 2 servers catering to 1 big room of probably 7 tables (the restaurant even had a number of empty tables before, during, and after our dinner). The waiters were nice & hardworking but spreading themselves too thin, and looked too harrassed. Our bottled water was in a wine bucket and it was difficult to have them get water to pour into our glasses. This is definitely not a good indication of an upscale restaurant. It is not an issue on the competence of the servers, but an issue of manpower management that is the responsibility of the restaurant's operations managers.

The worst part of this experience is the receptionist at the restaurant at the top of the grand staircase. (Take note that the gracious receptionist at the entrance of the restaurant at the door facing the street was really nice, but not the one entering the main dining hall). The restaurant receptionist is a very task oriented person, whose mindset is focused on completing the responsibilities she is assigned to do, and making sure timing of every line item in her list of things to do is done with precision. She walks in the restaurant too stressed out like a chicken without a head, even when there were not many guests, not even a half-filled restaurant. With the skill set she has, she should be taken away from customers, not to be seen or spoken to by any client of this restaurant. She should be hidden away from the front desk and be assigned to be a project assistant or a secretary in the back room. She has no people skills at all, telling people after she walks them to their table the time limit given to finish your meal. (Well we thought we were going to have a lovely dinner, but seemed like we were in a military barracks). This receptionist will not take pictures if you ask her a favor because she said she can only do reception tasks. (All other restaurant staff were very nice to take our pictures though and very cheerful to do so, but not this petite receptionist.)

Because of this not nice receptionist who should be reassigned to the backroom, it gives this supposedly cool restaurant a low-class atmosphere. I think this girl should be given a good exposure to high-end and upscale restaurants so she will know how it is in the luxury food business (if that is what Palacio Chiado is trying to be), and how to make customers feel happy & welcome. There are other backroom jobs in the restaurant for this receptionist, if Palacio Chiado management wants to improve their image in the...

Be careful!!! A generous 3 star review.

We reserved specifically for a table in the main room more than a month in advance. Called to confirm that. And did so a third time when I was called to confirm we would show up on time.

Instead we were seated in the far back by a very loud party in a private room in the back. No one near us and nothing special about the place we were seated. Could have been any room at a nice restaurant and certainly not the "website photos". I mentioned this to the hostess and was told that she would let the manager know, but that they were sold out that evening. There were 4 tables for 2 open in the main dining room when we arrived and half the room open when we left.

We then were rushed to order our food 10 minutes after we sat down even before we had water or a drink. Obviously we made it clear that we were planning on a special evening and were not going to be rushed. Waiter was clearly not pleased and took my menus away, leaving us one to share.

The food was ok but inconsistent and definitely not in the top tier of Lsbon restaurants we have enjoyed over the years. More show than substance on the main dishes.

The check arrived and the waiter "politely" pointed out that the gratuity was included but "only a small percentage of 10%". 300 Euros for a party of 2 was expected but not worth it.

For the record, we were well-dressed and clearly not children on a date.

This was the first time in several visits to Portugal -- after having lived in Europe for more than 20 years -- that I felt I was being treated like a tourist rather than a customer. If you have been to Portugal, you know what I mean about the hospitality. Usually second to none. Not here.

In sum: ok food. Poor hospitality and treatment of guests that I guess don't live in the area. Decor is nice I assume as I only saw it on arrival and leaving. Prices reflect the location more than the menu so insist on a good table if you go.

Many better places to go in Lisbon....