Portofino — Restaurant in Lisbon

Charming and easy to find pizza and pasta café in the heart of Lisbon. Limited outdoor seating so book a table if that's your preference. As I was dining alone, I chose to sit inside.

The service was excellent, even for a very busy Saturday evening in Summer. I ordered a glass of the house red wine and a pizza... Cheese with cherry tomatoes, basil and fresh burrata.

The wine was surprisingly good for the price. The pizza was very good and obviously hand-tossed and cooked in a proper pizza oven (I actually watched them make it from my seat across from the kitchen.) The crust was crispy and thin on the bottom while the edges retained just the right amount of chewiness. Mine was layered with flavorful cheese, fresh tomatoes and basil, and the burrata on top was delightfully creamy. Firm on the outside with smooth cream pouring out when split open.

I did see quite a few non-pizza dishes being served, and the portions were huge by European standards. (Americans will feel right at home, though) They all looked amazing and served piping hot, so I'll definitely plan to try one on my next visit.

I finished with the tiramisu and an espresso. The coffee was typical for the area. The tiramisu was a bit disappointing, however. It was more like a sponge cake with no coffee flavor, and the cream layers were much too heavy and oddly yellow. Plus it was inexplicably drenched in thick chocolate syrup and a raspberry coulis, both of which were unnecessary and overpowering. It wasn't a bad dessert, but I will try the panna cotta or profiteroles next time to see how they compare.

My server spoke good English but seemed quite happy to let me use my limited Portuguese to order. I took my time and never felt rushed. The added bonus was a small glass of limoncello with their compliments, and it was the perfect ending to a nice meal.

Vegetarians will find plenty of options to choose from, and families with small kids should have no trouble here. Large groups will definitely need to book well in advance if you wish to sit together as the space is small.

Dinner for one with wine, pizza, dessert and coffee was 17€, which isn't bad at all for central Lisbon.

Overall, I would recommend giving...

No, no, no. Never again. This is even disrespectful to Italian cuisine. We were super excited to go to this place, but we left so disappointed to the point we wish we had never went there. We had a rough start right when my boyfriend wanted to have the spaghetti parmigiano (made on the parmigiano itself), but they were out of it. He ended up having the Pizza Bella Vista, which was ok. On the other side, I wanted to try the Spaghetti alla Carbonara, as I am a big fan of this dish. Let me just tell you that, the dish I was served with, was pretty much a 4am drunk recipe you can do at home To start, Carbonara is NOT MADE WITH CREAM, and on the menu was written that it indeed had cream, but I was curious anyway, thinking it would be another thing. No. It was cream. A lot of it. Like a ridiculous amount of cream. I was served 2 kg of spaghetti with 5L of cream, it was also soaking in oil. I have a very good and strong stomach but this, this took me straight to the toilet 30 min after. The owner and the waitress were super nice and friendly, but the food they serve it’s not...

If you are looking for tasty food and especially the pizza - you are at the ✅️ right place.

If you are looking for a luxury place - that's not your place for sure. 👌🏽😊

But there you can find a very good pizza, made in Italian style. The pasta is olso okay, but as a suggestion to the owners, there is more to be improved in the pastas. It should be "al dente" and the beef filet should be a filet without any fat and vains. Otherwise was with good taste. 😊

The atmosphere is as I already said not luxury, it is a peripheral place - quarter restaurant with a tables on the sidewalk except those inside.

It's a little bit noisy, if you decide to sit outside you have to bear that in mind and the cars will pass next to your table.

The service was very good and the guys who are working there are really nice and cooperative.

The girl who was taking care of as, her name was Sabrita, was really good in her job, helped us with the choice of the food and was continuously taking care of us and really smiled person!

I'm going to eat there with a pleasure whenever I'm...