Sakemico — Restaurant in Lisbon

UPDATE 2 (& final as I won't spend more energy on this matter)

What happened was simple: I made a reservation for two on the lower floor a week in advance. During that week, the owner received a larger group booking, which made it impossible for her to honor my reservation.

It’s understandable a restaurant would prioritize a bigger group for profit — but the correct and professional action would have been to call or cancel my reservation, not silently downgrade it. Instead, she chose to move my table upstairs, assuming I’d have no choice but to accept at 8 p.m. on a Friday when it’s hard to find another spot — a clear case of over-leveraging customer loyalty for maximum profit.

When we arrived, there was one last table left downstairs. Instead of following a fair first-come, first-served principle, she prioritized profit again. Ironically, the group that supposedly required that table of four arrived later, as two.

They used to be a good restaurant, but the owner’s inability to handle criticism, take accountability or admit mismanagement speaks volumes. If you are already here reading all these non sense, I encourage you to read her responses to other negative reviews - they’re defensive, immature, unprofessional and personal attack is her only weapon of responding to criticism. She would blame the clients, the staff, anyone but herself as captain of the ship - a clear narcissistic pattern of Deny - Attack - Reverse victim offender

With new competition rising across Lisbon, I’m genuinely curious to see how this attitude holds up in the long run.

UPDATE: I was shocked to read the owner’s public response, labeling my firm and justified challenge as “drama” and “hysteria.” She even took the liberty of speaking on my friend’s behalf — completely immature, unprofessional and gaslighting.

That reaction only reinforces my original point — an entitled attitude that expects loyal customers to quietly accept a downgraded experience caused by the restaurant’s own mismanagement. That’s not just service-disoriented, it’s delusional.

Original Review:

I’ve been a loyal Sake Mico customer since their Campo de Ourique days, but tonight will likely be my last visit.

I reserved a table for two on the lower floor at 19:30, confirmed a week in advance. Then came a string of confusing emails that my reservation was “modified,” then bumped to 20:00. I assumed there was an event and let it slide.

When I arrived, I was told I was late and that my table had been moved upstairs because the lower floor was full. I showed the emails to the owner, who reacted with a passive, defensive “I know nothing and it is what it is” attitude, no accountability, no effort to fix it.

While I was waiting politely at the entrance, another couple walked straight downstairs and took the last table. When I challenged it, the owner insisted they had a reservation. So did I. The logic loop was endless. Eventually, she moved the couple upstairs, passive-aggressively, and avoided us the rest of the evening.

A shame, really. This place used to be my happy corner of the neighbourhood. But all good things evolve, and thankfully, there are plenty of new izakayas rising to hedge one’s happiness.

Good...

I’m the friend who dined with Miku last night. I do not appreciate being included in the owners response to her review. Calling me “seemingly embarrassed” seems like an attempt to embarrass my friend into withdrawing her review, rather than addressing the actual concerns she raised. It’s unfortunate that the focus shifted to personal attacks instead of resolving the issue.

I completely agree that things happened exactly how Miku described.

There was no “meltdown,” and certainly no “hysteria.” Miku simply raised a valid concern about the way the situation was handled. Instead of addressing it directly, the owner seemed to deflect, and that’s where the frustration stemmed from. This wasn’t about creating drama; it was about ensuring fair treatment.

The handling of our reservation was a complete mess. Particularly frustrating for us was that another couple, who arrived later, was seated downstairs at a table that had been told was unavailable for us. We had made a reservation well in advance, and according to the (by the restaurant modified) reservation we were on time. The way things unfolded didn’t feel right.

In the end the couple that bypassed us was moved upstairs and that is what the restaurant should have done from the start.

I agree with Miku that the suggestion for us to take a table upstairs instead was unacceptable as the upstairs and downstairs experiences are completely different. The atmosphere downstairs is a far more relaxed, comfortable setting, while upstairs feels more like you’re...

We have been there the second time. I’m a bit disappointed with the menu changes. Now 80% are raw fish dishes, but I came for the Japanese tavern cooking style. And personally I think the 刺身盛り合わせ(7 pair for 38€) is a bit over priced. Fortunately the overall performance of the dishes is still on point.

Since google map doesn’t allow me to make a new post of the same restaurant, I can only update my first review, which I would like to keep the original words below:

Authentic home cooking style Izakaya dishes, which is pretty rare in Lisbon. My dog was welcomed with water and cookie. We are not that into sake and only had Asahi beer to drink, shared 6 dishes, 42€/person. If we didn’t order the お握りsushi omakase, it could be 32€/person and make a value-for-money dinner. But the portions are not big, which is typical for Japanese dishes, and we were experimenting this restaurant for the first time, so we ordered a bit of everything. A good choice if you’re looking for a dog friendly night out with Japanese cuisine...