Swaagat The Taste of India — Restaurant in Lisbon

Review for Swagat Indian Restaurant, Lisbon

I had the most disappointing dining experience at Swagat that I feel compelled to share. My husband and I specifically requested dishes without onions and garlic, but what we received was far from our expectations. The paneer curry was fine, but the dal fry was a different story. Despite our request, I could clearly taste onions in the dal fry, which I know well since I eat onions and my husband does not.

When I informed the server about the issue while eating, she took my spoon away and disappeared for ten minutes, leaving me frustrated and without any means to eat. Another server, who had originally taken our order, came over and began handling the piece of onion with his bare hands, insisting it was not onion but some other vegetable. It felt condescending and dismissive, especially since I was the one tasting it. The dal was also heavily seasoned with what I could only assume was onion, but he refused to acknowledge that.

Eventually, we decided to let it go since I just wanted him to stop touching my plate. We asked for the bill, and to our surprise, it came to a hefty 55 euros for just dal, paneer, and roti. While prices can vary, my husband simply mentioned that it felt expensive compared to what we’re used to in the U.S. Instead of a polite response, the waitress launched into a lecture about pricing differences and even made an irrelevant remark about a butterfly, which left us feeling overwhelmed and quite frankly, intimidated.

Overall, the service was poor, the staff's attitude was unprofessional, and the entire experience was far from enjoyable. We left feeling frustrated and disappointed, and I cannot recommend Swagat based on...

Absolutely delicious food and delightful service! We had the poppadoms with chutney tray, onion bhajis and chicken tikka for starters, all of which were excellent. For mains, we had matter paneer and tarka daal with garlic naan and jeera rice. All highly recommended, but especially the matter paneer, which was some of the best we have had (our Mums' cooking aside), and the really soft, fresh and delicious naans. The mango lassi was the perfect consistency and sweetness. The mango mousse for dessert was simply heavenly according to our daughter!

If you have ALLERGIES though, please inform the manager and not just rely on the server to confirm to you whether there are specific allergens (nuts in our case) in the dishes you are ordering. We found out from the manager, who took our order on our second visit, when re-ordering the matter paneer that they have nut flour in many main dishes there as part of the curry base. Although we had asked on our first visit, we were informed by the server the dish was nut free. No wonder it tasted so delicious on our first visit and then we couldn't pinpoint the cause of the allergic reaction (thankfully not anaphylaxis!) The manager was amazing and arranged for the dish to be made without the nut flour and it tasted...

During my recent visit to this Indian restaurant in Lisbon, I had an amazing experience with both the food and ambiance. From the starters to the desserts, everything was well-prepared and packed with flavors.

We started our meal with Prawn Pakora and Chicken shashlik, which was served sizzling hot. The chicken kebab in the sizzler pot was juicy and had a great smoky taste. Moving on to the main course, we enjoyed Pulao, Butter Naan, and Garlic Naan, paired with Karahi Paneer, Chicken Chili, and Chicken Madras. The Chicken Chili stood out the most, as it had a perfect Indo-Chinese flavor—spicy, tangy, and absolutely delicious. The Chicken Madras had a good balance of spice and flavor, while the Karahi Paneer was rich and satisfying.

To end the meal, we had Kulfi, which was decent but not extraordinary. However, the overall experience was fantastic. The restaurant had a warm and inviting ambiance, with a well-decorated interior that enhanced the dining experience. The staff was polite and attentive, making sure we had a great time.

Overall, this restaurant is a great place to enjoy authentic Indian flavors with a touch of Indo-Chinese influence. I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a flavorful and enjoyable...