Tati — Restaurant in Lisbon

Classical Portuguese Favourites with a Fusion Twist.

Let's start with the venue itself. It is unassuming yet warm, cozy, and neighbourly. It is situated in an old building, right in the corner, with plenty of outdoor seedings. The restaurant is welcoming and you know you will be treated well like an old friend just by looking at the place.

The food, where do I begin to talk about the food?

We started with the beef empanada and it was just simply amazing. The beef was perfectly seasoned, and the pastry dough was thin, tasty, and not too crispy at the same time. Perfect! Empanada.

The next dish took the traditional potato hash resume and elevated it with shitaki mushrooms and a delightful hint of mustard.

The pork cheek croquettes were just simply amazing. Most croquettes are made of a lot of potatoes and some protein inside. These are filled with perfectly seasoned, tender, shredded pork cheek, filled to the brim inside the croquettes. If I could make a dinner out of only this one item, I will leave the restaurant happy.

The sausage, pork jowl rice had an undescribable smokey flavour. One couldn't help but to wonder how the chef was able to elevate humbling ingredients into something so outstanding.

The brioche sandwich with sausage and chimichurri sauce is another example of such unimaginable elevation of simple ingredients. The sauce had a texture to it that I had never tasted before.

The caramelized pear was cooked to perfection. The sweetness of the pear was balanced by the house made labneh, but the finishing touch was the hint of salt provided by the nuts. It was the perfect dessert for a wonderful meal.

Finally, the wait staff was friendly, personable, and provided great...

We were recommended this charming bistro in the neighborhood by a tour guide who spoke highly of their selection of organic wines. On a pleasant Sunday evening, we decided to visit since they would be closed on Monday, our last night in Lisbon. No reservation was required, we were able to enjoy the relaxed atmosphere with friendly and efficient service.

Our intention was to savor a glass of wine each, and the staff kindly offered us a taste of various options to assist in our decision-making. It was a thoughtful gesture that helped us settle on a refreshing and fruity rosé. For our meal, we opted for the meat pastry accompanied by a side salad. The pastry was delightful, boasting delicious flavors. However, the side salad was rather basic and didn't stand out.

The tomato fish rice dish was elevated by the addition of dancing dried bonito flakes and a delightful olive tapenade. We thoroughly enjoyed this combination and would gladly indulge in it again. Another satisfying dish was the polenta waffle with Parmesan and mushroom, which provided a hearty experience, complemented by the delightful crunch of cashews.

To conclude our culinary adventure, we were treated to a beautifully light strawberry sponge cake, which served as a perfect ending. It was evident that the fusion cuisine at this bistro was crafted with love. Although not every dish hit the mark, the overall experience was highly enjoyable, leaving us eager to return and sample more of their...

There’s a kind of place where I go only once, never to comeback. For instance: one like this Tati, more a cafe than a restaurant, with tables on the sidewalk, where you arrive when more than half the tables are empty but, nonetheless, the staff says all the tables are reserved.

This seems to indicate the place offers at least a nice food and the strictly short term rationality would seem to recommend just that: reserve as many tables as you can and f* the casual customer that shows up to get to know the place. BTW, as the reader can see, this place has no link for reservation in GoogleMaps.

But in my experience, the patrons of this sort of place usually get tired of it and move on to other novelties. In the meantime, so many casual potential customers, like myself, are frustrated with the place that, in the long run, shooshing clients from a half-empty house proves to be a bad idea after all.

Since I wasn’t able to really try the food served, I presumed it is very good and gave it a 5-star. Of course the service deserves less than one star, but that’s not an option, and the atmosphere, being just tables on the sidewalk of an unremarkable street of an unremarkable neighborhood, deserves 2...