The Fifties Diner — Restaurant in Lisbon

As a Canadian in Portugal I was fascinated to see how they interpreted an American 50s drive in diner.

The attention to the details to make it authentic (the decor) is just fabulous to see. It could be in Toronto, Buffalo, Orlando … any place in North America and it would fit right in.

It’s clearly not a chain or run by an American ex-pat.

The food is a Portuguese’ take on Americana. I had their starter platter and each item was clearly diner food but done just a little differently. It was flavorful and fascinating. My partner and I both liked both the presentation and tastes.

The hamburger was excellent - extremely well seasoned. She had Mac and cheese with a chicken breast. We both noticed just subtle flavors like olive oil where you’d not normally find it. It didn’t spoil it at all.

The best (and funniest) part was “American pancakes” for dessert- which were literally pancakes with butter and maple syrup.

This is a cute, cool little place from the pink uniforms for the girls (or jeans and white shirts for the boys). We’ll worth having our unexpected stay in Lisbon extended for...

Restaurants neighboring stations don’t need to invest as much into the quality of their food since they offer convenience. The waiters will do their absolute best to make your experience smooth throughout the meal even though they don’t all speak fluent English —weird, since they’re close to a transportation hub.

The decoration is over the top for classic American diner restaurants, though it's bearable. The milkshakes are cold enough that the beverage gains viscosity; don’t choose a fruit flavor. And the shows, they’re something! We’ve got two songs from a Tina Turner lookalike who knows how to entertain a crowd. The shows are triggered once an hour and during these moments the business seems to freeze to leave room for the act. I wonder how it all balances out between the restaurant and the acts.

Unfortunately, I visit restaurants for the quality of their food and service, not decoration or entertainment. Fifties Diner isn’t terrible in this regard, but I’ve seen the same idea executed better elsewhere. There is a lot of potential there, if the food gets the love...

Lisbon, and Portugal altogether, doesn't have a diner tradition, so it was with curiosity but also some skepticism that I visited this restaurant. Service was nice and the place was very tidy and clean. The food, however, was not what I had anticipated. The chocolate milkshake (with whipped cream) was thick and at a very good temperature, but was too sweet for me. The skillet cookie with ice-cream had a good texture, but unfortunately had a hazelnut flavor (in the chocolate), which I don't like at all -- I specifically asked if there were any type of nuts in the cookie, to which I was told there weren't. After all that sugar, I felt like finishing off the meal with something savory and ordered the cheesy french fries, which were good. Prices are above average and, in my point of view, too high for what is presented. Nonetheless, overall it was not a bad experience, so I'll eventually go back when in the neighborhood to try one of...