Trindade — Restaurant in Lisbon

It will be tempting to ignore the bad reviews, but do yourself (and your wallet) a huge favor and heed those warnings. This is a lengthy review/feedback but a valuable read to those considering this place for a meal. In short, save your money, time, patience, complete aggravation and go somewhere else. Below is a list of a few other places we ate that were amazing for your benefit.

Amazing Alternatives: O Frade, Zunzum Gastro Bar, Eleven, Time Out Market (all in Lisbon)

At Trindade, we had a 9:30pm reservation and were seated in the outdoor space. It was reasonably busy but not overly so (there were some empty tables). It started well, the waiter came over, offered information and took our drink order (beer & glass of wine). We followed up with placing our food order and asking for water. That’s when things started to go downhill.

45 minutes later our beer and glass of wine arrived, but the waiter (different one) seemed to have NO IDEA what table to bring it to. He walked around with the tray asking several tables, including ours. We thought it might be ours, but we didn’t know if another table had ordered the same combination. Finally asked another waiter, who nodded in our direction. He also had the wine in a bottle with no glass to pour it into and kept rubbing the top of the wine bottle as he carried it around looking for the right table to bring it to.

60 minutes and 4 asks later, we finally got some water.

10 minutes after that (1 hour and 10 minutes into our reservation) our waiter comes over, “I have good news and bad news, which do you want to hear first?” He tells us they have run out of shrimp (seafood restaurant) and that they got some in just now and our food would be out “soon”, but the chef was going to give us extra items to compensate for the very long wait. (In other words, they forgot about our order and were going to rush it out, with extra items as peace offering). We said OK and figured we’d waited this long, it was late and we were hungry, we may as well hold on.

The food showed up. The seafood platter was COLD (so we waited 1 hour and 30 minutes for COLD, precooked food.) There was extra seafood on the platter, a separate bowl of tomato rice and a huge stuffed shrimp on a plate (tasty). Those were the “apology” extras. With the exception of the very large stuffed shrimp, the food was just “OK”. We had leftovers and asked for the bill and takeout containers.

The waiter came back with the bill reminding us of everything we got for free, including the 2 takeout containers (seriously). The bill had all the extra items on it, so we asked to get them corrected/removed. We didn’t order them.

The waiter then returned and told us that since we were not going to pay for the items (that we DID NOT ORDER), that the chef WANTED THE RICE BACK. I had already packed it up with the extra shrimp and we’d eaten directly out of the bowl it came in! Now I’m angry. So I argued that we would not be giving anything “back” and flat out refused. I told him it was an absolutely ridiculous ask and that we would not comply.

What kind of petty chef & restaurant asks for 50 cents worth of rice back AFTER messing up your order, making you wait 90 minutes for food, 60 minutes for water and 45 minutes for a drink? I asked several times to speak with the chef and the waiter refused to get him, telling me that I was being rude and that “he had been very patient and nice to me!” and walked away from the table.

We still paid for our sub-standard meal with horrendous service (there’s a gratuity automatically added to the bill). It was an infuriating experience and an unfortunate end to what had otherwise been a wonderful day. This place is a beautiful environment that serves absolute crap with some of the worst service and a level of incompetence that is rare to find.

Update: the owner of the restaurant requested I contact them, which I promptly did. I never heard back from them. The owners don’t care about people who have a terrible experience. They have no desire to...

We had a 7:00 pm reservation. We arrived on time but no one was around to greet or seat people. We didn’t make it to our table until maybe 7:15. At 7:30 we were still waiting for someone to take our order. When someone finally came by, he didn’t write the order down and although food arrived quickly thereafter, we received two dishes that weren’t part of our order, and sent them back. Someone in our party ordered roast pork, we received cod instead and when they took it back, we were forgotten for the next 20 minutes. I had to go searching for someone to check on our order.

Also, when we received our drinks, the waitress who brought the wine over uncorked the bottle and pulled the rubber stopper out so violently she sent wine splashing all over one of my friends.

Food was OK - not bad, not incredible. The beer was very good.

Atmosphere is loud and energetic and the setting is beautiful.

The staff seem unhappy, overwhelmed, underprepared and maybe not very well trained. And ultimately, it was the service that really ruined the experience. If it had been better, we’d have been content but instead we’re frustrated, and 75 minutes after our reservation time we’re still sitting here waiting for one main dish.

**update: in the three minutes after I posted my review, three different parties got up and left because they were frustrated by the service. The manager saw my friend go to the bathroom, worried we too were wanting to leave and ran over to fix things. Meanwhile the wait staff is clearly arguing over at the service counter. It’s a mess.

**second update: the manager apologized and brought out our remaining dishes and also brought over a complementary bottle of wine. He also offered dessert but we passed. He did his best to make it right so I’ve bumped up my service rating, but I will say that’s only because of his efforts. That said, the check is formatted in a really sneaky way with a 5% suggested service charge included and the total with the gratuity charge in a much larger font. We’ve left tips everywhere we have been because service was exceptional. Today, it was not deserved. Watch...

My wife and I were looking for a special place for dinner — somewhere memorable that we could brag about when we got back to the US. We found exactly that at Cervejaria Trindade in Lisbon.

From the moment we arrived, Carlos and Nuno made us feel incredibly welcome and truly special. Their dedication to delivering an unforgettable experience was clear from the start, and they went above and beyond to make sure we were taken care of. Jorge at the bar was also amazing to talk to, and the bartenders were simply the best — friendly, talented, and passionate about what they do.

One of the highlights of the night was Nuno’s suggestion for dinner. We had initially asked for a seafood soup, but he explained that since the fish market is closed on Mondays, they weren’t able to offer the cataplana dish. Instead of letting us leave disappointed, Nuno got creative and came up with a plan: he suggested we order mussels, clams, tomato rice, and a giant tiger prawn, and he would personally build a seafood soup for us right at the table.

When the plates arrived, Nuno took action, combining everything with incredible care. It was amazing to watch — and even more amazing to eat. The dish he created was fresh, flavorful, and absolutely delicious. As he was putting it together, a nearby table of about ten people noticed and immediately said, “That looks delicious — that’s what I want!” It was such a fun moment and made the whole experience even more memorable.

To top it all off, dessert was superb. We had the berries ice cream with granola crumbs — light, refreshing, and the perfect way to end an extraordinary meal.

The atmosphere at Cervejaria Trindade is beautiful and full of history, with stunning tile work and a warm, lively energy that made us feel like we were part of something special.

If you’re visiting Lisbon and want an authentic, unforgettable dining experience, do not miss Cervejaria Trindade. We can’t wait...