Restaurante Vela Latina — Restaurant in Lisbon

This place is sort of a flip of a coin - either you get everything or nothing. Have been here two times. First time - 5 stars, second - 1. The last visit was so frustrating that overall I am giving 2 stars.

I see different reviews here but my friend and I visited this place in February 2022 and we enjoyed Vela Latina quite a lot. We actually came maybe 15 mins earlier than the place had to open but the barman kindly greeted us and let us in. Design of the place is stunning. Prices for the drinks are one of the highest I have witnessed in Lisbon (even comparing to cocktail specialised bars) but the cocktails were exactly what we paid for. Overall, from my experience, this is a very cool place in a great location in Belem, fantastic design, superb service and delicious cocktails. Plan to come back again to check whether this place is always as good and whether food is as impressive as their cocktails.

P.S. I updated the review and lowered the rating to 2 stars because when I arrived with my partner to this place again to share unique experience, it turned out to be very awkward. This time it was in May at 7:30 pm. We were told at entrance to the part with a nice bar and a restaurant that the kitchen would open half an hour later. Some people were already sitting in but we were not offered that. Instead a hostess led us to their terrace which is quite mediocre and can belong to any place you wouldn’t recollect. We had a look at the menu - only wine (about €5-6 per glass of wine or a selection of bottles which we was inconvenient, as we actually wanted to have their cocktails) and plates of meat and cheese for €12. So upon quick consideration we decided to leave an ordinary terrace with quite expensive prices, boring design, unimpressive service. Especially as it was windy and there was nothing to keep us interested in staying there. Won’t give it...

We found this place last minute on google maps as we were touring Belém and wanted something nice to eat and did not dissappoint!

When we entered first thing that hits ur eyes are the beautiful high end decor which gave it such a nice feeling. The staff at the hostel area were very professional and provided us with two menu choices either Japanese infusion or Portuguese style (if I remember correctly) we opted for the Portuguese version.

We were seated in a very nice area close to the windows and had the most beautiful view of the Bridge.

We opted for the Chateaubriand (for 2 people) Presentation of the food was spectacular and it came with some fries and some sautéed spring onions and mushroom and spinach. The food was nice although my only remark is that the meat was very chewy unfortunately, but in terms of taste it was an 8/10, believe it or not but my favourite part of the dish was actually the spring onions because how impressive it is to make something so simple, soo tasty?

Our sommelier (his name was Francisco - sorry if my spelling was wrong) was super nice, he recommended me a lovely bottle of wine which was from the Portuguese region Tejo and it’s a mixed variety Shiraz and other local varieties. It went superb with the steak.

The only negative I would like to address aside from the meat is that there were children running around and even around our tables, which such a shame for a beautiful spot like this to have children screaming and running, maybe would be nice if there was a designated area where adults only.

Overall I’d...

Note to self: The next time I want gelato that tastes like baby food and piss poor service, I'll rush to Vela Latina. We had been touring Lisbon all day and Belam Tower was our last stop. It was very hot (August) and we really wanted a cold treat. We were greeted by a lady behind the counter who seemed upset that we couldn't make up our minds quickly enough. Since she seemed pissed off that she had to work for a living (welcome to the club, honey !!!!), we hastily decided on pistachio flavor. We found a table and tried the gelato. It was icy and had absolutely no taste. I mean none, zero, nada.....nothing. We returned to the counter and asked for a different flavor and the girl behind the counter was extremely rude. She shrugged her shoulders and said 'what would you like me to do about it?" She didn't care that we weren't satisfied with the product.

I suggest that you visit a local 'fast food' restaurant and get their ice cream instead of visiting this horrible...