Old Lisbon Restaurants - South Miami — Restaurant in South Miami

The Good:

The restaurant's management and staff appear to be nice people. I've passed by the restaurant prior to last night's visit while patronizing other shops on Sunset and management and staff go out of their way to greet you as you pass by.

The patrons here are mostly people local to the neighborhood and they're definitely a mature audience. There was a group of beautifully dressed wonderful older women that sat across from us that was so endearing to see! These nice factors drove this ranking UP to 3 stars.

The Not so Good:

Unfortunately the food falls in this category. There are no spices, there's just a meager amount of salt but that's it. No seasoning, no slices, no signature sauces, nothing to make the food stand out. It was average in every way. The paella was served very wet. Again, no distinct flavors just horribly wet as if it should have cooked longer before arriving to the table.

The codfish croquettes actually sit on top of a black eyed peas salad as the peas are cold, the fritters that sit on top however are warm. It is just okay. No stand out here either.

The Camaron (shrimp) Crema is a literally translation: shrimp in crema with a small amount of rice and small cubed potatoes to the side. I noticed the women across from us had an appetitizer paired with the exact same crema sauce, it wasn't revolutionary.

The food was a no for me. This was no culinary delight even though I had very high hopes for it to be. Because it failed to meet my expectations, we passed on the dessert menu which I typically love to explore when trying new restaurants.

The bread was served warm which turned out to be the best part of our meal overall unfortunately. Please see our bill pictured here. I asked for more bread (they originally served us about 3 pieces), I had to ask twice, the bread took forever to arrive at the table. Only at the end of meal did our server present us with the bill where he slid in a nearly $4 CHARGE FOR 2 TINY PIECES OF BREAD!

That was not a classy thing to do. I won't be returning nor can I recommend this restaurant but I think they will be fine with their current group of...

Old Lisbon is so much more than a restaurant, it’s a story, a legacy, and a love letter to Portuguese cuisine. The name "Old Lisbon" (also known as Antiga Lisboa in Portuguese) is likely a nostalgic homage to the capital city of Portugal..Since the moment you walk in, you feel the warmth and soul of a place that has deep roots. The cozy, welcoming atmosphere makes it feel like you’ve stepped into someone’s home back in Portugal. That makes sense, considering the story behind it: when Carlos Silva arrived in Miami from Portugal in the 1990s.

Through his vision and passion, he transformed Old Lisbon into what it is today: a cherished Portuguese fine dining experience with three locations that still feel like a family-run "taberna". We ordered several signature dishes and each one was absolutely exceptional.

Bolinhos de Bacalhau: crispy on the outside, perfectly fluffy and savory inside. The perfect start. Mexilhão à D. Francisco: mussels swimming in a rich tomato consommé, paired with slices of smoky Portuguese sausage. Comforting and packed with flavor. Bacalhau à Old Lisbon: a showstopper. Breaded cod fillet layered with onions, garlic, creamy mashed potatoes, and olive oil. It’s like a culinary hug. Robalo (Branzino): fresh, delicately grilled fillet served with zucchini, squash, eggplant, peppers, onions, and the traditional "punched potatoes." A colorful and balanced plate that lets the fish shine.

Beyond the food, it’s the hospitality that ties it all together. Lucia and Ricardo made us feel right at home with their attentive and genuine service, true Portuguese warmth from beginning to end.

Old Lisbon is one of those places that manages to stay true to its roots while growing into something special. A must-visit if you want to experience the real flavor (and soul) of...

Summary: some of the food was delicious, some had no flavor, the service was not great, to the point they were even kind of rude.

Miami Spice 2020: We went for lunch on a Saturday and was told once we were seated that the Miami Spice lunch menu was only available from 12-2pm. Since we arrived at 2:30, we were told we needed to order off the dinner menu (dinner at 2:30?). I understand there are rules, but the way they handled this was not appropriate for the service industry. When that was done, I mentioned a bacalhau dish on the spice lunch menu and rather than address my inquiry, our server told me there was no bacalhau item on the menu and then said she was going to check because she was pretty sure about this (I was right). Either way, it was a moot point because the menu was not even available. It was just a strange, uncomfortable interaction to kick off our experience.

Onto the food... we ordered the croquettes and the calamari to start. The calamari weirdly had no flavor, even after trying to compensate by squeezing a ton of lemon over it. We had a couple bites and left the majority of the dish (and I'm not one to leave food). The croquettes also didnt have much flavor. All I could really taste was the saltiness of the cod.

When the entree's came, things finally began to pick up. Both the octopus rice and the seafood stew were delicious. The flavors were similar enough where it was great to share but different enough that you were able to enjoy 2 different dishes. Highly recommend both these options. The desserts were also a great experience- hence the 3...