Edmond T.

We went to a few restaurants by chef Jose Avillez and he does not disappoint! Went to Minibar a few years ago and had a wonderful experience. Last night we went to the 2 Michelin starred establishment Belcanto - was blown away by the wonderful food and service. Here at Bairro do Avillez, which is Aire casual setting and seafood-centric, the best dish was absolutely the seafood stew with the super-sized scarlet shrimp. The rice in the stew was cooked perfect, the flavor impeccable and the seafood (claims, garlic shrimps, crab meat) are top notch and screaming freshness from the ocean. We also started with some beef carpaccio that was fantastic.

Lia M.

I chose Pateo at Bairro do Avillez for my birthday dinner and I was thrilled with the experience. I'm a huge Jose Avillez fan and Pateo had been on my list for a while. Bairro do Avillez has a variety of dining sections, but I liked the Pateo menu best. When reserving, be sure to look at the menus and reserve for the correct section. Pateo has a fun, slightly upscale vibe, but the whole place is bustling. And the location is great--you can easily walk into Bairro Alto and Santa Catarina. Everything at Pateo was great. We shared couvert and sangria. Couvert is a must here--the bread is so good. I went with the sea bass as my entree and it was grilled to perfection. I loved it. Being at an Avillez restaurant, I of course had to order the avela (hazelnut dessert), and it was just as decadent as I remembered. My friends enjoyed their entrees and desserts, as well. Service was fantastic. Pateo was the perfect place for a celebratory dinner and I can't wait to explore more of Bairro do Avillez.

Karen Y.

Quick tip: there are like 3 separate areas - front is like a casual pub, middle is a open casual dining and then an upper area, for large parties. We made a reservation for the middle dining area (terrace?) - big open space with full bar view, trendy vibe. However - we were seated next to a table with like 3 screaming kids... not so fun. lol Service was great, attentive and not overwhelming. Didn't rush us and gave us space to enjoy our convo. We were partially shouting bc we had competing loud screams in the background. A party of 6, got wine, lots of food to try, we enjoyed ourselves, first night in Lisbon! Most memorable: - Deconstructed nata - Grilled/broiled sea bass - lobster risotto - octopus tartar Happy feasting! #yelplife #lisboa

Danielle M.

I believe there are three sections of this restaurant and each section has it's own menu. We dined at the Pateo and I wasn't impressed. I think there is way better Portuguese food around for more affordable prices. Nothing about the dish was particularly unique yet our plates were about $30 each. I had a different friend dine at the front part of the restaurant (that part might be called the bar?) which is more small plates. They said that was delicious so maybe try that instead.

Charlie K.

I've eaten at Mr. Avillez's restaurants in the past and the food was great. This place? A mess, total downer. It's 2pm on a Monday so it's dead. Immediately I was handed an additional menu . I was on the patio. The two items I wanted, the octopus and prawns, were on both menus but more expensive on the menu for inside seating. Same preparation. Thanks for the blatant up-sell guys. The staff are completely confused. So many whirling about quick to clear a table but have zero ambition to 'serve'. Within a few minutes the staff stepped on a patron's dog, chased down a couple because the restaurant messed up their check and required them to pay again and a couple asked about the fact they were charged for something that was 'gratis' or on the house. The staff look completely miserable. Which was the vibe. Patrons with money pose as the staff try, in vein, to exude apathy. The food. I ordered the octopus in chili and Kimchi broth and a side, a small bowl of cherry tomatoes. Squid was good but heavy heavy garlic oil salt. I dumped the completely tasteless tomatoes into the small bowl my squid was in and it totally helped cut all the oil salt and garlic. I love garlic and oil and salt but the squid in its own would've needed something anything with it. Bread! The staff could care less about recommendations or whether or not I was bleeding out on the street. I asked for the check and one of the drones buzzed away never to be heard from again. I wasn't in a hurry so waited a while to see if someone would bother, and you shouldn't either. So many great eateries in this town, try them. This IS NOT a picture of the squid from Páteo - Bairro do Avillez. It's of a simple bowl of peppers lime juice and octopus around the corner at Ricardo Bar. 9€. Dig it.

Sandy Y.

Dinner reservations is a must at Bairro do Avillez, one of Chef Jose Avillez's many restaurants. There are three restaurants located in Bairro do Avillez - Taberna for tapas, Páteo for seafood, and Beco for dinner-and-a-show in experience. My friend and I love seafood and we were very lucky to snag last minute reservations to dine at Páteo. We literally got our reservations a few days prior. When we arrived for our reservation, we waited about 15 minutes, then we were walked through Taberna and waited in a cocktail area for drinks. Although we saw a lot of empty tables in Páteo (our reservations were before the dinner rush), we still had to wait another 20 minutes to be seated. We received fresh pieces of bread, accompanied by olives and butter as an appetizer. For starters, we chose razor clams and prawns with garlic and chili. I couldn't get enough of the prawn's garlic and chili sauce with the bread. It was such a great mix! For my main dish, I chose the grilled sea bass, which was beautifully cooked. We had the Pastel De Nata Mille-Feuille for dessert, and it was light and delicious. Food was good but extremely overpriced and portions were quite small for the price. The ambiance was nice but service was quite slow. Mediocre experience. For the price and hype, we expected more. Still a buzzing atmosphere and overall impressive achievement.

Michael U.

Arguably Portugal's most noteworthy Chef, Michelin two-starred Belcanto the crown jewel of Lisbon's fine dining scene, Bairro do Avillez is a 4-in-1 concept focused on more traditional fare from José Avillez. Translated as Avillez' neighborhood, a sloping street in Chiado home to the former convent now containing Páteo, Tavern, Bar and Pizzeria, it was after checking in outside that a seat beneath high ceilings was occupied in a room near full capacity. Loaded with local art, ceramics and murals surrounding bars and open kitchens, it was with Water poured and Bread served that a lengthy menu was perused, everything from fresh Shellfish to Ferran Adrià's Olives surrounding Chef Avillez's interpretation of Portuguese tradition. Offering some of Portugal's premier Charcuterie, a Foie Gras Terrine with Figs and Brioche simple yet decadent, Empanadas here come as small Pies featuring Partridge, Bacon and Onions inside a delicate golden Crust. Careful not to overindulge on Cornbread, a more difficult task than it seems, Stuffed Spider Crab comes in the style of José's Café Lisboa in a creamy portion large enough to share while Bras-style Cod sees classic technique and modernism merge to create something hearty and comforting. Surely a space best suited for groups, a quote from the Chef stating "Nothing makes us happier than being in good company, sharing the dishes we enjoy the most," Desserts are thankfully less sizable, though deciding between Bairro's Chocolate Cake and a Pastel de Nata Mille-Feuille is a difficult enough task that ordering one of each is advisable.

Christina S.

Came for lunch. Extremely slow and unresponsive service, it took a while for them to get their act together, it even took forever to receive a menu after we were seated. With that being said, the food was amazing. The chilled prawns were so good, fresh and sweet. The octopus came in a cast iron pan with a delicious sauce. When eaten with bread, it was so amazing I think I scooped up every last drop. Go to enjoy the food but with no expectations on the service. I really wanted to give 3 stars due to the service, but the food really was out of this world.

Vinh N.

As more casual restaurant by José Avillez, my GF and I were expecting a little more than just a watered down menu with mediocre execution and super fast pacing. I understand we ordered mostly small plates and finger foods but when you are sitting at a small 2 top, it doesn't make sense to bring out the there small plates at once followed right after by the sandwich and fries board. With our drinks and open small plates and utensils it was cramped even for just having small plates. Just a minor annoyance, so no big deal. The biggest issues was that none of the food really stood out or was that special. The "linguica" bread had nice smoke and the salad was refreshing but the bread itself was really mushy. Had they just seared one side to give a better texture contrast in addition to the more crunchy apples and asparagus it would have made it a much better dish. The cod fritter lettuce wrap was just mayo/aioli drizzled over thin potato crisps on a piece of romaine. It was extremely difficult to split, and had it just been for one it ate very very messy with just one bite. More of a basic, crumbly cup than lettuce wrap. The octopus with potatoes and kimchi was decent, but probably my least favorite octopus of my trip through Madrid, Barcelona and Lisbon. Small precut pieces in a salty broth with soggy potatoes. The kimchi flavor wasn't pronounced and if you've had legit kimchi from Korea or your local Koreatown you too would be expecting more brightness. Lastly, the sucking pig sandwich. Decent flavors, good accompaniments, solid break ratio but that skin was not Crispy at all. That's the best part of any roast pork dish! The best part was the fries with a smoky aioli and tomato sauce. For the price and the pedigree we were expecting a little more. Maybe we ordered the wrong dishes but we weren't really places with any of the 4 that we ordered. When the fries and beers were the best part of your meal, that says a lot. I'd say, save your money and time and go to the more touristy Time Out market where if you pick and choose wisely you'll get a better meal at a better value. (Octopus at Marlene Vieira, suckling pig at Henrique Sa Pessoa and fish at Alexandre Silva)

Dan L.

One of celebrity chef, Jose Avillez's restaurants in Lisbon, this location was lively and fun. We had a variety of starters and mains for lunch. Service was pretty good. The cod lettuce wrap is very good, as mentioned by many Yelp reviewers. Octopus was our favorite item at lunch. It was garlicky, the octopus was cooked perfectly as well. I can't remember the exact name of the meat pie but there was a Portuguese traditional meat pie that was very tasty. The portion was so small though. Finally, we had grilled pork strips which were pretty good as well. Unfortunately this place is pricey so not great value, in my opinion. I liked the decor though, and it had a good energy about it.

Judy C.

Having had a fantastic meal at Belcanto, José Avillez's 2 starred Michelin restaurant, a few days prior, I was so looking forward to Bairro do Avillez to see his work in a more casual setting. Sadly, my friends and I were quite disappointed. The food is supremely overpriced, and the portions small. Despite spending over €200 for 4 people, we were still so hungry that we ended up going to Time Out afterward to get more food. (My appetite is on the smallish side, and I often share just an appetizer and an entree with my husband). The service was also atrocious. Getting our order taken was a bit of an ordeal. We asked for a bottle of water (in addition to the wine and sangria we ordered) and for them to not bring us the couvert. They brought the bread, and we had to ask two more times for the bottle of water. Two of our dishes did not come out and when we mention it to our waitress, her response was "No". Her attitude the whole night had been like she was doing us a favor by talking to us. We were sure we ordered those two dishes because one of them was steak, and she had asked us how we wanted it done and wrote it down. It was only after we listed the two dishes and she consulted her notepad that she went back to check on them. The items from the Taberna menu were overall better than the Pateo menu with the highlights of the meal being the mackerel tartare cones at €5/piece (not shareable), octopus, and the aged beef picanha. The exploding olives were just alright, and that's coming from someone who loved olives and dirty martinis. The pork neck was good, but not mind blowing. The bellota ham was tasty, but not sliced well which made it a little less enjoyable. All the items from the Pateo menu were about the same size as the tapas from the Taberna menu but at double the price and not as good, especially compared to other much better restaurants we'd been to in Lisbon. We had the seafood soup, the prawns with chili and garlic, the lobster and shrimp rice, and the eye filet steak. With so many better options in Lisbon, I'd skip this cramped overrated overpriced unfriendly place.

Tony T.

Came for dinner and the wait was long. Didn't make reservations, which was my main problem. They have some waiting areas but it is packed with people. Once we got seated, ordered some chourico, bacalhau, picanha and fries. The food was good and not overly priced. The restaurant was very vibrant and although service could be better, it was not an issue. Had a decent meal.