O Largo

Delaying gratification — I really wanted to write this out as soon as I was done my meal but thought I’d wait a few days, look back on my pictures and see if I felt the same way. So let me share with you probably the best dining experience I’ve had in a long time.
This was my first time in Lisbon and after a long flight and a sight seeing stroll through a beautiful city, my colleagues and I headed to Largo (recommended by the concierge at the hotel). We got there at 6pm but unfortunately the restaurant was closed — opening time is 7:30. And that’s when we met out waiter for the evening. He opened the door, sat us in the lounge of the beautiful restaurant and handed us a Gin and Tonic menu. Now I don’t usually drink Gin and Tonics (reminds me of my days in prep school with a gin soaked math teacher), but they have come a long way since then. Norwegian gin infused with cardamom, tonic water, lime soda and kumquat. Wow, Mr. Davidson from Upper 6S Mathematics would be so proud. Gin invokes great conversations and we polished off the bar nuts when all of a sudden our most attentive waiter of a closed restaurant placed in front of us a plate of Chèvre cheese parcels in phyllo pastry drizzled with honey — simply saying «you guys look hungry!» Is this guy for real? Or is it that the beautiful restaurant with vaulted ceilings was once part of an abbey? Delicate pastry crumbled in the mouth releasing the sharp cheese and all balanced with the right amount of honey.
The restaurant finally opened and we were ushered to our table where we sat briefly hypnotized by the jellyfish tanks around us. We quickly snapped out of it when the menus were placed in front of us as the excitement was unbearable. The menu is a simple affair with a balanced selection of appetizers and mains. The chef seems to draw inspiration from traditional Portuguese cuisine but complements it with specialities from other cultures. It’s certainly not unique but it is interesting.
For an appetizer, I selected the soft boiled egg with potato foam and duck confit. The egg was served in a ring of potato foam and sprinkled with duck confit and topped with a few slices of chorizo. The dish looked beautiful and the mélange of flavours and textures worked surprisingly well. From then fluffiness of the potato foam/​mousse to the wetness of the egg to the sweetness and dryness of the duck and finally the spiciness of the chorizo. A very enjoyable light starter.
The main selected was the Turbot with cauliflower purée and shiitake mushrooms and «Portuguese flavours». Visually, the dish was moderately appealing but the dish seemed not to flow. The fish was cooked perfectly requiring the lightest touch of a fork to break through the soft flesh. Two of the three stacks on the plate were garnished with a crisped seasoned skin that was mildly seasoned. The cauliflower purée was a bland uninteresting idea and the shiitake mushrooms scattered around the plate brought a new texture to a soft dish. All in all an interesting idea but somehow a little disappointing.
The disappointment of the main course was quickly forgotten with dessert. — orange tart with cinnamon ice cream. Simply and beautifully presented, I took a while just to take in the sight. The orange tart made with egg yolks was soft and spongy at the same time with an amazing flavour of orange that was neither too sweet nor too tart. The cinnamon ice cream… I don’t know what to say. I’ve had cinnamon ice creams before where your mouth was coated with cinnamon powder after someone thought it a good idea to add a jar of it to a scoop of vanilla ice cream. But this was sheer genius! Perfectly blended with no overpowering cinnamon or sweet. Just superb! A shame that there was only a small scoop of it!
Largo is a great restaurant to visit once in a while. Service is among the best I’ve had in the world. The atmosphere and surroundings are welcoming. The food is meticulously prepared and the prices are reasonable. Even if not for food, definitely stop by and have a gin and tonic while watching jellyfish meander through their tanks in the walls of an abbey.

I highly recommend this place. Nestled in the lively Chiado neighborhood, Largo doesn’t look like much from the outside but inside, the ambiance is eclectic, classy and hip. From the jellyfish tank to the nearly all-​black restrooms (even the toilet paper is black), to the illuminated bar, the restaurant offers something interesting whether you’re seated on the first or second floor. The service was impeccable. Excellent wine list and the specialty martinis were different than any we’d experienced anywhere else.
The meal started with two types of bread served with a cheese spread and carrot butter– both were terrific. For our starter we had the trio of marinated fish– delicious but small. If you have more than two people in your party, order two.
I ordered the fish of the day which was hake and was absolutely excellent. It was very simply prepared and perfectly cooked, served with boiled potatoes and broccoli. My boyfriend enjoyed the lamb (although those if us that ordered the fish and the filet mignon seemed to be more enthusiastic about our food) than he was. I tried a bite if my sister’s filet mignon and it was about as close to perfect as you can get. It was do tender they don’t even give you a steak knife.
The port was the best we’ve had– very smooth. But I think the highlight had to be the dessert. Try the caramel pudding. Made of eggs and sugar (no milk), our server told us it is a traditional Portugese dessert from the north. It was so unique, I’ve never had anything like it. I would certainly order it again. The apple tart was also excellent.
Note– if you want to try this place, make reservations (it did fill up on a Monday night) and dress up a little so you don’t feel out of place (patrons ranged from suit and ties to button down shirts, but we saw no one wearing jeans).
One more thing– the prices are decent. Expect to pay about 8 – 14 euro for an appetizer and about 24 euro for an entrée. Our bottle if wine was 23 euro. If you do an entrée, starter or dessert and a cocktail, it’ll be around 50 euro per person with gratuity.

Ambiente interessante, bom bife charoles, mas é demasiado caro. Bom serviço de empregados e parqueamento um pouco caro

Another memorable meal whilst living it up with the girls in Lisboa. This was our first night and my friend came across this place on trip advisor — after wandering around the square we eventually found a friendly local to point us in the right direction.
Stepping foot into the contemporary restaurant we were pleased we had dressed up for the occasion! It was pretty busy so having booked before arriving we were shown to our seats. We were on a budget but it was out first night so we did go for something more upmarket and we were definitely dining with more of a traditional vibe — alongside some real Jellyfish in big glowing cabinets. Nice touch!
We all decided to go for a steak and share a bottle of wine that was reasonably priced. Given the fact it was a busy night our waiter came over immediately with some nibbles and salsa, which was a nice touch. He took our drink order and when I ordered some tap water to go with our meal I was sniggered at and told that they «don’t do tap water — it was only still or sparkling». Needless to say he came back with tap water, which we weren’t charged for so I’m not quite sure what that was all about.
Being very attentive the nibbles were consistently replenished throughout and our steaks arrived promptly with a side of home cut chips. One in our party ordered a steak with cheese sauce (which was news to us as we thought she was a picky eater). When it arrived it did have a rather pungent smell and wasn’t to her taste — the waiter was very good and realized straight away something wasn’t right and asked if she wanted something else or if he could take the sauce off for her. He brought a clean plate back and did the best they could under the circumstances however it was no fault of the chef that it wasn’t to her taste.
However my steak was great — I wouldn’t go on to say it’s the best I’ve had but it filled a hole. I was slightly disappointed that it was overlooked — definitely not medium-​rare as I had ordered! However the sauce was tasty with a creamy mushroom flavor it went perfectly with the meat.
On arrival of the bill we were slightly taken aback to see that we had been charged three times for the nibbles at the beginning of the meal. Given the fact they were replenished before we had finished with each set definitely wasn’t real value for money. It was a lovely restaurant and the food was tasty but the whole time we were there I felt uncomfortable and out of place.
I’ve never felt judged in a restaurant but the not so warm sarcasm from our waiter was off putting and put us on edge for the rest of time there.
Given our «cheesy» situation it has proven good story telling back at home… we’ll never let our friend live down the fact a cheese steak would NEVER be a good thing to order!

This was by far the best service we have had in Spain or Portugal. The atmosphere is very nice and the space is beautiful. I’ve never seen black toilet paper before, but this place has it! The food is very good and they have a nice wine selection. The standout dish of the evening was the scallop wrapped in sole with a leek sauce. I think this is one of the better meals and service we Had in Lisbon.

Fantastique restaurant trendy du centre de Lisbonne. Très belle carte un peu chère pour Lisbonne mais la qualité et l’originalité est au rendez-​vous. N’hésitez pas à vous installer à l’intérieur pour profiter de la décoration soignée et des aquariums de méduses. Service soigné et aimable. Une belle adresse pour les dîners en amoureux. A recommander !

The place is really surprising, nice architecture, trendy furniture, very incredible aquarium with medusa. All the tables are nice and you can be sure you will be placed well with sufficient intimacy.
Waiters are very polite, smiling and speak multiple languages.
Menu is very tempting and I wish to try everything :) they even have a vegetarian menu.
Wine selection is very great and there is one person dedicated for the wine.
Starters was terrific ! Mixing tradition and New cooking, we really enjoy the food.
I have been a little bit disappointed with the pasta truffle since the sauce was very very liquid.
Except this little mistakes, I really recommend this place.

Estacionar nesta zona é um problema? Não se formos jantar ao Largo: entregamos o carro, estacionam-​no por nós e só temos de voltar a pensar em conduzir, no fim do jantar, seja lá a que horas isso for (já foi à uma ou duas da manhã e não houve qualquer problema).
O caril de gambas nunca desilude, assim como o gin tónico, Hendrick’s, claro (da última vez, à espera do restantes membros do grupo, o gin foi uma companhia).
O ambiente é o melhor possível: há quem pareça saído da ópera do S. Carlos, quem esteja em negócios ou quem tenha decidio começar a saída à noite por ali. A música ajuda a isso mesmo já que, no início da noite, é chill out e, com o avançar das horas, torna-​se mais animada.
O atendimento é atento, disponível e cuidado.

Não há melhor sítio para comer que a zona do Chiado. Almoçamos ou jantamos e depois podemos fazer o que bem quisermos. A escolha para o pós-​refeição é variadíssima. Mas também não podemos comer em qualquer sítio, só porque está no Chiado. O Largo é das melhores escolhas possíveis na zona: Ambiente descontraído e sofisticado, comida boa!
As arcadas dão-​lhe um toque clássico que me fascina. É um ponto forte. sem dúvida. Assim como tenho que admitir que os preços (algo elevados) não abonam muito a favor deste espaço. Portanto, não posso recomendar para almoços ou jantares frequentes. Façam como eu: Quando a ocasião é especial, o Largo está no topo da lista preferencial.
Conclusão: Muito provavelmente vão gostar de tudo mas no final vão franzir o sobrolho quando a conta vos for apresentada.

Restaurante em pleno Chiado, sofisticadíssimo.
Achei a arquitectura e a decoração girissíma, dado que mantiveram algumas características da traça antiga, e introduziram uns toques modernos, que conjugaram muito bem.
O ambiente é extremamente selecto e a clientela (pelo menos à hora do almoço)confina-se muito aos chamados homens de negócios, engravatados e muito arrumados nos seus fatos elegantissímos.
A ementa é complicada por ser tão invulgar, o que me deixou extremamente baralhada.
Agora, se quiserem arrojar num prato absolutamente diferente, com conjunções que nunca julgaram possíveis, à que ser corajoso.
A carta de vinhos, é de excelência, e como podem calcular a conta no fim também.
Eu por uma questão de precaução comi, o que me soou menos estranho, um «bife de lombo charolês com molho queijo de Azeitão».
A escolha foi certeira, pois o prato estava muito bem confeccionado, e a carne era de qualidade.
Numa ocasião espcial, é um restaurante a exprimentar.

Wie schon empfohlen, eines der angesagtesten Restaurants in Lissabon. Optisch sehr reizvolle Location, historisches Gewölbe trifft modernes Ambiente. Hightlight sind eindeutig die Jelly-​Fish Aquarien in wechselnden Farben. Preis-​Leistung sehr stimmig, als auch sehr aufmerksame und serviceorientierte Bedienung. 2 Gänge für 29 EUR inkl. Gruß aus der Küche. Hochwertige Weine und kreative Cocktails.

On a recent weekend trip to Lisbon, we stumbled across Largo which looked a bit more upscale and upmarket than some of the restaurants we had previously saw.
Also on a nice weekend away we decided that we wanted to to treat ourselves a little as my beloved and I were away for a post Valentines weekend away.
Lisbon may have been cold and rainy but the architecture, friendliness of people and sheer beauty made this a weekend to remember.
The menu in Largo was simple, putting a slight twist on classic Portugese dishes. I had some salt cod that had been cooked to perfection and was one of the signature dishes of the chef Miguel Castro e Silva. My beloved ate some sole that was wrapped around scallops and my goodness it was sensational.
The service was slick and subtle. There was no pressure to leave or to order something else and that allowed us ample time in which to basque in the lovely surroundings, and to become mesmerized by the fish tank. Only this time there wasn’t any cannibalistic lobsters but lovely jelly fish floating around in a zen like state.
They kept us well fed with bread and the wine list was incredibly reasonable for wines by the glass. We had a sensational glass of Albarinho for EUR4 each!
The design in Largo was equally stunning. It was a feast for the eyes as well as the tastebuds.