Restaurant/Cafeteria Teatro Nacional de São Carlos

Frommer's Review

Just after the turn of the millennium, one of the formal "showcase" salons within Lisbon's Opera House, originally built in 1765, was transformed into this restaurant. Today it's the kind of airy, appealingly formal venue where sparkling wine might be served with fresh fish, and where you'll overhear diners relating the plot of an upcoming or past opera performance. Although the venue itself fairly drips with uniformed waiters, attentive maitre d'hotels, and gilded moldings, it's made to seem approachable because of the tables set up under parasols within the traffic-free square outside. Since it's free of all motorized traffic, it seems far removed from the surging crowds and traffic of the Rua Garrett, less than a block away. The staff will draw your attention to the similarities of this elegant small-scale venue with the neoclassicism of La Scala in Milan, and indeed, there's something Italian and rococo about the place, especially when the opera being presented on the stage inside is broadcast onto the wide screen in the plaza outside. Excellent menu items include a cod with pesto sauce and a red cabbage risotto; magret of duck with green peppers; and grilled beef with three different kinds of Portuguese cheese.

Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.

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