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Restaurants Belcano and Sala de Joao in Lisbon

Hello!

New here, and of course my first post is food related. :)

We have one night set aside for an elegant meal for my birthday. I originally booked Belcanto, at their in-kitchen chef's table, but just came across the rave reviews for Sala de Joao and they have availability the same night for their "in search of new textures" set menu. I asked about reserving the chef's table, which I hope is possible.

Thoughts on which to pick, if only one? (Sala doesn't have availability on the other nights we have free)

I've read all about Belcanto's reputation and its many rave review. However, I was very put off by what i believe to be false advertising with regard to their chef's table menu. The confirmation of my reservation says:

"This special menu is served exclusively at the Chef’s Table, and we are unable to cater for vegetarians or vegans. The price is per person and includes several culinary moments paired with wines selected by our sommelier, or with alcohol-free drinks prepared by us."

By email I asked the restaurant to confirm the 275 euro per person includes wine pairings as the confirmation says, and they advised it does not. The wine pairings are 150 euro additional.

By contrast, Sala is 110 euro plus 70 for wine pairings, so also considerably less expensive than Belcanto.

Thank you for your input!

Posted by
1826 posts

Belcanto has two Michelin stars and is thought to be the best Lisbon has to offer. That said, I’ve never gone because I couldn’t bring myself to pay the price. And, yes, wine is extra. There are other Michelin star restaurants in Lisbon if you really want to splurge. Alma is preferred by some people to Belcanto.

Jose Avilez has another restaurant that I really like called Mini Bar. It has a very fun tasting menu in a lovely setting. The set price is under €100 with wine extra.