This place was made famous by Anthony Bourdain and you can definitely tell the effects of his visit. Most restaurants in Lisbon aren't really packed until 9ish but this place was spilling over with people right when it opened. It's clearly full of mostly tourists but I wouldn't necessarily categorize it as a tourist trap. If you go to Lisbon and like seafood, you really must come here.
As I mentioned, the place was super full when we got there a bit after 7 but the line moves fairly quickly. You get a number from the host and you can wait outside where there is a mini beer garden. We probably waited about 20 minutes which isn't really bad at all. There are 2 levels and you definitely want to be on the first level because it's more lively but we ended up on the 2nd level which was a bit darker and had less atmosphere. The menu is on an electronic iPad and is a bit confusing to read because the prices are quoted in price per kg. So it's really hard to figure out how much everything is - but it's Lisbon so honestly nothing you order is really going to break the bank too badly here. The waitstaff is jovial and friendly and clearly knows how to play up to the crowds. The menu here is not just seafood focused but it's predominantly shellfish focused - so no fish on the menu. We ended up ordering the shrimp in garlic sauce because the waiter said it was a must have, a dozen oysters, lobster and giant tiger prawns. Most people end up ordering some combination of the same things here. The food comes out super fast which I can get as shellfish doesn't really take too long to cook - you throw it in a pot of boiling water or quickly steam it. The famous shrimp in garlic sauce was really kind of eh. It's what you would find in any Spanish tapas place - sizzling shrimp drenched in garlic and oil. The shrimp was overcooked and a bit tough - I was surprised that this was something they were famous for. Next were the dozen oysters - really delicious and meaty. I didn't catch what kind they were but they reminded me of the West Coast oysters you would find in the States. We definitely should have ordered more of those and not the shrimp. Next we got the lobster - honestly it was a bit confusing because there were several different types of lobsters on the menu and when the waiter brought out and showed us the one we were going to eat, we just said yes without really thinking about it. Ours looked like a typical Maine lobster but the table next to us got some kind of giant blue colored lobster - I didn't come all the way to Portugal to eat Maine lobster but it was too late. Listen, it was a tasty lobster for sure but I felt a bit gipped into eating something that I could get at home. The giant tiger prawns came out next and they were fantastic. Huge, meaty and with the head on. They were almost like a mini-lobster in itself, so I probably would have ordered more of those instead.
If our meal had ended there, I probably would have given this place 3.5 forks. Up until that point, it was honestly a bit underwhelming and didn't seem to be worthy of an Anthony Bourdain type of experience. But then we decided we were still hungry and asked the waiter what else we should have - maybe could he recommend a crab? The waiter pointed us to the edible crab...wtf, I'm pretty sure that's not an actual crab type but everyone around us was eating it so we went for it. Jesus, now this is what I'm talking about. It's a huge cold crab that reminds me of a stone crab and it's not the legs or body that impressed me but the entire crab head overflowing with the crab fat and brain. It was out of this world and I'm still thinking about it. I know it'll probably scare the bejesus out of most people but honestly if you can get past what it is, it's amazing. You can dip the garlic bread into it (FYI - the bread is not free but whatever) or just scoop it up with a spoon and drink it. If you come here, this is an absolute must.
Even though eating seafood can be time consuming, we were in and out of here pretty quickly. By the time we left, the line was wrapped around the block so get here early or be prepared t wait. But it's totally worth the wait since the food is all super fresh with a bunch of tanks downstairs, so you know you're getting the real deal. For a 4 fork experience, you've got to get the edible crab otherwise you're totally missing out. Total bill: 122 euro
Photo Credit: Yelp
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