Chiado

Chiado gets a solid 3 stars out of me. As much as I wanted to LOVE it, I was a tad disappointed with the food.
Strong points:
–Chiado has a great wine list.
–Service is excellent. Servers know the menu to a T and are friendly & helpful.
–OUTSTANDING Octopus (Would recommend to any seafood lovers)
–Great goat cheese appetizer (not sure of the name because I haven’t been to Chiado in about two months but it is some sort of tomato/​eggplant/​goat cheese tower)… DEF order it!
–The complimentary bread basket is fantastic.
Now the bad…
DO NOT order the soup there. None of them. They taste like water. One of my friend had some green (vegetable) soup which was absolutely awful. No taste at ALL even after dumping half a pound of salt in there.
A second friend of mine had the lobster bisque which was not horrible yet absolutely nothing to rave about.
Finally, the prices are WAY too high for the quality of food served here.
Now, I am not cheap by any means and am willing to pay a higher price for a higher quality meal but Chiado’s prices too high for what they serve.

Only the best at Chiado. Had the grilled squid, tiger shrimp in piri piri sauce, goat cheese eggplant and mushroom appetizer, black cod for my main dish and poached pear tart for dessert. Still thinking about it this morning. There’s a reason they are around after 25 years.

We came here for Winterlicious 2016 because the menu offered a lot of simple seafood dishes. The only (slight) miss was the bisque — everything else was very well prepared and delicious. I would certainly come back to try their full menu.

This was my second visit to Chiado and the experience was even better this time. If you enjoy fish, this is a great place to come for a good variety, served fresh, cooked to perfection and presented with simplicity and elegance. After being seated by the gracious staff, we were given a bowl of black olives and some crusty bread with virgin olive oil for dipping to get us started. Shortly after that, the waiter came by with a platter of various types of fish available on the menu. This was a nice touch as you get to actually see the fish before it is prepared. They also brought a lovely amuse-​bouche of fresh cheese and balsamic with a delicious dollop of rosemary infused honey.
I ordered a superb duck confit as an appetizer. I was expecting a much smaller portion but my husband was happy to assist me in finishing it. There was a generous amount of tender duck meat wrapped in philo pastry topped with candied orange. The madeira wine sauce was the perfect accompaniment to make this a completely memorable dish.
For our mains, he had the monk fish in a piri piri sauce. I had the Assorda, a dry soup of lobster, shrimp, clams and monk fish. Totally different types of meals. Both were amazing. The staff were very attentive and made this a lovely evening for us. We are planning to treat my parents here for their anniversary. I know they will love it as much as we did.

I was here with my grandma and sister for summerlicious 2015. The food and service was spectacular. The restaurant had a fine dining feel to it and the food reflects that. The portions were great and it was worth every penny. We would def come back to try their regular menu.

Hubby and I went for our anniversary and we definitely give this place a 4* every bit was heavenly. Service was also amazing.

Definitely deserve a solid four star review.
Me and my friends came here for dinner on New Years Eve. When we arrived, they checked our coats in and showed us to our table.
Menu: the menu is comprised of mostly fish and seafood. There was also a wide selection of daily fish in addition to the items in the menu. Our server showed us a plate full of fresh daily fishes (at least 8 different kind).
Food: Decent portions. The highlight was definitely Assorda (dry soup) monkfish, lobster, shrimp and clams ($ 45). It was so rich and creamy with loads of seafood. The shrimps were no normal size shrimps, they were tiger shrimp! There was also a good amount of lobster meat in it.
Service: it was alright, nothing beyond expectation. Because it was new years eve, they handed out «happy new years» props and free champagnes for the count down. It was a memorable night to end 2015.

Just had my office Christmas dinner at Chiado. The personalized menu was a perfect touch. The food was superb, everything was delicious and just the right portion. Our dinner was held in the cellar and what a unique and perfect spot. Our waiter was impeccable and very attentive. I definitely plan to return here and have some more yummy food. Thank you for the amazing hospitality.

I have nothing but glowing things to say about the atmosphere and food at Chiado. The ambiance is slightly dated, but in that wonderful high-​end steak house way. The Portuguese seafood is beautiful, and absolutely worth the price tag.
I came in recently for a holiday lunch with a couple of friends, and they had the fish specials, and I had the lobster bisque and goat cheese veggie tower. Again, everything was incredibly delicious. I’m hesitant to say anything about the service here, because many of the gentleman on the floor here are professional, kind and fun. Alas, this was one of those situations where I can’t rise above…
Our server was the pits.
I think he didn’t love us because we weren’t ordering bottles of wine, and were slightly younger than the average Chiado patron, but beyond his snideness, he was also just super annoying. He really felt he knew better than we did about what we wanted when it came to course timing, seating arrangements and pretty much everything else involved in the meal. He was very annoying, and next time I’m there (and I will be back!), I’m going to request another server’s section. When you’re spending over $ 100 on lunch, there’s no time for nonsense.

I’m sorry to hear about your other restaurant closing, I had an opportunity to try your restaurant and I did find it difficult to understand your staff, the bald man not wearing an apron was very pleasant but he seemed to be a little slow, the dish I had was extremely salty. The wine choice was very pricey, I saw one wine I recognized on the menu for $ 60 and I saw it in the liquor store for $ 8.95. I wish restaurants would operate with integrity and appreciate their customers and not try to rob them while dining out. I give this restaurant 1 out of 5 for blatantly trying to rob from their so called guests.
Shame on you Chiado.
I wish you luck but I predict a downward shift in business and I predict by March you will have reached your lowest point in business and might need to resort to another low point of groupon or coupon cutting.

This is an amazing restaurant. The interior is decorated very stylistically. The lighting is neither too bright nor too dim. It is quite easy to notice that the owner is very detail oriented.
Servers at Chiado are all very courteous and attentive. I was really impressed by their coat check at the door because I am one of those people who do not like to carry my coat around and hang it behind my chair.
The food portion is rather small but surprisingly filling. I was very full at the end of the meal. My favourite dish is absolutely the eggplant stuffed with goat cheese. If I haven’t had this dish at Chiado, I would never expect eggplants to be such a good match for goat cheese. The flavour this dish is very rich and unique.

Ambiance was great. If you’re looking for a private room with a beautiful theme for a small party (we were a group of 10), this is an excellent option! I heard mixed reviews of the food across the table. The birthday girl had grilled octopus for her entrée and really loved it. The trio was also a good option for those who can’t make up their minds on which fresh fish to pick!
The overall experience was good. Our server waited until everyone had arrived and brought out the daily specials (literally fresh fish arranged beautifully on a chopping board). He walked the guests through it and then gave us some time to make our orders. A few of us ordered wine. I ordered a port (dry white) & tonic. I loved that they had it here. It’s difficult to find a restaurant that offers dry white port and they had both Taylor’s Chip Dry AND Fonseca!
I had the vegetable risotto, which didn’t taste or look like the usual Italian risotto. Which I expect to be normal, since we were clearly at a Portuguese restaurant! It was interesting to try something a little different. There are limited options for vegetarians, but that’s expected. This is a fresh fish kind of restaurant, so it’s great for fish lovers.
In any case, the service was good overall. Towards the end, it was a little questionable. Given that our group had not mentioned up front that the bill would be separate, we calculated our own amounts to pay, but I think the restaurant was closing up and we were the last ones there. It felt a bit like they wanted us out of there.
I could see myself coming back for some good Portuguese wine or a port & tonic.

Went there for 2015 summerlicious dinner ($ 45)
Location/​Environment:
Went there on a Sunday, surprisingly not too many people. Street parking is available (but carpool would be best to avoid issues). There’s a lot of artwork inside the restaurant (I’m not too much into art, but they all look very nice). We sat at the corner by the window, which was perfect since it was a group of 5.
Service:
Our waiter was fantastic — he was funny, friendly and really made the dinner enjoyable. He recommended us a Portuguese white wine called Pinho Real. It’s very good — light, sweet and only exclusive to their restaurant. The restaurant is a little bit upscale — so there were more staff available and serving you and they were all nice as well.
Food:
Appetizer — Goat Cheese, eggplant, portabella mushrooms, champagne vinaigrette
Surprisingly good. I loved how you can distinctively taste all the flavours, and it doesn’t clash with each other. Note the goat cheese is a little strong for those who aren’t into cheese that much. But I really liked the mushroom — very soft and easy to eat.
Main — Pan Seared Skate Fish on lemon coriander risotto
I’m not a fan of risotto — but it had skate fish, so I had to try. The skate fish was grilled very nicely on the outside; it has a grilled chicken taste to it. The meat inside was perfect — soft, not dry, boneless. I really enjoyed it. The risotto was not bad too. It was a good combination with the fish.
Dessert — Molotof, flan of eggwhies, crème anglaise
This is a Portuguese dessert, which is fluffy whipped egg whites. It was not bad first time trying it. There was a lot of honey/​syrup around the molotof, which made it very sweet — a little too sweet for my tasting.
Overall it was a very nice dinner. A bottle of wine, good food, friends and chatting it up with the waiter really made it an enjoyable experience.

My friend and I were missing the food from our Portugal trip from last fall so we came here for a summerlicious lunch. The place is small and cozy, and the servers/​hosts were very attentive.
You’re served with black olives, bread, and olive oil first.
Appetizer:
— tartar of salmon, avocado, apple: small in portion, very fresh due to apple bits
— grilled sardine: bigger in portion, very fishy and sardine-​y lol
Main:
— grilled squid: the squid is super tender and soft! A bit too salty for my liking but loved it regardless
— skate fish with lemon coriander risotto: this was delicious! The fish and risotto went very well together.
Dessert: good, but nothing extraordinary (please note that I’m not a big fan of sweets — kinda wished they had less sweet and more refreshing options)
I appreciated the 3 wine selection on the summerlicious menu so I didn’t have to flip thru their long wine list =p I got Loios Alentejo white and it went very well with my food.
Really enjoyed my experience at Chiado, it made me feel like I was back in Portugal :)

This is a very good seafood meal for those who like rather straightforward seafood meals (think mashed potatoes and carrots for a side).
Service is formal, yet a bit overdone. I felt like the server hovered and interrupted our conversation way too often to refill glasses that weren’t empty. Perhaps this was a response to some of the other reviews that lamented the service.
My meal was delicious, yet it reminded me a bit too much of what I would have prepared at home, rather plain and not a particularly unique experience. That being said, it was Summerlicious, which always presents its own special set of challenges, both for restauranteur and patron alike.

Summerlicious Review
Came here for lunch, and was VERY pleased with the food.
Ordered:
–Sardine appetizer: came with peppers and grilled onions. The combination was delicious, and the sardines were cooked well
–Skate fish & risotto: it was my first time having skate fish. It was great, so I kind of regret waiting this long. The risotto was good too. Again really liked the combination
–White chocolate crème brûlée: this was my least favorite of the 3. If I had skipped the dessert, I probably would have given this place 5 stars
Also, tried the wife’s squid dish. It was cooked perfectly… maybe the best squid that I’ve had. Her dessert wasn’t that great either though.
I will be back to try the regular menu.

I came here with three other friends for summerlicious and overall my experience was great. The food was quite flavourful and the servers were friends and very polite. Although, I’m not too sure if the portion of the three course meal was worth $ 70. All in all the atmosphere is friendly, the environment is clean and it seems as if many of the customers and waiters are quite familiar with each other.

I visited Chiado for the first time for summerlicious and it was a very delightful experience! It was my first time trying Portuguese cuisine and everything was great.
Think Chiado has 6 options to choose from for each course, the variety which is quite nice to see, as most restaurants limit the options to 3 usually.
Salmon tartare for appetizer was very light and refreshing. The salmon tartare was a bit lemon-​y but I think that’s why I enjoyed it. Wouldn’t have been the same without the slight sweep of tanginess. Shrimp bisque was also nice– heavier than I expected, but still smooth and rich.
For the main course we ordered mushroom risotto and skatefish with lemon risotto, and both of them were very nice. I quite enjoyed the mushroom risotto, as it’s hard to find a delicious risotto dish that is cooked right with such limited ingredients. Very smooth, soft, and tasty without being salty!
Desserts were my favorite part. Ordered ginger cake and white chocolate crème caramel, and they were desserts done right. Not too light yet not too heavy — You know, sometimes the dessert dishes are too overpowering that they overwhelm your palate and leaves you nothing but the taste of sugar and crème– nothing like that!
Both of the dessert dishes gave me a good solid sweetness but not too strong. Loved the subtle ginger taste!
Another absolute favorite was the dried olives that came with the bread at the beginning of the meal. Not your wet, salty ordinary olives! Full of flavors yet not too salty.
Overall, Chiado was a very delightful experience. I would love to come back to try other items on the menu!

Went for the winterlicious last night ($ 45/​per person) and was not disappointed! This restaurant is small but very cozy.
After we sat down, the waiter greeted us right away. He gave us bread, olive oil to go with the bread and some very delicious black olives!
For the starter I had the salmon tartar with avocado mousse. It was very good!
For the main course, I chose the sea scallops risotto. As per previous reviews, some Unilocalers said they only got 2 scallops but we got 3 big ones. The risotto was really creamy and delicious as well. Overall, the seafood was very fresh and I thought the portion size was perfect. For the dessert, i had the ginger bread cake which was also really good.
Overall I was very satisfied with the meal and service. Would definitely come back for the regular menu!

Went for Winterlicious. 3 Course — $ 28.00. Great choices, delicious food!
3 of us ordered different appetizer, lunch and dessert and all 3 of us were happy with our choices. We all tried each other’s dish and enjoyed the flavours, taste and assembly of the items on our plate. We all ordered fish for lunch but I ordered the skate fish and they ordered the seabream. The desserts, once again, we each ordered a different one and liked all 3 but funny enough, we kept eating the dessert on our plate instead of sharing since we enjoyed our selection so much.
The service was excellent! Definitely give this place a try, you won’t regret it!