On the recommendation of a good friend, another friend and I met up here, as we happened to be in Lisbon at the same time. Fado was definitely on my list of things to do, and while Mascote da Atalaia was the only place I got to experience it, it was a good experience. We ordered a la carte, which really worked for us. I read that the food was mediocre and it wasn't as bad as I was expecting. I didn't love the smaller dishes, except for the creamy sheep cheese, but my entree of swordfish and green beans was good. Nothing fancy, but quite tasty. We did a bottle of wine, which worked well. Skip the chocolate salami for dessert though--it's dry and not flavorful. We went to the early seating, which I recommend. We had reservations, which I also recommend. Though I don't recommend the actual seats, since they are super uncomfortable, but you don't have a choice. Also, this place is very small and uncomfortably tight. The performers were great. And this best part is that you cannot talk during the performance. You will get "shushed" by the entire place and that was awesome. Since this was my first time at fado, I thought the performers were great. While I definitely want to see other fado shows, I'd return to Mascote da Atalaia and think it's a great introduction to fado. You will have a great time here. read more

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It's Like Fado And Dinner In My Bedroom Pros: - The music was fantastic! - The food was good with a decent number of options - The service was friendly and efficient - The price (€25/person) for a 3-course meal, including 1/2 liter of wine/sangria/beer and a live Fado show was a good value Cons: - The room holding 30+ diners, 3 musicians, and 2 servers running around with food and drinks was the size of our bedroom - We arrived with a reservation for two five minutes early only to find one tiny seat by the door available - they had to tell a lady to move so we could sit down - The tables and milking stools they call chairs were tiny, and the tables crammed together like dominos - They stuck us in front of the door so, beside having a step (down) inches behind my stool (a safety hazard), I got hit in the back with cold air and people as they constantly entered and exited to go outside to smoke - The toilet door was behind one of the guitar players, so going to the bathroom during a set was impossible - During our two hour dinner, there were just 13 songs (4 sets of 3 songs and an encore), then we were expected to leave The cons appear to have it, but we actually had a very good time. Even though the place is more like a "Fado factory" than a "Fado House", our meals were good with an adequate amount of quality food and drink and the entertainment was impressive. Their focus seems to be more on cramming as many people as possible into each two-hour block than on providing a comfortable, relaxing atmosphere in which to enjoy this unique and historic Portuguese folk music. If you are expecting to have a leisurely dinner and listen to Fado over drinks over the course of a long evening, as we were led to believe, you are mistaken. Having said that, the quality of the food and entertainment, along with the fair price, made it a good overall value. I have mixed feelings about this place, hence my rating. From all that I had read beforehand, a Fado House is an "experience" where you arrive after 9pm, eat and drink what you like (with a minimum of course) for as long as you like, and leave as late as you like (03:00 to 04:00 in some places). If you have just two hours, do not want to stay up too late, and want a condensed version of Fado, this is your place! CombatCritic Gives Mascote da Atalaia 5 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better! read more

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When a much more popular fado place a few streets away was solidly booked, we wandered over here and someone was outside promoting this place with free fado. Usually that sets a warning flag but I figure €20 for a set menu is not bad at all, and I won't know a good fado from a bad one. The place is rather small with about 20 seats tightly packed together, and you sit on backless stools. The smallish menu has about 2 pages for food and 4 pages of drink. The three course set menu is €20. If you order a la carte, caldo verde soup is €3 and entree around €15. Beer €2.50, sangria €3. Not expensive, though I don't think the quality is good. Feels like with a small place the kitchen is tiny, limiting the amount of prepping and cooking they can do. My octopus tasted totally canned, which is a big disappointment in a land of fresh seafood. The soup was very bland as well. Fado songs are from 8pm - 12 am, a 5-song performance by various singers with breaks in between. While I don't care for the food, the performers are great. So good we bought a CD at the end and got the lady to autograph it. The tight place also makes it very easy to strike up conversations with the next table, so with the songs, the affordable drinks and the chats, it ended up a very pleasant evening. If you go for the fado this place is recommendable, but don't go for the food. read more

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Great place for fado! A big plus that you can make online reservations. We had a wonderful night, I was worried about getting trapped in a touristy spot with way over priced food and a so so show. Happily the show was great, and the food wasn't the best we'd had in the city but was a good value for dinner and a small concert. I would definitely put this place on your list for fado. read more

Had one of the best nights of my life here! We stayed here for hours eating dinner, drinking wine and listening to incredible fado. You can reserve online but I think you can also just pop in later in the evening and try to find a table if you don't want dinner. The food has a very home cooked meal vibe to it and is nothing special, but the overall experience was incredible. read more

Mascote da Atalaia - Bar - Fado Houses Near Me - Lisbon, 11

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We came by to have dinner and listen to fado and were able to walk-in around 7:30 without a reservation during a week day. For 25€ you get a 3-course meal, drink, and music. If I was just rating the food, I would have to give this restaurant a 3. The tuna was cooked more than I would normally like and both the tuna and swordfish were more salty than I would prefer. For starters we had the salad with cheese and olives/turnips which were pretty good. For dessert we had the chocolate salami and cheese curd/pumpkin jam were delicious! We enjoyed listening to fado in a cozy environment. The musicians played a few songs and then took a break and then resumed playing so we got to catch a few sets before the 9pm reservations started to come in and we had to give up our table. Overall, a fun experience and worth the time and money. read more

Mascote da Atalaia - Grilled tuna - Fado Houses Near Me - Lisbon, 11

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We stumbled across this place as we were roaming around Bairro Alto one evening in late December, and heard one of the fado performers who sounded amazing. We decided to stop in for dinner and a show. The place is small and intimate, with tiny tables that are close together. It was a locals only crowd when we were there. The restaurant offered a 'fado menu' for 20 euro which included an appetizer, entree, dessert, coffee, and beverage (glass of beer or wine, or 0.5L Sangria). Very reasonable. There were 4 different fado singers that we saw perform that night, and they were all excellent. read more

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Great atmosphere in this tiny 'Fado' attended by many Portuguese (despite being in a very touristy area of town). True local experience. Cannot comment on the food as I did not have any. Be careful - the a/c is poor so it can get really hot in the summer. read more

Mascote da Atalaia - Local experience :) - Fado Houses Near Me - Lisbon, 11

Just in Portugal for 2 days with my parents and aunt. Our tour group went to watch a fado show which is one of the much needed things to do in Portugal. Family would be too expensive to go so they decided to rest. And since we're only here for 2 days I yelped for a fado show and found this one. Ubered there from hotel. It's a bit hard to find in a very small street but the address on here is correct!! You should go on website to make a reservation but u can also walk in. There is a fado pri fixed menu for 25 euros. It was definitely worth it! Would suggest anyone on a time crunch to go. The singer was great! And food was too! read more

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We happened upon this fado while looking for a restaurant on a Monday evening. It is small but wonderful. The performers were amazing, and everyone in the room was enchanted by the powerful words and voices. The food was also very good. We ordered the chorizo appetizer, which was typical sausage shaped and cut into pieces for us. For entrees, I had the beef with broccoli and cheese, which was a large piece of beef with melted cheese on top served over steamed broccoli. My husband had the Chicken and Rice Sausage, which was served over a fresh salad. Both were very good. The servers were very kind and food was out in a timely manner. A couple of tips: don't enter the restaurant if someone is singing, and don't talk while they are singing. Both are considered very rude. There is a prix fix menu including appetizer, entree, bread, wine, dessert and coffee/tea for €25. read more

Incredible fado performances! We stumbled upon this intimate, inviting place while taking an after dinner walk in Barrio Alto. We heard the singing & were enthralled. We scrunched into the last available seats by the door & were entertained & moved by the singers & guitarists. It was such a beautiful experience! They have a fado dinner special that looked good & was well priced. I would come again the next time I'm in Lisbon! read more

Mascote da Atalaia - Amazing fado performance! - Fado Houses Near Me - Lisbon, 11

Walking through the streets of barrio alto after dinner, we stumbled upon this place. What a find!! Beautiful place to listen to real fado. Very intimate setting and friendly staff. We were lucky to see Joana Amendoeira. What a voice and the guitarists were great too!! My husband was mesmerized. Not as touristy as tasca do chico. You could see locals coming to this place. Highly recommend it if you are in Lisbon. read more

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A small traditional restaurante with fado show and a great atmosphere. A must in Lisbon.

Lisboa is one of my favourite cities in the world. My husband and I were recently visiting for our second time and were staying in the Bairro Alto area. We were walking back to our apartment from elsewhere and were handed a flyer for a fado performance that same evening at this little whole in the wall, Mascote da Atalaia. The place is tiny with tables very close together. You definitely get to know your neighbours! There was a small menu for the evening ("fado menu") and we ordered a pitcher of sangria (9EUR) and a plate of fishcakes (9EUR). Both delicious. It was the most dangerous of all sangrias, the one that doesn't taste like alcohol at all. Our waiter was funny and friendly and quirky. The girl who had handed us the flyer was really nice, too. The highlight, of course, was the fado performances. There were four singers rotating throughout the evening and they were all spectacular. I'm not sure if these ladies were regulars there or if there is always somebody different performing, but I'm sure anyone they get in there would be wonderful. There was a sheet of paper on the table listing a bunch of different performances and events for the month and it looks like they have a lot going on all the time. Will absolutely return next time in Bairro Alto! ~~~ 300th review! ~~~ read more

Incredible! A "must visit" when you're in Lisbon. From the performers, to the food, to the service- you will not regret going here. However, the restaurant is very small, so make sure you make reservations online before going,otherwise you might have a tough time finding a table- especially on a weekend. read more

When researching for Lisbon, I was given the impression that you had to compromise with fado: great food with bad fado, or bad food with great food. Then we found Mascote da Atalaia (outside the Alfama, no less!) Wonderfully intimate performance with incredible vocals (I still listen to our singer on Spotify) accompanied by some of the best fish I had in the city. Better yet, incredibly fair pricing. Would highly recommend to anyone visiting the city. read more

Cool place. Glad I got to enjoy a fado show with my friends and family. I was also very thankful that they offered a vegan option (Seitan with veggies in garlic and olive oil). The dish was a bit too oily and garlicky for my liking, but still appreciated that they had it. Wish they had more vegan options as well, but they do have a good start. Could also have more comfortable seating. In addition, I feel like they should make an announcement about no flash photography and being quiet during the performance before the people actually start performing. It seemed like a bit of a hassle having the waitresses shush everyone and try to tell people to stop as the show was going on. read more

Mascote da Atalaia - Fado Houses Near Me - Lisbon, 11

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My husband and I, like many others, chose this restaurant on a whim. When we walked in, there were no other patrons but we were greeted and seated promptly and given menus. Our server was was very friendly and helpful in finding interesting and tasty meal choices. She was attentive and even did a great job explaining the Portuguese dishes and wine in English, as we know little Portuguese. We had the Morcilla, chorizo, Queijo de Serra, and a green salad. For dessert we ate the chocolate salame- such a treat. Everything was delicious, down to the salad which was seasoned perfectly. We are so glad we came here for dinner. read more

Mascote da Atalaia - Morcilla - Fado Houses Near Me - Lisbon, 11

Amazing space!!! Very small, very quaint bar that has Fado music. My friend and I ended up at this great bar in a rainy night, we were dying to listen to Fado while in Lisbon, so we did not hesitate to go in a enjoy amazing live music in this great bar! Definitely recommend this space to anyone who is a lover of music! read more

Mascote da Atalaia - Cozy space - Fado Houses Near Me - Lisbon, 11

Excellent place to go, for dinner with friends or alone. Cozy. Good food. I should say a must go place when you visit Lisbon! read more

Mascote da Atalaia - Excellent music (fados to be more specific). Nice place. Cozy. - Fado Houses Near Me - Lisbon, 11

The food here is simple but very well done. This isn't a Michelin star experience, but a solid place that takes pride in offering a great value with its Fado menu and an even better experience for those new to Fado. I came here with my wife and 3 kids on our first night in Lisbon and we are already talking about modifying our schedule to come back before we go home. If you love music and clean, simple flavors, this is a place you can't miss. Make sure you book in advance!! read more

We had a fabulous evening of Fado here! Staying in Alto Barrio, and not wanting to travel across to Alfama, we took a chance and followed other Yelpers here. We were rewarded with an evening of tremendous Fado, including audience participation by aficionados. One of the Portuguese people in the audience was from a small town with a Fado tradition, and he vouched for the authenticity. The truth is this is a small (20-30 seat) overgrown tavern. So order the evening Fado pre fixe menu, and get an appetizer, entree, 1/2 liter of wine or beer, dessert and coffee. If you're a good snob, this is not your place. However, thr seafood is good (3-4) stars, and the performers change nightly (20-24), and I hope you catch a magical night like we did, where the performers are great, and the audience participates. And afterwards - wander up the street, which turns into a street party like Bourbon St in New Orleans. read more