My experience at O Conquistador came with a lot of ups and downs. My fiancé and I made a last minute decision to have a late night dinner here on our first day in Lisboa. We were staying close by so this was the perfect spot for us to go after our late flight.
Our night started with some drinks - a glass of Super Bock beer for him and I opted for a red sangria. The sangria was alright. It definitely had a good amount of red wine but I didn't taste any fruit in it. After the amazing sangria I had gotten in Maderia, this was a downgrade.
As for food, we ordered Cod Fish Cakes and a dish with grilled rabbit for our appetizers and honestly, we couldn't have been any more disappointed. Both were very unpleasant looking and tasted just the same. Although I opted not to try the rabbit, my fiancé said he wasn't a fan. The cod fish was rather raw with a chewy consistency. Perhaps rabbit and cod fish just aren't for us, but either way, we were very disappointed with our choices.
So why am I giving this place four stars? Because the grilled octopus entree we ordered was absolutely fantastic. The octopus was perfectly cooked and seasoned, and paired well with some delicious sweet potatoes. It was just as described on the menu and lived up to how highly our waiter spoke of it. At the end of our two week vacation in Spain and Portugal, we both agreed that this was one of the top three best entrees we had.
After our dinner, we left some room for dessert and had the Banoffee that our waiter suggested. It was another winner. It came in a mason jar with a bottom layer of fresh banana slices and a good amount of cream and toffee. If I see Banoffee on a menu here in Philadelphia, I would definitely get it again in hopes that they could deliver as well as this restaurant in Portugal did!
Despite the disappointing start, O Conquistador really redeemed itself by the end of the night with a delicious dinner and dessert, friendly and attentive staff, and fair prices. If you are in or near the Castelo area in Lisboa, I would recommend stopping by for dinner. My recommendation would be to skip appetizers and stick to just a main and dessert! read more