Had a great first dinner here. The seafood rice dish was flavorful , we also had an order of steak and lamb. Good choice for a first night . The wine list is simple and has great affordable local options . We had a bottle of vino verde for three . read more

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The soup has excellent flavor and the two shrimp were large. The fish in the soup tasted great! Service was also excellent. Portions were so large, my wife couldn't finish. Good wine prices too. It's worth finding this little out of the way gem. read more

Restaurante O Arco - Grouper rice with shrimp - Portuguese Near Me - Lisbon, 11

FABULOUS dinner and house red wine. The owner was wonderfully warm and friendly and the food was terrific. The mushrooms were next level and the lamb was tender and delicious. A must visit for sure. read more

had a great late dinner - food was good, and service was good. Server gave a good recommendation on the wine.

We came right when it opened and was able to get a table as the second group through the door. Within 30min, the whole restaurant was full so I can see why they have a difficult time managing crowds. I was on a mission to try the Seafood Cataplana and they did an excellent job. Shrimps, mussels, clams and lobster all in a tomato stew served with rice. I really enjoyed the delicate flavors of the seafood with the acidity of the tomatoes. Great variety of seafood, they don't skimp on the ingredients! read more

Restaurante O Arco - Seafood cataplana - Portuguese Near Me - Lisbon, 11

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Terrific neighborhood restaurant with excellent food and reasonable prices. Small, intimate and tasty. We were staying in a nearby hotel and walked past the restaurant several times. Friday night we were looking for an early dinner and found this gem. Service was excellent. read more

I highly recommend to check out this Portuguese restaurant while in Lisbon. Very good selection of seafood. Found in the busy area of Lisbon. No wait time at 12 noon. read more

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Off a side road, still near the center of town but with none of the overly pretentious hotel vibes you find at other places. Not cheap by any imagination, but still a tasty spot. The menu has many different options of seafood at similar prices across the city. Food wise many patrons were delighted. They were overheard saying "this is the best octopus ive ever ate". In my opinion, the food was good and a generous serving of seafood in the seafood catalana with lobster, mussels, clams, and shrimp. The things that lacked were the rice which could have given you more for 22 euros to enjoy with your dish. Some bread wouldve been stellar too. I can appreciate the simplicity of the dishes that are made to order, but expected maybe a bit more. The service did leave something to be desired. There is one server for the entire restaurant, and it was really hard to get my order in. They asked me to wait 5 mins outside when it was busy and then i watched as table by table opened up, and the one server took a long time to invite me back in. read more

Restaurante O Arco - Menu May 2023 - Portuguese Near Me - Lisbon, 11

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Amazing food and Atmosphere!!! We went twice in two weeks because we loved there. I recommend you to visit

I really wanted to like it, but after a few bites, I found myself unable to finish the meal. The flavors didn't quite come together, leaving me underwhelmed. Despite the friendly service, the culinary aspect fell short of expectations. read more

Restaurante O Arco - Portuguese Near Me - Lisbon, 11

Small, well run restaurant off main streets in lisbon. Specializes in seafood cataplana but we really enjoyed vegetarian choices too. Suggest a reservation as it is small. One server for whole room but she was amazing! read more

If you miss home cooking while traveling in Europe then head here!! Amazingly fresh and delicious seafood stews on all levels and all types. read more

Restaurante O Arco - Best Seafood Stews in Lisbon. - Portuguese Near Me - Lisbon, 11

Centrally located. The owner was very helpful in making the perfect dish for my husband. He wanted a variety of fish and the owner made it happen. I wasn't sure what starch I wanted and he gave me both options so I could see which I enjoyed more.. Delish- check it out. read more

Super cute small restaurant, I recommend making a reservation...we didn't but got there right when they opened so they were able to squeeze us in. It was also a one man show for the entire front of house so service is not quick but he gets to everyone. I had the cataplana seafood and it was a 1 person portion but honestly could have fed two, very flavorful but I needed more rice lol. My boyfriend had the grilled sea bass which was okay but he said it wasn't grilled. read more

Restaurante O Arco - Menu - Portuguese Near Me - Lisbon, 11

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Wonderful little hole in the wall near Rossio Square. Friendly and prompt service. Good sardines and whole cod although lots of bones in the cod which was cooked in oil and a bit of a strange piece. In a touristy area but does not feel touristy with plenty of locals eating. read more

Very friendly and helpful staff. Food was excellent well presented. Large serves. Options of drink was great. read more

Restaurante O Arco - Fish and rice. - Portuguese Near Me - Lisbon, 11

Food was very tasty, service was nice and the ambiance nice too. I highly recommend for the price

I yelped for seafood rice and found this place. While there's not a lot of reviews, they all solidly recommend the seafood rice so I trust it's worth a visit. The first time we went, around 7pm, we were told that if we didn't make reservation, we couldn't get in. A few days later, we decided to try again for an early lunch, and lucked out. If we had gone in half an hour later, we would have missed out again. The place is actually rather small, and we were served by the owner. Money bills from all over the world decorated the wall. Needless to say, we ordered the seafood rice. One pot, at €25, is plenty for two. It comes bubbly hot, soupy, unlike Spanish paella. It's unbelievable how much seafood it has. In the U.S., often seafood rice means squid, white fish meat, shrimps, and crowned with one or two mussels. Here, it's all quality, fresh seafood. We found crab claw, scallops, shrimps, prawns. I counted 22 clams in shells and lost count of the mussels. So yes, if you want seafood rice in Lisbon, this is the place to go. Maybe one day I'll try the other dishes and tell you how good they are, though I can't imagine coming here and not ordering the rice... so well, I'll leave that job to you. read more

Restaurante O Arco - Chorizo appetizer - Portuguese Near Me - Lisbon, 11

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Simple, but excellent foods. No frills, well priced for its location. Excellent music, large servings, and great port. The owner/server was very kind to all the guests, some of whom were a challenge. Definitely recommend. read more

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As an experienced traveler I always try to seek out the best in local cuisine. After reviewing many Yelp reviews for this restaurant we were excited to land a 7pm Saturday reservation which by Lisboa standards is like the early bird special time. We started with the traditional offering of olives, bread & cheese and of coarse some tasty house wine (which btw was only $3.50 a 500ml). All good. Ordered Sea Bass & Shrimp skewer. The fish is served whole & it was delicious rivaling some very expensive US / Italian versions at a fraction of the price. The shrimp, more like lagostinos had the texture & taste of lobster! Delicious. Best shrimp I EVER had. Unfortunately you have to peel them. But they give wet naps... Skipped dessert but the owner bought me a Glass of Ruby Port. Nice. Would return again for sure. Total bill was $36 Euro with wine. I think it might just be the Best casual restaurant in Lisbon. Enjoy. read more

This story took place in 2017. On that morning, we arrived in Lisbon by plane and stored our luggage at the hotel. We started exploring the city, but due to the time difference and fatigue, it wasn't even 5 p.m. when we went to O Arco, a restaurant recommended by the hotel. We hoped to have an early dinner and then return to the hotel to rest. The owner opened the door early to welcome us, and despite his limited English, he warmly hosted us. We ordered two large bowls of Portuguese seafood porridge, which was delicious. When it was time to pay, the owner hesitantly told us that they didn't accept credit cards, and we didn't have any Euros in cash. While we were considering going out to get some Euros, the owner said, "Don't worry, you've had a long day. You can pay tomorrow." Although we were strangers to each other, could the owner's trust and care be more memorable than any scenic beauty or delicious food we encountered on our journey? As we left the restaurant, we noticed a long queue forming outside, confirming that this restaurant truly deserved its reputation as a culinary destination. read more

To be honest, we were rudely rejected the first time we tried to get a table, but I decided to come back the following night because I had read that the food was that good. I'm glad that I did because the sea bass on a bed of mushrooms and potatoes was exquisite, and the seafood cataplana was a steaming bowl of goodness. Other patrons can be just as rude and claim reserved tables by aggressively barging in and pushing their way ahead. Don't be intimidated by the cutthroat environment. NEVER GIVE UP FRIENDS!!! read more

Nice place, very authentic. Good traditional food with nice service from the owner. Good fish food and variations around curry. read more

Restaurante O Arco - Albiante retro rock!! - Portuguese Near Me - Lisbon, 11

Very lovely place on top of the mountain with a gorgeous view. Excellent food & service read more

Food was SO good. One of our best meals in Lisbon and much more reasonable than the other seafood restaurants you will pass to get here. There was no wait which is hard to find in small Lisboa restaurants. We were the only Americans, seems like a local place read more

Honestly, the food has a decent flavor. The menu is better suited for lunch rather than dinner .Their rice dish is simple, and lacks either the presence of veggies or anything that would make it more wholesome. The server was clearly tired from a long day of service but it's mainly just him so I don't blame him. However, that gave him very little patience to answer questions from guest. I'm unlikely to return but if I did it would be for lunch and definitely not dinner. read more

This is one of our favorite restaurants in Lisbon. The food is so good and reasonably priced. Service is good as well. read more

Restaurante O Arco - Seafood Cataplan - Portuguese Near Me - Lisbon, 11

Came here on my first night in Lisbon and tried to get a seat. We were completely ignored for several minutes. I finally had to walk up to someone cleaning tables to ask if we could get a table. He was about to seat us when a man, who I assume to be the owner, barked at us "kitchen is closed!" The person I first tried to approach looked at us apologetically and at least said sorry. Despite the fact they had empty tables, and the three people seated didn't even get their food yet, we were told the kitchen was closed just before 10 pm. Even though the hours listed say they're open until 11:30 pm on Saturdays. I hear this a local spot, so I don't know if they just don't like tourists or Americans, but we felt very unwelcome. We immediately left after being barked at and don't plan to give it another shot even though it was on the list of places we wanted to try while in Lisbon. He could have been so much nicer and simply said they were closing the kitchen early and perhaps offered to make us a reservation for another time or invite us to come back the next day. No need for such rudeness. There are restaurants everywhere that are so incredibly eager for your business. We went to another spot nearby that was so warm and inviting with incredibly fresh sea food. Hard pass to bad service; we took our money and business to where it was appreciated. read more

This place was very good. I had the monkfish rice with shrimp and my wife had the vegetable curry. Both were very good. The place gets busy during dinner time, but we luckily got a table. There was only one waiter for about 8 tables, so service was not as fast as it could be. Overall, highly recommend for a delicious meal that was reasonably priced! read more

Excellent food and service The shrimp and octopus cataplana is incredible good The flourless chocolate cake is to die for. Great place. Highly recommend read more

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CASH ONLY! This place is a small cozy restaurant and the food was fantastic. We ordered the seafood Cataplana which had a great broth and they did not skimp on the seafood. This also comes with a side of basmati rice. It serves 2 people. It does take some time for your food to come out but was worth the wait. However, I did see that other tables ordered something similar but had rice in the broth instead of on the side. I think that's the seafood rice dish. It looked good as well. Can't go wrong with any of their seafood broth dishes. read more

Restaurante O Arco - Seafood cataplana - Portuguese Near Me - Lisbon, 11

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The Shrimp Cataplana was life changing for me! It was sooooo good and one of the best dishes I've ever had in my life. The Shrimps were so big and beautiful, and the broth was savory and just fantastic! service was really good! me and my friend came here at a perfect time because shortly after it was jam packed. It's a tiny restaurant so the wait might be a while if you come here during the popular hour so just expect to wait a while, but it's definitely worth the wait. read more

Restaurante O Arco - Shrimp Cataplana - Portuguese Near Me - Lisbon, 11

CASH ONLY. When we first arrived (after walking across the Baixa to get there b/c there is no Metro from our hotel in Barrio Alto to this part of town), the door would not open. I had read the reviews about pushing it, but this time it was legit locked. The owner looked us up and down, and decided to let us dine. He unlocked for us, thankfully. All the reviews talking about how this is on a back street, or unloading the overused buzzword "hidden gem," are being naive. This is located in the Baixa, top prime real estate, and is a stone's throw from one of the most-visited tourist attractions in the city, Elevador de Santa Justa. It is not some unknown, unassuming place by any means. Look at the currencies from around the world all over the walls, they get plenty of traffic, from all corners of the earth, thus the crowds and waits, written about by summertime reviewers. While O Arco is not at all a commercialized tourist-processor, it is still pretty well-known all over review sites, and, in our experience, had more tourists in the dining room than locals. During our visit, one table was Portuguese, one Dutch, one German, two Asian, one American. I can't/don't eat seafood, so I missed out on a lot of Lisbon's prime cuisine (cod, cuttlefish, sardines, etc.), and this restaurant is no exception to the fish-laden menus of the city, but I was able to get pork chops, another Portuguese tradition, and they were very good. My husband had the cod, which is not raved about as one of this place's top dishes, but which is a key dish in Portuguese culture, and was nicely prepared at O Arco. Oddly, though bacalhau (salt cod) is the number one protein served in this city, it is actually all imported from Iceland/Scandinavia. The ambiance at O Arco is laid back and hospitable. The owner is a drummer, and his son is a guitarist. He plays nonstop Blues and Classic Rock for ambiance, which I love. That would be recorded music playing, not live, though he does have a collection of guitars and symbals on the walls. On our visit, at least, the owner held down the house, waiting on everyone, while his son cooked. The owner is a very approachable person, and loves to talk about music. As is the case at many restaurants I've been to in Europe, they give you a free house cordial, which in this case, was a choice of Grappa (from a gigantic bottle, see my photos) or Ginja. My husband chose the Ginja, which is a Portuguese liqueur of sour cherries. This was our first introduction to it, and we ended up later buying some to take home. There is a sign at each table, pictorially explaining "CASH ONLY," so the policy is clear in any language. While many restaurants in Spain try to pull the broken credit card machine routine, we didn't experience that in Portugal, which was nice. This was the only cash-only restaurant we encountered. And I do appreciate that the owner at O Arco is up front about his policy, because the last-minute broken c-card machine shtick in Spain was obnoxious. O Arco is a solid choice in Lisbon, though I do recommend paying attention to the dishes most talked about in other reviews, like the cataplana, or seafood rice, because they're what the house does best, and are most worthy of your money. read more

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We are from out of town and we made a reservation for 9 people. We had 5 kids who had already finished eating but we were 4 adults who were hungry and looking to have a great time ordering some good food at this place. The restaurant owner was quite rude and got upset that we had made reservation for 9 and only 4 adults were eating. How much do you expect 5 kids under the age of 12 eating?!?! We had just placed an order and he came to our table and spoke very rudely to us. We were almost made to walk out of that restaurant. Food might be great which we didn't get to experience but the customer service is definitely a big ZERO. I would hesitate to give even a single star rating based on our today's experience. read more

If you ever find yourself in Lisbon, this place is a must experience..! We called for reservations cause we heard it gets pretty busy and it's a good thing we did. The first few options of times were not available and the man on the other line whom i presumed is the owner was very apologetic and accommodating. It's a one man show in the front of the house and possibly a one man show in the back cooking. As soon as we arrived we were seated at a reserved table and right away knew that we wanted to order the fish and shrimp Cataplana and the Seafood Rice and i am so glad we decided on both. The kitchen makes both fresh to order so it'll take a little time to get the food out but ones it comes you'll be so happy it did. This place does not skimp on the seafood. The seafood rice had an abundance of flavor and was filled with shrimp, mussels, clams, lobster, and rice... it was delightful and possibly one of my favorite Portuguese dishes. Our second dish was the fish and shrimp Cataplana. I wasn't sure what this was at first, but am certain it is my favorite Portuguese dish. Filled with a warm broth that coats the abundant amount of grouper, shrimp, potatoes, onions and red peppers, this dish is what everyone comes here to get. It is especially amazing on a cold winter night. If i ever come back to Lisbon, it'll be not only to visit this sweet owner, but to eat this amazing dish once again. read more

Restaurante O Arco - Portuguese Near Me - Lisbon, 11

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We were hungry but tired and wanted to rest in our hotel room. Walked past this place and saw the good review, but it looked so unassuming and honestly had really low expectations. However the food was so so delicious, especially the fish. read more

We were in Lisboa this past June for a few days and were looking for a place for dinner. I found this place on Yelp and, after reading V.P.'s review (just look down a few) I decided this was definitely the place to go (really? reserve half the restaurant with your gaggle of kids who aren't eating??)! We were so glad we did. The seafood was absolutely perfect -- I really can't say anything else about it. My son and I had fish and my wife had the shrimp and we all loved every bite. The proprietor was friendly and attentive and had a great sense of humor - even when I teased him at the end of the meal about taking credit cards (it's cash only). This is now a must every time we're in Lisboa -- but I would recommend making reservations as the restaurant is very small. We will be back in about a month and this is definitely where we're going for dinner! read more

Seafood Cataplana was to die for!simple but excellent food w great prices. Four of us showed up at 7pm wo a reservation and was able to get a table but later arrivals wo reservation couldn't get tables. Rez highly recommended. Only 7 tables. Owner worked the room by himself so service was a little slow but everyone seemed to be getting personal and friendly attention. read more

Restaurante O Arco - Outside - Portuguese Near Me - Lisbon, 11

Loved their seafood rice! Large portion size, tasty, filled with assorted seafood goodness. Small restaurant in a non busy street, really a hidden gem and must try. Prices are reasonable as well. read more

Restaurante O Arco - Portuguese Near Me - Lisbon, 11

Love this place it is mainly frequented by locals so it is very good but not your typical white linen place, which I loved. The seafood is extremely fresh, this is the place were we tried the seafood rice and we love dis, cooked with fresh ingredients and the flavors of the dish were amazing. Whole shrimps, crab piece, fish and shell fish. All seafood was delicious and require some work to eat it , but worth it. All appetizers were amazing, great wine, service and great bill at the end. What a delightful experience, a must visit as well while you are in Lisbon and want to eat where the locals eat. read more

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