Solid traditional Portuguese food, albeit largely catered toward tourists / hotel residents near Rossio Square. We weren't in the mood to stray too far in our hunt for food on Christmas Day in Lisbon, so my mom and I decided to walk across the street from our hotel to give Solar do Bacalhau a shot. It's a cute space, with lots of live seafood swimming about in their fish tanks, and an interesting pink / salmon-color for all of their decor, tablecloths, and napkins. We started off our meal with the codfish fritters, which were phenomenal -- they were flaky in the center and nice and crispy on the outside, and there were a few small chunks of various veggies mixed in for a pop of color and texture. It also came on a bed of salad, which was super fresh and simple.
For our mains, my mom got one of their signature pork dishes, which includes a loin with slices of ham on top, and coated with a lovely, rich sauce. The pork was tender and the sauce was flavorful, and the ham also offered an extra bit of saltiness and a contrasting texture. The dish also came with fries, which were nice and crispy, although a bit lacking in seasoning. On my end, I opted for the grilled sea bass; it was well-grilled, with a nice char on the outside and a lot of tender, flaky meat. The fish was pretty fresh, although I wouldn't say that it was the highest quality seafood I had had in Portugal. It came with a few boiled potatoes and sauteed spinach, which were both solid. We decided to end the meal with the Portuguese rice pudding, which was delightfully creamy and cinnamon-y -- a great end to our Christmas food adventures.
Beyond the food, the service was phenomenal. The staff was incredibly diligent, clearing plates remarkably quickly (almost seconds after we finished), and refilling drinks with almost superhuman speed. Our server was also super helpful in helping us decide on what to eat; I was initially waffling on which type of fish to get, and he kindly informed me that all of their cod dishes aren't fresh, but are frozen and salted...not necessarily the type of information I would expect a server to give out willingly, but I really appreciated the honesty, and it helped me settle on a dish that I was way happier with. read more