Restaurant Sunflower: Best Seafood Lisbon, Portugal

Best Seafood Lisbon is part of the #NoCollusion, No Albania for TPOL where I break my 100 country count mark. See the World Map for where I’ve been.

TPOL travels to eat and drink (see Food & Drink Guide). For me, it’s not about the Michelin restaurants and it’s not about the off the beaten path bullshit. It’s about good food and good drinks wherever I can find it (see Food in Milan: Tourist Places But Good Nonetheless). In Lisbon, the Restaurant Sunflower was near the beaten path of Rossio, one of the main squares in Lisbon, in an alley tucked away from the food hawkers. It proved to be one of the best restaurants for seafood.

Near Rossio is a street full of restaurants. Having learned my lesson from Mexico City (see Don’t Pay $30 for Tacos), I was reluctant to enter any of them, especially when the maitre d’ was barking at every tourist to come inside. Another warning sign was the menu with international flags aplenty.

The Alley

In an effort to flee from the relentless pushers, I went down a random alley and into a small cocina.

The Restaurant

The place is tiny but I found somewhere to sit. I ordered a jug of wine which paired nicely with the bread, soup, and olives.

The Menu

Look at these prices. I went with cod, the chef’s specialty.

The Best Cod

I normally don’t like cod, or at least the way I prepare it out of the Costco frozen bag. The last sentence should not be in this post because there is no way to compare the chef’s specialty to what I make at home.

The Bill 

I can compare the price to those of the tourist trap restaurants. I can’t imagine that the food compares.

Overall

I could tell you a romantic tale about how a local artist recommended this restaurant and how it was authentic. The truth is I was smart enough to avoid the main street and lucky enough to find this place.

TPOL’s TIP: Be sure to check the hours. I went for round 2 on my second day, but it was closed for lunch.

Best Seafood Lisbon is part of the #NoCollusion, No Albania for TPOL where I break my 100 country count mark. See the World Map for where I’ve been.