Is it possible to have a wonderful meal, enjoy some of the best seafood from the Portuguese coast, and not leave your hotel? If you’re staying at the Tivoli Avenida Liberdade it is! Coming in the day before our cruise, we had limited time to spend in Lisbon, but we didn’t want to miss out on trying some wonderful Portuguese food. But…we were tired from a full day & night of travel, delayed connecting flights and a bit of jet lag. So honestly, we didn’t have much left in us to go far for it. We were so happy to find out we had an amazing option in our hotel lobby. Also, much to our relief, they are open all day so we didn’t have to try to stay awake for a more traditional Portuguese dinner time – usually well after 8pm.
Cerverjaria Liberdade is a beautiful restaurant, with great views looking out to the activity on the sidewalks of Avenida da Liberdade. Seafood is their main focus, but they have plenty of options for everyone.
The service was incredibly friendly, from the host to our servers. We actually ended up with two servers, because we came at an early, kind of in between time for them. So our first server had a planned break while we were there. This might seem like it could be an issue, but service did not miss a beat and we sat so long, our first server joined us again!
Let’s get to the main point of it all – the food!
A few moments after ordering drinks, someone came around with a tray, asking if we wanted to try any of the starters. These were not little amuse bouche, but full size plates of three starters –
Pão torrado de Mafra com manteiga clarificada ~ Toasted Mafra bread with clarified butter
Queijo de ovelha amanteigado ~ Soft sheep’s milk cheese
Paleta Barrancos 18 meses ~ Barrancos ham aged 18 months
To be clear, they weren’t on the house either. So it’s a personal decision if you decide to have them, some tables didn’t and some only tried one or two. We tried all of them and were so happy we did. The star of this trio was the cheese. So soft it had to be served with a spoon. Earthy, funky, slightly barnyardy in the best way. They served it with quince paste to balance out the funk. This combo on the crispy Mafra bread was a little bit of cheese heaven. The Barrancos ham was a delicious, slightly salty bite to go with all of it.
We asked for recommendations on our entrees, kind of a game of “would you rather” with our server. Giving him a couple of options that we had narrowed down to and then letting him make the call. It was great because it was easy to see he was being honest about his feelings for each dish. We were not let down.
Bacalhau grelhado, batata a murro, grelos salteados ~ Grilled Codfish, roasted potatoes, sautéed turip greens
Arroz de garoupa e camarão ~ Grouper and prawn rice
Açorda de marisco ~ Typical Portuguese bread stew with prawns and clams
Linguado au meunier puré de batata e espinafres salteados ~ Meuniére sole, potato purée and sautéed spinach
Going with all seafood was the perfect choice. It tasted so fresh, with such vivid flavors. Everything was beautifully presented. Copper pots for serving, tableside fileting of the sole – it really was something special. All paired perfectly with the Vinho Verde – another recommendation. Unfortunately this is where the jetlag won and we didn’t get a picture or the name of the wine. But if you like crispy, slightly dry, white wine with a bit of tangy fruit notes, you will be happy with almost any vinho verde you try.
Of course, we weren’t too tired for dessert. The table next to us ordered Crêpes Suzette, which was finished tableside, so we had to try it. (Our old school dining hearts where so happy) We also had to try Leite crème queimado – kind of like crème brûlée, but more the flavor of Pastel de Nata. A bit lighter and with a taste of citrus and cinnamon. Both were a wonderful way to end the meal.
While we didn’t really have expectations for this meal, we were pleasantly surprised at how much we enjoyed it from beginning to end. Next time we are in Lisbon we will definitely plan on returning.
A few tips for dining here –
- We dined very early by Portuguese standards, but since there were quite a few cruises staying at the hotel, we made reservations to be safe. The restaurant started to fill up and it was easy to see they would be full for the evening. So even if you think you’re eating at an off time, go ahead and make reservations just in case.
- If you’re not sure – ask for recommendations! We found everyone happy and proud to talk about traditional Portuguese dishes and what they enjoyed the most. This is your best way to end up with a great meal.
- If you’re staying at Tivoli Avenida Liberdade, go ahead and book the offers that include breakfast. Breakfast is served in this restaurant and it’s fabulous as well! Definitely not your typical hotel buffet. Five different types of honey, one being directly from a display of honeycomb should give you an idea of the level they are at for breakfast.
