Eight new stars in Portugal

PORTO (25/02/2025) - The Michelin Guide has published its new restaurant ratings for the year 2025 in Portgual. The selection includes 190 restaurants and the international team of inspectors emphasised how the chefs here seek to preserve their gastronomic and culinary heritage by reinterpreting classic dishes with modern techniques, never ignoring new international influences and promoting local raw materials of the highest quality, based on their own identity.

Gwendal Poullennec, International Director of the Michelin Guide, states: "Portugal is growing and is gradually becoming a gastronomic reference destination for lovers of haute cuisine from all over the world. The chefs' attachment to the region is absolute. In the north, the attachment to traditional recipes is greater than in the south, where we can speak of a wonderful encounter between regional Portuguese flavours and those with a more international flair. On the other hand, sustainability continues to gain importance, not only in the local sense, but also in terms of excellence, which always aims to discover the best raw materials from the different regions of the country for the guest when travelling."

For the Michelin Guide, it is a pleasure to see that the culinary level in Portugal remains stable and that the eight restaurants with two stars continue to offer exceptional cuisine that is worth a diversion! The establishments confirmed by the inspectors as the greatest promoters of Portuguese cuisine are: Alma (Lisbon), Antiqvvm (Porto), Belcanto (Lisbon), Casa de Chá da Boa Nova (Leça da Palmeira), Il Gallo d'Oro (Funchal), Ocean (Porches), The Yeatman (Vila Nova de Gaia) and Vila Joya (Albufeira).

The new starred restaurants

Eight restaurants have been honoured with this award by the inspectors for the first time. This means that 38 establishments have already been awarded the coveted and prestigious MICHELIN star.

• Arkhe - Lisbon: Vegan/vegetarian cuisine is becoming increasingly popular and Brazilian chef João Ricardo Alves is focussing heavily on this. In the minimalist atmosphere of his restaurant, he offers three tasting menus of exceptional finesse, technique and flavour (Almoço, Descoberta and Carta Branca), always well accompanied by Alejandro Chávarro, who acts as head waiter and sommelier.
• Blind - Porto: If you want to be surprised and enjoy a different gastronomic experience, ... here is an excellent opportunity! The proposal of the award-winning chef Vítor Matos, defended daily by chef Rita Magro (recipient of the MICHELIN Young Chef Award 2024), is a tribute to José Saramago's work "Essay on Blindness" and tries to play with the guest with a surprise menu.
• Grenache - Lisbon: A unique restaurant in Lisbon's Alfama neighbourhood? This is one of the things you should always keep an eye out for, as Pátio de Dom Fradique is sheltered from the tourist crowds. Available only via two tasting menus (Grenache and Experience), the menu is led by chef Philippe Gelfi who, inspired by his roots, offers elegant contemporary cuisine with French roots.
• Marlene - Lisbon: Just a few metres from Lisbon's cruise terminal, this restaurant with a modern ambience surprises with a large open central kitchen where you can always appreciate the meticulous work of chef Marlene Vieira and her team. Here you will find two interesting tasting menus with references to both Portuguese tradition and flavours from other latitudes.
• Oculto - Vila do Conde: Located in The Lince Santa Clara hotel, it lives up to its name, as part of it was recovered within the old monastery of the same name, which had to be excavated to bring it to light during the day. The gastronomic offer, under the direction of the two renowned chefs Vítor Matos and Hugo Rocha, is realised in two tasting menus closely linked to the marine world and spicy products.
• Palatial - Braga: This unique and elegant restaurant on the southern outskirts of Braga surprises with a tasting bar at the entrance, where the wines of the region are praised, and with a carefully prepared reception room. Here, with fantastic service, you can choose from the menu or from two tasting menus (traditional and innovative), which in both cases take up the Portuguese gastronomic tradition from a very creative perspective.
• Vinha - New Village of Gaia: The gourmet restaurant of the Vinha Boutique Hotel is one of the places you must visit, as it has details of unexpected elegance in every corner. The offer, conceived by the famous chef Henrique Sá Pessoa and realised by Jonathan Seiller, head chef of the house, is passionate both in the à la carte option and in the tasting menu (Identidade), always playing with the best flavoured Portuguese products in a contemporary way.
• YŌSO - Lisbon: In this restaurant, whose name refers to the four elements of nature (earth, water, fire and air), chef Habner Gomes introduces guests to Japanese cuisine in kaiseki style through a unique omakase tasting menu. The offering, which can be enjoyed on a sushi balcony or at three tables, focuses on a menu that takes foodies on a journey through different Japanese techniques, based on flavourful produce.

One 'green star' and five new Bib Gourmand

Sustainability awareness is becoming more and more widespread and chefs are gradually demonstrating their commitment by introducing measures and recipes aimed at protecting the environment.

With the new green star for Encanto in Lisbon, there are already six establishments that are considered a benchmark in Portugal in terms of sustainability. Under the direction of the famous chef José Avillez and located right next to his two-starred restaurant Belcanto, it stands out on both an aesthetic and gastronomic level, as its culinary focus, which is highly technical, is centred entirely on the processing of flavourful organic vegetables sourced from both small local producers and the Casa Nossa farm in Alentejo, which belongs to the restaurant. At the centre of the offer is a unique, 100% vegetarian tasting menu that stands for sustainability, biodiversity, complete product utilisation and reuse of packaging. Eating here is a great experience!

Not only will the Bib Gourmand be honoured, the most coveted award among foodies around the world, which recognises the best value for money, but this year five interesting new products will also be presented (Canalha and Pigmeu in Lisbon, Contradição in Bragança, OMA in Porto and Terruja in Alvados). In total, there are over 28 Bib Gourmand establishments in Portugal.

35 new restaurants recommended

In turn, it is a pleasure to see how the selection is refreshed with 35 new recommended restaurants (not in total, there are 116 in this category), which gives an idea of the culinary dynamism of the country and the permanent work being done to expand the offer.

There is something for all tastes, such as the very interesting Cibû (Leça da Palmeira), the contemporary Mediterranean essence offered at Le Babachris (Guimarães) or the surprisingly creative traditional cuisine that the inspectors liked so much at Mapa (Montemor-o-Novo). On the other hand, among the novelties, the presence of numerous Asian-inspired restaurants stands out, showing the growing preference of the Portuguese and international clientele for oriental cuisine, in many cases a fusion with the local one: Avista Ásia in Funchal; Izakaya in Cascais; Kaigi or Tokkotai in Porto; Omakase RI in Lisbon ...

Three special prizes

The MICHELIN Guide remains true to its commitment to recognising the individual talents that make a restaurant great and are crucial to ensuring that we ourselves have an excellent experience. It therefore presents the following special awards:

• MICHELIN Award for Young Chef: José Diogo Costa, William (Funchal, Madeira) - Born in Seixal in the north of Madeira, young chef José Diogo Costa focuses on a cuisine of local origin that revives the recipes of his childhood with an innovative and modern perspective, offering diners those flavours that tell of the sea, the volcanic origins of the island and the generosity of the subtropical climate. With a solid international background in Europe and Asia, Restaurant William's offering at the luxurious Belmond Reid's Palace comes to the fore in three marvellous menus that are particularly tempered by the island's rich variety of fruits and vegetables.
• MICHELIN Award for Service: Nelson Marreiros, Ocean (Porches): Nelson Marreiros, restaurant manager of the Ocean restaurant (at the Vila Vita Parc hotel in Porches), was honoured with this award in recognition of his fantastic service concept. With the utmost professionalism, he adds a new dimension to chef Hans Neuner's gastronomic offering and makes the experience truly unforgettable. The Portimão School of Hotel Management and Tourism in the Algarve has demonstrated a constant quest for excellence from the outset, which it has built up over more than 20 years. She has held various positions at Vila Vita Parc herself and has completed additional training as a sommelier, a fundamental factor in ensuring that the work between reception or service, kitchen and carafe runs smoothly.
• MICHELIN Award for Sommelier: Marc Pinto, Fifty Seconds (Lisbon), A great restaurant always needs an excellent carafe and a professional who takes care of it so that the gastronomic experience is enhanced by the perfect combination. This is the case with Marc Pinto at Fifty Seconds (Lisbon), where he works with chef Rui Silvestre. Originally from Champagne in France, he knows the world of bloodless wine inside out, although he also trained for years in Spain with masters such as Martín Berasategui and Paco Pérez. His excellent work and perfect knowledge of all the references and collections in the world (especially Portuguese, French and Spanish) have earned him various awards in the hotel and wine sector. In your own words ... each bottle contains a unique experience.