Belcanto

Jorge M P. • 47 reviews

November 5, 2025

2.5/10

Belcanto, Lisbon, with 2 Michelin Stars, is less a fine-dining haven and more a conscription into the tragicomedy: "Belcanto Grand Gastronomic Show". Forget intimacy; prepare for a "continuous relay race" of identically earnest servers delivering memorized, soul-less scripts and jarring, look-at-me theatricality—starting with an unscheduled kitchen tour. The dining room feels like a frantic backstage, with guests as "passive extras." Every dish comes burdened with an almost comical backstory linked to the absent Chef's "childhood memory." The appetizers were nice, but the main courses, like the pregado dos Açores or the post-modern Leitão, prompted an ironic smile, even if disastrous. The "cherry on top": a waiter insisted on taking the post-meal napkin, only to present a severed shirt sleeve for clean-up, explaining it reflected the Chef's habit of "wiping his mouth with his sleeve." Book a table in case you enjoy supplying your own personal hygiene products.

likeReport