Reviews - Carnal
Carnal
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What diners said about this restaurant:
Scott F. • 1 review
May 5, 2024
10/10The attention to detail was simply exceptional and the service matched the quality of the food. Last but not least it was not pretentious in any way shape or form. What a wonderful place.
funda b. • 1 review
April 9, 2024
6.5/10Moderate food. Not worth to visit
Carsten C. • 1 review
April 4, 2024
10/10The bedst Mexican food i have enjoyed in a long time. Very delicious and an absolute fair price.
Anacictoria P. • 2 reviews
March 19, 2024
7.5/10Food was great and with a cheaper price tag. Our only complaint was that the servers seemed anxious and constantly watching our next move. We were simply enjoying our dinner but felt rushed into ordering our main courses. Constantly had eyes on us by what seemed to be the manager since the restaurant was very empty when we sat. Other than that the food was good, be careful to read the ingredients tho since some contain grasshoppers.
Carnal • Owner
Dear Anacictoria, we are very sorry for not being able to provide you with an experience that is up to our standards. We thank you for the kind feedback on food and we will make sure to look into the problems of service that you mention. No one should ever feel pressured or rushed during their time with us and we are so sorry to read that you felt uncomfortable during your experience at Carnal. Our business, more than food or drinks, is precisely to make people happy and it's really disappointing when for some reason it doesn't happen. We sincerely hope you may consider coming back in the future and give us a chance to change your mind. Best regards.
Dale C. • 1 review
March 7, 2024
10/10Absolutely amazing food and definitely tempted to return here on our short trip to Lisbon. Our server, Pedro, was also a star who was super friendly, really attentive and gave us some great recommendations!
Ricardo P. • 17 reviews
March 7, 2024
9.5/10The food was excellent. The environment a bit noisy for my taste. The service extraordinary. One extra highlight: the everything got to the table fast. Very fast! We joked about this not being a restaurant experience because we didn't have time to have a conversation between each course! Wow! On the less positive side, I was expecting more heat. I love spice! Nevertheless, if you enjoy Mexico, this is the place to go.
Allen M. • 1 review
February 25, 2024
10/10So fantastic that this was our second visit while staying in Lisboa for the month. Amazing service. Knowledgeable staff, great vibe, excellent cocktails - but AMAZING food. The cauliflower tacos won them the Michelin star, and you will know why if you get them. Dont hesitate, just book it and go!
Diana J D. • 8 reviews
February 23, 2024
8/10As a mexican, my expectations were high and sadly they weren't met. The Pastor isn't as close to an authentic Pastor at all and has much more onion than needed to cover the missing of meat. The Shrimp taco was delish. The Guacamole was far from my expected treat. The Carnitas were just fine but nothing similar to the real dish, the amount of meat for 4 tortillas was ridiculous. But the worst part was the Margaritas. I've never drank such a tiny margarita in my life, in Mexico or outside from home. The flavour wasn't the big deal either. The service is good, maybe a bit too much over us to make us order more and more. I was happy to see that the menu wasn't all full of tex-mex. Nice try, but I can give you lessons anytime.
Carnal • Owner
Dear Diana, we are sorry to read that your experience at Carnal wasn’t able to fully meet your expectations. On Carnal’s menu, our head chef, Luis Ortiz, born in Mexico, combines some of Mexico’s most authentic recipes with his own personal approach and a touch of Portugal, to provide a relaxed, fun, interesting experience and, above all, to give a taste of the gastronomic and general culture of Mexico. We are really sorry you couldn’t enjoy it. The same goes for the cocktails. The cocktail menu was created with mezcal and tequila based drinks using ingredients from Mexico’s cuisine which aims to take you on a liquid journey through Mexico with bold and fun flavors, signature cocktails, classic creations and even mocktails - so that no man or woman is left behind. We're sorry if this didn't work for you and we appreciate your feedback which we will share internally in order to continue to improve our work. We sincerely hope we can welcome you back in our restaurant and have a chance to change your mind. Kind
Deborah O. • 3 reviews
February 16, 2024
9.5/10Amazing food and attentive staff
Pedro a. • 8 reviews
February 9, 2024
9.5/10Amazing place! Food is great and the desserts are priceless! Some dishes are a bit too spicy and dense.
Eamon Og M. • 6 reviews
January 28, 2024
10/10Food was amazing, the shrimp quesadilla was incredible as were all the cocktails and the staff were very helpful and friendly!
Paul B. • 3 reviews
January 20, 2024
9.5/10This Mexican restaurant was a first for my wife and me. I found the menu tricky to navigate, but our waiter was truly excellent, and helped us to make our choices. The food was mostly "small plate" format, good for two to share a few. The quality of the food was really exceptional with unusual and I thought very successful taste pairings. Fresh ingredients, cooked with real care. The wine pairings, by the glass, were also very successful. I was delighted to leave at the end of the evening thoroughly satisfied and with a bill of less than €35 per head all in. Highly recommended. We will return.
Riccardo C. • 3 reviews
January 13, 2024
6/10The staff were quite young and inexperienced. While their attempt to communicate in English was commendable, there were significant errors in the delivery of our food, which did not align with the expectations set by the Michelin Guide’s comments. At 9:30 PM, one of the main dishes was already sold out, which the service staff only informed us about after we had placed our order and were waiting. Additionally, they brought the wrong dish to our table and forgot one of our tapas. For a restaurant recommended by the Michelin Guide, this experience was quite disappointing
Carnal • Owner
Dear Riccardo, we are disappointed to read that you had a less positive impression regarding our restaurant, as our goal is, of course, to provide a great experience to our clients throughout the meal. We will share your review internally so we can check what went wrong this time, allowing us to improve our work. We sincerely hope we can welcome you back soon to provide you with an experience up to the standards of what Carnal truly is. Kind regards.
Stephen E. • 2 reviews
January 1, 2024
10/10Great service, and tasty food.
Milene M. • 3 reviews
December 29, 2023
10/10The best tacos in town for sure! Great portions and amazing ingredients.The staff is quite warm and friendly. You will need to book ahead or you'll struggle to get a table.. definitely a must go!
Victor E. • 5 reviews
December 27, 2023
7/10Limited choice of ingredients, preparation poor, presentation good
Amy D. • 79 reviews
December 17, 2023
6.5/10What happened to the food here? The tortillas are now terrible, the flavors of the dishes dulled, and the serving temperatures across the spectrum. This has been my favorite Mexican food in Lisbon, but not anymore. It’s no longer possible to justify the uneven service and higher prices to eat here.
Carnal • Owner
Dear Amy, we are so sorry to read that your last visit to Carnal wasn’t able to match your previous experiences. Our team in the kitchen and our philosophy towards our food remains the same - great, fresh products, a fun, interesting and varied approach to mexican cuisine and flavor above all - so we don’t understand why you felt that way - but we will definitely share this with our team so we can check for any problems and continue to improve our work. We sincerely hope you may consider coming back in the future and give us a chance to change your mind. Kind regards.
John C. • 1 review
November 12, 2023
10/10Excellent food. Our waiter was really friendly and informative. Happy to recommend and introduce us to new food and drink options. Great atmosphere.
Matt B. • 15 reviews
November 7, 2023
10/10Very cool vibe in the restaurant. Great recommendations from the staff. Great quality food and tequila. Thoroughly enjoyed.
Elisabete G. • 20 reviews
November 4, 2023
6.5/10Amazing food but the service is TERRIBLE ! so SLOW and they got all our requests wrong , was frustrating and disapoiting. Also staff is arrogant apart from the chef , he is kind and very professional.
Carnal • Owner
Dear Elisabete, first of all we would like to thank you for the positive feedback regarding the food. We are disappointed to read that you had a less positive impression regarding the service as our goal is, of course, to provide a great experience to our clients throughout the meal. We appreciate your feedback which we will share internally in order to continue to improve our work. And we sincerely hope we can welcome you back to our restaurant to provide you with an experience up to the standards of what Carnal truly is. Kind regards.
Rafael N. • 1 review
November 2, 2023
5.5/10I spent 30min to get the order taken and 30min to get 2 tacos so I preferred to leave without having dinner. A bit to excessive time to be served, hope they can improve as food is good quality and flavor is there as well.
Carnal • Owner
Dear Rafael, first of all we would like to thank you for the positive feedback regarding the food. We are disappointed to read that you had a less positive impression regarding the service of our team, as our goal is, of course, to provide a great experience to our clients throughout the meal. We appreciate your feedback which we will share internally in order to understand what went wrong and continue to improve our work. And we sincerely hope we can welcome you back to our restaurant to provide you with an experience up to the standards of what Carnal truly is. Kind regards.
marty d. • 2 reviews
October 28, 2023
9/10Great food. Service started slow, then food came quickly, maybe a little too quickly. Would recommend !!
Linn Kristine L. • 1 review
October 10, 2023
10/10Great food and great service. One of the best food experiences I have had!
Mike F. • 2 reviews
September 28, 2023
10/10We had a food allergy and the waiter and chef were so wonderful in accommodating us. The food was fantastic, thank you again!!
NcG G. • 4 reviews
September 22, 2023
9/10The food was amazing and every single taco we ordered was delicious. You probably can order anything on the menu and expect to be amazed. The ambience is really nice and modern, definitely worth a visit in its own right. A minor downside was a little mix-up with our drinks which caused them to be delayed, s.t. they were served only after our first round of tacos. Would recommend anybody try this out!
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Ruth A. • 1 review
September 15, 2023
10/10Best restaurant we visited in our 9 day stay in Lisbon. Food was amazing! Cocktails to die for! Gustavo made sure we had a night to remember for years to come. He gave us menus but offered to choose our food for us. We took him up on that and it was definitely the right decision. He ordered the perfect amount of food and we got to try loads of different things. You have to try and get a table here.
Malaz El • 4 reviews
September 14, 2023
9.5/10It’s was perfect. The food tasted amazing. The seating they provided was lovely and the staff were so hospitable. Hands down best Mexican food in Portugal. Possibly in Europe!
Claire K. • 4 reviews
September 2, 2023
8/10Lovely decor and service. The food wasn't as great as I anticipated, nothing blew my socks off. I recommend the shrimp tacos.
Mallory B. • 78 reviews
August 26, 2023
9/10Best fast mexican food In Lisboa
Alexandra B. • 3 reviews
August 27, 2023
5/10Horrible service but tasty food
Elizabeth S • 4 reviews
August 21, 2023
10/10Food and drinks was delicious and service was fantastic. The atmosphere was cool and we felt very welcomed and taken care of by the staff. Our server offered great recommendations for food and drinks. They also took food allergies seriously which wasn't the case at some other places we ate.
Jan T. • 1 review
August 18, 2023
3/10Unwelcoming and unfriendly staff. We had to walk to them to get service and then quite dismissive. Food is okay but did not find it very special. Music is pretty loud so definitely not a relaxing or charming environment.
Stuart G. • 7 reviews
August 18, 2023
6.5/10The food is not Mexican. The quesadillas were not quesadillas at all. The waitstaff was all professional and friendly.
Nathaniel P. • 3 reviews
August 16, 2023
6.5/10There was only one party in the restaurant when I arrived at 7pm. Service was present but not what I expected from a restaurant with a Michelin 2023 sign outside their door. Didn't know server name. No recommendations no small talk. Food was above average, albeit pricey. Tortillas were a bit tough. Favorite taco was the fried shrimp taco. Wish the churros had a chocolate sauce. Fresh juices would be great too along with the mocktails. Walked by coyo taco on the way home and there was a huge line. Kind of wish we tried that out too.
connor l. • 1 review
August 3, 2023
10/10I've come to Lisbon two times over the last year and I always find myself coming back to Carnal. The food is amazing, the staff is even better. They make you feel right at home and will always suggest the best dishes. You must try the grasshopper taco & shrimp tacos! Also make sure to go for the Flan for desert, you will not be disappointed.
V.eneta a. • 3 reviews
August 8, 2023
10/10Great find - starting from the atmosphere, the especially particular and personal service, delicate flavors with subtle chilly touches, delicious food and the best tequila to close it off. Thank you for the outstanding experience and food.
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Renee K. • 3 reviews
July 31, 2023
10/10Fabulous food with fabulous service! Tequilla choices wewre exceptional along witht the bartenders knowledge of them! The starters complete with chips guac and spicy salsas Main dishes were delicious! We had the Suadero - beef rib gringa and Tacos- Tinga De Pollo Campesino & Black Pig were incredible!
Pepe H. • 1 review
July 3, 2023
9.5/10Modern, trendy version of Mexican food. Easy going, trendy atmosphere, If something for the restaurant, the non-alcoholic beers are the next big thing and although Corona and Budweiser are the brands associated with Mexican, there are other options available.
ROSS D. • 2 reviews
June 30, 2023
5/10Food was nice but nothing that spectacular. Service was average again. Does not deserve a place in the Michelin guide in my opinion.
Nilesh P. • 1 review
June 19, 2023
10/10Our group had a wonderful experience at Carnal. The manager met us at the door for our reservation and led us immediately to our table. He explained to us that if we were interested he would bring us his favorite dishes so we could experience all the best the restaurant had to offer and we took him up on the offer. The bartender also met us at the table and offered to craft any type of drink based on our preferences. The dishes were all visually impressive and tasted amazing. We all left very happy with our experience and the overall price was incredibly reasonable. I would happily recommend this restaurant to anyone.
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