Portugal: see restaurants with stars in the Michelin Guide – 02/27/2024 – Food

Visited by around a million Brazilians every year, Portugal now has four more restaurants with stars in the Michelin Guide, one of the most famous gastronomy publications in the world. The Portuguese country, however, continues without three-star representatives, the maximum rating in the century-old guide.

In total, the European country now has 39 starred houses: 31 with one and 8 with two stars. Another 8 restaurants were included in the Bib Gourmand category, which selects establishments with an “excellent quality and price ratio”. The guide is now available on the app and website.

The restaurants Alma (Lisbon), Belcanto (Lisbon), Casa de Chá da Boa Nova (Liça da Palmeira), Il Gallo D’Oro (Funchal), Ocean (Porches), The Yeatman (Vila Nova de Gaia) and Vila Joya ( Albufeira) continue to have two stars, awarded to restaurants that have cuisine considered “exceptional”. Antiqvvm, in the city of Porto and owned by chef Vítor Matos, joined the group.

The announcements were made this Tuesday (27) in the city of Albufeira, in the Algarve region (south), by Portuguese presenter and actress Catarina Furtado. Another novelty is that Portugal gained its own Michelin Guide — until last year, the publication was shared with Spain.

Portugal’s tourism department invested approximately €400,000 (around R$2 million) in the project, according to local newspaper Expresso. The organization and launch of the Michelin Guide began to be sponsored by countries such as Argentina — the guide claims, however, that this does not affect the number of starred restaurants or the number of stars received. In return, the publication claims to boost local tourism with famous stars.

“The guide contributes to the promotion of Portugal as a reference gastronomic destination in Europe”, says a statement released by the Michelin Guide.

Portugal is one of the most sought after international destinations by Brazilians. Last year, the Portuguese nation received 1.1 million tourists from the South American country, according to preliminary data from the National Statistics Institute, an official Portuguese body. Brazilians were the seventh nationality that traveled the most to the country.

The rich cuisine is one of the attractions for tourists. Seafood and fish, including hundreds of recipes with cod, are common in the country’s meals. The dishes are accompanied by Portuguese olive oil.

Portugal is also a country with a strong wine tradition and known for the quality of its wines. The Douro (northeast) and Alentejo (south) regions are those with the largest number of spaces dedicated to wine tourism — a practice that allows you to discover wineries. But there is wine production in almost the entire country, including in the Algarve (south).

The new Michelin stars reflect the Portuguese cuisine that has been modernized over the years, without leaving aside traditional ingredients, such as fish and pork.

“The country has some of the best gastronomic products in the world. The fish is excellent. The seafood is of great quality”, said António Costa Silva, Minister of Economy and the Sea of ​​Portugal, during the ceremony. “[O guia] It is an extraordinary step towards placing Portugal as one of the great destinations of excellence in world tourism.”

Just like Portugal, Brazil has never had a restaurant with a three-star rating in the Michelin Guide. The publication will return to the country in March, evaluating restaurants in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo.

Until 2020, Brazil was the only country in Latin America covered by Michelin. In that year’s edition, the houses rated with two stars were the extinct Ryo (SP), DOM (SP), Oteque (RJ) and Oro (RJ).

The restaurants are selected independently according to the Guide’s methodology, which evaluates criteria such as the quality of the ingredients, the mastery of culinary techniques, the harmony of flavors, the chef’s personality expressed in the kitchen and the consistency of the menu. Inspectors evaluate restaurants in anonymous visits, without prior notice.

According to the methodology, the restaurant that receives one star is recognized for offering a high quality meal. Two Michelin stars are awarded to restaurants with excellent cuisine. The three Michelin stars represent exceptional cuisine.

The guide was created by brothers Edouard and André Michelin in 1900, in France, with information on where to gas up and repair the car, where to eat and stay.

See the list of starred restaurants below

2 stars
Antiqvvm (Porto) – new*
Alma (Lisbon)
Belcanto (Lisbon)
Boa Nova Tea House (Leça da Palmeira)
Il Gallo D’Oro (Funchal)
Ocean (Porches)
The Yeatman (Vila Nova de Gaia)
Vila Joya (Albufeira)

1 star
2Monkeys (Lisbon) – new*
Desarma (Funchal) – new*
Ó Balcão (Santarém) – new*
João Sá Room (Lisbon) – new*
100 Maneiras (Lisbon)
The Kitchen (Guimarães)
Al Sud (Lagos)
Seeing Tavira (Tavira)
Bon Bon (Carvoeiro)
CURA (Lisbon)
Eleven (Lisbon)
Encanto (Lisbon)
Epur (Lisbon)
Esporão (Reguengos de Monsaraz)
Euskalduna Studio (Porto)
Feitoria (Lisbon)
Fifty Seconds by Martín Berasategui (Lisbon)
Guincho Fortress (Cascais)
G Pousada (Bragança)
Gusto by Heinz Beck (Almancil)
Kabuki Lisbon (Lisbon)
Kanazawa (Lisbon)
LAB by Sergi Arola (Sintra)
Le Monument (Porto)
Loco (Lisbon)
Lemos Table (Viseu)
Midori (Sintra)
Pedro Lemos (Porto)
Vila Foz (Porto)
View (Portimão)
William (Funchal)

Bib Gourmand
Flora (Viseu) – new*
Inato Bistrô (Braga) – new*
Norma (Guimarães) – new*
Pastus (Paço de Arcos) – new*
Olaias (Figueira da Foz) – new*
Oma (Baião) – new*
Patio 44 (Porto) – new*
Pruning (Montemor-o-Novo) – new*
Avista (Funchal)
Zunzum Gastrobar (Lisbon)
Camel (Viana do Castelo)
Carvalho (Chaves)
Tasquinha da Linda (Viana do Castelo)
The Boar (Bragança)
The Typical (Águeda)
Dóri (Costa Nova do Prado)
Solar do Forcado (Portalegre)
Office (Lisbon)
Casal da Penha (Funchal)
Solar do Bacalhau (Coimbra)
Casa Chef Victor Felisberto (Abrantes)
3 Pipos (Tonda)
The Friar (Lisbon)
In Different (Porto)
Semea by Euskalduna (Porto)
Xtoria (Setubal)
Vila do Peixe (Câmara de Lobos)
Carnal (Lisbon)
Cave (Porto)
Marquis of Marialva (Cantanhede)
Machado (Walnut)
Rio by Paulo André (Vila do Conde)

The journalist traveled at the invitation of TAP Air Portugal, Tourism de Portugal and Tourism do Porto e Norte de Portugal.