Boavista Social Club
Cool spot on a cool street.
- Cais do Sodré (Linha Verde)
- €€€
- Rua da Boavista 16, 1200-275 Lisboa
The grilled mackerel was gorgeous.
As mentioned in last week’s blog, estamos a aprender português. And so, with another Friday night class completed, two Brits com fome headed into Cais do Sodré in search of good food, good wine, and good vibes. After the initial realisation that we were 20 years older than everyone else out in that neighbourhood on a Friday night, we found ourselves drawn to the beautiful decor, lights, and great wine selection of Boavista Social Club. Good wine and good vibes - two boxes checked immediately.
Settled into a booth upstairs we ordered a bottle of Portuguese white wine (natural wine of course, this is Cais do Sodré after all) and a series of small plates to share. Anchovies were smokey and salty and incredibly tasty. Beef carpaccio was perfect with the chewy sourdough. The stand-out dish was the endive - a type of chicory - served with a very good truffle sauce, spinach and big shavings of black truffle. Finally we shared the grilled mackerel, which was both warming and interesting. Our terrible photos do not do justice to this really lovely food.
Even by our usual standards this is a terrible photo, but don’t let that stop you ordering the endive with spinach.
The restaurant is gorgeous. The food we ate was interesting and delicious. The natural wine and cocktail selection is achingly 2024 cool. The music was fun and the service was great. We loved our evening in Boavista Social Club. But… it is undoubtedly expensive for Lisbon. 6 anchovies for €9 is particularly astonishing in a city where large portions of fantastic seafood and sides are served in every tasca for under a tenner. But if you’re in town from London, New York, Berlin, or San Francisco, you'll find the prices less wild. We’ll be back for cocktails and to try some more small plates. But maybe next time we’ll go com a little less fome.
Don’t forget to order: The endive with spinach and truffle - super tasty (can’t remember the price - around €15)