Genesis
The only Kosher Middle Eastern food in Lisbon
- Campo Pequeno (Linha Amarela)
- €€€
- Campo Pequeno 41, 1000-080
Perhaps it is our bias for seeking it out, but it feels like the geographic region covering Istanbul to Iran, along with the Arabian peninsula countries are almost everywhere in Lisbon today. Once upon a time the shop at this address was home to the Mean Sardine taproom, one of the best places to get an IPA in Lisbon. However, it was recently taken over by Genesis. Having confirmed falafel and shawarma were on the menu, we were straight in.
As always settling in for a dip with bread to start while more serious thought is given to the main, a phenomenal dish of grilled aubergines slathered in tahini and coriander was immediately laid on the table with some warm pita. The smoky sweetness of the eggplant was so well offset by the nutty sesame of the tahini. And the pita bread was light, fluffy and yielded to absorb the dip without restraint.
With a glorious array of different kebabs on offer, we opted in for the simple falafel in pita and another an experience of one of their specialist mains, the Israeli shawarma. I think what separates out the Israeli version from the typical Arabic shawarma is the meat, a mound of dark turkey meat spiced with all the best flavours of the Middle East, cumin, cardamom, paprika and possibly many many more. At Genesis, they absolutely don't hold back on the portion size, and the hollowed out pita was loaded up along with a plate of french fries to accompany. A mighty fine feast.
The falafel's themselves came bursting with fresh chickpea flavour which is always what we are looking for, and again the tahini helped turn that natural nuttiness up to 11.
Perhaps it is just because it is on the site where there used to be a pub, but we were in and out of Genesis in under an hour, despite the restaurant being mostly full and one large table also in. The staff and kitchen performing miracles in our opinion. The end result is, Genesis is arguably the highest end kebab house in Lisbon. We'll be back plenty of times for sure.
Don't forget to order: The falafels were absolutely fantastic
Drinks: A beer and a home made lemonade