Lisbon Cafe
“As soon as you are seated they bring out homemade Potato Chips; Bowl of Black Olives; and assorted rolls with Portuguese corn bread.”
“I have had the stuffed mushrooms here.”
“Try their appetizer combo, the mushrooms and clams with seafood were amazing, me and my family enjoyed that meal a lot, will be back soon.”
Lisbon Cafe
Takes Reservations: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Happy Hour: Yes
Has TV: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
Has Pool Table: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
5 reviews
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What can I say? Lisbon Cafe rang my bell in a big way. Physically very nice, servers excellent, menu large, food very good, and prices extremely friendly.
Where should I start? We walk into a very crowded restaurant and are greeted by the hostess. "Your table will be ready in a few moments, please wait at the bar – not necessary to get anything." There are 4 of us, but only 2 want a drink and a half pitcher of red sangria is ordered. It is really good and easily could have served all 4 of us. "How about some chips" says the very friendly bartender as he brings us a small bowl of really good, hot Portuguese potatoes. It takes us about 2 minutes to finish the bowl and as the last chip is eaten the bartender brings us another bowl. The cost of this pre-dinner feast is $14.95. I would have expected twice that and am smiling as we leave the bar, pitcher in hand, and are escorted to our table.
Another bowl of chips is on the nicely set table. The menu is huge with all my Portuguese favorites. How can we possibly choose? Although dinners came with salads we all ordered appetizers. I order the clams and chorizo and find 10 little-necks in the pot along with what must be an entire sausage. It is excellent and at $9.95 a real bargain. Other starters were just as good. The main courses were perfectly prepared and delicious. Our group tried lamb chops, veal chops, salmon and swordfish preparations. Special requests (extra sauce, double vegetables) were thoughtfully honored. Prices for the mains averaged a more than reasonable $25. My only disappointment was at dessert time. They no longer offer a molatof.
For years Lareira in Mineola has been my go-to restaurant when I needed a Portuguese fix. I have to say that my meal at Lisbon Cafe was equally as good.
The outdoor appearance of the restaurant resembles a fast food restaurant or a diner but when you enter it's a cozy restaurant with a small bar center left dividing by a wall two dining rooms. As soon as you are seated they bring out homemade Potato Chips; Bowl of Black Olives; and assorted rolls with Portuguese corn bread. We were a large group and we devoured the bread and potato chips. They were very generous to provide us with four more servings of the potato chips and three more servings of the bread rolls. All of our food was excellent I had the Salmon and Shrimp in a green sauce which was excellent. They also providing complimentary port wine with our desert. This will be one of my many visits.
Arriving for an 8pm reservation on a Saturday night we found a packed house, with people filling the bar and entrance. They were running a bit behind, but everyone seemed OK with it in anticipation of getting to eat. We were offered some of the awesome homemade potato chips while we were waiting by the bar.
The space itself is not all that big, but it is lovely. Modern and simplistic it creates a warm and inviting vibe. For a new restaurant it has blown up in a short amount of time and now I know why.
Once we were seated, the table was filled with olives, homemade potato chips (which are totally addicting), a bread basket and once our order was placed we were served a salad with a tasty and tangy vinaigrette. It's quite a spread before you actually get to the food.
A pitcher of red sangria went down way too easily; it was delightful.
We opted for the octopus appetizer. Not the standard grilled version you normally see, it seemed more braised with with roasted peppers, onions, olive oil and garlic. It melted in your mouth and had a wonderful flavor.
Most of the entrees are available in single or double portions. We decided to share the Carne de Porco a Alentejana and a Paelha Marinheira.
Carne de Porco a Alentejana is pork and clams. Cubes of pork and potato along with tender clams served in a sop it up worthy sauce. I kept going back for more and more it was so delicious. This is a must order.
Paelha Marinheira is seafood in saffron rice. The rice was bursting with peas, clams, shrimp, mussels and lobster. The rice and the seafood were cooked to perfection and it was all quite tasty.
Portions are large, we were full and still brought lots of leftovers home.
Dessert we decided to share a flan which was OK, a bit too sweet for my liking. The coffee could be a bit bolder as well.
The staff was very friendly, attentive and we had a leisurely dinner and we never felt rushed. This is a fantastic place for Portuguese and I can't wait to visit again.
What a gem! Lisbon Cafe provided stellar service and spectacular food in a charming environment. I couldn't have been more pleased with our visit, and found every aspect of our short time there to have been first rate. The restaurant is on the small side, however the owners have certainly done their best in regards to making the most of the space, resulting in a dining area which is both cozy and contemporary. The waiters, in full traditional uniforms of black and white, added an upscale feel to the ambiance that was noted and appreciated.
Upon being seated, we noted that in anticipation of our reservation, our table was prepped prior to our arrival with a basket of assorted breads and butter, homemade potato chips and a small tray of black olives. The waiters took great care in explaining their specials, and in a move that I had never experienced before, then propped the specials board onto an easel that they placed next to our table. That was a very helpful touch, as specials are often rattled off as soon as you're seated and forgotten before the waiter has poured a glass of water. Our group ordered a variety of seafood dishes: stuffed lobster, a grilled seafood platter, whole branzino, coquille st. jacques and a seafood stuffed grouper were our entrees of choice, while we decided on the hot antipasto as an appetizer. In the spirit of being direct, I'll just say that EVERYTHING was phenomenal. They expertly deboned the branzino tableside with great precision and expertise, taking care to regarnish the plate once it was served. The stuffed lobster and coquille st. jacques in particular were exquisite. The stuffed mushrooms provided in the hot antipasto were also the star of that platter. We were also given a house salad and dressing served family style, along with additional plates of assorted steamed vegetables and green, rice pilaf and french fries, none of which we were expecting and all of which were welcomed and enjoyed!
For dessert, we ordered two natas de ceu and a tartufo and were again surprised when they brought us a complimentary pudim flan. Again, everything was lovely. The wait staff checked in with us multiple times throughout our meal to ensure that everything was to our liking and their hospitality and courtesy was rivaled only by the quality of their food. I intend on recommending Lisbon Cafe to all of my friends, and becoming a repeat guest! I cannot wait for my next visit and encourage anybody thinking of dining here to make a reservation: it is worth a trip, even for those who are not in the immediate area.
We chose Lisbon Cafe to celebrate Mothers Day with the family. What a great choice! We had 7pm rezzy and arrived on time and were seated immediately upon arrival in the dining room to the right as you enter(there are 3 small dr's on that side). Our group of 5 were starving and watching all the beautiful dishes passing us by just whetted our appetities.
Kevin, our waiter came by quickly and we put in our order for a couple of pitchers of their fabulous Sangria and Portugese potato chips….To move things along, I ordered a larger version of the Hot Antipasto Appy we had tried for 2…this time made it for 3 and it was more than enough for our hungry group. It contained; baked clams, fresh grilled Calamari, stuffed mushrooms, garlic shrimp, large sliced shitake mushrooms et. al. All in a wonderful garlicky sauce.
We were kinda getting full after the Appys but that never stopped us before and certainly not now with these great mains coming shortly;
Goat Stew w/chorizo on side, Salmon with shrimp in green sauce, Grouper stuffed with seafood with green sauce and my rare Prime Rib on the bone…not traditional prep but more like a grilled steak….so good!…
By now we had finished two large pitchers of Sangria and copious quantities of wonderful food and were starting to fall into a food coma…Not yet! must have dessert; one Cream of Heaven and one Tartufo quartered!! The establishment always closes the meal with Tawny Port for all…the perfect finish to a wonderful meal. Thanks to Kevin and Kelly for being our servers and making it a wonderful Mothers Day event!