Restaurante O Ato

The menu features the most traditional Portuguese flavours, and especially those associated with Lisbon, blended with modernity and innovation, and harmonised with exclusive wines. In the kitchen, award-winning chef Miguel Laffan turns the act of cooking into an art, pleasing the whims of any palate, from the simplest to the most experienced. The setting has a Hollywoodesque feel of 1940s Lisbon, when the city served as a place of exile for royalty and war spies and businessmen from around the world could be found.

Lights, camera, action! The actors are the diners, who seemingly enter a yesteryear Lisbon, artistic and golden; their co-stars are the flavours, ‘directed’ by Miguel Laffan and his team. Located within the building of the boutique aparthotel O Artista, in Largo do Regedor, in the Portuguese capital’s Pombaline baixa neighbourhood, O Ato pays tribute to the act of being Lisbon-born, an artist, passionate, irreverent and genuine, a homage materialised in a space of the past, in the present, and timeless. Materialised, as well, in the art of cooking, plating up and serving flavours that arouse the senses.
The ‘set designer’ was chosen from among the best. Nini Andrade e Silva has created this space that evokes the most varied artistic forms, from architecture to dance, from fashion to film. The golden Lisbon era was also that of the unforgettable Portuguese actor Vasco Santana and it is around this figure that the concept of the project revolves. The atmosphere is dominated by warm hues reminiscent of the colour of wine, culminating in a fountain with bottle-shaped spouts, an analogy to the iconic scene in the film O Pátio da Cantigas [The Courtyard of Songs], in which, after the actor drills a hole in the wall, red wine begins to gush from it. The wine stain thus disperses in every direction, from the reception to all the dining rooms. Beneath it, on the ground floor, we find a tribute to the paviour profession and Portuguese cobblestone.

There are so many options and they all justify the Michelin-star status of Miguel Laffan.

The couvert already features Rich Fish Soup and Steamed Coastal Shrimp with Flor de Sal, although all the starters are appetising. To follow, Special-Cure Coal-Cooked Cod, Chouriça Sausage Maize Meal with Grilled Greens and, soon after, the Sirloin Steak à Portuguesa, Home-Fried Chips and Organic Egg. For the sweet-toothed, the meal ends with Abade de Priscos Pudding, Tangerine Ice Cream and Almonds. There are so many options and they all justify the Michelin-star status of Miguel Laffan, a devoted admirer of Portuguese gastronomy. Just as there are many exclusive wines to accompany them. The Restaurante O Ato has room for 48 people inside, or you can choose a table on the terrace. There is also bar service with classic and designer cocktails. Lights, camera... and O Ato awaits you!