Maria Catita

Glad we had this for our last dinner in Lisbon before heading back home. We came here the night before but all the indoor seats were taken so we promptly made a reservation for the next night which was the right decision since it's been freezing here past few days. The kitchen took 30 minutes but we were told beforehand kitchen is full so we are cool with that. All the food came at the same time so it's perfect for us as we were sharing. The starter clams wasn't too good as the clams were rather small but the sauce were good. But wow the octopus really blew us away. The texture was perfect and easily the best we have had in the last 2 weeks we were here. 11/10! The chef special cod fish risotto was excellent as well, the cod fish fresh and very flavourful umami risotto. 10/10. And of course for the last dinner in Portugal we have to get the francesinha which was really excellent and one of the best we had. 10/10. Finally we had the worst chocolate cake which was more like a brownie really but is all good as well. What a dinner and beautiful way to cap off our holidays in Portugal❤️

Reservations Highly Recommended!! We were fortunate that a group didn’t show up or were late and we got their table. The house wine is great our server was excellent. We didn’t feel rushed and had a lovely evening with great food. Everyone else’s food looked just as great and smelled just as good. Been in Lisbon for 5 days and this is by far the best meal we have eaten!!

Service: GREAT. Hira & Mauro provided fantastic service. Kindly greeted me, made my solo dining experience fun and comfortable, explained the food and Portuguese culture too. Got a complementary tawny to finish my meal. Food: - GREAT. Octopus rice and salted cod were delicious. Cod wasn’t salty, but it had the salted fish flavor. If you don’t like that, don’t order it. It’s not a regular grilled fillet of fish. - the chocolate cake was basically a brownie. I would’ve skipped if it had known it Space: GREAT. Airy and clean.

One of the best dining experiences we’ve had in Portugal! 🇵🇹 The food was absolutely delicious — especially the Polvo à Lagareiro, which was cooked to perfection and will remain in our gastronomic memories of this trip. But what truly made the difference was the outstanding service. Ewerton went above and beyond to make us feel welcome, always attentive, kind, and professional. He explained the dishes with care, gave us great recommendations, and made sure every detail was perfect throughout our meal. Hospitality at its best! A place where you don’t just eat well, but also feel truly taken care of. Highly recommended , we’ll definitely come back!

Great food and great service. Everything we ordered was delicious and flavourful. Personal favourites were the Cataplana and Octopus. Food was served decently quickly. Seating was decent, spacious enough for what it is. The night we sat was a bit cold and the restaurant offered us a blanket to keep warm (very nice of them!) Highly recommend you make a reservation, if not come before opening hours for dinner. Came at around 6:20PM (10 minutes before opening) and was able to get a spot but only outdoors as a group of 4.

The food was good but the service was below average. Our server was not attentive and didn’t come and ask during the meal and forgot to bring one of the drinks we ordered ( I found it was charged on the bill though). Okay to stop by but not recommended to come for this place.

Awesome meal for our last day in Lisboa :) Made a reservation through google for lunchtime. And i think it was a good choice to do so because by the time i was out, it was fully packed with a waiting line outside. Ordered some glass wines, bread & sirloin bites, with tuna steak and Lagareiro octopus. Absolutely out of this park!! Tuna steak (grilled medium) was my favorite. Love the tenderness, flavor, and harmony with the veggies:) Last meal was very worth its price. Great service and awesome staff.

Food and service were incredible. Bass Fillet was cooked to perfection, while the Octopus was delicious! Would recommend anybody coming to Lisboa to stop here for Dinner!

My first visit to Lisbon. I had just arrived in town, and my hotel concierge suggested Maria Catita when I asked for a nearby, relaxed, Portuguese-typical place for a nice but non-fussy dinner. Got to the restaurant and was disappointed that there was a mob of people waiting to get in. I went to the host/maitre d' who asked if I had a reservation - no, said I, but I'm on my own, I'm hungry and tired, and I won't tie up the table for long! Gabriel said, "Come on in - I have a table for you." He and the whole staff made a big fuss over me - made me feel relaxed and at home, like family. Great, great selection of local specialties - I stuck to fish and seafood (Portuguese salt cod prepared many different ways). A wonderful all-Portugal wine list plus all the cocktails and drinks you could think of. The restaurant (one medium sized room) is in an old stone building and is cozy and welcoming without being old and fusty. And don't forget the featured dessert - with the tease name "The Worst Chocolate Cake in Lisbon." Try it - keep room for it - it is so awful and terrible that you won't be able to stop eating it! Highly recommended and Maria Catita helped make my first stay in Lisbon a memorable and happy one.

We weren't in town for long but it was so good that we came back a second time and loved it - highly recommend eating here. Food and service were excellent!

Maria Catita and her sister restaurants have all been a 5 star Experience for us. It was sooo difficult to not order and try everything. We got pretty darn close though! It breaks my heart that I may never try their shrimp, octopus salad. And tuna bites again. They use an explosion of flavors to make each sauce. Hubby and I were dipping everything from bread to steak in the sauces. To die for. The staff was attentive and fun. They walked us down to the wine bar since they didn't have a table ready for us, and the staff there was wonderful as well. No pressure from anyone. I love how this is one of those beautiful indoor or patio restaurants to enjoy. It's small, it fills up quick, but we had no more than a 15 min wait there during the touristy season. I def recommend you eat here more than once!

Excellent. Best meal I had in Portugal. Fresh food. Fantastic service. It's all in the love and details.

Maria Catita is a solid and well-known Portuguese restaurant. They offer popular dishes like Portuguese steaks, grilled sea bass, seafood dishes, etc. Most dishes ordered were prepared with care and did bring out the flavor of Portuguese cuisine. However, the steaks were not tender but on the chewy side and bland. The staff was great, friendly, and helpful.

Great service, ambiance and food. We had the seafood special for 2 and wine. Gabriel was awesome. Highly recommend a reservation.

Just ok. Nothing super special. Food was ok, service ok. Points reduced as white wine not served cold. I'm kind of confused on all the spectacular reviews honestly. This felt touristy which we try to avoid but with all the fantastic reviews thought we'd give it a shot Shrimp was ok - could have gotten this anywhere nothing mind blowing. The lobster shrimp shellfish entree again - just ok. Lobster was good but dish was lukewarm not hot. Mussels were obviously frozen from New Zealand and not fresh...why? We eat out all the time from dives to Michelin star ....this is a skip if you are a true foodie. It felt like the Portuguese equivalent to Red Lobster in the states.

Good restaurant close to the main square. Started with a nice vegetable soup. The salt cod au gratin was good, pretty heavy as to be expected. Risotto with shrimp was good, with A LOT of shrimp which was very nice. A good option, highly recommend a reservation which can be requested online.

We stopped in just to try the cheese sandwich Francesinha. WOW!! It is off the chain unbelievable!! Definitely a top YELP find! It is everything and more to the hype easy walk from main square, price is way better than the tourist trap of main square and food quality is EXCELLENT!!

Our air bnb host recommended Maria Catita to us on our first day in Lisbon, he said his previous guests went there 3 times during their stay so of course we had to check it out, and it didn't disappoint! We had just arrived on the train and were looking for a late lunch so we tried a bunch of different food. I really liked the shrimp and bistec, and surprisingly I really loved the salad! The seafood cataplana wasn't as amazing as I thought it would be and the octopus was decent but not my favorite. I enjoyed the dessert but we were so full already we didn't need it! The service was wonderful, our waiter suggested a wine for us, and the location really is very quaint. Overall I would definitely go back!

Maria Catita is my go to place for home style Portuguese food in Alfama. Staff is always very hospitable and they always find us a table.

Great restaurant! Local wine, local food with unique preparations! Outside seating, always a line but they got us in quick. Excellent service! I had steak Portuguese and my wife had the shrimp app (because it was big enough to be dinner!) Highly recommend

Not worth the hype. I was a little disappointed in this place. 5 stars for service, 1 for food. More for tourists arriving right off the nearby cruise ship. Prices are definitely twice what you pay at nearby restaurants. 17€ for the popular Francesinha sandwich. It lacked flavor and tasted liked it was covered in bland tomato soup. The cheese was not fully melted. The octopus, 19€ though beautifully presented was also bland and not well seasoned. We paid twice as much for a below average meal. They got us on this one. Least favorite restaurant over our month long visit. Do yourself a favor and head around the corner to nearby DaPrata 52 or Estrela da Sé.

So this is the sister restaurant of the one we visited last night and what another home run, we ordered two limoncello Spritzers after the recommendation of our waiter, these were amazingly light and fresh we had Catita Shrimp which didn't last long either, for our main course we enjoyed the fillet with mushroom risotto and port wine reduction, and my wife had the grilled Sea-bass with steamed vegetables, both dishes were amazing. If you find yourself in the area this is a must stop, make sure you make reservations.

I wish I could say that this was the best meal I had in Lisbon but it was the first meal I had in Lisbon so we'll have to see if this experience can be topped. I booked on line, expecting a crowd but for the first 45 minutes after I arrived at 6:30 (yes, early for Portuguese but I hadn't eaten since Amsterdam this morning), I was the only diner in the restaurant. I let my server Mauro lead me through a starter and main. He chose the shrimp in garlic to start followed by the grilled octopus (with spinach and roasted potatoes) for the main course. Vinho verde with the shrimp and a white wine with the octopus. My meal was six stars awesome. My taste buds are in overdrive. Shrimp with garlic and fresh bread followed by perfectly roasted octopus. Absolutely delicious. And then, a small pour of port wine to wrap up an absolutely amazing meal. Maria Catita was beyond amazing. Perfect food and excellent attentive service. I can only hope that they rest of my weekend of exploring Lisbon is HALF as good and it will have been an amazing trip.

We waited for a table about five minutes on a Sunday at 8:30pm. Our waiter was attentive and nice. We started with a shrimp dish. Forgive me forgetting the name. The shrimp were bland. But the sauce was delicious. Maybe the shrimp needed to sit in the sauce longer. My husband ordered a seafood stew which came with a lobster tail, fish, scallops, prawns, mussels, and clams. It was served with rice and it was absolutely delicious. I ordered grilled fish. It was flakey and cooked perfectly. It sat on a bed of bread crumbs and spinach and a side of roasted potatoes. We finished the meal with caramel cheesecake and "Lisbon's Worst Chocolate Cake". The cheesecake was light and it was very good. But that chocolate cake might be the absolute best "worst" cake I've ever had. I would go back just for the cake. It was exceptional! I give this restaurant 4.5 stars!

We had the greatest time here! We came here once on a Monday night and were turned away two hours before closing time due to how busy it was, and then came back on another night and waited an hour before getting in and were served drinks while waiting outside. When we finally got in, we had a fantastic experience, from the service (absolutely amazing) to the food to the ambiance. We particularly loved the shrimp in garlic, octopus (perfectly cooked), bacalhau and fish cataplana. The server was so attentive and so much fun. One of our favorite dinners in Lisbon.

Our tour guide made dinner reservations for us here on a Tuesday. We sat at one of their many outdoor tables. We started off with bread and green olives for appetizers. For main entrees, we tried deep fried octopus pieces with beans and rice and lamb chops with sauteed green leafy veggies with fresh garlic and sweet potato slices. They were both great. I especially loved the lamb chop sauce and vegetables. Even my partner who doesn't love sweet potatoes, loved them because of the flavorful sauce. FYI if you're vegetarian, the beans and rice had small pieces of ham. We paired the dinner with a red wine, Dao Meia Encosta 2020, which was excellent. We ended the dinner with two desserts, a Portuguese Meringue pudding with cinnamon and a Portuguese cheesecake. They were both great as well. The Portuguese cheesecake is lighter and fluffier than American cheesecake, not as rich. Their service was excellent, the staff and the manager were so friendly and personable. Food arrived quickly to our pleasant surprise. Definitely recommend this restaurant if you are visiting Lisbon!

We were looking for a place to eat before heading out to the airport early in the morning. We were just walking by and this restaurant just seemed to call us in. Our server, Mauno, was the best server I've had in Lisbon! He gave us just the right amount of attention without being overbearing. We started off with vinho verde- very yummy! For my meal- I started off with the codfish soup (not pictured). AMAZING! And the presentation was impressive. For my main I got the leek dish. It was so flavorful and just the right amount of food. My brother got the Francesinha "Catita Style". It was so much food! He could barely finish it. We could not recommend this place more- the portions are huge, the price is reasonable, and the service is so friendly!

Summary: decent option in a nice part of town, but not worth the wait This was my 2nd dinner in Lisbon. After a subpar experience the night before, my mom and I opted to stay a bit closer to our hotel and checked out this bustling street with a couple of busy restaurants. One in particular (Maria Catita) had a much longer wait - but the reviews seemed decent so we waited almost 40 mins for an outdoor table. Food was a mixed bag of good and bad, which was a shame because I really wanted to like this place: - Octopus salad appetizer: pretty good. Probably the best overall dish. No major complaints here as it met our expectations. - octopus filet with Rice: the octopus filet was actually breaded pieces of octopus, but it had way too much flour/bread and not much flavor. The side of rice and beans were great - which made the breaded octopus all the more disappointing - steak with risotto: similar to the above, the meat was a let down. Completely overpowered by rosemary. Felt as if someone dumped an entire rosemary garden into my piece of meat. The risotto was really tasty, again similar to the side dish above. It's an ok restaurant but wasn't super impressed, especially given the plentiful tasty Portuguese restaurants back home. Stop by here if there's no wait, but if there's a long line then skip.

If your in Lisbon, Portugal you have to go here. This restaurant has authentic Portugese dish cooked the portugese way. The portions here were HUGE!! The flavors of each dish, you can tell by taste were crafted by someone's grand mother that passed on her delicious secrets to them. Nothing was over cooked, especially the octopus. The Octopus was tender and not chew. It was melt in your mouth tender. The fish was cooked to perfection! The waiter was extremely knowledgeable about the dishes! The cost was reasonable and the location was perfect! This place is worth 5 stars and if i could give them 6 stars i definitely would! If you have the opportunity pay this place a visit if you want authentic traditional portuguese cuisines!

This is certainly a busy place. There were lineup before the shop open. The food is good, flavorful seafood dish, and very tender octopus. What was nice also was the service. Great smile and friendliness. They would be considerate in suggesting what dish or side goes well what the appetizer.

Excellent service, food and location in Lisbon, can't wait to go back. José & Adriana.

10/5 stars! You read that correctly! TEN out of FIVE stars!!! The food, the service, the setting, it was ALL perfect at Maria Catita Restaurante and if I could, I would eat there every day! My friend and I popped in for a mid-day meal and we were greeted with smiles and seated immediately! My friend ordered the shrimp appetizer and the cod (special of the day) entree and I ordered both the salmon entree and the octopus entree. These dishes COMPLETELY EXCEEDED my expectations! The salmon had a crispy exterior and a moist and flavorful interior and the octopus, oh my heavens was it OH SO TENDER, JUICY, SUCCULENT and just plain PERFECTION! My friend was obsessed with her shrimp (I had a few, and they were marvelous) and really enjoyed her Cod as well (she didn't finish it though because it was a bit too heavy for her). Over all, WELL YOU SAW MY RATING! I absolutely, positively recommend this restaurant and be sure to ask for BRENER! He helped us out during our feast and he was just oh so delightful! Such a perfect Portugal experience!

Called on 06/10 to make a reservation for 6/18 at 8:30 PM for 2. The gentleman I spoke with on the phone (on 06/10) took down my reservation. We planned our night accordingly. We arrived at the restaurant on time, at 8:28 pm on 06/18. I first told one waiter of our reservation and he told us to stand next to the main door. After standing by the door for 20 minutes (with everyone ignoring us, which was awkward) I asked another waiter, who I also advised that we had a reservation. This 2nd waiter questioned that I made a reservation at all, which any rational person would take to imply he meant I was lying. He then told us to wait longer without any indication of whether we would be seated next or could instead simply stand around for the enjoyment of standing (and looking at others eat). I carefully planned all our dinners at the better rated restaurants in Lisbon - everywhere else (but here) the reservations were honored with politeness and grace. To prove that I made the reservation, in case the owner claims I am lying, I attached a screen shot of my call log that shows the call to make the reservation. Again, someone responded to my call and said he wrote down my reservation for 8:30. Hopefully the owner now has enough respect for his potential clientele to take ownership of one of his workers' mistake, and apologize if he is to respond at all to this comment. The food may well be great, but how we were treated was honestly just embarrassing.

I arrived Solo with no reservation, but arrived just before they opened, and so got a table right away. Alot of servers, which meant service great, and attentive. Had one of the specials...salted cod on a bed of cornbread and spinach with small potatoes. It was delicious, the wine I chose was a simple house wine and it was great too. Great dinner for my only day in Lisbon, I had asked a man in a shop nearby it if it was good, and he said yes, so that's why I tried it. One of the best dinners ever, and under $30 for dinner, wine and dessert. Highly recommend, would come back! Suggest reservations...Ambiance, was a bit bright for dinner, but played warm music, and it was very pleasant!

Mauro was such a warm and welcoming presence for our late night bite. Our last night in Alfama did not disappoint! The waitress was very accommodating of my wine palate; the first recommendation did not suit me took well but the second time was the time and it hit the nail on the head -- Quinta de Santa Teresa Vinho Blanco. It went beautifully well with the shrimp and potato meal we ordered to share. The octopus dish looked amazing as well, we will be back to try next time around. Fresh salad to compliment the savory, creamy potatoes was exactly what we needed after a long day of walking around the town. To top everything off, my friend ordered the cheesecake which was smoother than velvet itself, 10 out of 10 experience at A Maria Catita. Wow. Just wow I love when service and quality of food are at their peak, and Mauro our server made sure of it!

The food was great...I had the bacalauh a bras, wife had some octopus and rice dish, we were very satisfied. Our waitress, whose name I sadly forgot was totally awesome and funny. We only wished we had time to go back...maybe next time!

Quite good. I'm not sure if best food I've ever had like many have said but it was very tasty, fresh, and service was great. I'll definitely pop back in here next time I'm in Lisbon.

My friends and I were just strolling along after bailing on a free walking tour, and wanted something quick and local. Something we couldn't get back home in the states. My friend found Maria Catita on Google Maps and it had a lot of reviews, so we went in. It turns out, it's pretty popular in general! We went early around 11:30am and there was no line, but shortly after noon, people were waiting to get a table. We'd recommend everything we ordered: the pica-pau, the mussels and prawn appetizers, and, most importantly, the seafood cataplana. Great flavor and seasoning and seafood across the dishes. The cataplana was huge and popular with everyone. The bread costs money and was alright. We didn't want to order any initially but we saw it on all the tables almost so we had to get some as well. Overall, Maria Catita is a great option for some great seafood and ambiance.

Make a reservation ahead of time. The service is extremely friendly. The staff is very informative about the menu, restaurant, and local surroundings and culture. The atmosphere is very cozy and local. All of the food was delicious. You can get the seafood catalpana for one or two people. I got it for one, and it was huge, but so amazing and fresh. Definitely make this a stop! It was one of my best overall meals and dining experiences in Lisbon.

Solid Italian food with good service. Good place for a large party but make a reservation otherwise there can be a long wait. Festive outdoor seating.

Tasty shrimp was a highlight, but a snooty manager made what I'd hoped would be a lovely lunch into a less than lovely experience.

We arrived 45min before the restaurant opened for dinner but someone from the staff was able to get us a snack and a bottle of wine to enjoy while we waited. Once they were open we got our table and were greeted by an extremely friendly server. We had questions about the menu and the server was extremely knowledgeable and gave us some great recommendations. Highly recommend dining here!

This is a really fun touristy restaurant in a fun area in/around the Gracia neighborhood that has a ton of places to eat and drink. The service and food was all great even during a busy service. Lots of fellow tourists to speak with if you are chatty. Try the lobster with a cold light wine. The tapas style starters are great too. Not too "local," but the food is pretty authentic and upscale at a very fair price.

Great service, and food was very good. We had the shrimp was delicious and beef as an appetizer. Our waiter Adolfo was perfect. I definitely would recommend the Seabass you can't go wrong. Enjoyed our evening very much. Wine was great and service was superb .

We went here our fist night in Lisbon because it was close to our hotel however we would have made it a destination as it set the tone for our entire stay. Wonderful hospitality especially from Jana, so much so that we had first and second dinner here in one night! Try the cod fish soup and octopus salad. Amazing food and atmosphere!

Great place for lunch. Located conveniently to tourist destinations. Service is very friendly, very clean. Menu has ample variety of food. Tapas are amazing- suggest combo for 2. Passion fruit sangria if you enjoy sangria, beers, wine or anything else. Prices are very affordable. Will be back.

Portugal, how I love you. And this was just one of the many spots as to why I love Portugal. The restaurant is quaint and lively at the same time. People talking no phones just enjoying each others company. The service was so friendly you also might want to make reservations. The food exquisite chefs kiss and all that jazz. It was magnificent!!! Please I recommend this place so much. You have to try if you are in Portugal. Obrigado

Todo estuvo delicioso, lo comimos con vino de la casa qué también estaba muy rico. El lugar esta muy bonito y limpio, nos atendieron muy bien y no tardaron en servirnos.

We had just finished at the castle and really wanted some food. We arrived around 1:30pm looking for a table and was quoted a 30 minute wait time. We put our names down and came back at 2pm and our table was waiting for us. Love it! Our waiter was super friendly and very nice. We started off with their sauteed mushrooms and an octopus salad. Man, those mushrooms were BOMB. We then split a seafood stew with lobsters, fish, clams, mussels, and shrimp. It was a 2 person portion, but it was too much for even the 3 of us! We ended with a pineapple cheesecake and it was phenomenal. It's a deconstructed cheesecake, so it felt super light and airy. The menu is very Azorean inspired, which we liked as we had just spent a few days in Sao Miguel and were missing the food.

Hated it and wanted to love it! I was soooo excited to finally get a table. It was very touristy and honestly just bad . I barely ate my food. I eat a lot and had amazing food in Portugal. This was horrible. Nothing upsets me more than crappy food. THE ONLY positive was the young fun servers. People watching was nice too

Very nice staff, authentic Portuguese food. I stumble by chance and wad very pleased.

Our hotel highly recommended this restaurant and made reservations for us. Ftom the moment we arrived we felt we were being rushed. We tried three bottles of higher end wines and all were subpar. We are from California and have excellent wine-The first two bottles were bad. The third was okay. But perhaps it's better to just purchase glasses of wine here? My husband did enjoy his tuna steak. My seafood cataplana was over cooked and fishy tasting. The Guhillo shrimp starter was very good. I do not recommend this establishment as there are so many others off the beaten path they are fantastic! Explore and don't settle!

Awesome food and super nice staff. The octopus was fantastic and my cod was great too. Highly recommend this restaurant.

Wow, wow, WOW! I was looking for a yummy, local place serving up a wide variety of Portuguese-inspired dishes. From the beginning of walking into the restaurant, I felt so welcomed. I'd like to especially give thanks to Lucien for helping me get a table even when the restaurant was packed! (Always a good sign). I had the catch of the day, salmon and it did not disappoint. It was cooked to perfection, served with roasted vegetables and an amazing garlic butter dipping sauce. The local wine was also fantastic and had great variety in styles. I highly recommend Maria Catita and think all travelers passing through Lisbon should give it a try or better make it a destination! Also... if you have a sweet tooth like me, you must get the chocolate cake!!!

Loved this place! Had a nice group dinner when we were visiting. Octopus for the table was really good. I got an amazing piece of fish and husband and friends got steak.

We tried this spot on a busy Saturday night in September. After about a 20 minute wait, we were sat inside near a window. The Lisboa white Sav Blanc by the glass was delicious. My husband and I ordered the 2 person shellfish and rice place and it was amazing. Great staff. Very attentive. The GM was friendly and remember my name as we exited the restaurant. Highly recommend the meal as well as the pineapple cheesecake.

Absolutely loved this place. The waiters were very nice and entertaining. They brought us authentic Portuguese alcoholic drinks that specifically paired with our meal (I had the salmon and vegetables). Definitely recommend if you're in Lisboa