Bob R.
Yelp
Fantastic!
We sat outdoors on their patio. It was a very sunny day and the umbrellas completely blocked the sun, something that was inconsistent in Lisbon restaurants.
We were seated immediately when we arrived at a very nice table with a partial view of the kitchen. The server was outstanding! We described what we liked and he made recommendations.
Be sure you know - when you go to a nice restaurant in Portugal, they bring bread, butter, olives, and sometimes other items. These are not complimentary. And while they are not expensive and you can refuse them, we chose to keep and enjoy them.
We also started with a salad for two. It was a leafy green salad with marinated vegetables and it was really delicious. The size was generous, but we did finish it before our main course arrived.
I'd been craving Paella lately and they had several versions on the menu. I had the seafood Paella. My wife had steak with mushroom sauce. The Paella was really outstanding. While I thought the rice was a little too soupy, it had a wonderful saffron flavor. There were huge chunks of fish, lots of shrimp (one of which was head-on), squid, and in the center there was a nice sized lobster tail. The portion was so large I could not finish it. They serve it with homemade potato chips. We also had a small bottle of Vino Verdo (green (white) wine), recommended by our server. It was terrific (and can be seen in one of my photos).
We finished our meal with a coffee for my wife and an espresso for me.
By Portuguese standards, Restaurante Pinóquio is quite expensive. By US standards it was quite reasonable. If we go back to Lisbon, Restaurante Pinóquio is a must go to. Incidentally, it is attached to a very nice looking hotel we will also look into and is in a fun area to walk around in.
They really went above and beyond to ensure we had a great experience.