Pica-Pau Lisboa

Address | R. da Escola Politécnica 27

While ALMA was certainly the most over-the-top excellent dining experience that we had in Lisboa, Restaurante Pica-Pau was definitely one of our shared favorite meals. Monday evening in Lisboa can be a difficult night to find a restaurant that is open, so we did our research in advance and decided we would love to try the dinner experience and the celebrated and well-reviewed Pica-Pau. You’ll know when you’re approaching Pica-Pau as the scent of their dishes lightly perfume the air as you approach and hit you full steam—in the most pleasant way—when you enter the restaurant. Past the front bar, we were led to our table in the larger back dining room. The setting was quaint with checkered napkins and embroidered Pica-Pau (woodpeckers) cleverly branding the restaurant.

Following the suggestions of our server we ordered some incredible dishes and savored each bit. We had the Salted Cod cakes, Roasted Onion Chorizo, Hake Fillets with Tomato Rice, Octopus “à lagareiro”, “Peixinhos da Horta” (tempura green beans), and of course steak pica-pau. I’ve already mentioned how absolutely delicious and well-prepared octopus in every iteration in Portugal is so trust and believe when I tell you that Pica-Pau had THE BEST grilled octopus. I still think about it. Served with smashed potatoes, roasted bell peppers and cornbread it was just perfect. We also enjoyed the house bread and my son went on and on about how superior their butter is (in Portugal in general and at Pica-Pau in particular). With the bread we were also given pica Pau sauce for dipping.

It was an excellent and unforgettable meal.