What do the two new Italian restaurants in Lisbon have in common? Maybe more than you can imagine, despite being very different when it comes to eating. They are flashy and beautiful, have a good atmosphere, a large counter as a decoy and both are located in busy areas of the city. Rocco opened in Chiado, in the new five-star O Ivens Hotel, and Allora is the restaurant of the now five-star Epic Sana Marquês (the hotel recently reopened after some expansion and improvement works). In their own way, they promise to set the pulse of the city.

Although it is only now opening doors, an idea for these two results is long before the pandemic, at a time when the city was bubbling like it seems to happen again, even if times today remain uncertain. “We analyzed several possibilities and noticed that in Lisbon there is a lack of an Italian restaurant like this. It’s true that there are several Italian restaurants in the city, but there was one that was missing”, begins by explaining Victor Braz, general director of Epic Sana Marquês, believing that Allora will stand out” for the pasta and the atmosphere”, but also for the combination of alternatives. You can either have a full meal, or book a seat at the large marble counter overlooking the kitchen and order a glass of wine or vermouth to accompany a selection of Italian cheeses (€22) or charcuterie (20€).

Everything is prepared on the spot, with all the care that haute cuisine requires, but without its strict rules. Allora is an Italian trattoria that combines sophistication and relaxation in the right doses, explains Flávio Granja Coelho, director of Food & Beverage. “There are both simple plating dishes and others that are more elegant. We don’t want to be haute cuisine, but that doesn’t mean the service isn’t taken care of. In fact, it has to be”, he adds.

In the kitchen, there is chef Francesco Francavilla, who has studied in recent years at Vetro, the Italian restaurant at the five-star hotel Oberoi, in Mumbai (India). Before that, two very different experiences: he was for a time the private chef of actor Bruce Willis and studied La Pergola, the restaurant with three Michelin stars in Rome. “The project for Allora dates back to 2017 and the chef selection process dates back to 2019. There were certainly more than 50 candidates, but we wanted a very specific profile, a chameleon chef with experience in fine-dining and trattoria”, he says. Flávio Granja Coelho. In addition, it was important that he was an Italian with international experience, says Victor Braz.

Francesco Francavilla was born in Rome, but Allora’s menu has dishes from various parts of his country. For starters, the breaded egg with artichoke, parmesan cream and truffle reduction (18 €) has been the sensation, as well as the potato and leek cream, shrimp and truffle (22 €), perhaps because they are different from the usual. As for pasta, there is no shortage of classics such as tagliatelle alla carbonara (€29), with truffle, parmesan and crunchy guanciale, or tortello ricotta e spinaci (23€), a fresh pasta filled with ricotta and spinach and fried sage. But like good Italian, there is also space on the menu for risottos, where the all’astice stands out (€32), with lobster bisque, chopped parsley and shallot.

In fish and meat dishes, there are also several options, from the grilled sea bass fillet with baked potatoes and baby vegetables (29 €) to black angus meatballs, with pomodoro and parsley (24 €). When in doubt, get advice from the chef, who doesn’t skimp on trips to the table if necessary. Whichever path you choose, make room for the sweets, or will you be able to resist the Sicilian cannolo (10 €), with ricotta mousse and pistachio granola? If defined by ice cream, know that it is all made at home. Not by chance, in the restaurant, where an orange tree shines in the middle of the room, there is a differentiated area with an exclusive counter for desserts.

For now, Allora is only open for dinner, but the idea is that it will soon open for lunch, as happens in Chiado with Rocco, which actually works throughout the day – and throughout the day it also means for the little ones – lunch (every day from 06.30 to 10.30) where you can order à la carte or indulge in a hotel banquet (€35) with hot and cold drinks, bread basket and pastries (all homemade, including croissants, which Rui Sanches, founder of the Plateform catering group, doesn’t skimp on praise), cheeses and cold meats, a selection of eggs or cereals and fruit.

The real fuss, however, starts to be felt at lunchtime. Still on the street, next to the National Museum of Contemporary Art in Chiado, the hotel’s façade and the large windows show an atmosphere that is as bohemian as it is refined. The doors open and everything seems to call our attention. Lázaro Rosa-Violán, who had already surprised with the interiors of JNcQUOI Avenida or Massimo Dutti on Avenida da Liberdade, excelled in everything he did in this restaurant and the decor also became a reason for a pilgrimage – there will hardly be a more instagramable place and vibrant in the city at the moment.

In the center, a majestic balcony with 17 seats, where velvets, strong cores and floral motifs stand out. This is where the Gastrobar is, with a suspended wine cellar and a menu that wants to recover the tradition of eating at the counter, with or without haste, full meals or simply cheese and sausage boards. To drink, negroni is “O” cocktail, made by someone who knows it so well: Fernão Gonçalves, the bar chef, who was previously at Pesca, by Diogo Noronha.

“The aim here is to have many dishes from Lisbon, such as cod à brás (€21), cod pastries (€19) or clams [da Ria Formosa] with the duck bulhão (27 €). We were concerned about creating a counter with Portuguese cuisine”, explains Rui Sanches, for whom this Gastrobar reinforces what is already done in some way at Tapisco or Sala de Corte, the group’s restaurants. “It’s a Lisbon tradition that has fallen into disuse in recent years.”

But as Rocco is an Italian restaurant, you can also order some of the dishes available at the counter in the room below, the Ristorante, or in Crudo, a corner next door, where seafood is accompanied by champagne, sparkling wine or prosecco – it’s not a Chances are that the atmosphere in this smaller space, arranged in the shape of an amphitheater and with tables on the staircase, is more summery. “I think this space will always be more at night and more summer than winter, but I’m glad we made this decision. Cause differentiation, there is none crudo bar in Lisbon”, points out the CEO of Plateform. And some of the snacks served here: “Oysters from Sado (9 € / 3 units), crab shell (18 €), tuna tartar (22 €), croaker ceviche (21 €), shrimp cocktail (19 €) ) ”.

But it’s in the main room, with a cozy atmosphere in wood tones, overlooking the Terraza, which has as many seats as inside, that the magic happens. Italian cuisine on one side, more generalist grill area on the other, where you can choose an octopus with sun-dried tomato sauce, Kalamata olives, garlic and coriander (26 €), lobster with garlic butter and sauce ( 56 €), or an entrecôte (34 € / 250g).

If the part of Portuguese cuisine had the finger of Luís Gaspar, the chef at Sala de Corte, Italian cuisine is in the hands of Ricardo Bolas, who was previously at Zero Zero, also of the group. The dishes are “most of Northern Italy, Venice, Milan”. And the best thing is that you don’t skip it as starters, which are great to share, from the veal loin carpaccio (€22) to the truffled steak tartare (25€) or the vitello tonatto (20€).

For the main dishes, here too, handmade pasta, and there are more unusual options such as crab ravioli, with seafood bisque and cilantro (€32). In risottos, the risotto ai funghi (€24) is served with parmigiano reggiano dop 15 months and white truffle oil. In the classics section, there is a sea bass alla ligure (€34), with roasted potatoes and tomatoes, kalamata olives and basil, and an ossobuco with saffron risotto (€36).

As for desserts, Clayton Ferreira, the pastry chef, who was also at Pesca and improved as desserts at Zero Zero and Sala de Corte, made it difficult for us to choose. What you feel like is asking for everything, but if it’s not possible to do so, the Rocco cheesecake, with marinated strawberries and raspberries, ice cream and strawberry jus (16 € / 2pax) does not disappoint and is a good sample of what you can ask for on a return trip. After all, Rocco is only one restaurant, but it has an immensity of possibilities, combinations and experiences in itself, inviting you to return again and again. Whatever happens, don’t leave without going through the bathroom. Does the suggestion seem unusual to you? It’s just that we don’t want you to pass by what will probably be the prettiest bathrooms in town. On the access stairs, wallpaper and carpet combine to make everything look the same. Once inside, the washbasins are a unique piece, carved to measure and the tiles evoke the flora and fauna of the tropics. It is here that a door is hidden that will soon give access to another part of the restaurant. It remains to be seen what.

Allora, Av. Fontes Pereira de Melo 8 (Marquês). Mon-Sun 19.00-23.00.

Rocco, 14 Ivens Street (Chiado). Breakfast, Mon-Sun 06.30-10.30. Gastrobar Sun-Wed 10.30-00.00, Thu-Sat 10.30-01.30. Crudo Bar Sun-Wed 18.00-00.00, Thu-Sat 18.00-01.00. Ristorante Dom-Wed 12.30-16.00, 19.30-00.00. Thu-Sat 12.30-16.30, 19.30-01.00

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