27/02/2025
Today, in the amazing, beautiful city of Porto, the MICHELIN Guide revealed its new restaurant selection for 2025. This year, the MICHELIN Guide Portugal highlights a total of 190 restaurants, of which 35 are newly recognized. During their decisive collegiate meeting, the international team of inspectors who visited the country highlighted chefs seeking to preserve their gastronomic and culinary heritage by reinterpreting classic dishes with modern techniques, welcoming new international influences, and using their own identities to promote the highest quality local ingredients.
Portugal is on a clearly upward trend and is gradually developing into a reference gastronomic destination for foodies from all around the world.
The chefs’ commitment to the environment is absolute. The north demonstrates a greater attachment to traditional recipes than the south, which shows a marvelous convergence of regional Portuguese flavors and more international tastes. Sustainability continues to gain ground not just in a local sense, but also in terms of excellence, which always enables guests to uncover the best ingredients from the country’s various regions.
Gwendal Poullennec
International director of MICHELIN
Portugal’s gastronomic growth leaves no room for doubt, which is why the inspectors awarded this distinction to another eight restaurants. Including these, 38 establishments now shine with the coveted, exacting MICHELIN Star.
Arkhe – Lisbon
Vegan/vegetarian cuisine continues to win devotees, and the Brazilian chef João Ricardo Alves has great faith in it. In the minimalist setting of his restaurant, always well assisted by Alejandro Chávarro who runs the front-of-house and wine cellar, he offers three tasting menus of incredible subtlety, flavor, and technical accomplishment (Almoço, Descoberta, and Carta Branca “Lunch,” “Discovery,” and “Carte Blanche”).
Blind - Porto
Here’s a great opportunity for an unexpectedly different gastronomic experience! The creations of chef Vítor Matos – supported every day by chef Rita Magro (winner of the MICHELIN Young Chef Award 2024) –, pay homage to Blindness, the book by José Saramago, in a playful way with a surprise menu.
Grenache - Lisbon
A unique restaurant in Lisbon’s Alfama neighborhood, this spot cannot be ignored, despite being located on the Pátio de Dom Fradique, far from the tourist thoroughfares. With the choice between two tasting menus (“Grenache” and “Experience”), Chef Philippe Gelfi prepares elegant contemporary cuisine with Gallic roots in a nod to his origins.
Marlene - Lisbon
A few steps from the Lisbon Cruise Terminal, the modern setting of this restaurant is surprising with its large open central kitchen that allows diners to appreciate the meticulous work by Chef Marlene Vieira and her team. Two interesting tasting menus make reference to both Portuguese tradition and flavors from other parts of the world.
Oculto - Vila do Conde
Located in The Lince Santa Clara hotel, this restaurant is named after the part of the eponymous former monastery which had to be excavated to be brought to light. Famous Chefs Vítor Matos and Hugo Rocha, offer two gastronomic tasting menus highlighting seafood and seasonal produce.
Palatial - Braga
This unique, elegant restaurant on the outskirts of Braga features a surprising tasting bar at the entrance that showcases regional wines. In the pristine dining room. the menu includes à la carte options and two tasting menus (Tradição and Inovação, “Traditional” and “Innovation”), not to mention fantastic service. A highly creative point of view that rejuvenates the Portuguese gastronomic tradition.
Vinha - Vila Nova de Gaia
The gastronomic restaurant of the Vinha Boutique Hotel reveals elegant details in every corner. Its dishes, created by the famous Chef Henrique Sá Pessoa and executed by the resident Chef Jonathan Seiller, are available à la carte and on a tasting menu (Identidade, “Identity”), always bringing a contemporary twist to the best Portuguese ingredients of the season.
YŌSO – Lisbon
At this restaurant, with a name that hints at the four elements of nature (Earth, Water, Fire, and Air), Chef Habner Gomes offers a glimpse of Japanese gastronomy, and specifically the Kaiseki style, through a single Omakase tasting menu. Whether at the sushi bar or in one of the three dining rooms, the dishes make use of seasonal ingredients to offer a tour of different Japanese techniques.
The MICHELIN Guide, proud of its determination to also recognize the individual talents that make a restaurant great and are a determining factor in the experience, presented the following Special Awards:
MICHELIN Young Chef Award – José Diogo Costa, William (Funchal, Madeira) – Presented by Makro
Hailing from Seixal in the north of Madeira, the young chef José Diogo Costa opts for locally sourced ingredients, harking back to the recipes of his childhood with an innovative and modern perspective. He considers the guest an active participant in exploring these flavors inspired by the ocean, the island’s volcanic origin, and the bounty of the subtropical climate. The chef brings his solid international experience in both Europe and Asia to three marvelous menus at the William restaurant, inside the luxurious Belmond Reid's Palace, placing the accent specifically on the rich variety of fruits and vegetables on the island.
MICHELIN Service Award – Nelson Marreiros, Ocean (Porches)
Nelson Marreiros, who runs the front-of-house at the Two MICHELIN Star restaurant Ocean (inside the Vila Vita Parc Hotel in Porches), is recognized for his fantastic understanding of service. His utmost professionalism elevates the gastronomic dishes of Chef Hans Neuner, assuring a truly unforgettable experience. From his beginnings at the Escola de Hotelaria e Turismo (“Hospitality and Tourism School”) in Portimão, in the Algarve region, he has demonstrated a continuing pursuit excellence for over 20 years in various positions within the same Vila Vita Parc. His additional training as a sommelier enables him to flow smoothly among reception, service, the kitchen, and the wine cellar.
MICHELIN Sommelier Award – Marc Pinto, Fifty Seconds (Lisbon) – Presented by Sogrape
A great restaurant is always supported by a splendid wine cellar and by a professional who takes good care of it so that the gastronomic experience is elevated by perfect pairing. Such is the case for Marc Pinto of Fifty Seconds (Lisbon), where he collaborates with Chef Rui Silvestre. Originally from the Champagne region of France, he also trained for years in Spain under the tutelage of masters such as Martín Berasategui and Paco Pérez. His wonderful work and perfect knowledge of all the world’s references and vintages (especially Portuguese, French, and Spanish) has made him worthy of various awards within the hospitality and viticultural sector. As he says, every bottle contains a unique experience!
https://www.michelin.com/.../2025-portugal-michelin-guide...