Tavares Restaurant, One of the Oldest in Europe

In the Chiado district, on Misericórdia Street, you'll find the oldest restaurant in the country and one of the oldest in Europe: Tavares Restaurant, which opened its doors in 1784! It initially began as a billiards café, but in 1823, it adopted the name by which we know it today, owned by the Tavares brothers, Manuel and António.

Tavares Restaurant gained even more prominence starting in 1861 when Vicente Caldeira took over its management. During that time, the restaurant underwent a renovation, blending the styles of the Belle Époque and Art Nouveau. It was a gathering place for the Lisbon aristocracy and is said to have been the meeting spot for a well-known group of Portuguese intellectuals, the "Vencidos da Vida" (The Defeated of Life), which included writers such as Eça de Queirós, Ramalho Ortigão, and Guerra Junqueiro.

Over the years, it witnessed the transformations of Lisbon and was the place where, in 1980, Francisco Sá-Carneiro, the Prime Minister of Portugal, had lunch on the day of his death in a mysterious aviation accident. In 2008, chef José Avillez joined Tavares, and the following year, it was awarded a Michelin star. However, it temporarily closed for renovation, and there is no set reopening date yet.