Long before there was JNcQUOI, there was Bica do Sapato. Back in the early 2000s, the waterfront Bica do Sapato was the restaurant for Lisboetas who wanted to see and be seen, to host a celebration, or to go out for one of those evenings in which dinner turns into a big night out.
But the groundbreaking restaurant founded by Fernando Fernandes and José Miranda (proprietors of the original Pap’ Açorda) and Manuel Reis, drew a previously unheard-of heterogeneous crowd of politicians, creative types, and club kids. It closed for renovations in 2019 and almost didn’t ever reopen. Fortunately, a group of Portuguese investors set about saving it, and a new incarnation came to life in late 2025. It’s arriving in a very different Lisbon, a city that’s now home to destination restaurants like JNcQUOI, Praia no Parque and Rocco, as well as increasingly international population.
Even in this newly sophisticated and competitive landscape, the Bica do Sapato reboot stands out. The developers reached out to a who’s who of Portuguese design talent, including architect Manuel Aires Mateus (who came up with the custom beer taps) and the daughter of furniture designer Daciano da Costa (who gave permission for her father’s iconic chairs to be used), who all said yes based on the reputational strength of the original restaurant.
The new space, in a converted warehouse between the Santa Apolónia train station and the river, is massive and glamorous. Between the indoor and outdoor areas, it seats 300 people, including in private and semi-private dining rooms and a lovely waterfront terrace. There’s a space near the entrance that becomes a dance floor, and the bathrooms are tucked away at the end of a red-velvet-curtained corridor that became a popular selfie spot before the place was even out of soft opening.
As with Lisbon’s other destination restaurants, it’s not a place you go only for the food, but the food is quite good. Chef Milton Anes (who worked at Michelin-starred establishments like LAB by Sergi Arola in Sintra) leads a highly competent kitchen that turns out Portuguese classics like peixinhos da horta (tempura green beans) with coriander mayo, and not-so-classics like roasted skate with lemon thyme, coriander trotters, and souffle-style potatoes with morcela (black pudding), but always with local ingredients.
There are plans to open a separate, more casual concept (bifanas and prego steak sandwiches) upstairs, helmed by chef Hugo Guerra, one of many alums from the original Bica do Sapato who went on to open their own successful restaurants (Lobo Mau in the case of Guerra; other chefs who came up in the original include Alexandre Silva of Loco and João Rodrigues of Canalha).
The ambition doesn’t end there. There’s a takeaway window for deliveries and simple fare to go, and once it’s out of soft opening, extended hours that will allow for chic coffee meetings and after-dinner dancing. But it’s still just a warmup for the real nightlife crowd: It’s just across the street from Lux Frágil, another legacy of Manuel Reis.
For more information, visit the Bica do Sapato website.
Bica do Sapato
Av. Infante Dom Henrique, Armazém B
Cais da Pedra, Santa Apolónia
Lisbon
Phone: +351 210 474 288
Hours:
Monday to Thursday – 10:00 to 01:00
Friday and Saturday – 10:00 to 02:00
Sunday – 10:00 to 18:00
Photos by Renato Velasco courtesy of Bica do Sapato