BouBou’s Príncipe Real

French-born (but with Portuguese roots) Alexis Bourrat and his Hungarian-British wife, Agnes Bourrat, came to Lisbon from London with hopes of putting their years of hospitality experience to work as consultants. That didn’t quite pan out, but what happened is something far better: their eclectic restaurant BouBou’s (get it?), in Príncipe Real.

It is clearly a labor of love, with one or both of them working the floor every day, conveying a spirit of love and friendship for their guests. (That same thinking is at play in the “Go Big or Go Home” section of the menu, which consists of large plates meant to be shared.)

It also clearly reflects their identities as citizens of the world. The menu was devised by the couple and Alexis’s younger sister, Louise—who at the age of 26 has already worked in the kitchens of Alain Ducasse and Michelin-star restaurants around the world, and won the French TV show “Top Chef” 2022. Now she runs this all-female kitchen.

Her menu has a strong approach to seasonality and a zero waste concept. BouBou’s is not a vegetarian restaurant, but a good part of the menu is plant-based dishes, such as the excellent sweet potato ceviche with coconut, lychee, and Kaffir lime, and umami-rich pleurothus with mushroom ketchup, horseradish, and herbs. The new nine-course tasting menu can be “adapted for vegetarians, with love.”

Omnivores will be happy to know that some of BouBou’s classic dishes remain on the menu, such as the DIY Middle Eastern lamb kebabs and the octopus for two, with sweet potatoes and harissa.

The Bourrat family also put their heart into the decoration. Indoors, it’s pretty and simple, with white walls and blue tiles. But when the weather allows (especially in spring and autumn), the garden, with its hanging trees, tropical plants, and rattan chairs, is the place to be.