Crab Claws, Crêpes Suzette & Classic Elegance: The Magic of Cervejaria Liberdade

Over its decades of existence, the high-end seafood palace Cervejaria Liberdade had built up such a local following that when the owners closed the space for a renovation in early 2025, they had to set up tables inside the hotel that the restaurant is part of, the Tivoli Avenida Liberdade, to accommodate them. And not just a couple. Soon they had taken over a full side of the hotel lobby, as well as a covered streetside terrace, to accommodate their regulars.

Now everyone is back in the main dining room, which is looking better than ever thanks to that renovation. They’ve removed the central bar counter, making space for intimate tables with rounded banquettes, and a more relaxed but elegant atmosphere, beneath double-height ceilings, that’s suffused with natural light through its big windows. They’ve also restored the luminous tapestry called The Signs of the Zodiac, which was made in 1961 by the Portalegre Tapestry Manufacture to celebrate the opening of the original restaurant in the space, Zodíaco.

They’ve also added a big tank for live lobsters and crabs in the adjacent bar that serves as a sort of vestibule, and set up a display for the various catches of the day—all from Portuguese waters, of course—beside the hostess stand. Those design flourishes serve as an announcement: fresh fish and seafood are taken very seriously here.

Avenida da Liberdade Guide

There are still the impressive seafood towers—oysters, crab claws, langoustines, and more—and a menu, overseen by chef Miguel Silva, that showcases the best of the Portuguese coast. Along with the daily fresh fish, which are priced by the kilo and can be grilled, boiled, or roasted, there are plenty of classic and almost-classic dishes, such as fish rice with sea vegetables, and thinly sliced squid that’s bathed in a luxurious butter sauce.

They’ve also held onto the classic style of old-world service—and in fact, some of the servers have been here 40 years or more—and proudly employ the theatricality of a trolley. Two of the most iconic dishes aren’t Portuguese at all, but they’re Cervejaria Liberdade classics because of their showmanship: beef tartare, which is prepared tableside with seasonings geared toward each guest’s preference, and a crowd-pleasing crêpes Suzette, in which the flames rise high as a serve flambés the Grand Marnier.