Lota means “fish auction” in Portuguese, and that’s exactly how Lota d’Avila starts out. The front room is centered on an illuminated stainless-steel bar where fish and seafood are displayed on ice, just as they would be at an auction or market. (There are plans to start the fishing theme even earlier, with an aquarium that will be visible from outside.)
Guests are welcome to dine at the counter there, or perhaps just stop in for a drink and some oysters, or they can continue deeper into the restaurant, following the “journey” of a fish from ocean to plate. (Don’t overthink it; just go along.) A corridor is kitted out like a warehouse, with orange crates and buoys. It leads to a lively dining room and sheltered terrace that have the feeling of being an easygoing beach club, despite the fact that they’re surrounded by the office towers of Saldanha.
It bills itself as a contemporary marisqueira (seafood restaurant), but since it’s from the same people behind the popular Oficio, you can expect a few offbeat touches. The bibs that are provided with some of the more interactive dishes are embroidered with the Portuguese word for “captain,” in both masculine and feminine forms. The clean bibs are stored as part of the decoration, in a wall cabinet in the style of grand hotels’ key cabinets. Above the bar, a neon sign reads “LOTADO,” a play on the name and also the Portuguese word for fully booked.
Chef Vasco Lello and his team take their work seriously, though. Fresh fish are presented and weighed in front of dinners and then simply grilled with salt or prepared in more elaborate formats. There are also an array of seafood towers, including one called “out of the box,” which features a ceviche of shrimp, carabineiro prawns, squid, clams, and wakame seaweed.
There are also the expected cooked dishes, like clams with garlic and cilantro, and some less-expected ones, such as sapateira (crab) croquettes. Lello is also having some fun playing with paellas; there are three on the menu—mixed seafood, lobster, and baby goat—each protein paired with its own sauce and sofrito.
As at beach clubs on actual beaches, there’s also a visible play space for children to gather while their parents enjoy lunch. There’s also a children’s menu (still something of a rarity in Portugal), adding to the family-friendliness.
For more information, visit the Lota d’Avila website.
Lota d’Avila
Avenida Duque de Ávila, 42B
Lisbon
Phone: +351 925 906 950
Hours:
Sunday & Tuesday to Thursday – 12:30 to 15:30 and 18:30 to 23:00
Friday and Saturday – 12:30 to15:30 and 18:30 to 1:00
