Within Lisbon’s already-iconic Praia no Parque, the Sushi Bar has quietly become the city’s most irresistible omakase destination at noon
Set in the green heart of the Parque Eduardo VII, Praia no Parque has reshaped Lisbon’s social map since opening in 2019 with a simple, magnetic trilogy: Food, Drinks and Fun. From lunch until late, it is a fixture for those who take pleasure and flavour seriously.
Alongside its exuberant, shareable dishes, the restaurant harbours a more intimate obsession: a Sushi Bar that has become a pilgrimage site for lovers of Japanese cuisine.
Hidden among the park’s flora, the restaurant occupies a mid-century modern gem that has slumbered for decades. Today, it is firmly back on the cultural map – and at lunchtime, all eyes turn to the bar.
If nights at Praia no Parque are about DJ sets, cocktails and leopard-print mischief, midday at the 12-seat Sushi Bar is when the true connoisseurs quietly take their seats.
Tucked behind the main counter and overseen by a towering, gently inquisitive giraffe – a fantastical creation by artist Filipe Portela, now the room’s unofficial maître d’ – this is where some of Lisbon’s most captivating daytime theatre unfolds.
Behind the bar, chef Paulo Alves and his right-hand man, Gonçalo Cabral, command an intimate counter that feels more like a Tokyo backstreet find than a park-side hotspot. In a city better known for bacalhau than bluefin, this little stage transports you to Japan and back, with a salt-sprayed detour via the Atlantic.
Lunch menus draw almost entirely on the ocean at Lisbon’s doorstep. Fish is sourced along the Portuguese coast, whilst the supporting cast arrives from Japan: a delicately fermented, paler soy sauce that is less salty and more complex; fresh wasabi root grated on sharkskin for a floral, earthy, unexpectedly gentle heat; rice seasoned with aged red Japanese vinegar, lending subtle notes of chocolate and caramel. It is serious craftsmanship, delivered with a light, easy charm.
“This menu ends up being a reflection of who I am: impeccable product and technique, but the idea is that it reaches the customer in a relaxed way, without great formality,” chef Paulo explains.
In practice, that means high-calibre sushi without hushed tones or intimidating rituals: knives flashing, stories and jokes traded across the counter as you sip a glass of perfectly chilled Alvarinho.
Born and raised in Cascais, Paulo discovered Japanese cuisine two decades ago at Midori, the Michelin-starred restaurant at Penha Longa.
Today, instead of a secluded country retreat, you willl find him here every lunchtime, at the top of Lisbon’s greenest park, expertly slicing fish and hand-pressing nigiri whilst the city hums just out of sight.
In contrast to the restaurant’s after-dark party persona, the midday Sushi Bar feels almost meditative: soft light, the occasional cocktail shake, and guests leaning in as each course arrives.
There are à la carte options; however, at the heart of it all is the Omakase – literally, “I leave it up to you”. It is an invitation to hand over the reins and let Paulo lead. The Omakase menu (€75), which also has a vegetarian version (€65), is served exclusively at the counter and unfolds over seven courses – Starter, Sashimi, Chef’s Special, Nigiri, Temaki, Futomaki, and Dessert.
In the original Omakase menu, the day’s catch writes the script; in the vegetarian version, it is whatever is most vibrant and in season. Freshness is non-negotiable; the rest is a poised balance between heritage and invention.
The chef serves a light, fresh starter, followed by a selection of sashimi and an incredible signature dish bursting with ocean flavours and a symphony of textures, ‘gelled’ together with the yolk of a quail’s egg – divine. The surprises keep coming with an on-the-spot rolled temaki, braised turbot, and nigiris that arrive in a carefully considered crescendo.
“We start with snapper, then move on to turbot from Sagres, which has a firmer consistency. Then sea bream, and then we finish with akame,” chef Paulo notes, before sketching the anatomy of the tuna: akame, the leanest cut; chutoro, that perfect middle ground; and toro, the rich, melt-into-the-rice finale. It is the kind of quiet masterclass that happens naturally here – enlightening, never didactic.
With just 12 seats, the Sushi Bar is designed to feel both intimate and precise. Each omakase lunch is paced to be enjoyed in under an hour: long enough to feel like a brief voyage, short enough to drift back to the office, stroll through the park for coffee, or surrender to a ‘quick’ post-lunch cocktail that lingers into sunset.
The atmosphere leans more towards a cosmopolitan salon than a temple of gastronomy: animated conversations, discreet peoplewatching, a deal or two sketched on a napkin.
For those who prefer a table to a counter perch, the full sushi offering is also available in the main restaurant at lunchtime. But the bar is where the experience is at its most vivid: the choreography of hands, the murmur of explanations, and the sense of being exactly where those in the know now choose to spend their midday break.
In a city already known for exceptional eating and drinking, Praia no Parque has created a new lunchtime ritual: omakase at the bar, in the middle of a park, under the watchful gaze of a giraffe with impeccable taste. It is the kind of discovery that feels almost too special to share – until you realise some secrets are meant to be enjoyed together.
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