Give This Lisbon Gem A Shot!
Taberna Moderna – Lisbon, Portugal
Portuguese (with a modern twist) – September 2022
Before leaving for Lisbon on our 2022 fall Portugal trip, I had jotted down “Gin and Tonic” on a piece of paper next to a restaurant named Taberna Moderna, but it had been so long since I had made the reservation I couldn’t recall why. After walking down Rua Augusta from our hotel, we arrived at this highly recommended dinner spot that’s located about five minutes from Arco da Rua Augusta. At the bottom of the Taberna Moderna sign I saw why I wrote that note. It simply read “lisbonita GINBAR.” It all came back to me, and this establishment would be quite the tonic for me on a very warm September evening.
Of course, being Americans we were the first to arrive. We were greeted by gentleman who told us the restaurant has more than 125 gins. Its website states, “Taberna Moderna has already become a sacred space for a sophisticated clientele (they made an exception for us) who savor more than 80 varieties of delicious gin cocktails.”
We were so early, in fact, that he gave us a mini-tour of the very attractive interior of the restaurant.
Ah, so this is where the magic gin and tonics are created.
The mixologist had all the tools for a good one.
I asked our server Miguel which gin and tonic he recommended. Without hesitation he replied, “Number 3 London Dry Gin, 1724 Tonic from Argentina with a mandarin orange slice.” In a kismet moment, Tracy shared a photo of a gin she had taken awhile exploring the restaurant. “London Dry Gin and tonic it is,” I told the server. It was phenomenal! My Toledo, Spain, GinTonic had just been relegated to number two, but it will always hold fond memories.
Elton John, who already was at our table situated in a lovely patio setting, concurred with my assessment.
The food here is meant to be shared, and each selection comes out individually. They were all delicious, starting with an outstanding Risotto with mushrooms, pumpkin and pumpkin chorizo. Once again we knew we were in for some more delectable Lisbon cuisine.
We tried the ”double wow dish” of Magret de Poto; duck breast, spices and honey. The flavors bursted in our mouths.
Another winner was Lombo de Boi; center of beef tenderloin with gorgonzola sauce, frite potatoes and Maldon salt.
Finally, we shared a tremendous Filét Mignon com Vinho do Porto; Sirloin filet in a porto sauce served with frites.
Hard as it is to fathom, I still found room for dessert. Of course, I did. The Passion Fruit Pana Cotta made for a perfect evening of dining.
Taberna Moderna was one of many restaurants we dined at in Lisbon, and as good as they all were, this was a notch above.
My compliments to the bartender!!!
Finally, while Tracy was taking bar photos after dinner, she also checked out the ladies room.
Opening the door, she was transported back to 1979 with a disco ball and bubbles illuminating the room. Yes, Lisbon can certainly be a Funkytown. When in Lisbon, make sure to hustle over to Taberna Moderna. Tell them Elton sent you.
Mai Tai Tom Rating: 4.8 Mai Tais (out of 5)
Taberna Moderna
R. dos Bacalhoeiros 18A, 1100-070
Lisboa, Portugal
Monday – Friday 18:00 – 0100
Saturday 12:00 – 16:00 & 18:00 – 01:00
Closed Sunday
tabernamoderna.com
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