If you read my post on the Champalimaud Foundation, you’ll know that it’s a modern building with some exciting scientific developments happening inside. What I purposely didn’t mention was the beautiful restaurant attached to it. Join me as I show you just how pretty this restaurant is inside so you have yet another reason to visit Belém on your next trip to Lisbon.
The Charles Darwin theme is evident from tasteful décor: modern and elegant, with some Victorian touches (most notably in the animal images), this restaurant is as enchanting to the eyes as it is to the taste buds. The menu features a generous list of meat, fish, risottos and pastas. Here is a delicious cod with migas (a yummy mixture of collard greens, beans and corn bread).
Inside, the full-length windows give you a panoramic view of the Tagus river (Tejo, in Portuguese). Large lamps with fish and butterfly linings hang from the extremely high ceilings. Did I mention I have a moderate butterfly obsession? This restaurant actually looks a lot like my dream home. The walls feature Darwin quotes and colorful images of animals. The globe-shaped lamps, bookcase wallpaper and big brown armchairs give a warm, library ambiance to what would otherwise be a vast, white space. It’s a perfect combination of white & color, of modern & Victorian.
On a sunny day (fortunately, Lisbon has many of these), you can sit outside on the terrace and look out at sail boats sailing along the river as you take in some vitamin D.
For tasty European cuisine at a stunning riverside location, look no further than Darwin’s Café in Belém, Lisbon.
[…] between the famous Torre de Belém and the Fundação Champalimaud/ Darwin’s Café lies a monument called the Monumento aos Combatentes do Ultramar. In some ways, it is comparable […]