Unless it’s the first time you’re reading this blog, you’ll know that I’m a little obsessed with Portuguese food. But even I enjoy a little variety in my diet! So one of my favorite places to get pizza in Lisbon is at the award-winning restaurant Forno D’Oro, which means Gold Oven… oh, but there’s a twist!
The restaurant has a clean, minimalistic decor with some warming touches such as blue water glasses, which add color to the tables and decorative plates which line the walls. The most impressive feature, however, is the golden mosaic oven (I hate to break it to you but I don’t think it’s real gold!) which you immediately see as you walk in. I absolutely love the white and gold of this place!
But let’s get down to what really matters: FOOD! The couvert (which is what you’ll get charged for having on your table, unless you ask to send it back) is focaccia and bruschetta. The focaccia is very good but the bruschetta is awesome. Next time I go, I plan to try the bruschetta with burrata and black truffle because, well, it sounds phenomenal! There is a respectable assortment of starters to choose from, but people come here to eat great pizza.
You’ll find many of the usual suspects you get in a good pizzeria. But what I love about Forno D’Oro is that they serve unique – you guessed it – “Portuguese” pizzas. By that, I mean pizzas with the finest Portuguese ingredients such as Portuguese olives, presunto ham, Serra da Estrela cheese, alheira sausage, watercress and requeijão cheese… amongst others. This pizzeria has actually been awarded the Pizza Verace Napolitana Award, which is essentially a Michelin star for pizzerias. The pizza here is well and truly worthy of a blog post!
If pizza isn’t your thing, you have meat, fish and a variety of pastas to choose from and I’m looking forward to trying the mushroom risotto next time! You can wash all this food down with some artisanal beers, wines or gin. Forno D’Oro actually boasts several desserts but I’ve always been far too full to get dessert both times I’ve been there (which is very unlike me!).
If you live in Lisbon or even if you’re just visiting and crave a good Italian meal, head to Forno D’Oro and have the most authentic wood-fired Italian pizza with equally authentic Portuguese toppings. You won’t regret it!
