Best Portuguese Restaurants in the UK and Ireland

In total, there are 3 award winning Portuguese restaurants in the UK and Ireland, based on the combined awards from the leading UK restaurant guides.

Were you expecting to see more Portuguese restaurants listed? Remember, at Leading Restaurants we only list restaurants holding awards from major food guides in the UK and Ireland; that's less than 3% of all restaurants here.

The best Portuguese restaurant in the UK and Ireland is Joia at the Art'otel London Battersea Power Station Hotel in London (based on our unique combination of the leading UK restaurant guides) where head chef Henrique Sa Pessoa serves up award winning Catalan, Portuguese Cuisine. Joia at the Art'otel London Battersea Power Station Hotel currently holds 2 AA Rosettes.

There are currently no Portuguese restaurants holding a Michelin Star in the UK and Ireland, however there is 1 restaurant holding a standard Michelin Guide listing.

There are currently 2 listed AA Rosette Portuguese restaurants in the UK and Ireland consisting of 1 restaurant holding 2 AA Rosettes and 1 restaurant holding 1 AA Rosette.

The UKs Portuguese restaurant scene has blossomed beyond the cliches of pastel de nata and piri piri, offering a genuinely sophisticated take on the countrys coastal and regional traditions. London leads the charge, with spots such as Bar Douro showcasing polished but soulful dishes that feel as though they have been lifted straight from a Lisbon tasca and given a refined metropolitan twist. Volta do Mar in Covent Garden adds a sense of wanderlust to the mix, drawing on Portugals far flung culinary influences while still maintaining a sense of authenticity. The overall effect is a dining landscape that feels both warmly familiar and quietly ambitious, a welcome evolution from the once sparse offerings of Portuguese fare on British shores. Celebrity chefs have also helped raise the profile of the cuisine, most notably the acclaimed Nuno Mendes, whose work at Viajante and later at Taberna do Mercado and Lisboeta brought a modern, thoughtful interpretation of Portuguese flavours to a wider audience. His presence has encouraged a new generation of chefs to treat Portuguese cooking as worthy of serious culinary attention rather than as a niche curiosity. As a result, diners now find themselves spoilt for choice, with high end menus that pay homage to Portugal while displaying the confidence and polish expected of the UKs top dining rooms.