The Lisbon restaurants ‘100 Maneiras’ and ‘Eneko Lisboa’ have both now been awarded a Michelin star, while ‘São Gabriel’ (Almancil) lost the star it held for having closed at the end 2019.

Portugal now has a total of seven two-star restaurants (‘exceptional cuisine, deserves a detour’) and 21 with one star (‘top-notch cuisine, it pays to stop’), one more than in the 2020 guide.

The restaurant ‘100 Maneiras’ is led by chef Ljubomir Stanisic, who earlier this month went on a hunger strike for almost a week under the Movement “Surviving Bread and Water”, which intended encourage the Government to discuss solutions for the catering sector and the like, given the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Chef Ljubomir Stanisic, said that the distinction recognises “many years of work” and has a “triple meaning” during a year that has been “especially difficult”, marked by Covid-19.

“It is an achievement after a particularly difficult year, one of absence, of struggle, of hunger. It is a prize that tastes like champagne and caviar in a year of bread and water,” Ljubomir Stanisic’s wife and advisor told Lusa.

Mónica Franco declared that the distinction is “the realisation of a dream” and that the team is “very emotional”. The award, she said, is “not just an achievement” of the chef, but by a team: “No man is an island. Things are only done together”.

The ‘Eneko Lisboa’ restaurant, which opened in Lisbon in September 2019, guarantees Basque chef Eneko Atxa his sixth Michelin star. The establishment in the Portuguese capital “brings the philosophy” of ‘Azurmendi’, close to Bilbao (three Michelin stars - ‘a unique cuisine, justifies the trip’), providing “good food with local nuances”, as described on the official restaurant website.

As for ‘São Gabriel’, it leaves the Iberian guide following its closure, which had been announced in November 2019 by chef (at the time) Leonel Pereira, due to a change in ownership.

Watch the presentation of Guide Spain and Portugal 2021

Portugal still has no restaurant with the three star rating of the Michelin Guide, while Spain has a total of 11 three star restaurants.

In total, the Guide Spain and Portugal 2021 includes 11 restaurants with three stars (unchanged from 2020), 38 with two stars (three new) and 203 with one star (21 new).

In the Algarve , the region saw a total of six different restaurants picking up stars, helping to raise the profile of the region for gastronomy.

João Fernandes, president of Turismo do Algarve, welcomed the distinctions of the famous guide, saying that “the Algarve is synonymous with good gastronomy, due to the unique way in which it combines quality, variety, tradition and creativity, and favours the incorporation of seasonal typical products”.

He added: “This is also an important recognition for the Algarve’s restaurant sector, especially at the moment we are going through. Entrepreneurs and workers well deserve it! Gastronomic tourism is one of our strategic tourist products, which we will naturally continue to focus on ”.

Author

Originally from the UK, Daisy has been living and working in Portugal for more than 20 years. She has worked in PR, marketing and journalism, and has been the editor of The Portugal News since 2019. Jornalista 7920

Daisy Sampson