Mascote da Atalaia

On the recommendation of a good friend, another friend and I met up here, as we happened to be in Lisbon at the same time. Fado was definitely on my list of things to do, and while Mascote da Atalaia was the only place I got to experience it, it was a good experience.

We ordered a la carte, which really worked for us. I read that the food was mediocre and it wasn't as bad as I was expecting. I didn't love the smaller dishes, except for the creamy sheep cheese, but my entree of swordfish and green beans was good. Nothing fancy, but quite tasty. We did a bottle of wine, which worked well. Skip the chocolate salami for dessert though--it's dry and not flavorful.

We went to the early seating, which I recommend. We had reservations, which I also recommend. Though I don't recommend the actual seats, since they are super uncomfortable, but you don't have a choice. Also, this place is very small and uncomfortably tight. The performers were great. And this best part is that you cannot talk during the performance. You will get "shushed" by the entire place and that was awesome. Since this was my first time at fado, I thought the performers were great.

While I definitely want to see other fado shows, I'd return to Mascote da Atalaia and think it's a great introduction to fado. You will have a great time here.

It's Like Fado And Dinner In My Bedroom

Pros:
- The music was fantastic!
- The food was good with a decent number of options
- The service was friendly and efficient
- The price (€25/person) for a 3-course meal, including 1/2 liter of wine/sangria/beer and a live Fado show was a good value

Cons:
- The room holding 30+ diners, 3 musicians, and 2 servers running around with food and drinks was the size of our bedroom
- We arrived with a reservation for two five minutes early only to find one tiny seat by the door available - they had to tell a lady to move so we could sit down
- The tables and milking stools they call chairs were tiny, and the tables crammed together like dominos
- They stuck us in front of the door so, beside having a step (down) inches behind my stool (a safety hazard), I got hit in the back with cold air and people as they constantly entered and exited to go outside to smoke
- The toilet door was behind one of the guitar players, so going to the bathroom during a set was impossible
- During our two hour dinner, there were just 13 songs (4 sets of 3 songs and an encore), then we were expected to leave

The cons appear to have it, but we actually had a very good time. Even though the place is more like a "Fado factory" than a "Fado House", our meals were good with an adequate amount of quality food and drink and the entertainment was impressive.

Their focus seems to be more on cramming as many people as possible into each two-hour block than on providing a comfortable, relaxing atmosphere in which to enjoy this unique and historic Portuguese folk music. If you are expecting to have a leisurely dinner and listen to Fado over drinks over the course of a long evening, as we were led to believe, you are mistaken. Having said that, the quality of the food and entertainment, along with the fair price, made it a good overall value.

I have mixed feelings about this place, hence my rating. From all that I had read beforehand, a Fado House is an "experience" where you arrive after 9pm, eat and drink what you like (with a minimum of course) for as long as you like, and leave as late as you like (03:00 to 04:00 in some places). If you have just two hours, do not want to stay up too late, and want a condensed version of Fado, this is your place!

CombatCritic Gives Mascote da Atalaia 5 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

We came by to have dinner and listen to fado and were able to walk-in around 7:30 without a reservation during a week day. For 25€ you get a 3-course meal, drink, and music. If I was just rating the food, I would have to give this restaurant a 3. The tuna was cooked more than I would normally like and both the tuna and swordfish were more salty than I would prefer. For starters we had the salad with cheese and olives/turnips which were pretty good. For dessert we had the chocolate salami and cheese curd/pumpkin jam were delicious! We enjoyed listening to fado in a cozy environment. The musicians played a few songs and then took a break and then resumed playing so we got to catch a few sets before the 9pm reservations started to come in and we had to give up our table. Overall, a fun experience and worth the time and money.

When a much more popular fado place a few streets away was solidly booked, we wandered over here and someone was outside promoting this place with free fado. Usually that sets a warning flag but I figure €20 for a set menu is not bad at all, and I won't know a good fado from a bad one.

The place is rather small with about 20 seats tightly packed together, and you sit on backless stools. The smallish menu has about 2 pages for food and 4 pages of drink. The three course set menu is €20. If you order a la carte, caldo verde soup is €3 and entree around €15. Beer €2.50, sangria €3. Not expensive, though I don't think the quality is good. Feels like with a small place the kitchen is tiny, limiting the amount of prepping and cooking they can do. My octopus tasted totally canned, which is a big disappointment in a land of fresh seafood. The soup was very bland as well.

Fado songs are from 8pm - 12 am, a 5-song performance by various singers with breaks in between. While I don't care for the food, the performers are great. So good we bought a CD at the end and got the lady to autograph it. The tight place also makes it very easy to strike up conversations with the next table, so with the songs, the affordable drinks and the chats, it ended up a very pleasant evening.

If you go for the fado this place is recommendable, but don't go for the food.

Great place for fado! A big plus that you can make online reservations. We had a wonderful night, I was worried about getting trapped in a touristy spot with way over priced food and a so so show. Happily the show was great, and the food wasn't the best we'd had in the city but was a good value for dinner and a small concert. I would definitely put this place on your list for fado.

Had one of the best nights of my life here! We stayed here for hours eating dinner, drinking wine and listening to incredible fado. You can reserve online but I think you can also just pop in later in the evening and try to find a table if you don't want dinner. The food has a very home cooked meal vibe to it and is nothing special, but the overall experience was incredible.

Great atmosphere in this tiny 'Fado' attended by many Portuguese (despite being in a very touristy area of town). True local experience. Cannot comment on the food as I did not have any.
Be careful - the a/c is poor so it can get really hot in the summer.

Just in Portugal for 2 days with my parents and aunt. Our tour group went to watch a fado show which is one of the much needed things to do in Portugal. Family would be too expensive to go so they decided to rest. And since we're only here for 2 days I yelped for a fado show and found this one. Ubered there from hotel. It's a bit hard to find in a very small street but the address on here is correct!! You should go on website to make a reservation but u can also walk in. There is a fado pri fixed menu for 25 euros. It was definitely worth it! Would suggest anyone on a time crunch to go. The singer was great! And food was too!

We happened upon this fado while looking for a restaurant on a Monday evening. It is small but wonderful. The performers were amazing, and everyone in the room was enchanted by the powerful words and voices.
The food was also very good. We ordered the chorizo appetizer, which was typical sausage shaped and cut into pieces for us. For entrees, I had the beef with broccoli and cheese, which was a large piece of beef with melted cheese on top served over steamed broccoli. My husband had the Chicken and Rice Sausage, which was served over a fresh salad. Both were very good. The servers were very kind and food was out in a timely manner.
A couple of tips: don't enter the restaurant if someone is singing, and don't talk while they are singing. Both are considered very rude. There is a prix fix menu including appetizer, entree, bread, wine, dessert and coffee/tea for €25.

Incredible fado performances! We stumbled upon this intimate, inviting place while taking an after dinner walk in Barrio Alto. We heard the singing & were enthralled. We scrunched into the last available seats by the door & were entertained & moved by the singers & guitarists. It was such a beautiful experience! They have a fado dinner special that looked good & was well priced. I would come again the next time I'm in Lisbon!