This tiny, unpretentious gem of a restaurant in trendy Príncipe Real, Lisbon, stops pedestrians in their tracks, as it did me. Partly because of its Instagram-famous octopus sculpture and partly because of the commotion of hungry punters who wait their turn at the door, sipping wine and cocktails. The interior of A Cevicheria in Lisbon is beautifully decorated in blue and white tones that reflect the sea, but it was the masterful ceviche of chef Kiko Martins that finally captured my imagination.
[first published September 2019, latest update and visit January 2026]It was a leisurely, sunny Saturday in Lisbon, and my main mission was to spend some time exploring Embaixada, the cool concept shopping centre in Príncipe Real. I had asked my Uber driver to drop me at Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcântara first, one of the city’s many famous lookout points. It is a landscaped terrace with arresting views across the city’s puzzle of terracotta roofs and rolling hills. After lingering over the sweeping view and taking far too many photographs, I set off up the hill towards Príncipe Real.
It’s a steep walk from the Miradouro up to Príncipe Real, steep enough that I was glad of a reason to stop when I saw a small crowd gathered on the pavement in front of an unassuming doorway, glasses of something pale and cloudy in hand. Curiosity piqued, I went closer to see what the attraction was.
The vibe
People were drinking pisco sours and wine, gathered around the few high bar tables, and there was a palpable buzz. Through the open doors, a giant octopus suspended from the ceiling with tentacles reaching down over a marble counter lured me further in. I was going to eat there, one way or another.
I tried to book a table for that evening, only to be told that the restaurant didn’t take reservations. Come back early, they suggested, before Lisbon settled into its characteristically late dinner rhythm which kicks in after nine o’clock in the evening, and I might have a chance.
The wait
So I carried on to Embaixada and spent a few hours engrossed in design inspiration before crossing the road to Jardim do Príncipe Real. At one of the little kiosk cafés dotted through Lisbon’s gardens and squares, I ordered a gin and tonic and settled in to wait.
A musician was playing nearby. Parents strolled through the garden with toddlers running around, friends talked over drinks and small plates, and a couple sat side by side on a bench, each fully absorbed in a book. It was one of those unplanned stretches of travel time that turns out not to feel like waiting at all.
By six o’clock I was back outside A Cevicheria. This time with a very commendable pisco sour in hand, chatting away with a few other punters also waiting their turn, and the promise that a seat at the counter would soon be mine.
From there, dinner came with theatre. Seated at the counter, I had a ringside seat to watch the young chefs work almost shoulder to shoulder behind the marble-clad counter, deftly moving between bowls of citrus, herbs, fish and garnishes at remarkable speed. It felt simultaneously quite chaotic but orchestrated, with constant activity, and no wasted motion. Dishes left the kitchen with an impressive consistency.
The chef
A Cevicheria is the brainchild of Portuguese chef Kiko Martins, who takes the bright, acidic flavours of Peruvian ceviche and filters them through his own Portuguese culinary lens.
Born in Rio de Janeiro to Portuguese parents, one can almost say that he was raised on tiger’s milk (ceviche broth). Martins initially studied marketing before changing direction and training at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. He went on to work in acclaimed European kitchens, including The Fat Duck, and then travelled through 26 countries with his wife. That journey later became the basis for his book Comer o Mundo (Eat the World).
He settled in Lisbon and started spreading his wings. He first opened O Talho, a restaurant and butcher shop dedicated to meat. A Cevicheria followed in 2014, an ode to the zingy and succulent South American dish of raw fish cured in citrus, and quickly became one of the restaurants associated with Lisbon’s new generation of chefs.
The interior
I sipped my glass of wine, which arrived remarkably quickly, while taking in the inviting, whitewashed, light-filled interior.
Designer Antonio Martins took inspiration from traditional Portuguese fish markets, particularly their use of Castelo Branco marble. The material appears throughout the restaurant, most notably in the large counter and in a marble tub filled with ice and seafood.
White tiles and marble provide a clean backdrop for blue-and-white banquettes and the patterned azulejo floor. At the entrance, laser-cut steel doors and windows take their cue from M.C. Escher’s Sky and Water, with fish gradually morphing into birds.
Created by artist João Parrinha, the enormous sculpture seemingly envelops you with its tentacles from above. It is playful, slightly surreal and almost impossible not to photograph, which probably explains why it has become nearly as recognisable as the restaurant itself.
The food
A Cevicheria is not a restaurant for a long, languid dinner. It runs at a brisk pace, and servers have little time for extended conversation, but the service is knowledgeable and assured. Perusing the menu, I gave up trying to choose and ordered the tasting menu, a multi-course taste journey through their signature ceviches and hot seafood plates.
Bread arrived before I’d asked for it, along with seaweed butter, a spiced yoghurt dip and toasted corn. Then small plate after small plate followed: a beef tartare taco, a green gazpacho, a scallop dish with celery, green apple, ginger and tapioca, a tuna ceviche piled with grated foie gras, lychees and hazelnuts, and, among the hot plates, a barbecue octopus causa that I still think about more than I probably should.
The Ceviche Puro deserves a special mention too. It pairs white fish with sweet potato purée, onion, algae and tiger’s milk, while the Ceviche Português brings the idea closer to home with cod, rosemary vinegar, chickpea purée, dried olives and cornbread with sausage.
The food arrived looking carefully composed, but it doesn’t eat like something designed primarily for photographs. The flavours were bright and assertive, with enough balance, richness and texture to keep each mouthful interesting.
I was tempted to skip dessert after all that intensity, but glad I didn’t. The dessert was light, bright and not too sweet, with lashings of tropical flavours, in combinations like quinoa, passion fruit and guava with banana cream, guava sorbet and cashew powder. The perfect end to a festival of vibrant flavours.
The memory lingers
The wait, in the end, did not bother me. Not with a drink in hand and that kind of company on the pavement. And once inside, I felt like I was sitting at one of the best tables in Lisbon.
By the time I left after this first visit, a big throng of people waiting their turn was already gathering outside. I have been back several times in the years since, but I still associate A Cevicheria with that first accidental discovery: a steep Lisbon street, a festive crowd and a giant octopus glimpsed through an open door.
Perhaps that is why it has stayed with me. Some of the best travel experiences are the places you weren’t looking for in the first place.
Location – Rua D. Pedro V, nº 129 Principe Real – Lisbon, Portugal
Email: acevicheria@acevicheria.pt
Looking for a designer spot to stay in Lisbon?
If you are heading to Lisbon soon and are looking for a fabulous place to stay you will be interested in our write-ups of the uber-stylish Baixa House apartments and the lush inner-city haven, Valverde Hotel. You will also find more tips on great places to eat.
Photography: Liezel Norval-Kruger | A Cevicheria | Antonio Martins
