Portuguese restaurants in Asia: Hong Kong's Casa Lisboa

Although the Portuguese have been present in Asia for 500 years, the number of Portuguese restaurants in the region is relatively limited (compared with, say, Italian restaurants). Goa and Malacca have the longest history, and there are indeed many Portuguese-inflected eateries in both cities. However, the vast majority are Luso-Asian, serving up delicious dishes that represent their respective hybrid cultural influences. Macau is clearly the top choice for high-end Portuguese fine dining, with choices such as Chiado by celebrity chef Henrique Sá Pessoa, Mesa by José Avillez, and the Guincho a Galera, in addition to a larger number of Macanese restaurants featuring the world's first fusion cuisine that blends Portuguese, Chinese, Southeast Asian, and Indian flavours. Tokyo as a cosmopolitan metropolis also has a number of Portuguese restaurants, although fewer than one would expect.

The entrance of Casa Lisboa, which is on the 2nd floor of a building just around the corner from Lan Kwai Fong, Hong Kong's famous nightlife district.

Next door to Macau, Hong Kong is perhaps not a surprising place to find the most authentic Portuguese restaurants after Macau and Tokyo. The granddaddy of these is Casa Lisboa, which celebrates its 17th year in 2026. The owners are local entrepreneurs who also own other highly-rated restaurants (like a Spanish tapas place), but their formula for success with Casa Lisboa is to have recruited excellent chefs from Portugal, starting with Fábio Pombo and Edgar Alves.

Executive Chef Rodolfo Vicente in his open kitchen at Casa Lisboa.

The current Executive Chef is Rodolfo Vicente, who is originally from Turquel near Alcobaça, around 100km north of Lisbon. Vicente arrived in Hong Kong just before the pandemic, and his priority for the Casa Lisboa was to modernize the dining experience while maintaining strict authenticity—a move by the restaurant group to differentiate itself during the challenging COVID years in the Hong Kong F&B industry. He also made a name for himself through his expertise on the Portuguese roots of Asian dishes in features by local media, such as this South China Morning Post article on the history of Japanese tempura. (The article was also turned into a podcast available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.)

The house special is bacalhau, but Casa Lisboa is also famous for its clams à bulhão pato, octopus and other seafood, as well as roast suckling pig. I greatly enjoyed my meal there earlier this year, and fully intend to go back to try more dishes. Since I'm not a qualified food critic, here's an expert "foodie" review with photos that will make your mouth water. Next time you're in Hong Kong, do check it out! Go hungry and try the "Taste of Portugal" set menu: