Encanto

Encanto is chef José Avillez's vegetarian fine-dining restaurant in Chiado, in the historic centre of Lisbon, next door to his restaurant Belcanto. It opened in March 2022 and serves a single tasting menu of around twelve courses that is entirely vegetarian, built from vegetables, leaves, seeds, seaweed, mushrooms, flowers, fruit, eggs and cheese.

Sustainability is part of how the kitchen works. According to the restaurant, about 85 per cent of its ingredients are bought directly from local producers chosen by the chef, and around 90 per cent of the vegetables and fruit are organic. Some of the produce is grown in the kitchen garden of Casa Nossa, José Avillez's property beside the Alqueva lake in the Alentejo. The menu follows the seasons, and head chef Diogo Formiga, a biologist by training, works to use each ingredient fully and to cut waste.

The Michelin Guide gave Encanto a star in its opening year and added a Green Star for sustainability in 2025; in the 2026 edition it was still one of Portugal's seven Green Star restaurants. The drinks follow the same line, with biodynamic wines, craft beers and house-made juices, infusions and kombuchas.

The restaurant is on Largo de São Carlos, beside the São Carlos opera house, a few minutes' walk from the Baixa-Chiado metro station. It is small and serves dinner only, so it is best to book ahead.