Bela Lisboa Restaurant

417 Frazier Ave, Chattanooga
(423) 682-8365

Recent Reviews

william manning

Good is outstanding.. The staff is great. The owner remembered us coming in 5 months ago and remembered our drink preferences. Be sure to ask about the craft ice cubes and drinks. We come here whenever we're in Chattanooga. Recommend the sales cod dish and the paella.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Paella De Frango E Marisco, Seafood

Ny Anchondo

I decided to pick this place for our anniversary dinner because of the reviews and I had seen they had octopus on the menu. I’m glad I did because the food was amazing. For appetizer we had the mussels. The flavor was amazing. Make sure you ask for more bread so you can dip it in the juice. For entree I ordered the Polvo Lagareiro / Octopus. It was the best I’ve had and cooked just right. I will keep going back just for it. Hubby ordered the Spicy Chickpea that was very good as a vegan entree. We went when it just opened when it wasn’t busy yet. Our server was great. We had the best dinner there.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Octopus Polvo Lagareiro, Seafood, Dinner

S SP

The squid ink pasta was amazing!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Courtney Wolff

The food is unique and lovely!An amazing selection of a variety of dishes.You can taste the effort that goes into the preparation of this outstanding menu.However, pack your patience in regards to the service.We came in about 5 mins early for our reservation and were told we could be seated, but would need to wait for our reservation time to be served.We weren’t even offered water or a drink and sat there 15 mins past our reservation time.We were also seated at an unacceptably wobbly table.It was impossible to keep water and wine in your glass.I had brought a rather expensive bottle of Portuguese wine to celebrate a special occasion and was concerned about spilling the bottle or my glass so my husband politely asked if it was possible to fix the table and was told by our server that it was impossible to fix.We then requested to be reseated as there were few tables available.Our request was met with a bit of a snarky attitude and we were told there was no other seating available.After putting in our order the server/manager (dude with a man bun) reluctantly offered us a seat in the bar by the server station.It was not the best solution as it’s a busy area with chatter and constant movement of the staff, but it was miles better than the wobbly table.Mind you, there was several tables that became available throughout our meal.In particular, a two top that remained empty for the entire two hours we were there.There were multiple opportunities that the server could’ve chosen to move us, but he simply did not care and was a bit short even after offering some of our bottle of wine to him and the chef.We drove 3 hours round trip to specifically eat here because our first experience was incredible. (Different server)My suggestion is to request a specific table or request any table other than table 8.Cheers!

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 5

Service: 2

Jimmie Ovington

Horrible food and no service whatsoever. The guy went to every table but ours. We had no water or ice. We ordered two different cod dishes that were far too oily and too salty to eat! He shuffled around and went to every table but ours. I watched him. I finally as he passed us asked him to bring a check and to go boxes. That was another 8 minutes! He then came ( son had left table by then) asked what was wrong with our food. I said we got no service whatsoever. The food was oily and too salty. I wrote poor service on check. He stomped away and threw a plate in the kitchen! I will never go back. This was Sunday afternoon with very few customers so noExcuse. Worst experience ever!

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 1

Service: 1

Zach Ovington

Overpriced. Terrible service. Never got one refill of our waters. My entree was essentially a bowl of mashed potatoes submerged in oil.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 1

Service: 1

christian bagocius

The food is simply awesome - the chef is very talented and Gabe sets the example for all managers to aspire to.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Robert

Love this restaurant. Food is just wonderful and the sauces are the highlight. Salted cod was just great. Pear in port reduction (server suggestion) was perfect ending.Service was excellent and we will be back soon.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Seafood, Dinner

jessica harp

We had a great experience! Food was unreal and drinks were too! Great service!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Annette Oliverio

This is not your typical restaurant, which is why we chose it! They don’t do substitutions! Every thing we had was excellent, portions are on the small side, but it’s the unique menu and the “stone” that was so cool! The octopus was cooked perfectly, and had tons of flavor! My husband had the sirloin on the stone and it tasted more like a fillet, And our friend ordered the bison, which had sweet as it has a blueberry I’m dressing not sure what to call it barbecue sauce… but it was exceptional as well! The service was good but not speedy so come early and before your regular meal time!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Octopus Polvo Lagareiro, 10

Amanda Byrom

This has become our go to for date night. It is getting harder to try different things when each time we have gone we have had the "favorite" dish. I am shellfish lover and husband meat and potatoes. The variety of meats and seafood as well as the various ways they prepare them are stellar. The quality and presentation is unmatched. Bridgeman's, St. John's, Hennen's move over there is a new leader of the pack!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Paul Lauritzen

A top restaurant in Chattanooga and not to be missed. My wife and I have been here 4 times now, and every meal was delicious. A great menu, talented chef, and excellent service. Would rate ten stars if possible. Chattanooga has many fine restaurants and Bela Lisboa ranks at the top.Parking: Convenient location on Frazier Ave near the Veteran's Bridge

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Paella De Frango E Marisco, Seafood Bisque, Mar E Terra Surf and Turf Stone, Salad, Tuna on the Stone, Filet Mignon Served on a Hot Lava Rock Shrimp, Black Truffle Lobster & Shrimp Pasta

Ana Sasada

My boyfriend and I booked a reservation here for a late Valentine’s Day dinner. We’re both in the service industry, and I asked if I was being too critical or if it genuinely was a bad experience. It was a bad experience.Right off the bat, parking was confusing. I dont want to deal with parking tickets so we ended up paying for the garage across from Totto. It says on the door that there is parking in rear, but every spot has a “berkshire hathway only” sign on it. The one guy running the front got us seated. We were handed our menus and started to look through everything. We had chosen this place for the lava rock experience. We order our pichana and I got an Amaretto sour. I was a little peeved because the guy had dirty iced my drink (he didnt strain the cocktail and top with fresh ice) and it was watered down. When it came to the stone, we didnt really know what to expect and weren’t given an explanation. At this point, we still had high hopes.The steak and stone came out alongside a side of potatoes, squash, and zucchini (the only redeeming part because it’s honestly so hard to mess up squash and potatoes). We were under the impression that it would be prepared for us and didn’t expect to prepare our food ourselves. We were not given the option of preparing it ourselves or having someone do it for us.Thankfully I work at the steakhouse further down Cherokee Boulevard or else we wouldn’t have any idea of how to cook a medium rare steak. I cook steaks for tables and understand how it feels to be swamped and unable to cook, however, we were 1/3 tables at the time. Our hot stones came out at two different temperatures with mt boyfriend’s being much cooler than mine. He had to use mine and ask for a new re-heated stone. We had to cut into our steaks with butter knives which wasnt the most efficient way to cut, but hey we were hungry and over it.Service-wise, our waiter/host/bartender/food runner was super nice and friendly, but it felt like we were an afterthought. I had finished my cocktail before our food even came out and my empty glass sat on the table (in an accessible spot) until we left. He checked in on us, but it felt like it was just another chore on the to-do list.Overall, we are very disappointed in our experience. We had high hopes considering that 1) Ive been wanting to try this place for over a year 2) I’ve heard that its a hidden gem on Northshore. My boyfriend ended up taking his food to-go because of how long it took for his steak to be at his preferred temperature. For $64, I would’ve gone to another restaurant. If I wanted to cook for myself, I wouldve gone to a Korean BBQ restaurant.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 2

Service: 1

Heather

We absolutely loved this place! The food was phenomenal and the service. It is now easily in my top 5 of restaurants.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Kevin Holmes

We had a wonderful experience at this place. We had the octopus for an appetizer and I never knew it could be so good.The food, service and atmosphere were fantastic.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

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