Olá Lisboa

Ditmar-Koel-Straße in the Neustadt is the heart of Hamburg's Portuguese Quarter, where the tourism office's guide lists a string of Iberian restaurants under Portuguese flags. Olá Lisboa is one of its best-known addresses, and it has a story that suits the neighbourhood. The building once housed a restaurant called Lisboa, where the present owner, Carlos Sequeira, ate as a boy while helping his father deliver Portuguese food around Hamburg. Around 30 years later he took over the premises and opened Olá Lisboa, with an atmosphere inspired by the Portuguese capital.

The menu is long and covers Portuguese fish, seafood and meat dishes, plus tapas for sharing. Meat specialities are highlighted separately on the menu. The tourism office's own guide to the street describes the menu as very extensive, so there is plenty for groups with different tastes.

Olá Lisboa is a relaxed, mid-priced place, good for groups of friends, families and anyone who wants a hearty meal after a day around the harbour. There are around 100 seats inside and 50 outside, and in fine weather the outdoor tables are the place to be. On weekdays there is an affordable lunch menu between 11:30 and 15:00, which is good value if you are sightseeing in the middle of the day.

The restaurant is open every day from 11:30, until midnight from Sunday to Thursday and until 01:00 on Fridays and Saturdays, so it is also useful for a late dinner after a concert or an evening in St. Pauli. You can book by phone or through the restaurant's website, which is sensible on weekend evenings when the street is busy.

Combine a meal here with a walk around the Portuguese Quarter, where other Portuguese, Brazilian and Italian restaurants line the same street. The tourism office's list includes Casa Madeira, which grills meat and fish on lava stone, Das Nau with its Portuguese-global menu, and the traditional Restaurante Porto, so it is easy to come back on another night and compare. Many of the restaurants here, Olá Lisboa included, have outdoor tables, so the street is at its liveliest on warm summer evenings.