Restaurant in Lisbon, Portugal
Eight seats. One Michelin star. Book early.
Kanazawa is Lisbon's only traditional kaiseki counter, holding a 2024 Michelin star and running eight seats with a single chef who explains every course in person. At €€€€, it earns the price for a two-person special occasion or a first encounter with kaiseki — but book three to four weeks ahead, as availability is tight and the format does not accommodate large groups.
If you are deciding between Kanazawa and Lisbon's other kaiseki or Japanese fine-dining options, book Kanazawa first. With a Michelin star earned in 2024, an eight-seat counter, and a format built around direct chef interaction, it delivers something that Kabuki Lisboa and YŌSO do not: a single chef, in full view, walking you through every course of a traditional kaiseki progression. At €€€€ pricing, the question is not whether the food is good. The question is whether the format suits your occasion and whether you can actually get a table.
The room is small and deliberately sparse. Eight seats at a single counter — that is the entire dining room. There are no side tables to fall back on, no larger party configurations, and no background noise to fill silence. Visually, everything lands on the counter in front of you: the chef's hands, the ceramic, the arrangement of each course as it is placed. If you are booking for a special occasion and want a setting that commands attention from the moment you sit down, the intimacy here works in your favour. For a business dinner where conversation needs to flow freely without theatre, it is worth considering whether an eight-seat counter format matches what you need.
The restaurant is named for both the chef who opened it and Kanazawa city, the capital of Japan's Ishikawa region, which is historically significant as a centre of kaiseki culture and Japanese craft. That geographical reference matters because it signals the culinary tradition the format is drawn from: kaiseki as it developed through imperial court dining and the tea ceremony, not kaiseki in its more contemporary, free-form interpretations. Chef Paulo Morais works in full view throughout service and explains each dish in detail — this is built into the format, not an optional extra.
At lunch, three menus are available, all sharing the same appetisers and representing different depths of engagement with the kaiseki structure. Dinner is the more elaborate session: six menu options that shift the format toward haute-cuisine execution, with the fish and nigiri courses cited specifically in Michelin's notes as a strength. Scallop, clam, tuna belly, turbot, and scarlet prawns feature within the nigiri sequence. The evening experience is the one to book if the occasion justifies it , the format is more considered, the execution more layered, and the pacing is better suited to a two-to-three-hour commitment.
Friday is the only day that runs a third service block (4 PM to 6 PM), which is worth knowing if your schedule is tight. The restaurant is closed on Mondays and Sundays, so midweek or Saturday are your realistic windows. Lunch runs noon to 3 PM on Wednesday through Saturday; dinner runs 7 PM to 9:30 PM Tuesday through Saturday.
At €€€€ in Lisbon, you are in the same price tier as Belcanto and Omakase RI. What Kanazawa offers that most of that tier does not is a service model where the chef is also the explainer, the host, and the constant presence. Paulo Morais narrating each dish is not incidental to the experience , it is the mechanism by which the kaiseki philosophy is transmitted. You are not reading a menu description; you are receiving the dish with its context delivered simultaneously. For a special occasion, particularly one where the experience itself is the gift, this format earns its price point. For a casual dinner where you want to talk without interruption, it is a more demanding format than it might first appear.
A Google rating of 4.9 from 298 reviews at this price tier and this level of booking difficulty is a meaningful signal. Venues at €€€€ with eight seats and high demand attract disproportionate scrutiny; a 4.9 under those conditions reflects consistent execution, not just enthusiasm from occasional visitors.
With eight seats and two services per day on most operating days, availability at Kanazawa is genuinely limited. Booking difficulty is rated hard. Plan a minimum of three to four weeks ahead for a dinner reservation; weekend lunches will fill faster than midweek slots. There is no walk-in option that makes practical sense given the counter format. The address is R. Damião de Góis 3 A, 1400-088 Lisboa , in the Alcântara area, accessible by taxi or rideshare from central Lisbon. For the broader Lisbon dining context, see our full Lisbon restaurants guide.
If Kanazawa is full or the kaiseki format is not right for your group, Omakase RI is the closest comparable in Lisbon's Japanese fine-dining tier. For a different format entirely at the same price level, 2Monkeys offers creative cooking in a less structured setting. Outside Lisbon, Portugal's Michelin-starred Japanese and fine-dining scene extends to Vila Joya in Albufeira, Antiqvvm in Porto, Casa de Chá da Boa Nova in Leça da Palmeira, Il Gallo d'Oro in Funchal, Ocean in Porches, and The Yeatman in Vila Nova de Gaia. For reference points on what this kaiseki format looks like at its Japanese source, Myojaku in Tokyo and Azabu Kadowaki in Tokyo offer useful comparison. For the rest of Lisbon, explore our Lisbon hotels guide, our Lisbon bars guide, our Lisbon wineries guide, and our Lisbon experiences guide.
Kanazawa runs a kaiseki format at an eight-seat counter in Alcântara. It holds a 2024 Michelin star, is priced at €€€€, and operates Tuesday through Saturday with no Sunday or Monday service. The chef explains each course in person throughout the meal, which is central to the experience. First-timers should book dinner for the most complete version of the kaiseki progression, reserve at least three to four weeks ahead, and arrive knowing the format is interactive and unhurried.
Omakase RI is the closest structural equivalent in Lisbon's Japanese fine-dining tier , counter format, tasting menu, comparable price. Kabuki Lisboa offers Japanese cuisine with more flexibility in format and group size. For a completely different cuisine at the same price tier, Belcanto (two Michelin stars, modern Portuguese) is the most credentialed alternative in the city.
The menu format is set , you choose a menu tier rather than individual dishes. At dinner, the kaiseki progression includes a nigiri sequence featuring fish sourced for quality: scallop, clam, tuna belly, turbot, and scarlet prawns are among the items cited in Michelin's assessment. The evening menus offer six options at varying depths. For a first visit, choose the fuller dinner format to experience the complete kaiseki structure rather than the abbreviated lunch version.
For the kaiseki format specifically, yes , Kanazawa holds a 2024 Michelin star and a 4.9 Google rating from 298 reviews, which at this price and seat count reflects real consistency. The evening menus are more elaborately executed than lunch. If you are comparing value against other Lisbon €€€€ options, Kanazawa offers something none of the Portuguese fine-dining alternatives provide: a traditional Japanese kaiseki progression delivered by a single chef at a dedicated counter.
With eight seats at a single counter, Kanazawa cannot accommodate large groups. A party of two to four is the practical limit for a comfortable booking. Parties of eight could theoretically fill the counter for a private session, but this would require direct coordination with the restaurant. For groups larger than four at €€€€ in Lisbon, Belcanto or YŌSO offer more flexible configurations.
At €€€€, Kanazawa sits at the leading of Lisbon's price tier alongside two-Michelin-star venues. What justifies the price is the combination of Michelin recognition, the rarity of a traditional kaiseki format outside Japan, the eight-seat intimacy, and a chef-led service model that delivers direct explanation of every course. If you are paying €€€€ for a meal in Lisbon and want a format that exists nowhere else in the city at this level, the answer is yes. If you want a more flexible, less structured experience at the same price, consider Belcanto instead.
It is one of the better choices in Lisbon for a two-person special occasion at the leading price tier. The eight-seat counter, chef narration, and kaiseki pacing create a built-in sense of occasion without relying on room size or theatrical plating. The 2024 Michelin star adds weight if the credential matters to your guest. For a larger celebration group, the format becomes restrictive , in that case, Belcanto handles occasion dining at scale more comfortably.
Kanazawa is a counter-only restaurant with eight seats, so the format is intimate and the pace is set by the kitchen. Chef Paulo Morais explains each dish in full view, which makes the experience educational as well as a meal. Book dinner for the more elaborate kaiseki structure; lunch menus share the same appetisers and are lighter in scope. Availability is genuinely limited, so plan at least several weeks ahead.
For Portuguese fine dining at a comparable price point, Belcanto (two Michelin stars) is the go-to if you want the most decorated table in the city. CURA and Feitoria both hold one Michelin star and offer more conventional tasting-menu formats if you prefer a full dining room over a counter. Kanazawa is the right call specifically if kaiseki and Japanese technique matter to you — nothing else in Lisbon runs the same format.
Kanazawa runs set kaiseki menus rather than à la carte, so ordering in the traditional sense does not apply. At dinner, six menu options are available and represent the fullest expression of the kaiseki philosophy. The fish and nigiri course — documented to include scallop, clam, tuna belly, turbot, and scarlet prawns — is where the kitchen draws the most attention. Choose the most complete dinner menu if this is a special visit.
At €€€€ in Lisbon, Kanazawa sits alongside Belcanto and other Michelin-tier restaurants in terms of spend. The Michelin one-star recognition (2024) and the eight-seat counter format mean you are paying for precision and access, not just food. If kaiseki is your format and you want counter dining with chef interaction, the value case is clear. If you prefer a conventional dining room or à la carte flexibility, the price is harder to justify.
The entire restaurant is a single eight-seat counter, so the maximum group size is eight — and booking that many seats means taking over the room entirely. Parties of four or more should contact the restaurant well in advance to confirm availability. For larger groups or those needing private dining infrastructure, Kanazawa is not the right fit; a venue like Feitoria or Eleven with full dining rooms will serve better.
Yes, with one condition: you need to want kaiseki specifically. At €€€€, you are paying for a Michelin-starred counter experience with a chef who explains the philosophy behind each dish — that is a different proposition from most of Lisbon's fine dining. The fish and nigiri quality is the standout documented strength. If you are indifferent to Japanese cuisine or prefer a livelier room, Belcanto or CURA will likely feel like better value for the same spend.
It works well for a two-person special occasion: the counter format is personal, the chef is present and communicative, and a Michelin star gives the evening a clear sense of occasion. It is less suited to milestone celebrations involving a larger group, since eight seats is a hard ceiling. Sunday is closed and Monday is closed, so plan accordingly — Tuesday through Saturday dinner is the window for the full experience.
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