Restaurant in Lisbon, Portugal
10 seats, 15 courses, Michelin-recognised.
Omakase RI is Lisbon's only dedicated omakase counter with Michelin recognition — a Michelin Plate holder for 2024 and 2025, rated 4.9 from 391 reviews. Chef William Vargas runs 15 courses for just 10 guests at €€€, making it the most focused and accessible way to eat serious Japanese food in the city. Book one to two weeks ahead.
Yes — if you want a serious omakase counter experience and you're prepared for a 15-course format. Omakase RI holds a Michelin Plate for 2024 and 2025, runs a 10-seat room that reads more like a Tokyo dive bar than a fine-dining institution, and scores 4.9 on Google across 391 reviews. At a €€€ price point, it sits a tier below the €€€€ Lisbon fine-dining circuit, which makes it one of the more accessible ways to eat at Michelin-recognised level in the city. For Japanese cuisine specifically, it's the most intimate counter option currently operating in Lisbon.
The room holds just 10 guests. The format is fixed: chef William Vargas, who brings a Japanese-Brazilian background to the kitchen, presents and names each fish before preparing it, explaining its origin as part of the service. This isn't just hospitality padding — it shifts the meal into something closer to education, and it's a deliberate part of the experience. The 15-course menu moves through a range of preparations, with standout dishes including salongo served with flambéed skin and a cold miso broth, and a tuna preparation wrapped in nori that the kitchen's Michelin notes describe as dissolving on contact. The saké list receives consistent praise and is a genuine programme rather than an afterthought.
The address is R. Garcia de Orta 71c in Lisbon's Santos neighbourhood, close to the waterfront and the Museu de Arte Antiga. The deliberate aesthetic reference is the informal drinking-and-eating bars of Tokyo , low formality, high focus on what's on the plate. There's no dress code pressure and no theatrical ceremony. What you're paying for is the fish, the technique, and the chef's narration of both.
Given the fixed menu format, a first visit covers the full arc of the 15-course progression and gives you a clear read on the kitchen's range. The fish sourcing and seasonal rotation mean that a second visit, timed a few months apart, will differ meaningfully at the ingredient level even if the structural format stays consistent. The saké pairing is worth treating as a variable across visits: if you run through it on the first booking, come back without the pairing and focus exclusively on the food rhythm. Omakase as a format rewards repeat visits more than most, because the progression only fully lands once you know what's coming , the second time, you're tasting rather than orienting.
If you're planning two visits, consider timing the first for a weekday sitting when the room is quieter and the chef has more bandwidth for explanation, and holding the second for a Friday or Saturday when the energy in the 10-seat room shifts. This is a small-format venue where the group dynamic matters. A table of two at the counter will have a different experience from a group of eight filling the room , both are valid, but they're not the same meal.
For context on how this compares to omakase at the highest level internationally, venues like Myojaku in Tokyo and Azabu Kadowaki in Tokyo operate in a different price and credential bracket , but Omakase RI is not trying to replicate that. It's positioning itself as a neighbourhood-scale Japanese counter in a city where that format is genuinely rare.
Lisbon's Japanese options are limited relative to its overall restaurant depth. Kabuki Lisboa operates at a larger scale with a broader à la carte offering. Kanazawa takes a more traditional Japanese-Portuguese approach. YŌSO covers the contemporary end. Omakase RI is the only dedicated counter-format omakase in the city with Michelin recognition. If you want to eat Japanese in Lisbon with any serious ambition, this is your most targeted option.
Reservations: Booking difficulty is rated Easy, but with only 10 seats, advance planning is still advisable , aim for at least one to two weeks ahead for weekends. Budget: €€€ per head; the 15-course menu is a fixed commitment, and a saké pairing will add to the total. Dress: No formal dress requirement , the room is deliberately informal. Getting there: The venue is at R. Garcia de Orta 71c, Santos, Lisbon. Group size: Solo diners and pairs fit the counter format well; the room caps at 10 guests, making it possible to book as a group for a private-feeling dinner without a formal buyout. Contact: Phone and website are not listed , check current booking channels directly.
Omakase RI is not a conventional restaurant booking. You're committing to the chef's selection before you sit down, and the experience depends on your openness to that format. If you want choice at the table, this isn't the right venue , Kabuki Lisboa gives you a broader menu. If you want a fixed progression with a chef who explains what you're eating and why, Omakase RI is the strongest option in Lisbon at the €€€ level. For broader Lisbon planning, see our full Lisbon restaurants guide, our Lisbon hotels guide, our Lisbon bars guide, our Lisbon wineries guide, and our Lisbon experiences guide. If you're travelling through Portugal more widely, Michelin-starred options elsewhere in the country include Vila Joya in Albufeira, Casa de Chá da Boa Nova in Leça da Palmeira, The Yeatman in Vila Nova de Gaia, Ocean in Porches, Antiqvvm in Porto, and Il Gallo d'Oro in Funchal.
At €€€ per head with a Michelin Plate for two consecutive years and a 4.9 Google rating from 391 reviews, it delivers strong value relative to what Lisbon's top-tier dining costs. The €€€€ restaurants in the city , Belcanto, Loco, Feitoria , run notably higher. For a 15-course, chef-narrated omakase with a genuine saké programme, the price is competitive for the format.
The menu is fixed , there's no ordering. Chef William Vargas sets the 15-course progression, explains each fish by name and origin, and moves through the meal at his own pace. Highlighted preparations include salongo with flambéed skin and cold miso broth, and a tuna-and-nori course. The saké selection is worth adding if the format is new to you.
For Japanese in Lisbon: Kabuki Lisboa is larger, à la carte, and more flexible. Kanazawa takes a more traditional approach. YŌSO covers contemporary Japanese. None holds a Michelin Plate. For a different format at higher price: Belcanto (2 Michelin Stars, Modern Portuguese) and 2Monkeys (Creative) are the most credentialed alternatives in the city.
Yes , the counter format is specifically suited to solo guests. You're seated with the other nine guests, which means you're never isolated, and the chef's narration gives the meal a social rhythm even if you arrive alone. It's a better solo experience than most formal tasting-menu restaurants in Lisbon at this price tier.
The room holds 10 guests maximum. A group of 8 to 10 effectively takes over the space, which creates a private-dinner dynamic without requiring a formal buyout. Groups of 4 to 6 are comfortable. Phone and website details are not currently listed , contact the venue directly through current booking channels to confirm group availability.
For the format, yes. Fifteen courses with chef commentary, a serious saké list, and Michelin Plate recognition at €€€ is a strong proposition. The caveat: you must be willing to commit to the chef's selection entirely. If fixed menus feel constraining, the format won't work for you regardless of quality. For an à la carte Japanese experience, Kabuki Lisboa is the more flexible alternative.
Yes, with caveats. The room is informal by design , think Tokyo dive bar, not white tablecloth. If your occasion calls for ceremony and choreography, the €€€€ options like Belcanto deliver more of that register. If your occasion is about a shared, focused experience around exceptional fish with a chef who walks you through every course, Omakase RI is a strong choice and meaningfully less expensive than Lisbon's top tier.
| Venue | Awards | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Omakase RI | Inspired by the “dive” bars of Tokyo, the ambience in this exclusive dining space for just 10 guests is relaxed and informal. Japanese-Brazilian chef William Vargas offers an Omakase menu, as part of which he presents and explains the names and origin of the fish he will be preparing. The experience consists of 15 courses, including delicacies such as “salongo”, served with its skin flambéed and a cold miso broth, and a delicate tuna dish served in nori seaweed which melts in the mouth. You’ll also love the excellent choice of saké on offer here.; Michelin Plate (2025); Michelin Plate (2024) | €€€ | — |
| Belcanto | Michelin 2 Star, World's 50 Best | €€€€ | — |
| 50 seconds from Martin Berasategui | Michelin 1 Star | €€€€ | — |
| Loco | Michelin 1 Star | €€€€ | — |
| Feitoria | Michelin 1 Star | €€€€ | — |
| Grenache | Michelin 1 Star | €€€€ | — |
How Omakase RI stacks up against the competition.
Yes, for what it delivers. At €€€ per head, 15 courses with fish presented and explained by name and origin is a format that justifies the spend — Michelin agreed, awarding a Plate in both 2024 and 2025. The only caveat: this is a fixed menu, so if omakase is not your format, the price will feel harder to defend. For a broader à la carte option at a comparable price tier, Kabuki Lisboa is the closer alternative.
There is no ordering — the menu is entirely chef-led. Chef William Vargas sets all 15 courses, which include dishes such as salongo with flambéed skin and cold miso broth, and a tuna preparation served in nori. The sake selection is worth attention; lean on the chef's guidance there as part of the experience.
For a fixed tasting menu at a higher price tier with broader European creative range, Loco or Feitoria are the natural comparisons. If the appeal is Japanese specifically, Kabuki Lisboa offers a larger room and à la carte flexibility. Omakase RI's 10-seat counter format and Japanese-Brazilian identity sit in a distinct position — there is nothing else in Lisbon at quite the same scale and focus.
Yes — arguably the best format for it in Lisbon's Japanese category. A 10-seat counter with an interactive presentation style rewards solo diners who want to engage directly with the kitchen. You will not feel out of place dining alone here the way you might at a conventional table-service restaurant.
Only in a limited sense. The room holds 10 guests in total, so a group of 6–8 could book out most of the counter, but the format is not designed around group celebration dynamics. For a private-room experience or a larger party, Belcanto or Feitoria are better fits. Omakase RI works for groups of 2–4 who all want the same fixed menu and are comfortable with a shared counter.
Yes, if you are committed to the omakase format from the start. The 15-course progression is structured around fish provenance and chef narrative — that is the value proposition. If you want the option to skip courses or order around dietary preferences, this format will not suit you. Michelin Plate recognition two consecutive years confirms the kitchen is executing at a consistent level.
Yes, with the right expectations. The room is deliberately relaxed and informal — inspired by Tokyo dive bars — so it reads as a special occasion through food rather than formal atmosphere. Anniversaries or birthday dinners for guests who prioritise the kitchen over ceremony will find it well-suited. For a more traditionally formal special occasion setting, Belcanto or 50 Seconds from Martín Berasategui are the alternatives to consider.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
