Midori

About Midori

Midori sits inside the Penha Longa hotel at Quinta da Lagoa Azul, set against the Sintra-Cascais Natural Park. The room does a lot of work before a dish arrives: large windows frame the wooded hillside, a mural by a Portuguese artist runs along the wall, vinyl panels absorb the acoustics, an open kitchen keeps the evening from feeling sealed-off or over-formal. For a special occasion dinner, the setting reads as considered rather than showy; which is the right register for the food that follows.

The kitchen operates under chef Pedro Almeida, with resident chef Tiago Santo running service nightly. The approach is Portuguese produce filtered through Japanese technique: fermentation, precision butchery, restrained seasoning applied to local ingredients rather than imported Japanese ones. The result is not fusion in the loose sense. Dishes like roasted tomato nigiri or Kakuni-style beef tongue with scorched aubergine are specific and committed to a point of view. The dessert course, Hachi, built on honey and oats, lands as a deliberate contrast to the savoury precision that precedes it.

Two tasting menus are on offer: Kiri at seven courses and Yama at nine. Neither is described as a lighter or introductory option; the difference is depth rather than register. First-timers without a strong preference should ask the team which suits the evening's pace. Both menus reflect the same kitchen logic, so the choice is mostly about how long you want to be at the table.

The Drinks Program

Midori's wine and drinks program sits inside a hotel property, which typically means a well-resourced cellar managed by a senior sommelier. The Portuguese wine list at this level, a Michelin-starred hotel restaurant in the Sintra-Cascais corridor, tends to run deep on Douro and Alentejo reds and on regional whites from Vinho Verde and the Lisbon DOC. Pairing by the glass or a full wine pairing alongside the tasting menu is the format that works well here; the kitchen's Japanese-Portuguese framework rewards guided pairings over solo selection. Specific list details are not publicly confirmed, so ask when booking whether a pairing is available for both menus and what the supplement runs.

Timing and Booking

Midori opens Tuesday through Saturday, evenings only, from 7 PM to 10:30 PM. Monday and Sunday are closed. Book at least four to six weeks ahead for weekend evenings, further in advance if you are travelling for a specific date. Walk-ins are not a realistic option. The hotel connection means the concierge at Penha Longa can assist with reservations if you are staying on property; otherwise, contact the restaurant directly through the hotel.

Friday and Saturday evenings fill first. Tuesday and Wednesday offer more flexibility and a quieter room. If the occasion allows a mid-week dinner, those nights give you a better chance of securing a booking on shorter notice.

Who Should Book

Midori is built for the kind of evening where the meal is the plan, not the prelude. The tasting-menu format, the remote hotel setting, the Michelin-starred price point all point toward couples on a milestone occasion, small groups willing to commit to a set menu, or food-focused travellers staying in the Sintra area who want to eat at the region's most credentialled table. It is not the right call for a casual dinner, a large party, or anyone resistant to a structured multi-course format.

For context within Portugal's fine-dining tier: Belcanto in Lisbon and Casa de Chá da Boa Nova in Leça da Palmeira operate in the same price band with two Michelin stars each. Midori's one-star positioning means it sits just below that tier on raw credential, but the Japanese-Portuguese concept has no direct equivalent in the country, which is the more relevant point for anyone choosing between them. If you are specifically in the Sintra-Cascais area and want a destination dinner, Midori is the address. See our full Sintra restaurants guide for the wider picture, our Sintra hotels guide if you are staying overnight.

Quick reference: Tue–Sat, 7 PM–10:30 PM only. Closed Mon and Sun. Two tasting menus (7 or 9 courses). Book 4–6 weeks minimum for weekends. Hotel setting at Penha Longa, Quinta da Lagoa Azul, Sintra.