Starred tables,

the great Portuguese chefs

Anyone who has dined recently in Portugal knows, the Lusitanian table is no longer just a matter of tasquinhas and rustic cataplanas. Chefs established in Lisbon, Porto, the Algarve or Madeira have brought the country into the concert of great European gastronomies, with a clear identity: exceptional Atlantic products, a fully embraced regional heritage, technical precision and a sense of hospitality that never fades. The Michelin 2025 vintage confirms this dynamic, without triumphalism but with consistency: 8 restaurants maintain two stars, 38 display one star (including 8 new ones), 6 hold the Green Star and 28 are Bib Gourmand.

The “great” pillars, the 2-stars holding the helm

The Portuguese summit remains, in 2025, that of the two stars. Eight establishments embody this pinnacle of excellence: Alma (Lisbon, chef Henrique Sá Pessoa), Belcanto (Lisbon, José Avillez), Antiqvvm (Porto, Vítor Matos), Casa de Chá da Boa Nova (Leça da Palmeira, Rui Paula), Il Gallo d’Oro (Funchal, Benoît Sinthon), Ocean (Porches, Hans Neuner), The Yeatman (Vila Nova de Gaia, Ricardo Costa) and Vila Joya (Albufeira, Dieter Koschina). All maintain their two stars in 2025. A sign of maturity in the landscape, where consistency counts just as much as the wow effect.

Beyond the plates, these tables structure ecosystems: Ocean continues, for instance, to unfold millimetre-precise “maritime” menus under the direction of Hans Neuner; its restaurant manager Nelson Marreiros also receives the 2025 MICHELIN Service Award, a salutary reminder that the experience plays out as much in the dining room as in the kitchen.

A notable fact that persists, no 3-star restaurant in Portugal in 2025. That does not impede ambition nor emulation; it is seen rather as a temporary ceiling, which fuels the desire to “rise” yet another notch.

2025, the year of new stars… and firsts

The 2025 list brings eight new addresses into the one-star club: in Lisbon, Arkhe (plant-based cuisine by João Ricardo Alves), Grenache (Philippe Gelfi), YŌSO (Habner Gomes, omakase/kaiseki) and Marlene (Marlene Vieira); in the north, Blind (Porto, a project by Vítor Matos led daily by Rita Magro), Oculto (Vila do Conde, Vítor Matos & Hugo Rocha), Palatial (Braga); and in the Douro, Vinha (Vila Nova de Gaia, signature Henrique Sá Pessoa, execution Jonathan Seiller). Eight signatures, eight paths: sharp plant-based cooking, author’s cuisine, fully assumed Japanese inspiration, reinterpreted terroirs.

Two “firsts” particularly attract attention: Marlene Vieira (Marlene, Lisbon) and Rita Magro (Blind, Porto) become the first Portuguese female chefs to obtain a star in more than thirty years, a fact widely highlighted by the Iberian press. The signal is symbolic and concrete: female trajectories finally gain this visibility.

Lisbon-Porto: two locomotives, distinct styles

In Lisbon, the scene remains incredibly diverse: Belcanto and Alma with 2 ★ embody Lisbon haute couture, one (Avillez) digging narratives around Portuguese heritage, the other (Sá Pessoa) playing with seasoning and texture precision; Encanto, the 100% vegetarian address by José Avillez, receives the 2025 Green Star, a sign of deliberate work on sustainability (small-farm sourcing, strict seasonality). The new 1 ★ addresses in the capital, Arkhe, Grenache, YŌSO and Marlene, confirm the wide spectrum of expression: from high-precision plant-based cuisine to contemporary Asia, passing through French-inflected author cuisine, yet speaking fluent Lisbon.

In Porto and in the North, the powerful rise has been visible for a long time; 2025 formalises it. Antiqvvm holds its rank with 2 ★, while Blind (Porto), Oculto (Vila do Conde) and Palatial (Braga) earn their first star. One finds a more earthy personality, identity-driven sauces, a more assertive play on products from Minho and Douro, without giving up technical modernity.  (I haven’t finished the article yet and I’m still hungry…)

Algarve & Madeira: the Atlantic in widescreen

The South remains another strong pole. Ocean (Porches, 2 ★) composes ultra-precise marine scores, Vila Joya (Albufeira, 2 ★) perpetuates an elegance of high gastronomic hospitality, while Il Gallo d’Oro (Funchal, 2 ★) proudly elevates the refined insularity of Madeira. Together, these houses anchor a “sun and great wines” hospitality that seduces both gastronomes and travellers.

Chefs, teams, scenes: what makes the difference

Three drivers stand out.

1. Mastery of product: Atlantic fishing (ray, shellfish, swordfish and albacore tuna), matured beef, vegetables from farmers working in micro-seasons, tables that consider maturation, brining and smoking. The North pushes strongly on game and mushrooms; Lisbon embraces global influences; the Algarve and Madeira orchestrate iodine and fruity generosity.
2. Sustainability: the Green Star for Encanto illustrates a transversal trend: short supply chains, reduction of plastic, full plant-based menus, energy awareness. These criteria, now public, shift the lines and structure the offer for 2025.
3. The dining-room professions: the art of Portuguese service gains scale, from bread trolleys to carving, from food-and-wine pairings to the welcome. The Service award given to Nelson Marreiros (Ocean) says it clearly: the experience is played at 360°.
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Where to book now? A few very 2025 ideas

• For a “summit” vision of the country: a two-part journey between Belcanto/Alma (Lisbon) and Antiqvvm/The Yeatman (Porto–Vila Nova de Gaia) gives a sense of Portuguese contemporary classicism at the highest level.

• For the spirit of the moment: Arkhe and Marlene (Lisbon) for two opposite yet complementary readings — one plant-based, the other Portuguese pop haute couture; Blind (Porto) and Oculto (Vila do Conde) to feel the northern wave.

• For the Atlantic in grand style: Ocean or Vila Joya (Algarve) for menus where iodine is written in capital letters; in Madeira, Il Gallo d’Oro for a masterfully held island identity.

A word on the post-2025 landscape

Michelin publishes each year a “state of play” complemented by summary articles and a press release detailing figures and novelties (8 new 1 ★, 35 “recommended”, 5 new Bibs, etc.). It is a precise snapshot of the moment; the scene itself changes every day. But if one line had to be retained: Portugal consolidates. The eight two-stars hold their rank, and the new 1 ★ broaden the spectrum (plant-based, omakase, reinterpreted terroirs). Meanwhile, the Green Star progresses, and the dining-room professions finally step into the light. No 3 ★, then; but a base of excellence broad enough that the next step no longer feels like a chimera.

Sources

• Michelin Guide Portugal 2025: key figures, 8 new 1 ★, Green Star for Encanto, list of confirmed 2 ★.
• Focus “2 ★ Portugal”: complete list (Alma, Antiqvvm, Belcanto, Casa de Chá da Boa Nova, Il Gallo d’Oro, Ocean, The Yeatman, Vila Joya).
• Also read: 2025 summary articles (Forbes, Lisbon/Porto Secreto) and pieces on the rise of chefs Marlene Vieira and Rita Magro.

(All addresses mentioned are open and referenced by the Michelin Guide in the 2025 edition.)