If you want to get a view of the city of Lisbon from the other side of the Tagus River and escape the hustle and bustle of the city, put Restaurante Ponto Final on top of your to do list!
Easy to find
This charming little restaurant is located on the southern banks of the Tagus River, in the town of Almada. To get here you cross the Tagus with the ferry. Contrary to what you read on the internet, this restaurant is not difficult to find – when you get off the ferry and turn right and just walk along the river shore, you’ll arrive at Ponto Final. It is not hard to find, the walk is about 10 minutes.
But because you’ll probably be spending a lot of time looking at the other side of the river where the city of LIsbon is, better add at least 10 minutes to the trip.
On the way there: warehouses with graffiti
During the walk you’ll pass old dilapidated warehouses full of graffiti (some fine pieces of street art too), and also along jetties in the Tagus which give you a great opportunity to take (panoramic) photos of the city and
Ponte 25 Abril. Here and there the Tagus can be quite rough and the waves break against the quay, with splashes coming on the quay – but you will certainly not get wet.
Sitting outside? Certainly!
The restaurant is very charming with yellow tables and chairs. In good weather I definitely recommend you to sit outside. It is even possible to sit at the end of the jetty, so that you are surrounded by the Tagus – this is often a draughty spot because of the wind, but the table setting here is perfect to enjoy the sunset.
Get wet during lunch
We had lunch here and sat at one of the tables near the river. At the end of our lunch the tide was coming in and the Tagus became more and more ferocious, which meant that we sometimes got small splashes of water near our table – if you don’t like this, it is no problem to get another table. In fact, serving staff comes by after every big wave to ask if you want another table. It not as bad as it looks, in total I got splashed maybe 10 times.
Sublime food
The food here is exquisite! Ponto Final serves typical Portuguese cuisine. The fish dishes in this restaurant are widely praised, but the meat dishes are also delicious. We ordered the Vitela à Ponto Final (veal) and the Entrecosto Assado no Forno (pork ribs) and we really enjoyed our meals!
Large portions, not very expensive
The meat dishes are big – big enough to be able to enjoy 1 portion with 2 people. This does not apply to fish dishes though, the portions are still large but do not lend themselves to letting 2 adults eat. If you still have room for a dessert afterwards, then we recommended the homemade Mousse de Chocolate.
Including the starter (some freshly baked bread and butter), half a liter of wine and half a liter of water, two main courses and one dessert with 2 bicas (cafe) we paid around 45 euros (or £40).
Tourists sit outside, locals stay inside
This restaurant was tipped to us by a local friend, but what we noticed was that there were many tourists, especially outside on the terrace. Inside the restaurant a few locals were eating, but the majority were tourists.
If you want to be sure of a table outside near the river (and one that offers a view of the sunset), get yourself a reservation. The staff is very friendly and speaks several languages.
Sightseeing at Ponto Final
When you’ve finished eating, don’t go straight back to the ferry but walk beyond the restaurant. At around 2 minutes there is a lift that takes you to Miradouro Boca do Vento. If you really fancy a walk then you can also continue from Ponto Final to Cristo Rei (about 35 minutes), and take the bus back to the city centre of LIsbon.
How to get to restaurante Ponto Final
Address: Rua do Ginjal 72, Almada
Opening hours: every day (except Tuesday) noon – 1:00 a.m. (please note: between 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. the kitchen is closed).
Boat: from Cais de Sodré (ship terminal) take the ferry to Cacilhas. The ferry goes 3-4 times per hour and a return ticket costs around 3 euros per person.
From the ferry you turn right on the quay, then it is a 10 minute walk.
