Chiado, Lisbon
The Velvet Table
Gastronomic excellence
Cooking from the coast and the garden, told with very little. In the heart of Chiado.
ScrollThe house
Velvet in Chiado
The Velvet Table opened in Lisbon in 2016, in a Chiado house where the light stays low and the service stays quiet. The name belongs to the room: a quiet table, and plates built around a few ingredients, chosen for the season and for the hand that grew them.
Mateo Alves’ cooking joins Portuguese memory with the discipline of a European dining room. Atlantic fish, inland gardens, slow fermentations. Nothing is added unless it serves the flavour.
From the menu
Three gestures of the house
A glimpse of the tasting menu and the carte. The full sequence changes through the week.
- Oyster crystalOyster, cucumber, dill and a cold green-apple broth.
- TurbotRoasted turbot, clams and brown butter.
- Chocolate and oilSeventy-percent chocolate, new oil and salt.
Experiences
How dinner works here
The main room, a private room and a cellar meant to accompany the plate, not cover it.
Private dining
A room for tables of up to fourteen. The menu is agreed in advance, with its own service and your own hour.
Seasonal menu
A short sequence that follows the garden and the tides. It stays on the carte for a few weeks, then leaves.
Wine pairing
Five glasses with the tasting menu. Atlantic wines, a few Italian bottles, no rigid sequence.
Gallery
Light, room, plate
People
Who keeps the house
Mateo Alves
Chef patron
Raised between Lisbon and Piedmont. He has led the kitchen since opening day, with a brigade of eight.
Inês Carvalho
Chef de cuisine
She looks after the main courses and the savoury larder. She worked in Porto before joining the house in 2019.
Rafael Costa
Sommelier
He keeps a short cellar, centred on the Atlantic and on a few Italian and French regions.
Sofia Mendes
Maître
She welcomes the room and holds the book. The pace of service, from the first glass to coffee, is hers.
Reservations
A table for the evening
Dinner is Tuesday to Saturday. On Sunday we open for lunch only. We write back to confirm.