There was a time, not so long ago when “hotel food” conjured a very specific image: a sad club sandwich with soggy fries in the dining room or, at best, a silver cloche lifted to reveal something faintly apologetic. Room service was a last resort and the hotel restaurant a convenience rather than a destination. But restaurants are increasingly becoming the reason to book the night, not the other way around. Realising that guests want experiences beyond their room — not just a comfy bed and nice bath products — hotels are upping their dining game. Travellers want a story to take home, and a meal to remember has become one of the most compelling ways to tell it.

We now see hotels hiring ambitious chefs, building beautiful restaurants with street entrances, and treating dining as a central experience. The hotel restaurant has become a destination in their own right and menus are leaning into sustainability, local sourcing, and cultural specificity, reflecting a broader shift across global dining toward authenticity and environmental awareness. And then there’s ambition: Serious restaurants are increasingly choosing to live inside hotels and Michelin stars now shine brightly next to hotel entrances.

And it seems the trend is growing: this year’s Michelin gala event saw the Éon Restaurant at he Placate Severo in Porto get their first star, adding them to the list of Portuguese hotels with a Michelin-adorned restaurant. The hotel only opened last year, but the ambition for the restaurant was clear.

Restaurante Áurea

One of my favourite hotel restaurants is Restaurante Áurea, located in the exciting Art Legacy Hotel in central Lisbon. Already a landmark building colourfully renovated by architect Luís Rebelo de Andrade, it’s a full sensory experience with the deconstructed fusion cuisine of head chef André Serra, mixing Lisbon culinary traditions with other influences like Cape Verdean and Spanish. The food is as colourful as the walls surrounding it, and the bar provides a great kickoff to the evening: here, artisanal cocktails accompany the view of the open kitchen. Serra is prompting his chefs to shine, presenting the dishes they made themselves — an amicable trait. Don’t miss the Alentejo gazpacho or the quail with Japanese curry and Thai green mango salad.

Kikubari by Kabuki

Food can also be a good way of bringing the lobby to life, opening up the building to walk-ins and bookings from those not staying at the hotel. A good example is Kikubari by Kabuki at the Four Seasons Ritz Hotel in Lisbon, who recently started utilising their bar space in the day time for lunches, which is now open all day. The bar is a sister to the hotel’s Michelin-starred restaurant Kikubari and blends Japanese food with signature cocktails. Add a scarlet shrimp gyoza with caviar, a wagyu steak sandwich, or a shrimp dynamite uramaki to your cocktail or Asahi draft beer, or come for a full lunch, like the Japanese do, with a Bento Box. The cocktails are crafted with Japanese ingredients fused with Portuguese flavours, and they are absolutely delish.

Culinary World of Vila Vita Parc

If you can’t decide between sushi or beef, Moroccan or Parisian, you will be spoilt for choice at the Vila Vita Parc in the Algarve. The massive luxury resort is home to 12 restaurants and 7 bars — and with 22 hectares of subtropical landscapes and beach, you never have to leave the hotel. But this is not your ordinary all-inclusive. The gastronomic options are of very high quality, you will even find a 2-Michelin-starred restaurant, Ocean by Hans Neuner (booking ahead needed) here. The resort’s culinary philosophy is firmly rooted in sustainability and authenticity. Vila Vita Parc has its own farm in Alentejo, where the production of meat and other products, such as olive oil, jams and wine, is carefully controlled, ensuring the highest quality. The resort even sports a wine cellar with more than 5,000 bottles with a total of 1,000 different references, offering tastings. So if you want to take a journey “around the world in 80 meals”, ranging from Japanese (Mizu Teppanyaki) and Italian (Giardino) to Portuguese (Adega) and French (Bela Vita Bar & Brasserie) cuisine, look no further. For a light lunch or relaxed dinner, go to Whale with its international coastal cuisine, or head to nearby Porches, where Villa Vita has a Biergarten — a place to feast on schnitzels and pretzels to your heart’s desire.

Exuberante

The Exuberante restaurant at the Altis Porto Hotel is confidently steered by head chef Rafaela Ferreira. Recently named ‘Chef Revelation 2025’ at the Mesa Marcada Awards, her resume includes sous-chef at Michelin restaurant Feitoria alongside chef André Cruz. Exuberante has elevated vegetable dishes on offer, but there are also meat and fish on the menu, which is divided into four categories. One of them is a sharing option, and the nutritional value is, in general, taken into account. The casual, yet elegant atmosphere is host to both local regulars as well as visitors to Porto. Start with an aperitif in the Slowly Bar or end the night here with a little buzz.

Even if staying at a hotel with a great restaurant means the luxury and comfort of a very short elevator ride to a soft bed after your big meal, the restaurants are mostly open to people not staying at the hotels as well. Enjoy!