Roda Viva image

Roda Viva

Restaurant African restaurant

👍👍 A stunning eating experience, the food is so delicious and I loved it. We had a wide selection of food. Staring with the mushrooms and aubergine and Shrimps, I was so pleased with the shrimp, and they had a chilli oil sauce and one could spice up as you liked. Then the Chicken and Peanut sauce was... People often mention curry, friendly, sauce, good, meal, dish, service, tasty, Lisbon, restaurant,


Address

Beco do Mexias 11 R/c, 1100-349 Lisboa, Portugal

Website

www.facebook.com

Contact

+351 21 887 1730

Price rating

$$ $$

Rating on Google Maps

4.60 (427 reviews)

Open on Google Maps

Working Hours

  • Sunday: 12 to 4 PM, 6 PM to 12 AM
  • Monday: 6 PM to 12 AM
  • Tuesday: Closed
  • Wednesday: 6 PM to 12 AM
  • Thursday: 6 PM to 12 AM
  • Friday: 6 PM to 12 AM
  • Saturday: 12 to 4 PM, 6 PM to 12 AM

Featured Reviews


Frequently mentioned in reviews: curry (13) friendly (10) sauce (9) good (9) meal (9) dish (8) service (8) tasty (7) Lisbon (7) restaurant (7)
Reviews are sorted by relevance, prioritizing the most helpful and insightful feedback at the top for easier reference.
  • 5/5 James B. 2 years ago on Google • 288 reviews
    A stunning eating experience, the food is so delicious and I loved it. We had a wide selection of food. Staring with the mushrooms and aubergine and Shrimps, I was so pleased with the shrimp, and they had a chilli oil sauce and one could spice up as you liked. Then the Chicken and Peanut sauce was incredible while the Spaghetti and clams were brilliant. We were with vegans and they found the spinach dish very tasty while the greens in peanut sauce and mushroom were all enjoyed. A lovely service, it's a relaxed and enjoyable pace, we spent a lovely two hours here.
    4 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Ewa S. 2 years ago on Google
    Delicious food, fantastic atmosphere. You should try shrimps in curry sauce. We're coming back here always when we are in Lisbon. Friendly people treated me like a good friend. Awesome place :-)
    2 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Michal L. 5 months ago on Google • 50 reviews
    Delicious food and very friendly and nice service. I will be back.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 3/5 Nadine S. 4 months ago on Google • 147 reviews
    I found this place after I Googled “African restaurants in Lisbon”. I was keen to support a Black owned business while I was in town. Luckily this one was less then a 5 min walk from my Airbnb. While the decor, vibe and waiter were all lovely enough unfortunately I wasn’t very impressed with the food. I was definitely expecting more after having read the reviews. Reviews were raving about the shrimp curry but once I found out the shrimp was served with shells on, I decided to go for the chicken & peanut dish as I was hungry wanted something easy. However I did not find the chicken dish to be very tasty. Also I am not sure what part of the chicken it was but it was not very meaty, and was quite full of bones? The rice was so so, quite plain. Like other reviewers have mentioned, I did not find the portion size or food quality to match the price. However my favourite thing was the port wine - very tasty! What didn’t help was I spotted an in insect run across the floor, I think it was a cockroach? I am not sure exactly. But I think it’s an area issue rather than a Roda Viva specific issue as I noticed quite a few of the same creatures dead on public steps nearby. It’s a huge shame. I wanted to support but unfortunately it was not my favourite meal/dining experience.

  • 5/5 J W. 2 years ago on Google
    Such a fabulous restaurant. Everything we tried (the crab curry, shrimp curry, samosas, tchampa, chicken curry, and fried manioc and the xima) were just so delicious, and the service is so incredibly friendly. It was so good we came back the next day!
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Marcello C. 2 years ago on Google
    Out of all the restaurants we ate at in Lisbon this was the one I loved the most. It feels like the owner really put in effort to show the world the love he has for his home country and this is tangible on many levels: the food, the decor, the books on the shelves, the little music stage where (if you’re lucky - we weren’t) sometimes they have a little jam. It’s a small restaurant with a selection of well prepared Mozambican dishes with vegetarian options. The standout was the Cassava dish and the crab curry.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Tal Y. 2 years ago on Google
    Great experience! Their sign caught our eye straight away, the food didn't fail, everything we tried was super tasty, and the staff were super friendly and tried their best teaching us some Portuguese! Definitely worth the stop...
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Angela A. 1 year ago on Google
    Had a delicious meal here. Cute, small vibe but with lots of seating (two dining rooms) and tucked away in a sneaky alley off the square. Friendly staff, good prices, but really the shining star here is the food. We had cabbage curry with rice and samosas with chili sauce (def get it) and it was all amazing. We cleared our plates and noticed that everyone else had done the same. Can't wait to go back.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Larry S. 1 year ago on Google • 50 reviews
    The Mozambican beer is really good. I had Makofo (cabbage with coconut & peanuts) with Xima (white corn dough), and ended with coconut mousse and a coffee. Owner is friendly, speaks very good English, and is attentive to customer's needs. All of the food was delicious!!!

  • 5/5 David S. 10 months ago on Google • 41 reviews
    Really excellent food and friendly service. Started with the fried cassava followed by Makofo with prawns and xima. Everything was really tasty.

  • 5/5 Yasel Febles T. 11 months ago on Google • 41 reviews
    A super friendly place hidden from the main walking streets of Lisbon. The staff is super nice and the food is just amazing. It's all prepared with natural ingredients, you can notice on the flavor. We asked for a 1L fresh made lemonade😋 and mandioca fries apart of the main dishes. Its not pricey and the food has very good quality. An African food place to change airs from the other restaurants nearby. Its narrow and small, so maybe in summer is a little hot. For us It is totally recommended if you are in the area.

  • 5/5 Johannes J. 11 months ago on Google • 23 reviews
    Cosy restaurant with incredibly friendly staff and really good food. Interesting selection of Mozambique cuisine (rather mild but tasty). Highly enjoyed our dinner at Roda Viva - a hidden gem!

  • 4/5 Hardik S. 2 months ago on Google • 18 reviews New
    Tried Mozambique cuisine for the first time. Good quality traditional food. Being vegetarian, options are always limited but still gave it a try. I wouldn't say I liked it much but that's my personal preference but overall food quality, service was nice.

  • 5/5 Destiny Firsty Atiti M. 2 months ago on Google • 18 reviews New
    Roda viva surprised me, the taste was smooth and different. Staff was very friendly and accessible. The place is quite small however I recommend everyone to give it a try.

  • 5/5 Elliott P. 2 months ago on Google • 8 reviews New
    The food here is Devine! I could not stop myself until the plate was almost clean!

  • 5/5 Erica S. 1 year ago on Google
    Wow! My favorite meal in Lisbon - I ate so many places from super high brow to small local places - and the food and flavors here WIN. I had the samosas with chili sauce and the shrimp in the house sauce and literally did everything but lick my plate clean. The service was also so amazing and kind! So much better than some of the more expensive places I tried. Must visit yall!

  • 5/5 Nicole-Ann L. 1 year ago on Google
    Incredible restaurant—one of the best meals I’ve had in Lisbon. Very friendly and hospitable service; the food had an incredible depth of flavor and the vibrancy of the restaurant and general environment made this meal a pleasure. The freshly fried chamuça was crisp, delicate, and balanced. The prawns in a fragrant coconut curry were tender and succulent, and paired with xima made a textural delight. Don’t miss the homemade chili oil! I look forward to returning!

  • 5/5 Chris S. 5 months ago on Google
    So, so delicious! After 12 days in Portugal we were longing for some flavor, some spice, some freshness… Roda Viva delivered! The food, the staff, the cuteness of the place, ALL earn 5 stars from us! We’ll be back tomorrow, we hear the samosas are amazing!

  • 5/5 Ed C. 10 months ago on Google • 5 reviews
    Amazing experience! This is definitely the best meal we’ve had on our 10 day trip through Portugal. I wish I had eaten here every night! We had the homemade lemonade (not too sweet), veggie soup, meat and veggie samosas (with chili to die for), the mushroom and eggplant dish and the prawn curry with both rice (cooked in coconut milk and taste like heaven) and the corn meal. The other reviews are spot on! Nunu, our server, and the chef were at the table often and gave us a lot of background on the food and culture.

  • 5/5 Kristen K. 1 year ago on Google
    Amazing food and ambience. Delicious samosas, and a unique twist that still utilizes the traditional Portuguese ingredients. Best and most memorable meal of our trip to Portugal!

  • 5/5 Karina P. 1 year ago on Google
    Best food we had in a while. We stopped here spontaneously and had no expectations, the place is just top, the tastes are so well balanced! I highly recommend mushrooms with eggplant!

  • 5/5 jenny h. 1 year ago on Google
    Came across this restaurant on Google maps and it was amazing! The highlight of my trip. We had the crab curry, prawns and chicken curry, the flavours were unreal! Would definitely recommend this place, add it to your top 5 places to eat at!!

  • 4/5 Martin S. 4 years ago on Google
    Delicious Mozambique food. We had been looking for somewhere that served meat but that also had a ‘real’ vegetarian option. This was that place. Friendly staff and lovely, lovely mushrooms.

  • 5/5 Emma F. 4 years ago on Google
    You absolutely must dine here! It was by far our best meal in Lisbon, each interesting dish carefully made with love. First we ordered the samosas which were just perfect with the home made chilli oil, each one a glorious crispy parcel bursting with flavour. The tchatinha appetiser was a mushroom, eggplant and coconut dish and it was so tasty we failed to photograph it.... The crab curry was incredible, giant pieces of meaty crab wading in a rich sauce of spices, and the mathapa (blended cassava leaves in coconut) was delicious. All of the flavours were wonderfully unique. But most importantly Chamba, the owner and chef, made our night. He was friendly and attentive, evidently happy to be running such a high quality restaurant. You won't regret a visit (or two)!

  • 5/5 Bjarte B. 2 years ago on Google
    A wonderful, powerful meal that we will remember for a long time. We had shrimp curry and chicken in peanut/coco sauce. The house-piri-piri-sauce was a winner. Lovely mango mousse for dessert. Friendly staff and a nice atmosphere. Don’t miss this oportunity.

  • 4/5 A K. 2 years ago on Google
    Relaxed atmosphere, very good service, nice music. The African cuisine just good but interesting. If you order dish with meet expect it will be served with all the bones, skins etc.


Call +351 21 887 1730 Open on Google Maps

Amenities


  • Payments
    • ✓️ Debit cards
    • ✓️ Credit cards
    • ✓️ NFC mobile payments
  • Offerings
    • ✓️ Beer
    • ✓️ Wine
    • ✓️ Coffee
    • ✓️ Alcohol
    • ✓️ Hard liquor
    • ✓️ Small plates
  • Accessibility
    • ✗ Wheelchair accessible seating
    • ✗ Wheelchair accessible entrance
    • ✗ Wheelchair accessible parking lot
  • Dining options
    • ✓️ Lunch
    • ✓️ Dinner
    • ✓️ Dessert
    • ✓️ Seating
  • Service options
    • ✓️ Dine-in
    • ✓️ Takeout
    • ✗ Delivery

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