CURA

You’ll find CURA inside the Four Seasons Hotel Ritz, the monumental luxury property commissioned by António de Oliveira Salazar back in the 1950s. The restaurant feels like a direct extension of the hotel’s famous private art collection, blending a mid-century modernist aesthetic with contemporary art and design. Walls are paneled in dark Madeira wood, tables are made from polished Bahia blue granite, and brass accents catch the light. The dining room has high ceilings but maintains an intimate scale. An open kitchen is a central part of the space, running along one side and giving you a direct view of the culinary team. The restaurant’s name comes from the Portuguese word for curatorship ("curadoria"), a philosophy that guides the entire menu. The kitchen, led by Executive Chef Rodolfo Lavrador, builds its modern Portuguese tasting menus around meticulously sourced seasonal and sustainable ingredients. Dining here is a set journey. You choose between the two main menus, "Percurso" and "Passo," which are also available in vegetarian versions. Dishes are innovative but rooted in Portuguese flavors, like line-caught sea bass with Cuscos Transmontanos or Sagres squid with elderflower. It’s common for the chefs to personally present and explain the components of each course at the table. While there are extensive Portuguese and international wine pairings, one of the most distinctive offerings is the non-alcoholic pairing – a carefully considered selection of juices and infusions that receives the same level of attention as the wine.