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Urban Jungle: Prado, a Restaurant in an Abandoned Factory in Lisbon

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Urban Jungle: Prado, a Restaurant in an Abandoned Factory in Lisbon

April 16, 2019

As though The Lisboans—a bright, apartment-style hotel in Lisbon’s city center (see Apartments in Portugal with Vintage Style, Breakfast Included)—wasn’t already charming enough, here’s another reason to book a stay: Now you can venture downstairs for dinner at their restaurant, Prado Restaurante, housed in a portion of a former 19th-century candied fruit and preserves factory. When the team—architect Marta Fonseca, who also worked on converting a former factory into The Lisboans, and designers ArkStudio—found it, the factory was roofless, crumbling, and overgrown with vegetation. Though they enclosed it and restored the interiors, they kept a sense of the wild and overgrown, leaving the old factory machinery in place along the ceiling and introducing new plants that trail from the beams. It’s a fitting interior for a farm-to-table restaurant whose name means “meadow” in Portuguese. Take a look at the before and after, plus Prado Mercearia, the small market next door.

“After” photography by Rodrigo Cardoso, courtesy of Prado Restaurante.

Prado Restaurante, After

the entrance, now. 17
Above: The entrance, now.
the interior of the restaurant still has the open, vegetal feeling of the overg 18
Above: The interior of the restaurant still has the open, vegetal feeling of the overgrown factory, with tall ceilings and long pendant lights and vines trailing from the rafters. Cladding, painted in shades of dark green and black, grounds the space.
the team restored original elements from the \19th century factory—inclu 19
Above: The team restored original elements from the 19th-century factory—including the machinery and pulleys once used to make candies and tinned biscuits—and integrated them into the interiors. (N.B.: For more work by ArkStudio, see Kitchen of the Week: A Serene Space in Pale Blue at Casa C’Alma in Portugal.)
inset banquettes are upholstered in leather. for similar disk lights, see  20
Above: Inset banquettes are upholstered in leather. For similar disk lights, see 7 Favorites: Minimalist Brass Pendants.
on each table: candles and small potted vines. 21
Above: On each table: candles and small potted vines.
the kitchen is run by \26 year old chef antónio galapito, who sources prod 22
Above: The kitchen is run by 26-year-old chef António Galapito, who sources produce, seafood, and natural wines from farmers and fishermen he met while traveling around Portugal. Some of the dishes are cooked on a grill over olive and vine wood.

Prado Mercearia, After

prado mercearia, just around the corner, is modeled after an old fashioned port 23
Above: Prado Mercearia, just around the corner, is modeled after an old-fashioned Portuguese grocery.
double doors open onto the street. 24
Above: Double doors open onto the street.
inside: a tiled floor and traditional portuguese provisions. 25
Above: Inside: a tiled floor and traditional Portuguese provisions.
stones used in the original factory were cleaned, cut, and repurposed as servin 26
Above: Stones used in the original factory were cleaned, cut, and repurposed as serving boards.

The Factory, Before

the factory had been abandoned for \20 years and was covered in graffiti. 27
Above: The factory had been abandoned for 20 years and was covered in graffiti.
the &#8\2\20;interior,&#8\2\2\1; so to speak, before. 28
Above: The “interior,” so to speak, before.
note the machinery and the overgrowth of vines, reimagined in the new space. 29
Above: Note the machinery and the overgrowth of vines, reimagined in the new space.
an archway, before. 30
Above: An archway, before.

Planning a trip to Lisbon? See our Lisbon Travel Guide, and stop into a few of our favorite spots:

N.B.: This post is an update; the original story ran on August 8, 2018.

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