Since the end of May 2024, Almare by Benini in Carcavelos has been serving authentic Italian flavors. However, the space recently underwent a renovation, expanding its interior and preparing to launch a spring menu with a stronger focus on seafood.
Ninety percent of the ingredients, carefully selected for quality, come directly from Italy. The exceptions are fresh produce, of course — meat, fish, vegetables, and fruit. Everything else, from the flour used to make fresh pasta to San Marzano tomatoes, is sourced from Italian suppliers.
In the antipasti section, the famous Italian starters, you'll find options like the burrata, served with fresh arugula, semi-dried tomatoes, and aromatic basil (€10.50); the vitello tonnato, thin slices of tender veal topped with a smooth and creamy tuna sauce, garnished with capers (€13); or the fritto misto, a selection of squid, shrimp, and puntillitas, served with a mix of freshly fried vegetables (€19).
You can continue your meal with a linguine vongole (€17.50), pasta with succulent clams; a trofie al pesto Benini (€17), a traditional Genoese pasta coated in homemade pesto sauce; or the delicate ravioli bufalina (€15), filled with mozzarella di bufala and served with a cherry tomato sauce. The risotto al nero (€18.50), with cuttlefish ink, fish tartare, and stracciatella burrata, is also worth a try.
Another specialty is the Roman pinsa. The dough is made from a blend of three flours — wheat, soy, and rice—which is naturally fermented using sourdough, resting for at least 48 hours in the fridge. This gives the dough a special lightness, which is then hand-worked to ensure it’s neither tight nor stiff.
Among the options is the pinsa Genovese (€16.90), with Benini pesto sauce, stracchino cheese, and basil; the Regina (€13.70), with tomato sauce, mozzarella, ham, and fresh mushrooms; the Fresca (€15.90), with tomato sauce, mozzarella, arugula, Parma ham, and cherry tomatoes; or the F4 (€15.90), with mozzarella, gorgonzola, ricotta, and parmesan, which can also be served with tomato sauce.
They also serve salads and some meat and fish dishes, such as the mixed grill of fresh fish and shrimp, served with sautéed vegetables (€24); the grilled tenderloin steak on a bed of fresh arugula, topped with shavings of Parmesan (€22); or the skewers of shrimp and squid, marinated with Mediterranean herbs and gratinated with a crunchy coating, served with a mixed salad. To accompany, there is a selection of Italian wines, or you can opt for a spritz if you prefer something more spirited.
Almare by Benini originates from Benini, a restaurant in Paço de Arcos opened in 2020, owned by the same couple, Victor Allan Barreto and Annamaria Benini. He is the son of a French father and a Portuguese mother, having grown up in Lisbon; she is a true Genoese. They met in Germany when they were in their 20s. Victor Allan later went to Switzerland for hotel school but continued to write love letters to Annamaria. Six years later, they married. They spent most of their life in the Congo, but in the years before the pandemic, they decided it was time to return to Europe. They eventually chose Portugal, where they came up with the idea to open an Italian restaurant, honoring Annamaria’s roots.
They started with Arte Bianca in the center of Lisbon, which has since closed. In 2020, they opened Benini in Paço de Arcos. “I wanted to introduce the food from my city, and it all started with my mother’s recipes”, explains Annamaria to Time Out. Meanwhile, one of their daughters married a Portuguese man, Gonçalo Morais, who just so happened to be a chef. He worked in various restaurants, mostly in hotels, having spent a decade at the Pestana group. They combined the best of both worlds, and Gonçalo took charge of the kitchen at Benini — and now, of the newly opened Almare by Benini.
The new restaurant, inspired by the sea, is more focused on the Marche region of Italy — where Annamaria’s father, Alberto, was from. The space they now occupy in Praça do Junqueiro, which they completely renovated, previously served poké bowls.
In December, they completed another renovation, closing off an outdoor area — which they plan to decorate with different elements soon, creating an “enveloping jungle” atmosphere. Within a year, they hope to open a third restaurant with a “different concept” — which, according to Gonçalo Morais, could work well either in the center of Cascais or the heart of Lisbon. We’ll have to wait and see.
Praça do Junqueiro, 7, Carcavelos. Tue-Sun 12.00-15.00; 19.00-22.30. 935 376 585