Born and raised in Lisbon; now splitting his time between East London and Portugal, Nuno Mendes has dedicated his life to exploring and perfecting his cooking. His vast experience spans from culinary training in San Francisco to working with some of the world’s leading chefs, such as Wolfgang Puck, Rocco di Spirito and Jean-Georges Vongerichten in both New York and London. Mendes is a pioneer of modern gastronomy, a traveller or ‘viajante,’ who has explored the globe in search of unique ingredients, innovative techniques and first-hand experience on local farms.
Chef Nuno Mendes
In the years since 2006 when he first made his mark on the London food scene with his avant-garde cooking at Bacchus, Hoxton, Nuno has conceived several notable projects in the capital. Some, such as The Loft Project (2009) and Taberna do Mercado (2017) saw Nuno contributing to the boundary- pushing, creative spaces of London gastronomy. The former, an underground supper club movement which later evolved into what Nuno affectionately refers to as a ‘chef’s gallery’, garnered a cult following. The latter, a small-plates eatery, played a critical role in establishing Portuguese food as an individual cuisine in the minds of Londoners. Others, such as Viajante (2015) and Mãos (2018), garnered more mainstream success, with both restaurants receiving the coveted Michelin Star.
In February 2014, Nuno joined Andre Balazs as executive chef of Balazs’ first UK venture, Chiltern Firehouse, which opened to critical acclaim and lead to the publication of ‘Chiltern Firehouse — The Cookbook’ (2016). In 2017 Nuno also published his first solo cookbook, ‘Lisboeta‘ (Bloomsbury publishing), which inspired his partnership with restaurant group MJMK to launch Lisboeta (2022) — Nuno’s ‘love letter to Lisbon’ — on Charlotte Street, Soho.
In February 2023, Nuno launched Cozinha das Flores and Flôr, a neighbourhood restaurant and bar in the historic centre of Porto and part of sister project The Largo – 18 rooms, set across 5 heritage buildings. The following year, Nuno opened Santa Joana in Lisbon, a contemporary take on Lisbon’s food culture located within the stylish Locke de Santa Joana hotel.
Nuno now splits his time between London and Porto, between Lisboeta and Cozinha das Flores and Flôr respectively, you will find him cooking with the team from the open kitchen at Lisboeta when he’s in town.
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The Times
"I’ve changed my mind. Portuguese food, as everyone knows, is the best food in the world."
Giles Coren
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50 Best Discovery
"Chef patron Nuno Mendes’ takes inspiration from his hometown’s stories, flavours and producers to offer a deeply personal dining experience."
The World’s 50 Best Restaurants
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Financial Times
"We overuse the word “breathtaking” in this business, but when the fish landed on my table with the heft of a sack of wet sand, honking of garlic and hot oil, I let out a little “oof” of excitement."
Tim Hayward
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Evening Standard
“A gently uncompromising, glorious odyssey into an untrammelled new world of Portuguese cuisine.”
Jimi Famurewa
