Boa-Bao

Boa-Bao is the restaurant people recommend when someone in the group does not eat meat, and that is meant as praise. Plenty of places bolt a token vegetarian dish onto the menu; here the vegetable and vegan dishes are written with the same attention as everything else, and several of them are the best things on the table.

The cooking spans Southeast Asia — Thai curries, Vietnamese rolls, Malaysian and Indonesian influences, the bao the name promises. The curries carry real depth and are properly spiced rather than politely warmed. The pad thai is better than the tourist-menu version most places serve. Portions are generous and priced for sharing, which is how the menu wants to be eaten.

The room, on Largo Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro, is bright, plant-heavy and permanently busy, with a terrace on the square that is one of the better outdoor seats in Chiado. They do not take bookings for small groups at peak times, so either arrive early or put your name down and have a drink nearby.

Honest notes: the no-reservations policy at peak means waits of half an hour or more on weekend evenings. It is loud. And as with anywhere doing this many cuisines at once, the range is broad rather than deep — a specialist Thai kitchen would beat it on Thai food. But for a mixed table with mixed diets, in the middle of Chiado, it solves the problem better than anywhere else nearby.