When owner Carlos Silva arrived to Miami from his native Portugal in the 1990s, he was so excited to see a Portuguese restaurant preparing for their grand opening that he eagerly knocked on the door and was greeted by the owner. He obliged his fellow countryman with a preview of the menu – a perfectly cooked grilled bacalhao (codfish) with vinho verde. At the end of the meal, Carlos gratefully handed over a twenty-dollar bill and thus became the very first customer of Old Lisbon Restaurant.

A few years after that fateful visit, Carlos became the owner of Old Lisbon and with his vision and hard work, turned this once humble restaurant into an iconic Portuguese fine dining restaurant chain with three locations.