Downunder by Justin Jennings

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Downunder by Justin Jennings in Lisbon | Australian Contemporary Fine Dining

Downunder by Justin Jennings

In the Santos neighbourhood of Lisbon, Downunder by Justin Jennings offers something uncommon: Michelin-recognised cooking without the price tag that often accompanies it. The restaurant has been Michelin Selected for 2024, 2025, and 2026, a distinction that reflects the precision and ambition of the kitchen.

Chef Justin Jennings is the inaugural champion of Amazon Prime's The World Cook, with over twenty years of experience across Australia, Asia, and Europe. His cooking is a direct expression of that background — Australian Contemporary cuisine that draws on Asian techniques and ingredients, executed with the discipline of fine dining.

The menu is built around tasting experiences. The five-course journey, at €70, includes a prawn with pea panna cotta and mango sorbet, a ceviche with wasabi peas and ginger foam, corvina fillet with truffled mushrooms, 36-hour pork belly with lime caramel, and a chocolate and salted caramel tart. The seven-course experience, at €85, adds salt and pepper squid and a kangaroo dish with roasted vegetables and beetroot jam. Wine pairings are available for an additional €45 or €55.

Several dishes have become signatures. The kangaroo tartar — hand-cut Australian kangaroo with truffled caviar, confit yolk, and croutons — is a starter that appears on most tables. The 36-hour pork belly, slow-cooked until tender, with crispy skin and lime caramel, has been a guest favourite since the restaurant opened. The kitchen also works with barramundi, an Australian fish rarely seen in Lisbon.

The atmosphere is relaxed fine dining — the website describes it as "no pretension, no stiffness." The wine list draws from three continents, with strong selections from Portugal, Australia, and New Zealand, several available by the glass. Monthly wine dinners, featuring Portuguese producers and five-course pairings, are offered at €55 per person.

Tables are limited, and weekend reservations typically fill two to three days in advance. Most guests choose the tasting menu, which is the fullest expression of what Downunder does.