The vision for the 16-suite JNcQUOI House in Lisbon will not be revealed until spring 2026, but excitement is already brewing for what will be a new collaboration between Miguel Guedes de Sousa, CEO and founder of the JNcQUOI universe, and Belgian architect, designer and Molteni & C’s creative director Vincent Van Duysen. Luckily for us, the men have offered the world an amuse bouche: JNcQUOI Fish.
‘JNcQUOI Fish is Portugal’s tribute to the Atlantic and a symbol of a new generation of Portuguese hospitality. It was born with the ambition to become an international reference in fish cuisine – crafted with Portuguese soul and excellence in hospitality,’ says de Sousa.
It was a meeting, through mutual friends, and a visit to Van Duysen’s Comporta hideaway – a serenely minimalist pavilion – that prompted a collaboration between the architect and De Sousa, with the design of the JNcQUOI Beach Club in Comporta, opened in 2023, entrusted to him. It is the combination of De Sousa’s passion for theatre and conviviality matched with Van Duysen’s restraint that makes that project, JNcQUOI House, and the upcoming JNcQUOI Club Comporta (expected to open in 2028) so compelling.
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These dual elements – Van Duysen’s pared-back aesthetic and De Sousa’s attention to guest experience – are fully at play in JNcQUOI Fish. The first of three restaurants that will feature in JNcQUOI House (speakeasy bar the Mirror Room and intimate dining experience JNcQUOI Table are due to open soon), it takes its design inspiration from traditions of Atlantic fishing and Portugal’s famed craftsmanship, as well as the local architecture.
A key inspiration was the architecture and textures of the kitchens of Portugal’s Palácio de Sintra – think diagonal patterned Portuguese glazed tiles that bring to mind fish scales, limestone walls, deep-green hand-painted coffered ceilings and black clay floor tiles.
The attention to detail is matched in the kitchen, where chefs Filipe Carvalho and António Bóia create dishes like Codfish Cake with Caviar and Tartar Sauce, Seared Grouper with Algarve White Prawn over Spinach and Roasted Octopus à Lagareiro from the open kitchen. It’s traditionally inspired cuisine executed with contemporary elegance.
It’s an effect further heightened by beautiful table settings. The tableware has been produced by iconic Portuguese porcelain brand Vista Alegre, while silver-plated cutlery was created by Mepra and serving platters were made in Portugal from perhaps the country’s most notable material, Amorim cork – here presented with a blackened finish to fit the scheme.
If this restaurant is, quite literally, a taste of what is to come as the launch of JNcQUOI House approaches, our interest is officially picqued. jncquoihouse.com
