Best locally frequented places to eat.
 

Four of us will be in Lisbon and Porto and are looking for good restaurants frequented by locals and NOT tourists. We simply want good fare and to meet local people. If anyone has restaurant names and would like to share them, I would appreciate it. I will check Google maps to find them.
Thanks for any help that you can give.

Dear Rogandgee, I can give you a list my favourites, from top to bottom (pricewise).
- Tavares is referred in classic Eça de Queiros' 19th century novel "The Maias". Michelin rated restaurants are Eleven (top of Edward 7th Park) and Belcanto (Chiado). I mentioned this for completeness of the list, however the locals don't go to these places, at least at a regular basis.
- Near Intendente Sq, there is Ramires with a great offer on seafood. Ramires became famous after appearance on shows like "Anthony Bourdain in Lisbon" and "Bizarre foods Lisbon". Ramires accepts no reservations and at 6:30 pm there are already 30 persons queuing for a table.
The for above restaurants are in the league of 50+ euros per person.
On the average side (quality vs money) I recommend Império and Adega das Gravatas.
- Império is a classical restaurant with a great 1950's atmosphere. Sometimes is offers live music or display of sport events in cinema like screen. Their thematic dinners (Mexican, Brazilian, Italian, dancing dinners, etc) are very funny to attend. Average price is 25 euros pp. My fav dish is "bife da vazia com ovo e molho à império".
- Adega das Gravatas is the best restaurant imho for Portuguese style of food. It's not in the city center (area Carnide, read "car need") and a taxi is advised to go there. It has queue to find a table, mostly during weekends. Portions are way too generous. Average 20 euros pp.
This is the category of restaurants. Bellow this there are tascas, the places where the lisbonites eat. Places where the sophistication is left in a minimal level and all the attention is given to food. The problem with Tascas is that they rarely accept plastic. Is a good policy to carry some cash.
- Joao dos Cornos (Rua Pascoal de Melo) is great for petiscos. A portion of chicken guizzards with French fries, more than enough for 2 costs 5.20 euros. A chouriço assado (grilled sausage with bread) costs 3 or 4 euros. Bacalhau cozido ou assado costs about 8 euros.
- Cantinho de S. José is another example of tasca. Good food, nice service, mix of locals and aliens.
- Bismillah in rua do Benformoso (Bangladesh town) is my favourite place for "prawn curry" (stictly non alcoholic place). The attendants speak no Portuguese - average 10 euros
- St. André (Costa do Castelo), near Castle. Attended by more tourists than the places referred before. Fado performance Fridays to Sundays.
some notes on the tascas:
- feel free to share dishes. feel free to ask "I want this to come 1st and that to come after". Between fish and meat, waiters must change dishes and silverware.
- all places have vinho da casa (wine) at moderate prices, no need to go to the expensive wines in the list
-

Thank you very much lobo_mau for your very valuable guidance.
Blessings.

I saw a chronicle (bilingual) of Lucy Pepper, a British expat in Lisbon, and I thought you may find it funny. The subject is the wonderful world of tascas.
http://observador.pt/opiniao/viva-a-tasca/

Thank you lobo_mau

"Here only strangers say thank you. Family and friends have no need" (Omar Khalifa, The Jewel of the Nile, 1985).

2 more:
- frango assado (bbq chicken).
Cervejaria Os Perus - Avenida Almirante Reis, 151A - metro station Arroios (green line). The place looks always quite empty, because "Os Perus" works more for the local take away market. Undisputably the best bbq chicken in Lisbon. Piri piri or not piri piri, that is the question". Personaly I prefer piri piri (picante) but that's a matter of individual taste.

- Gutsy - (burgers and fries). 70, Rua Pascoal de Melo. Targeted to foreigners and young Portuguese. https://www.zomato.com/pt/grande-lis...arroios-lisboa
Their "family menu" (8 different small burgers) costs around 16 euros, great for 3 or 4 persons.

Thank you so much again lobo_mau. I really appreciate the information and always happy to reciprocate if I may help with either of my two countries, Canada and Saint Lucia.

I want to know just how you are going to actually MEET any of those locals? You going over to their table and intrude?

Dukey1 I will have you know that we have traveled all over the world and met countless local people in different countries without being rude to anyone by intruding. We were both raised better than that by our parents. Just being polite and friendly with a smile has worked wonders. Try it yourself sometime.

There are places like those referred by Dukey. Those are the places where the taxi drivers stop (ditto for construction workers, garage workers, retired people, etc, looking for a cheap meal). As an example google "paquete e peres Lda.". These places have the seats in 2 rows with the tables in between. Every empty seat is a good seat and everybody feels ok to enroll the conversation in progress. None of my previous suggestions is in this category since I felt this may fall outside the comfort zone of the average Fodors' readers.

Thank you lobo_mau

Hi!

Porto:

All the names I will mention are out of turistic areas, as you say you want restaurants frequented by locals.

-Paparico - not a cheap restaurant, but really very good. Rua Costa Cabral, 2343. The original owner moved to Douro Valley a few years ago but the new owners (not exactly new, this happened 7-8 years ago)keep the tradition of excelent food.

- Verde Minho - Rua de Camões 725. Cheap and good, if you like meet try "posta à mirandesa".

- Carne Arouquesa - never tried this one, as it is recent, but the owner has another restaurant in Alvarenga (a village near Porto) that is very good, so I believe (and heard) this one is too. The meet is of certificate origin, also good cod dishes. Rua da Constituição, 2129.

- A hidden gem: Pote Velho. A small restaurant, typical food. Better to go by metro as it is not easy parking there (Francos station and then you walk). Rua Domingos Machado 273.

For fish: not yet very touristic, you may try Afurada, not in Porto but in Gaia. Take a bus, or tram nr. 1, or drive and park, to Calen Garden (between Ponte da Arrábida and Foz). Then take the boat to Afurada (ask anyone for the boat, it is regular, because many working people need it to move to their jobs in Porto, or people from Porto to move tho their jobs in Afurada - teachers, for instance). Then in Afurada just follow the smell of fresh grilled fish. They are all good.

Thank you Helenafatima. I appreciate this very much.
Roger