Lisbon Locals: grocery shopping help
 

Hi all! We are currently in Day 3 of our month-long stay in Lisbon. The weather has not been great but we are still liking it very much. We are staying in an apartment across from Praça de Flores, close to Principe Real.

Though we are quite happy with the neighborhood, we have not been able to locate in our disorganized wanderings a decently-stocked grocery store. There is a 'mini market' a couple hundred meters from us and a bigger one in San Bento but their offer of meat and vegetables is very limited and a little sad.

We made it down to the Ribeira Market (loved it!) and the offer was great but it is a bit far for daily shopping and schlepping back. Certainly not in the cold rain we are having today.

This apparent shortage might be driven by us looking to shop on Saturday / Sunday but I thought I could ask here for suggestions. I'm perfectly fine going from baker, to butcher, to fishmonger and so forth.

Any pointers from the locals?

Have you thought about asking a local?

Welcome to Lisboa!

There is a fresh fish market, Peixaria Centenaria, on Praça das Flores. And a butcher stop just steps away.

A Pingo Doce supermarket is just above Largo do Rato, perhaps a 10 minute walk from Praça das Flores.

Thank you Luz!

Yes, I would also ask a local, though advice received from the internet while sitting in a warm, DRY living room so that I can head out directly to the store in this yucky weather, is priceless, lol.

We stayed in Lisbon a couple of years ago. There was a large supermarket nearby, although looking at the map, it is probably a metro ride away from where you are staying.

You may need a local to give you directions to it. The supermarket is located underground, in the basement of the lifts that take you up to Castelo St Jorg.

You take the Elevador Castillo from R dos Fanqueiros - the concierge in this building will be able to give you directions to the supermarket from there (or just follow other elevator riders).

We did find another supermarket in the Praca Figueira (located closer to your accommodation), but it didn't have as large a range of stock.

I hope the weather improves for you, and that you enjoy Lisbon as much as we did . . . one month sounds like sheer luxury! I did a trip report, if you're interested click on my screen name. Di

Di, thanks for the report reference!

Luz, we made it to the Pingo Doce in Lapa since we had to head in that direction to go to a bank, much better selection, thank you! Though we got soaked anyway, lol. Lovely neighborhood.

Glad to hear you found a Pingo Doce and got your shopping done! You'll probably find that the one near Rato (Calçada Bento da Rocha Cabral) is convenient for your ongoing needs in addition to Mini Preço and the local shops.

Any other questions, just give a shout... literally, as it seems that we're neighbors :-)

We will be staying in Chiado on Rua Nova da Trinidade. Does anyone have any suggestions on nearby market/grocery store to pick up breakfast items? We will be arriving early evening. How late are the grocery stores open?

Most grocery stores that I'm aware of in the city center are open until 9 pm. An exception is the Pingo Doce inside the Cais do Sodre train/metro station, open (I think) until 11 pm. Corner convenience markets typically stay open later than supermarkets. There's a shop called "Ten to Ten," named for its hours, near your street, at Rua da Misericordia 26.

Traveler Karen,

There is a quite modern health/foor organic store right near where' you'll be. The name of the organic store is Brio.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/brio-lisboa

My recollection is that right around the corner from there, probably on Calcada Sacramento, there is a conventional supermarket, but I found it rather low quality.

Thank you so much Luz-de-lisboa and sandralist for the info on the grocery stores. This is very helpful.

Enjoy today's glorious blue sky, since it may not stand.
In Praça da Figueira (walking distance from where you are), there is each other weekend a street market (huge white tent in the middle of the square) with regional products (sausages, cheese, bread, wine, handycraft, etc, etc). Very relaxed and fun atmosphere. Both locals and visitors. I am sorry I can't tell you exact dates, but I think your hotel can find them.

Love that market, Lobo, everything there is so tempting!

At Jardim do Principe Real, there is a mini version, also selling regional products, on selected weekends. Additionally, every Saturday morning is an organic produce market.

Luz, I was happy to find that there is indeed a butcher shop almost 20m from my doorstep (it was closed Sunday/Monday, so I had missed it) and the fishmonger in the Praça de Flores is quite good. So I'm a happy camper (the great weather might be helping with that too, lol).

The grocer across from the Tease tea house had a 'hidden' selection of vegetables that certainly beats the mini-preço store. As well as a completely different and better selection of basic stuff.

We purchased the most deliciously creamy cheese from a little market in the mirador the San Pedro (and 1,50E glasses of very decent red wine... oh and this absolutely wonderful pastry called Jesuits which I wish I had never tried).

I'll keep an eye out for those markets, thanks for the tips.

Luz, Maybe we can get together for a cup of coffee or a glass of wine. We are here until the 31st of April.

31st of April is a hard day to gtg :-)
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Same music, different style:
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