91 Best Restaurants in Lisbon, Portugal

Regularly ranked among the world’s best restaurants and holding two Michelin stars since 2014, Belcanto, the flagship of celebrity chef José Avillez, helped propel modern Portuguese cuisine onto the global stage. The Golden Egg—a slow-cooked yolk wrapped in edible gold leaf and served in mushroom consommé—enjoys star status among the inventive dishes on the ever-evolving tasting menus. The dining room’s high windows and vaulted ceilings set a refined tone, matched by the attentive staff. Vegetarians are better served at Encanto, Avillez’s nearby plant-based restaurant, which earned a Michelin star within its first year and a Green Star in 2025.

With tables and chairs set out on a narrow jetty jutting out into the waters of the Tagus, Ponto Final makes a visually dramatic spot to enjoy tasty fish and seafood. It's located on the waterfront a short walk from the ferry terminal, and tables are in high demand. Book well in advance, or just show up early for lunch or dinner and sip a glass of something chilled as you wait. In case no tables become available, neighboring bar-restaurant Atira-te ao Rio is a pleasant alternative. 

As the name suggests, the two chefs at the helm of this Michelin-starred restaurant take a playful approach to the fine dining experience. Gastronomic star Vítor Matos and talented resident chef Guilherme Spalk head a team that delivers a tasting menu that is as theatrical as it is technical. Set in the former wine cellar of Torel Palace Lisbon, the intimate space encourages interaction between diners and chefs—expect bold flavors, storytelling, and the occasional trick up the kitchen’s sleeve.

This pastry shop opened in 1957 in the city of Alcobaça, and six decades later it expanded to the capital. You can now try the tarts together with “monastic pastries” that follow age-old recipes by Cistercian monks, all in this small shop on Chiado’s busiest street. Its rise to fame in Lisbon happened in 2014, when it took the top prize for best custard tart in an annual contest. 

The Michelin-recommended restaurant atop the Bairro Alto Hotel draws a well-dressed crowd for pre-dinner cocktails on its rooftop terrace—arrive early, as it's first come, first served and highly sought after at sunset. Inside, the elegant dining room centers around an open kitchen where you can watch chefs artfully plate seasonal dishes, with fresh seafood often playing a starring role. The sommelier provides excellent pairing advice, frequently highlighting selections from small, independent Portuguese producers. 

Renowned chef José Avillez has created his own foodie "neighborhood" incorporating two restaurants, a pizzeria, and a bar that serves snacks. The airy, more formal Páteo serves classic Portuguese dishes, while the more casual Taberna offers a wide range of fine local cheeses as well as intensely flavored small plates presented with flair. Then there's Pizzaria Lisboa for great thin-crust pies, and Mini Bar, a hidden and dimly lit night spot in an atmospheric former chapel, for fancy drinks and snacks, with live music and DJs Wednesdays through Saturdays.

Fresh produce is the hero at this modern neighborhood bistro. Portuguese chef João Rodrigues swapped his Michelin-star kitchen for this modest diner where top-quality seafood and seasonal ingredients shine. There are no fancy foams, just fuss-free dining and an ever-changing menu with Portuguese roots and daily specials. Bookings recommended. 

The humble bifana (pork steak), braised in a sauce flavored with garlic, bay leaf, and wine (or beer) and then served in a rustic roll, is a lunch favorite. This bustling eatery on Praça da Figueira, Rossio's smaller twin, is one of the best places to try it—even if they don't bother to put it on the menu! They also offer a great choice of rustic dishes at prices low enough to draw locals, who eat at the counter if they're really scrimping. The terrace out front is a welcome sun trap on chilly winter days, but don't miss the informative historical wall panel inside, which includes reproductions of engravings depicting the Hospital Real de Todos os Santos, whose grounds encompassed what is now Praça da Figueira but which was destroyed by the 1755 earthquake.

Originally a social club for people hailing from the region of Alentejo, this hidden restaurant is found on the upper floor of a Moorish-style building from the 1800s. There's a formal dining room serving classic northern Portuguese dishes like carne de porco à alentejana (pork with clams), and a relaxed terrace specializing in petiscos (snacks) and very affordable jugs of house wine.

Trafaria is a tiny fishing village with a charming view of small boats and Lisbon in one direction and a huge grain silo in the other. Hidden down a back street, cozy Casa Ideal has been welcoming diners for more than 40 years with a humble menu of grilled fish and delicious seafood rice dishes. Take the ferry from Belém and always reserve a table on weekends.

In this relaxed fishing village with charcoal grills on every corner, Casa Mateus offers a refreshing reinterpretation of seafood. The Sesimbra favorite is well-known for plating local flavors and traditional dishes with a more refined chef flair. Order the oxtail croquettes, then choose from daily specials and a fish-heavy seasonal menu.

A U-shaped dining counter takes center stage at this laid-back restaurant in the heart of Cais do Sodré. The menu offers twists on typical Portuguese dishes—octopus salad comes with dollops of purple potato puree, for instance, and a bacalhau dish sweetened with persimmon—in a relaxed sharable-plates format.

The name of the Michelin-starred restaurant at the Four Seasons Hotel Ritz comes from the Portuguese word curadoria (curatorship), a nod to the thoughtful, detail-driven approach of head chef Rodolfo Lavrador. The restaurant offers two versions of its signature tasting menu, Origens—choose from 5 or 10 “moments,” each a beautifully composed dish built around seasonal ingredients. Vegetarian versions are also available, with optional wine or soft pairings.

At the restaurant in the chic AlmaLusa boutique hotel, guests and nonguests can enjoy small plates such as peixinhos da horta (crispy tempura green beans, served with ginger-and-lemon tartare) or mains such as a magnificently creamy house bacalhau (salted codfish). The cut-price à la carte lunch menu draws locals, but dinner is a good value, too. As well as homemade iced tea and juices, there is a representative selection of Portuguese wines; if you're too full for dessert, consider ordering a Moscatel Roxo—a fine sweet tipple from Setúbal, south of the capital.

A tourist attraction in its own right, this tiny bar just off Rossio square is the best place in Baixa to sample Lisbon's famous ginjinha. Open since 1840, when the Galician Francisco Espinheira became the first purveyor of the spirit in Lisbon, the bar serves the sweet drink with or without cherries (opt for the version with fruit if you want to convince yourself you're getting some vitamins).

These twin restaurants are among a dwindling band in Baixa serving excellent traditional food. House specialties include bacalhau à minhota (fried codfish with onions and potatoes) and fresh fish and meats. You could start your meal by splitting a plate of amêijoas à Bulhão Pato (clams in a cilantro sauce) or a garlicky alheira sausage. For dessert, there's bolo de bolacha cookie cake, baked farófias (egg whites), or pineapple with port. There are also changing daily specials. 

One of Bairro Alto’s most successful restaurants since opening in 2003, Lisboa à Noite serves imaginative cuisine that manages to be both traditional and contemporary, mostly following Portuguese recipes but adding a few international touches. The arched interior was once a stable, and you can still see the ring chains used to tie the horses.

This slick Michelin-starred restaurant offers 16-course tasting menus created by chef Alexandre Silva, who adapts them frequently so he can take advantage of the freshest seasonal ingredients. Occasionally, he invites other top chefs from Lisbon and beyond to create special one-night-only menus in the dramatic open kitchen.

Marlene Vieira made history in 2025 as the first female chef in Portugal to earn a Michelin star, and the open kitchen at her eponymous fine-dining restaurant showcases the skills that wowed the judges. Choose from refined 9 and 12-course tasting menus that spotlight fresh seafood (the menu can be adapted for vegetarians, but not vegans, with 48 hours' notice), seasonal produce, and bold, inventive flavors. Next door, Zunzum Gastrobar offers a more informal  opportunity to sample Vieira's culinary creations. It earned a Bib Gourmand for its creative small plates and excellent price-to-quality ratio.

The terrace at the chic Memmo Alfama Hotel has some of the neighborhood's best views. The menu centers around tapas-style small plates—the selection of Portuguese cheeses and meats, served with a basket of fresh-baked bread, is a good place to start.

This charming, sometimes boisterous restaurant is about as old-world Portuguese as it gets, with massive portions of grilled meat, seafood, and fish in a no-nonsense, brightly lit room. It's especially popular with neighborhood families.

A critical darling and a popular favorite, this Portuguese-with-a-twist restaurant had a line out the door almost as soon as it opened; it's the sort of place other chefs go on their days off. A team of young chefs is turning out classic regional dishes to a soundtrack of rock and roll in a resolutely casual dining room. The chalkboard menu changes constantly but often includes "advanced" Portuguese dishes like chicken gizzards and rice flavored with blood. Reservations (far in advance) are mandatory.

A group of young locals took over this traditional tasca in 2019 and gave it a second life, adding O Velho to the name as a nod to the old man who used to run the place. They still specialize in homemade Portuguese dishes but with a contemporary touch. Highlights include the lamb croquette and the duck rice.

This atypical incarnation of a traditional Portuguese tavern scooped a Michelin Bib Gourmand award soon after opening in 2021. The light, bright dining room is a relaxing space for lingering over clever re-imaginings of classic dishes, a selection from the well-chosen wine list, and the signature salty-sweet cheesecake for dessert.

Chef Luís Gaspar has created a menu of traditional comfort food dishes that aim to meet the exacting standards of Portuguese grandmothers, all served in a contemporary, light-filled space that encourages lingering over a meal and cocktails or wine. Be sure to try sharing dishes like the creamy bacalhau à Brás and the restaurant's namesake pica-pau (woodpecker)—a tasca dish of sautéed beef strips in a garlicky sauce.

This restaurant facing the courtyard of the Hotel Valverde focuses on contemporary Portuguese cuisine reinterpreted by the chef. Its weekly lunch menu is popular among locals who work nearby and those looking for a more intimate spot.

Ring the doorbell for entry to this late-opening, speakeasy-style spot serving some of the best steaks in town. A discreet gathering place for Lisbon's artists, journalists, and politicians during the 1960s, it was lovingly refurbished in 2024 to preserve period detail while raising the comfort level. Order a dry martini and browse the menu, which features light dishes like garlicky shrimp and meat croquettes, alongside those legendary steaks.

Framed photographs of celebrities who’ve visited (from singer Adele to soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo) cover every inch of the walls at this bustling eatery. In business since 1947, it's known for the dry-cured ham that gave the place its name, but there are also many meat and seafood dishes on the menu, as well as beanburgers and peixinhos da horta (green beans in tempura) for vegetarians.

This family-run restaurant serves truly traditional Portuguese dishes. The pataniscas (cod fritters) with bean rice, the baked cod, and the pork cheeks are among the specialties, and there's an extensive list of Portuguese wines. Desserts include pêra bêbada (literally, "drunken pear") poached, unusually, with Moscatel dessert wine, and crumble served with their very own ice cream made from ginjinha. A separate space two doors down serves the same menu, but the adega (wine cellar) round the corner at Rua da Vitoria 10 has its own sommelier and is a great place to snack or to sample a glass of wine—all Portuguese, except for a changing selection of organic wines—while waiting for your table.

Run by visual artist Luis Carballo (whose studio is in nearby Marvila), this modern version of the traditional Portuguese tasca is an informal space where everyone seems to start off with a gin and tonic—there's a dedicated gin bar. The kitchen turns out delicious plates like black rice with cuttlefish or braised tuna that are the perfect size to share.