Get FREE email communications from Fodor's Travel, covering must-see travel destinations, expert trip planning advice, and travel inspiration to fuel your passion.
Lisbon's dining scene has evolved dramatically in recent years to include any number of high-end dining opportunities, but amid the international fare, Michelin-starred restaurants, and molecular gastronomy, the city's simplest and most traditional restaurants still do a roaring trade. Meals generally include three courses, a drink, and coffee. Many restaurants have an ementa turistica (tourist menu), a set-price meal, most often served at lunchtime. Note that you'll be charged a couple of euros if you eat any of the couvert items—typically appetizers such as bread and butter, olives, and the like—that are brought to your table without being ordered.
Lisbon's restaurants usually serve lunch from noon or 12:30 until 3 and dinner from 7:30 until 11; many establishments are closed Sunday or Monday. Inexpensive restaurants typically don't accept reservations. In the traditional cervejarias (beer-hall restaurants), which frequently have huge dining rooms, you'll probably have to wait for a table, but usually not more than 10 minutes. In the Bairro Alto, many of the reasonably priced tascas (taverns) are on the small side: if you can't grab a table, you're probably better off moving on to the next place. Throughout Lisbon, dress for meals is usually casual, but exceptions are noted below.
An Italian living in Lisbon had the odd but surprisingly successful idea of opening a restaurant that would serve only mushroom-based dinners. The chefs here have certainly managed to find a lot of ways to use mushrooms: in tartare, pâté, or croquettes, and even in ice cream.
For some of the best ice cream and sorbets in town, drop into this branch of a family-run chain founded in 1949. New flavors are introduced regularly, but all stick to the tradition of using only fresh fruit and all-natural ingredients.
Head to this spot for light meals and cocktails against a jaw-droppingly beautiful backdrop. The menu is split between sunrise and sunset, though this is one for the late risers, as breakfast only starts at 10 am. Expect your typical eggs Benedict alongside more traditional treats like sardine toast or tempura green beans.
Huge stone arches and a beautiful mural made of azulejo tiles grace this charming restaurant. Light Portuguese dishes are prepared with love and beautifully presented, and the cocktail list is impressive, too.
The view from this prize-winning hotel restaurant in the hilltop Santa Catarina district is extraordinary, but your attention will soon be drawn to the delicious food—Portuguese with a contemporary twist, made from ingredients sourced from across the country and its chilly coastal waters—exquisitely presented by chef Fábio Alves and his team. For the full experience opt for one of the tasting menus; with the eight-course menu, you can choose between a 100% Portuguese wine pairing and a global tour that includes wines from Oregon to Georgia, via Andalusia. You can also choose from a handful of starters and mains à la carte (either bacalhau with white beans from the Serra de Estrela mountains or cabrito—milk-fed kid from far-off Trás-os-Montes—are excellent options), and finish with one of the deliciously playful desserts.
Following time-tested recipes of traditional Portuguese dishes, this small restaurant has become a mecca for those looking for an old-school experience. Some recipes have fallen out of fashion and even been forgotten by locals, so many dishes are unique to Taberna da Rua das Flores. They don't take reservations, so expect to join the crowd waiting for a table.
People might come for the views of the city and Tagus River, but they stay for the refined Portuguese cuisine, which blends tradition with modern flair. Named after the mythical water nymphs of the Tagus, Tagide is divided into two parts—a sleek modern dining room upstairs and a more relaxed wine-and-tapas bar downstairs. Both spaces face the river, with window tables highly sought after.
A lively but no-frills dining hall is the setting for authentic tacos inspired by the street-side stalls in Mexico City. The menu includes old-school classics like pork al pastor (slow-roasted) and chorizo verde (with a tomatillo sauce), as well as vegan fare like quesadillas with avocado, black beans, and mixed vegetables. There's an extensive list of margaritas, tequilas, and mescals.
Located in a former pizzeria of the same name, Tasca Baldracca serves contemporary takes on Portuguese classics with a heavy accent from the chef's native Brazil. The vibe is youthful and playful—the antithesis of fine dining—with chalkboard menus, heavily graffitied bathrooms, and rock music on the sound system. While the menu doesn't shy away from meats, there's always a fully realized vegetarian dish or two.
Vítor Sobral, one of the country’s most famous chefs, has brought together the vibe of a traditional neighborhood eatery and sophisticated dishes that appeal to modern palates. Expect to see fast-food favorites like bitoque (lean steak topped with an egg) given a slick modern twist.
This unpretentious traditional tasca (cheap eatery) hidden among Bairro Alto’s noisy cocktail bars and tourist traps serves hearty portions of excellent Portuguese food at fair prices. Game on offer includes stewed pheasant and boar, served either grilled or in a bean stew, and there are rarely found local fish dishes such as fried shad with açorda bread soup. There's also a potent bagaço (Portuguese grappa) to round off the meal.
Sate an appetite for Lisbon's dramatic panoramic views at this chic restaurant-bar, which sits on the top floor of a storied department store. It's a sophisticated spot for salads and finger foods, as well as more substantial, more traditional dishes.
Locals and tourists who don’t show up early often wait for as much as an hour for a table, knowing this is where you can still eat the good old-fashioned Lisbon way. Staff rush from table to table, serving doses of reasonably priced standards like grilled tuna and garlic prawns accompanied by a good house wine. Reservations are not accepted.
A visit to this restaurant—in a space that was once the refectory of a 13th-century monastery—is a quintessential Lisbon experience, although these days it's a pricey one. Transformed into a cervejaria (traditional Portuguese restaurants known for serving beer alongside seafood and hearty meat dishes) in 1836, it's the city's oldest and one of its most ornate, packing in locals and tourists under the vaulted ceiling to sample dishes from a menu devised by Michelin-starred chef Alexandre Silva. Non-diners are welcome to step in off the street at any time from 10 to noon or 3 to 7, to see the colorful azulejo tile panels in the bar area.
One of several notable restaurants at the Four Seasons Hotel Ritz, Varanda is consistently at the top of its game. There's a seasonally changing tasting menu at dinner and a wide range of à la carte dishes throughout the day.
This hilltop restaurant has "date night" (or at least "big splurge") written all over it. The city views are so spectacular that what lands on the plate is almost an afterthought. Since 1988 this fine-dining restaurant has been turning out faithful but luxurious renditions of Portuguese classics, like grilled octopus, seafood rice, and roasted lamb. The wine lists extends to 300 references.
A haven for vegetarians and vegans amid a sea of fish restaurants, Xéxéxé is a cozy bistro serving delicious meals as well as house-baked pies and pastries. With creative use of seasonal ingredients, there are several choices of set meals each day. Space is limited, so book a table in advance.
You'll probably need to wait on the stairs outside for a table and then perch on benches or at tightly packed tables, but it's worth the wait for the excellent Portuguese dishes served at this small neighborhood tasca. The menu changes daily with a selection of fish and meat options.
Serving spicy samosas, curries, and other spicy treats since the 1970s, Zuari was one of the first Goan restaurants to open in Lisbon (and many would argue it's still the best). It's a wonderful introduction to the flavors of the former Portuguese colony, and the very fair prices mean culinary adventures here won't break the bank.
Sign up for Travel Tips & News
Thank you for your interest!
