515 Best Restaurants in Portugal

Named after the Brazilian chef who came up with the recipes for this restaurant's original hamburgers, Honorato is a minichain of trendy burger joints. The branch in Chiado is the most popular—it has a lively atmosphere and large windows looking out to one of the neighborhood’s main squares.

One of Lisbon's most authentic Italian restaurants, Il Matriciano faces the Palácio de São Bento and is owned by a couple from Rome. Diners are greeted like family and presented with a menu made from ingredients brought in twice a month from Italy.

With almost three dozen choices on the menu, this is the place for alternative pizza toppings, including vegan and even gluten-free options (if you call ahead). The pizzas come straight out of a wood oven, which is right in the dining room, and are topped with Portuguese and Italian ingredients.

The stylish bar-restaurant at the trendy 1908 Lisboa Hotel makes the most of its historical setting, with a striking tiled floor, high ceilings, an exposed metal staircase, and windows on three sides. It's a pleasant place for brunch, lunch, or dinner and has an eclectic menu featuring seafood, meat, and vegetarian options, many with Asian influences. The outdoor terrace is a nice spot for people watching on the plaza.

This long-established Austrian-style café is popular with most locals and tourists, with its combination of bottled and draft beers (including their very own brand) and hearty central European dishes such as Wiener schnitzel, homemade sausages, and spätzle, along with vegan and vegetarian options. The dessert menu includes apple strudel and Sacher torte. They do excellent brunches, too.

Well-heeled locals are happy to drive the 15 kilometers (10 miles) from Braga to this fashionable restaurant in the village of Moure, housed in a hotel in the French Maison Albar chain that is set in acres of greensward dotted with contemporary sculpture (and whose owner also likes to show off his supercars). On the menu overseen by Michelin-starred chef Julien Montbabut are delicacies such as veal cheeks stewed for 12 hours, pork presa (a flavorful cut from the shoulder) that is served with a wonderful locally produced couscous, and bacalhau (salt cod) with migas---breadcrumbs fried in pork fat with cabbage and black-eyed peas. Among the desserts is a variant on the popular bolo de bolacha (biscuit cake)---here assembled at your table.

In a city with so many traditional pastries, a menu dedicated exclusively to French éclairs and macarons certainly didn’t seem to have great appeal. But turns out Lisboetas were looking for just that, and L'éclair is now one of the city’s most popular sweets spots.

Situated a little way out of town in Quartiera, this independent French-Portuguese restaurant has a traditional, family-run feel and a band of loyal followers. Fair-priced seafood tapas are on the menu, along with classics like French onion soup.

The inspiration for this restaurant's food comes from Argentina, so expect a steak-heavy menu that has long made it a favorite among Lisbon’s carnivores. You’ll also find fish dishes borrowed from traditional Portuguese cuisine and a couple of vegetarian options, too.

Ever since the New York Times described it as “devilishly good,” Landeau’s chocolate cake has been reason enough to head to Chiado (or one of their three other Lisbon shops). Here you can buy an entire cake to enjoy at home or sit for a slice with some tea.

This elegant, spacious restaurant with a name that is Portuguese for "fireplace" is nestled in pinewoods between Caldas da Rainha and the Foz do Arelho beach; it's a favorite with locals for special occasions. From the à la carte menu, try the tornedó de novilho tenderloin with one of various sauces. Seek assistance to get the best from the 300-strong wine list. Note that on weekends the set menu is a little more expensive, at €17.50.

For cod dishes prepared with great pride, come to this restaurant that's been specializing in all things bacalhau (salted codfish) since 1976. Expect a few Mozambican dishes alongside excellent renderings of Portuguese favorites.

A slice of Brittany in Lisbon, this French-owned café specializes in buckwheat crepes, or galettes bretonnes, with sweet or savory fillings and cheeky names.

Don't let the name fool you: this sophisticated restaurant serves a menu that is largely Portuguese—there's plenty of codfish, octopus, and grilled Portuguese meats—but also includes Italian appetizers and pastas (and the occasional head-scratcher like chicken samosas).

A couple minutes' stroll from the Casa da Música, LEA's large leafy garden is a popular place for brunch, coffee, or cocktails. The inviting space warmly welcomes both children and pets, so expect a lively, laid-back atmosphere as you tuck into your perfectly fluffy pancakes.

A simple front entrance hides a spacious, flower-filled terrace out back at this detail-driven café in trendy Cedofeita. The owners pride themselves on preparing nutritious meals that don't compromise on taste or presentation, so expect your brunch to feature, for example, perfectly poached free range eggs on homemade sourdough bread. There's a huge range of teas and coffees, along with sparkling wines and cocktails for those wanting to indulge.

With tables set on a vast veranda in the upper reaches of the city, Loggia has some of the best panoramic views in town. It's the on-site restaurant at the Machado do Castro art museum, and the setting is a work of art in itself. Leisurely brunches here are extremely popular, as are the excellent value lunch menus. Expect traditional Portuguese fare, elegantly presented. 

One of the city's first wine shops, Loja do Vinho has a cozy cellar lined with hundreds of bottles from all over the world. Plates of cured meats, boards of local cheeses, and bowls overflowing with olives make good companions to the many varieties of wine on offer here or on the tiny outdoor terrace. If you enjoy the bottle you had with your meal, you can buy another to take home.

Locals head to this small pastry shop whenever they crave something sweet. It’s around the corner from the Jardim da Parada, and not far from the Mercado de Campo de Ourique.

This charming all-day café-restaurant-cocktail bar dates from 1904, when it sold products imported from Paris; today its glass cases are piled high with Azorean creations from tea sets to hats to jewelry, most available for purchase. Stop by for a healthy breakfast, small plates of local cuisine with a contemporary twist for lunch or dinner, or just to take a break with some local tea or an inventive cocktail or two—and don’t bother trying to resist the house-made desserts calling your name from the countertop.

This Beja institution, which first opened its doors in 1893, serves great coffee and conventuais, sweets made according to recipes from local convents. In a pedestrian-only area just outside the city walls, it's conveniently located next to a few hotels and offers far better breakfasts, including delicious torradas (simple white toast with butter). Don't be surprised if you're the only tourist in the ground-floor dining room; the friendly barman may try his (rusty) English on you.

This little restaurant in one of the old village houses has a devoted clientele that hails from both sides of the Portuguese–Spanish border. The dining room is small, but there is a terrace for outside dining with views over the valley to distant mountains. The menu is classic Alentejo, with good lamb roasts and hearty casseroles. Although their main specialty is ensopado de borrego (lamb stew), the grilled fish dishes are also excellent. When available; try the chocos grelhados (grilled squid) or the peixe espada grelhada (charcoal-grilled swordfish).

Widely considered one of Lisbon's best pizzerias, Lupita is the product of a Brazilian chef turning out Italian-style pies. The dining room is no-frills—guests sit on tiny stools at low tables, and the line is usually down the block—and the pizzas are both simple and playful. There are standard margherita, pepperoni, and the like, but also burrata, carbonara, and shakshuka pies. There's even an unironic pineapple-and-bacon option.

This pastel pink bakery looks every bit as sweet as its freshly baked treats, which attract huge lines of cake-loving locals. From pretty cakes topped with edible flowers to sugar-free, gluten-free chocolate brownies, the vitrine is a feast for the eyes, and everything tastes as good as it looks.

Full of Art Nouveau grandeur—think leaded-glass doorways, elaborately carved woodwork, and ornate chandeliers—the Majestic Café has been the preferred hangout of Portugal's intellectual and social elite since the 1920s. After years of neglect, it was restored to its former glory and is once again an elegant place for coffee, cakes, and evening piano music.

An authentic yet welcoming locals' favorite—and Ponta Delgada’s oldest restaurant—serves up a handful of simple and well-prepared dishes along with rotating daily specials in a bare-bones space. The communal tables at this old-school eatery encourage friendly chats with your neighbors as you dine on fried dishes like sardines, horse mackerel, and moray eel, all washed down with house-made Concord grape wine or moonshine.

The custard tarts at this tiny shop rival those of the famous shop in Belém for the title of the best pastéis de nata in town. A bell is rung every time a batch emerges warm from the oven. Eat at the counter and watch the tarts being made, or take away a box of half a dozen to enjoy later.

Overlooking the dramatic Praia da Batata, this restaurant has a simple but lovely dining room and a popular outdoor terrace. The fish is exceptionally fresh, and served up with little elements of fine dining finesse without the tiny portions.