515 Best Restaurants in Portugal

Under the same ownership as the more well-known Beira Mar a short distance away, this simply decorated fish restaurant on the water is more spacious and easy to get into than its sister eatery. Swing by the counter for a look at the fish that’s freshest that day; the grilled squid or octopus are always a good bet.

If you've just visited the Piscifactoría de Ribeiro Frio, this family-owned eatery serves several dishes made with the trout from the local fish farm; the rustic wooden dining room is warmed by a couple of fireplaces. Finish your meal with coffee or tea served with Madeiran honey cake.

This cozy restaurant serves typical Alentejo delicacies---including javali à casa (fried wild boar) and açorda de perdiz (partridge bread soup)---made with the finest ingredients. Before you leave, take note of the açorda recipe, written on the walls of the restaurant.

The wooden sign and the rustic balcony outside this delightfully rustic restaurant in Gimonde, 8 km (5 miles) east of Bragança may remind Americans of the Old West. The menu features regional dishes such as garlicky alheira sausage and posta à Dom Roberto, the house steak, as well as local game. For dessert, try the creamy rice pudding or local cheese with homemade compote. If you feel like staying over, guest rooms (from €57) in the attached apartments have a rustic feel, but also modern conveniences.

This restaurant is a carnivore's delight, something that is abundantly clear from the mounted stag's head on the wall. The the menu is predominantly meat and game, including deer, wild boar, and venison. Exposed-stone walls and wooden beams add to the rustic and cozy feel of the place.

A big brick fireplace, wood paneling, and stone walls set the mood in this cozy hunter's lodge, where the food is simple, but portions are hearty and the flavors are tantalizing. This is the best place in town for fresh game, especially codorniz (quail) and coelho (rabbit), which comes casserole-style with rice or potatoes, but they also offer grilled fresh fish.

What you see is what you get at Ribadouro, one of Lisbon's best-known seafood spots: take your pick of the lobster, mantis shrimp, tiger shrimp, whelks, oysters, and clams on display and the staff will create a seafood platter to your specifications (it's priced by weight so can prove costly if you over-order). Steaks are another strong suit, and come at a fixed price. You can dine inside or at tree-shaded tables and chairs set out at a kiosk on the Avenida, opposite the main restaurant.

The flagship of the mixed-use luxury development Prata Riverside Village, Rio de Prata is a reliable spot for classic Portuguese food with a river view. In summer, the waterside terrace becomes a popular gathering place for neighborhood residents. 

You don't need to be a guest at snazzy The Ivens Hotel to snag a table in its glamorous downstairs bar, but it's best to book in advance. Perch on one of the high seats for communal dining, and watch the talented mixologists create the perfect cocktail to accompany light sharing dishes like tuna tartare with wasabi pearls and avocado or heartier Portuguese or Italian-style main dishes. Negroni lovers are in for a treat: there's an entire menu dedicated to the drink, and the Negroni de Cacau is dangerously delicious. For a quieter dining experience, the attached Rocco restaurant offers a more formal setting for Italian food made with flair.

It's not easy to find genuinely excellent food in Baixa, but this restaurant—so small you can see into the kitchen from the entrance—has put the area on the map thanks to João Sá, whose modern Portuguese cuisine won him a Michelin star in 2024. He draws on Asian cuisines to create tasting menus that excite both visually and in their combinations of flavors and textures.

Sala de Corte is all about the meat, notably prime cuts of beef, grilled to perfection and accompanied by a savory dipping sauce, like Stilton, chimichurri, black truffle mayo, or béarnaise. Sip a cocktail at the stylishly lit long bar before taking a table.

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.

In this warren of stone-flagged rooms, authentic regional dishes are served with flair to well-heeled patrons. Specialties at the old town spot include churrasquinho de porco preto com migas de alheira de caça (grilled meats from the acorn-fed Iberian black pig, served with a breadcrumb-and-garlic-sausage mixture flavored with game sausage), stewed partridge with creamed spinach, and shad from the Tagus River. Braver diners might try cabidela de galo (chicken cooked in blood) or lamprey, when it is in season.

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.

If you need refreshment before sledding back to Funchal, stop at the snack bar called Alto Monte, just above the main square of Largo da Fonte. The cozy interior is lined with soccer scarves and hats, while the terrace has soul-stirring views of Funchal unfolding below.

There's no better spot to sip a glass of wine than in the front garden of this social club in Montemor's Praça da República. In pleasant weather you'll struggle to find a seat at this see-and-be-seen establishment. The food is simple lunch fare, including thick ham-and-cheese sandwiches.

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.

Come lunchtime Solar do Forcado fills up with locals and out-of-towners looking to sample regional delicacies like the espetadas de touro bravo (wild bull skewers). Inside, the restaurant stands out with its rustic stone archways and terracotta ceramic floors.

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.

Overlooking the Rio Cávado, 4 km (2.5 miles) from Esposende, Sra. Peliteiro is housed in the clubhouse of a golf course, where players often stay on to enjoy the octopus, bacalhau, and hearty meat dishes produced by the eponymous chef, Paula Peliteiro. It's not just the usual regional fare: there's also a rump-steak tagine and Brazilian-style prawn moqueca (stew), and a good range of desserts, both traditional and modern.

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.

Photos of satisfied patrons vie with bullfight posters on the wall of this rustic restaurant run by the great-grandson of the original owner, testifying to the popularity of its hearty traditional fare at affordable prices. Specialties—in servings large enough for two—include toiro bravo (wild bull) and entrecosto com arroz de feijoca (spareribs with red beans and rice), but the menu is overhauled daily. The restaurant now has several offshoots in the region, one of them in the Santarém Hotel.

The street lights will guide you to this family-run tavern in the heart of the city. With no menu in sight, you have to trust the chef; while the recipes change daily, the centerpiece is always the juicy black pork. The host brings you a continuous parade of dishes and keeps your wine glass brimming. Exposed brick adds warmth to the intimate dining room, which can accommodate only 30 people. 

Locals make their way up a steep hill to this restaurant for traditional dishes like roasted cod that are cooked with panache and served by a friendly staff. Steaks are a specialty, as are the mouthwatering desserts that include house-made cakes and tarts. On warm days the small terrace is delightful, and there is often live guitar music welcoming you at the door.

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.