73 Best Restaurants in Portugal

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.

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.

One of the hippest tables in town, Tricky's is a collaborative project between natural wine sommeliers and creative next-gen chefs. Cooks in the open kitchen—the best seats are at the counter right in front of it—create a menu of sharable small plates with Portuguese, Italian, and Asian influences, and they're matched with low-intervention wines from across Europe.

Chef Marlene Vieira is one of the few female chefs at the forefront of Lisbon’s fine dining scene. At Zunzum she has a more relaxed approach, but still with cutting-edge dishes like Portuguese stew gyozas or cockle fritters in bulhão pato, a garlicky white wine and coriander sauce.

This rustic restaurant was established in a former bakery and has kept the building's original large brick baking oven and stone arches. It serves well-presented classic Portuguese cuisine and a few original dishes from a menu evenly divided between meat and fish options.

Meco's most famous restaurant draws seafood fans from across the region. The freshly caught sea bass, swordfish, and huge variety of crustaceans are part of the appeal, but the setting in front of wild windswept Praia do Meco adds to the charm.

One of several well-established seafood restaurants in town, Beira Mar has won a string of awards for its fish and seafood. An impressive glass display shows off the best of the day's catch. The just-caught local fish cooked on a charcoal grill is always a crowd-pleaser.

Mushrooms are the star of the show at this stylish, low-lit new eatery in Santos. While the menu includes a few fish and meat plates, most of the dishes are vegetarian or vegan, spotlighting enoki, lamb's foot, portobello, porcini, and the restaurant's namesake black truffle mushrooms. The combinations are varied and interesting, ranging from Japanese chawanmushi custard to Italian-style gnocchi and pasta. 

Virtually everyone in the kitchen at this new-ish restaurant in Santos is from Mexico, making Boca Linda a more authentic alternative to some of the trendier taco joints sprouting up around town. The guacamole comes with chapulines (grasshoppers), the green aguachile is properly spicy, and the tacos come with fillings like cochinita pibil (suckling pig) and barbacoa (slow-cooked meat).

People drive miles to dine at this well-known restaurant 16 km (10 miles) from Elvas in the town of Terrugem. The owner takes pride in the cozido de grão (boiled dinner with pork, smoked sausages, cabbage, and chickpeas), but their menu also lists international dishes such as spinach with shrimp au gratin and delicious sorbets for dessert. Call ahead to book on weekends, as it's often booked solid with wedding parties.

The distinctive 1930s facade and tables right on Rossio square make Nicola a memorable spot for a coffee or bite to eat while sightseeing. Breakfasts and brunches here are good, with lots of eggs, meaty sausages, and strong Nicola-brand coffee (or fresh fruit and juices, should you prefer). They also serve simple traditional mains. Inside, the statue of 19th-century poet Manuel Maria Barbosa du Bocage and oil paintings by Fernando Santos depicting his rambunctious life, add to the atmosphere.

With an enviable location near the Palácio Nacional de Sintra, this elegant bistro has been attracting a well-heeled crowd since the 1920s. There's a covered area for outdoor dining, while the mirrored walls, ceiling frescoes, and crystal chandeliers of the interior are in keeping with the sense of opulence.

Just as the 90-seat dining room sits below a vaulted brick ceiling that dates from the 18th century, many of the dishes are based on archival recipes. As the name suggests, the emphasis is on bacalhau (salted codfish), which is served in 25 different ways, ranging from the typical à Brás (with eggs and potatoes) to curried cod with asparagus risotto. A few meat, octopus, and vegetarian options are included for those who aren't fans of the fish.

This restaurant—wedged into a restored house in the hotel zone around the corner from the Cliff Bay Resort—has lavish tile work, hand-painted murals, and a bar that resembles one of Santana's thatch-roof dwellings. The menu is heavy on fresh seafood (trussed lobsters float in a tank by the door) and regional dishes (including espada served many ways, such as with tropical fruit or shrimp), as well as tornedo (meat on a skewer), the house specialty. If you're tired of Madeiran food, there are also pizzas.

In the tiled dining room of this well-established restaurant, exuberant floral arrangements, white-lace curtains, and green tablecloths rustle gently in the breeze of ceiling fans, while outdoor tables are set beneath a leafy trellis. The food is prepared with great care, and menus change every few months; starters feature seafood dishes like swordfish carpaccio and mains include pastas, grilled fish, and Chateaubriand.

In an old house with rustic furniture, this eatery with its second-floor dining room sits in a village that has long been a haven for gourmands. They bake their own bread on the premises—including a delicious pão chouriço (with sausage)—and there's a series of tasty starters, brought out on a board that is weighed before and after you partake. Trademark dishes include a noteworthy bacalhau com natas (codfish with cream) and duck rice; for specialties such as roast capon that must be ordered in advance, check the menu (ementa) on the website. Leave some room for a mixed dessert platter or for a brisa do Lis, a local yolk-and-almond pudding.

While the main street linking Cais de Sodré and Santos seems to be one natural wine bar after another, Cav 86 stands out from the crowd for the quality of its wine selection and for the sophistication of its food menu. There's not a perfunctory snack in sight; rather, the long menu of sharable plates includes dishes like duck rillettes, pumpkin arancini, and beef tartare with mussels escabeche.

Dine with a view of the Palácio Nacional de Sintra at this contemporary restaurant inside the Moon Hill Hostel. The menu combines traditional Portuguese flavors with touches of Italian and French cuisine. There are plenty of codfish dishes, as well as meat options like the aged entrecôte with truffled mashed potato (a house favorite).

Occupying a bright and breezy downstairs room at the LX Boutique Hotel (there's a branch in Cascais, too), this sophisticated spot is one of the best places in town to eat sushi. There are vegan and vegetarian options alongside the usual fish, seafood, and sashimi.

Traditional Portuguese cooking (especially charcoal-grilled fish and seafood) is the draw at this Lagos institution, which has welcomed hungry diners to its rustic environs for nearly 50 years. You can dine at elegant candlelit tables inside or on a sidewalk out front. You may wish to start your meal with a typical fish or shrimp dish, followed by the seafood stew or cataplana—all extremely good.

Contemporary Portuguese restaurant Em Alta na Baixa delivers genuinely high-quality food and service. The menu spans local classics and international fare such as duck magret and moqueca, a Brazilian fish stew made with coconut milk. Take a seat outdoors and sip a cocktail, or enjoy the elegant indoor space on chillier days.

A standout among the restaurants within the World of Wine complex, Golden Catch impresses with its seafood as well as the views across the river from the terrace. Take your pick from light dishes like ceviche and seared tuna, or more substantial meals like British-style fish-and-chips. Vegetarians and vegans won't go hungry: diners are welcome to order dishes from the meat-free menu at neighboring restaurant Root & Vine. 

Inside the cloisters of a restored former monastery (now a luxury hotel), the 2025-opened Heritage 1220 Restaurant is a sophisticated take on traditional Arouca cuisine. Inspired by the legacy of Infanta Santa Mafalda, daughter of King Sancho I, who in 1220 brought prestige to the Monastery of Arouca by joining as a nun and converting it to the wealthy Cistercian Order. The kitchen team is made up of local chefs, skilled at elevating the region's traditional comfort food.

Local chef João Narigueta leads this trendy restaurant just off Praça do Giraldo. After years of researching Alentejo's culinary history, João is bringing forward long-forgotten recipes and upgrading them with modern cooking techniques. Think river crayfish topped with kimchi or wild boar pies served with pickled mushrooms.

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.

Though the restaurant's set up is pared back and simple, the fresh fish and shellfish never fail to reel in a crowd from near and far, who dine alongside in-the-know locals. The service is just as good as the food—friendly, knowledgeable, and efficient.

Open since the 1700s, this café under the arches overlooking Praça do Comércio is thought to be the oldest in the city and was a favorite of archetypal Lisbon poet Fernando Pessoa. There's a formal dining space inside, with plenty of well-prepared traditional dishes on offer, but the real appeal is sipping a coffee on the flagstones and watching Lisbon life go by. For a quick bite, copy the locals and order a miniprato (a smaller serving of a main, from just €7.50), either at the counter or seated in the café section.

If you're a fan of hearty meat dishes, it's worth making the trip two kilometers (1.5 miles) south-west of Batalha to this famed purveyor of suckling pig---a regional favorite; its also offers a range of other traditional meat and fish dishes, and some vegetarian ones, too. There's a kids' menu, too. If you want to do as the locals do, order some Portuguese sparkling wine to go with your tender leitão assada.

One of the best oceanside restaurants in nearby Praia das Maçãs, here sandy-footed diners can feast on freshly grilled fish caught just hours before. Try the octopus ceviche and the seafood rice with shrimp.