151 Best Restaurants in Portugal

This restaurant is known for showcasing regional cuisine, with dishes such as chicken or partridge na púcara (cooked in an clay pot)—many of which evolved in local monasteries—but they also take pride in house specialties such as liver with onion escabeche or bacalhau baked with a crust of cornbread and farinheira sausage. The walls are hung with local memorabilia and photos of the family that has run the place since 1938.

Take a seat beneath twisting grapevines for drinks and snacks at one of the most inviting terraces in Alfama. The menu is strong on fresh ingredients and healthier versions of fast-food favorites, prepared with care. There are vegetarian and gluten-free versions of many of the most popular items on the menu, including hemp fried chicken (the veggie version is made with cauliflower) and a signature burger served in bolo do caco (a sweet-potato bread hailing from Madeira).

This riverfront restaurant draws crowds for its excellent views and refined cuisine. The mint green chairs of Atira-te ao Rio are easy to spot, and the octopus with roasted potatoes is always a winner.

Vendors from the town's weekly market favor this rustic restaurant with its wooden ceiling, wrought-iron chandeliers, and vases of fresh flowers. Grelhados (grilled meats, fish, and octopus) are prepared in full view of hungry customers on a huge range that splutters and hisses. Other regional dishes served here include rojões (tender fried pork) and papas de sarrabulho, a stew thickened with pig's blood. This is also a good place to try pudim abade de Priscos, the king (or rather abbot) of egg puddings.

In demand for its sunset views, the chic rooftop bar-restaurant at The Rebello hotel serves delicious light meals like salads and fresh seafood alongside heartier classics like burgers, baguettes, and home-cooked fries. The cocktails and wine list are part of the appeal, and comfortable sofas are primed to enjoy the backdrop of the Douro river and across the bridge to Porto.

This restaurant takes you on a trip around Asia, with a wide selection of dishes that go from Thailand to Indonesia. There are also vegan and gluten-free options. The restaurant takes no reservations, so show up early or expect a long wait for a table outside on the terrace or in the colorful interior.

Squeezed in among many other beachfront restaurants touting usual international fare, this spot serves up fresh-made Portuguese as well as other Mediterranean dishes—tapas style. There's a climber-covered canopy to keep you sheltered from the sun on its cool terrace, with quirky decorations all over the place.

This restaurant—a glassed-in wooden cabana built in the sand dunes—has a laid-back beach vibe with white-washed interiors, colorful deck chairs, and swinging hammocks. The menu is strong on daily fish specials, with sandwiches and salads on offer, too.

On one of the city's most scenic squares, this handsome eatery across from the Museu de Alberto Sampaio has tables in a wood-paneled dining room and beneath the arches of a cobbled courtyard. Portuguese specialties include polvo à lagareiro (roast octopus) and prime cuts of porco preto (from the Iberian black pig); they also do tender, garlic-marinated steaks.

Cabrinha has been doing a roaring business among locals and out-of-towners since 1978. Crustaceans of all kinds are priced by weight, while steaks, grilled fish, and the famous seafood stew will satisfy a hearty appetite without blowing the budget.

Founded in 1933, this "musicians' café" exudes an old-world charm. The afternoon tea is famous, and if you're lucky you might happen upon a poetry reading or a live concert (often fado music).

The tables outside this long-established haven are the perfect place to watch the old trams go by, while an interior reading room offers a quiet space to relax with a book and a snack or meal (the two-course set lunches are a good value at €15). Less touristy than some other cafés nearby, it still attracts artists from the neighboring theaters who stop for a drink.

On the iconic square of Largo do Toural, this venerable eatery whose decor has an Ancient Egyptian theme (hence its name) serves tasty regional dishes at prices that won't break the bank. Both the breaded octopus and the house bacalhau, which is fried and served with sauteed turnip tops, are fantastic. Wash it down with some very drinkable house wine.

There are plenty of other pizza joints in Cascais, but locals will tell you Caffe Itália is the best of the bunch. In its indoor dining rooms or on its sunny terrace you can choose from a range of authentic thin-crust pizzas and fresh house-made pasta dishes.

Set away from the hustle and bustle of the coast and outside the touristic area, Calhou is a traditional Portuguese restaurant with a side of Italy—serving incredible Neapolitan pizzas from a wood-fired oven. The low ceiling and wood-paneled interior makes the restaurant feel rustic and cozy.

The Portuguese take their canned fish seriously. Find out what the fuss is about at this funky restaurant where canned goods turn up in all manner of petiscos (small plates)—it sounds gimmicky, but the results are delicious. Recently, in partnership with academics, they started producing and using garum, a fermented fish sauce popular in Roman times. But don't worry, they also offer traditional mains such as baked codfish or octopus, and pasta, salads, and hamburgers.

This industrial-chic former factory canteen now makes good use of original features (such as a wood-fired oven) to feed the culture seekers who flock to this part of town. It's right in the middle of LxFactory, and the hearty Portuguese dishes will fuel a day's shopping or a night's socializing in the surrounding bars.

Inside white stucco walls beneath a barrel-tile roof, this tavern is said to be one of the oldest in Portugal. The interior has exposed brick walls, expansive windows, and a huge fireplace that keeps the place cozy in cooler weather. The menu is Portuguese with a French accent, and the fair prices ensure a steady flow of locals alongside the daytrippers.

When visiting a volcanic island, what’s better than cooking food on your very own hot lava stone? That’s the concept behind this bustling family-owned eatery, in a former fisherman’s storage building near the harbor, where you can choose from a wide selection of fish, seafood, and meat (limited vegetarian options are also available) that you grill to your liking at your table. Save room for the cookie pudding, layers of cookie with buttercream frosting borrowed from the family’s grandmother’s recipe.

One of the first truly Italian restaurants in Lisbon is still one of the best. On the menu are the Italian owner's favorite dishes, including meat, fish, and pasta options.

Owner Dona Celeste likes to personally greet guests—who have included record-breaking U.S. surfer Garrett McNamara—at the entrance to her seafood restaurant on the Atlantic seafront. Among popular dishes here are espadarte à Celeste (swordfish with cream-and-mushroom sauce) and squid or monkfish on the spit. This coast is famous for its caldeirada (a Portuguese version of bouillabaisse with nine kinds of fish). Perhaps the most spectacular dishes here are the cataplana de peixe com camarão e amêijoas for two (fish stew with shrimp and clams, served with a flourish). In summer, it's a good idea to book ahead.

Regional cuisine's on the menu at this intimate timber-clad restaurant, stacked floor-to-ceiling with antique wares and hand-painted ceramics. Choose the regional sausage—usually grilled, stewed, or baked as a daily special—for an authentic taste of Monchique.

Set right on the banks of the Tagus with suitably nautical decor, this restaurant is owned by Lisbon's Naval Club and offers excellent fish and simple traditional dishes. Floor-to-ceiling windows allow diners to enjoy river views when it's too cool for the terrace.

Come Prima occupies a low-lit space split into two levels and is always packed with locals who love its distinguished Italian cuisine. If you’re looking for a romantic place off the beaten path, this is a good choice.

Eat well for less at this welcoming restaurant in an old house in the center of Braga---one of the few traditional eateries still going amid all the wine bars and souvenir shops. The house bacalhau (codfish) is fried in olive olive but they also prepare it com broa (with a cornbread crust); among other tasty options are octopus fritters---here served with puréed apple and chestnuts---and a range of steak dishes. For dessert, if you haven't yet tried pudim abade de Priscos---made with egg yolks and port wine---this is a great opportunity to do so.

Since 1925, this family-run restaurant has attracted a robust clientele, thanks to its excellent regional dishes and vast national wine selection. The large dining room and plant-filled terrace give off a relaxed, homey vibe, as do the plates brimming with tasty sides. The exposed-brick arches decorated with bucolic azulejo scenes are particularly lovely.

Popular with laptop-clutching digital nomads by day and groups of friends sharing small plates after dark, this is a top spot in Coimbra for food that's lighter than the traditional regional dishes, but packed with flavor. The day's dishes vary according to what's in season, but expect interesting combinations like chestnut puree topped with grilled shiitake mushrooms. Small plates like tuna ceviche or sweet-potato crisps with garlic mayonnaise are the perfect accompaniment to a glass of local Bairrada sparkling wine.

The family-run winery and brewery Quinta Dos Santos started as a tap room, but has since established the restaurant A Esquina on site, with a gorgeous courtyard ringed by arches and a surprisingly sophisticated dining room serving petiscos—tapas-style Portuguese dishes—as well as larger plates.

Everything is made with love at this tiny Brazilian-owned café, from the collection of art on the walls to the fresh juices and French-press coffee. Simple snacks include cheese and charcuterie boards, bruschetta, and toasts with tapenade. There are just two tables with four seats each, so reservations are advised for lunch or dinner.

Today it's a lively spot for petiscos and cocktails, but this was once the location for secret political meetings (and romantic trysts), thanks to its secluded gabinetes (booths). It's been given a top-to-toe overhaul, but retains its paneled booths, tiled floors, and other details from its more than 150 years of history. Light dishes such as chilled tomato soup and tapas-style plates for sharing make for sociable dining in a cozy restaurant-bar, but they also have heartier bacalhau and seafood rice dishes, which are often big enough for two.