216 Best Restaurants in Portugal

This eco-conscious café sources all its ingredients from local independent producers. There's abundant use of matcha, quinoa, and spirulina, and as there's no refined sugar in any of the cakes, cookies, and other sweet treats, they make a perfect guilt-free pick-me-up when combined with a cup of Comoba's excellent coffee.

Amarante is famous (or notorious) for the phallic cakes produced locally---a custom that may hark back to ancient fertility rituals predating the arrival of Christianity---but this, the town's oldest pastry shop, stocks a dazzling array of other sweet treats in more conventional shapes. They're all made according to traditional recipes and are delicious; the terrace, which overlooks the river and bridge from which the confeitaria takes its name, is the ideal place to sample them.

In business since 1896, the attractively restored Confeitaria do Bolhão is one of the oldest bakeries in town. There's a vast range of breads, pastries, and other local treats, including the featherlight pão-de-ló sponge cake.

So famous that it was featured on a postage stamp in 2017, this vintage pastry shop is best known for its bola de Berlim donuts, overflowing with pastry cream. Also popular are the cinnamon biscuits, pão de ló à Jorge Amado (a sponge favored by the late Brazilian writer on his periodic visits), and Manjerico de Viana, an eggy tart that tastes like sweet basil. It was originally invented at the nearby Pastelaria Zé Natário, opened in 1970 by Manuel's brother José.

Portugal’s oldest bakery has taken over an old pier next to the Torre de Belém. Here dozens of tables are perched over the Tagus River, with one side facing the famous tower and the other toward the city. While it lacks the opulent interiors of the original, it's location is the perfect pit stop for coffee, sweets, or a freshly squeezed orange juice.

The roasted coffee beans come from Copenhagen, as did the inspiration for the minimalist decor. The Coffee Lab has become a favorite, both for the different types on the menu and the welcoming and relaxed atmosphere.

Sit beneath fragrant orange blossoms enjoying a healthy lunch at this café with a mission. Hidden behind the Belém library, this glass-walled social enterprise café supports a project protecting and empowering vulnerable women and girls. Come for the delicious house-made cake and stay for the side helping of social justice.

Noted for bacalhau and octopus dishes as well as more traditional local meats, this farmstead restaurant's dishes are an excellent value. On weekdays there is usually an à la carte menu, including a vegetarian main dish, but sometimes there is an all-in buffet (€25) instead, as there is every Saturday. On Sunday, people come from far and near for the cozido de carnes bravas à Ribatejana (stew made with meat from local bulls).

A warm welcome and hearty portions await diners at this quintessentially Portuguese restaurant specializing in cod and other dishes from the region. The decor is handsome, looking for all the world like a kitchen from a century ago. Bring cash, as international bank cards aren't accepted. 

This bright red kiosk directly in front of the ferry terminal is hard to miss, and there are few better spots for a quick coffee, beer, or ginjinha (sour cherry liqueur) while waiting for a boat. Although the food offer is limited, toasted sandwiches, nuts, and potato chips will keep hunger pangs at bay while you soak up the sun.

When love led Damascus-born Bashar Khabbaz to put down roots in Portugal, he couldn’t help but miss the flavors of Syria. So he opened this Syrian bistro in Cacilhas with homestyle dishes from kibbeh to kebabs. Call ahead for traditional live music on Saturday nights. 

However you like your eggs in the morning (or afternoon), Dear Breakfast will cook them to perfection, alongside a cheerful range of house-baked breads, fresh juices, and jams. Eat them any which way, from omelets and eggs Benedict to chipotle shakshuka. There's excellent coffee, smoothies, and brunch cocktails. 

The flagship store of this Portuguese coffee brand faces Avenida da Liberdade and offers more than just its coffee. Come here for a light meal, brunch, or a cocktail in the wood-clad interior or at the tables outside.

This tiny corner café might not look like much, but step inside, and you’ll find a stunning art nouveau interior with tiled facades and marble tables. It specializes in salgados (savory treats), but it also has a few sweet options, like the ubiquitous pastéis de nata (custard tarts). Choose your favorite snack from the counter and take it to the nearby Jardim do Príncipe Real.

This upscale coffee shop with friendly service offers sandwiches and other light lunches, making it the perfect stop between sightseeing trips around town. The outdoor terrace in back offers superb views of the hillside across from Castelo de Vide.

The dishes of the day at this bustling second-floor restaurant are excellent value, and the house wine—from a local producers' cooperative—goes down well, too. Some tables in the main dining room have views of the monastery, but at peak times you may be seated on the covered terrace in back. Try the house bacalhau (fried with onions and tomato), roast octopus, barbecued squid, or lamb chops.

A covered balcony held aloft by stone pillars makes this one of the most appealing places for outdoor dining in Ponte de Lima. You might start with the bolinhos de bacalhau, fried potato cakes with plenty of cod in them, and then try one of the regional dishes, such as rojões (fried pork), or the beef Wellington (a serving for two). Braver souls might go for the arroz de sarrabulho, made of rice and pig's blood, for which the restaurant is renowned.

Porto has a growing number of restaurants focusing on vegetarian dishes, and one of the places leading the charge for sustainable meat-free cooking is Época Porto. It's a small, light-filled space serving breakfasts, lunches, and brunches made entirely with organic produce---think barley bowls with mushrooms, goat cheese, and caramelized onion---and there's a range of natural wines and craft beers to accompany your meal.

Hidden just a few feet from the Elevador do Lavra, this was one of the first places in the city to offer specialty coffee, roasted and ground on the premises. Sandwiches and pastries are also available.

An 1820s manor turned 11-room inn, Falcão de Mendonça's restaurant has warm service and surprisingly reasonable prices. On the menu is Portuguese fare with a few interesting additions, like shrimp-stuffed bacalhau, rabbit stew, and prawns with garlic mushrooms. You can take your meal beside the outdoor pool, and there's a billiards table to amuse the kids while you linger over your meal—but they're sure to run back to the table for a dessert of crêpes topped with ice cream and chocolate sauce, or crema catalana (the cinnamon-scented Iberian version of crème brûlée).

This all-day brunch spot does a roaring trade in pancakes, avocado toast, smoothie bowls, and other breakfast favorites. Lines are virtually inevitable at any time of day, but the flower-filled café is a pleasant place to wait.

Members of Lisbon's large Brazilian community flock to this all-day snack bar for tasty generously sized pastéis de vento (deep-fried meat or cheese patties), coxinhas (chicken croquettes), and pão de queijo (cheese rolls made with cassava flour); various menus with cassava fries or tapioca are available. Sugarcane is among the fresh juices on offer, as well as detox blends, and there are sweets, too. If you'd prefer a sit-down meal, Brazilian Concept next door has a range of classic dishes from the country, plus caipirinhas.

There's no shortage of places to eat ice cream in Sesimbra, but Fini serves superior Italian scoops and has a sunny patio overlooking the sea. Flavors vary daily (the banana and peanut butter is particularly delicious), plus there's a wide range of toppings and good coffee.

Focaccia sandwiches, made according to traditional Italian recipes but with high-quality Portuguese ingredients, are the draw at this small shop in the Feira da Ladra market.

This easy-to-miss vegan tapas place is little more than a door in the wall halfway up a public stairway. Despite its location, it was the first fully vegan restaurant in Lisbon, and it's still worth the search for its ever-changing menu of shareable plates and its pretty tables on the outdoor stairway terrace on summer evenings.

This bustling restaurant is one of several overlooking the Praia da Areia Branca, the area's prettiest beach, but stands out in terms of its ocean view (due to its elevated position) and the quality of its food, above all the expertly grilled fish. If you want something more elaborate, try the polvo panado (battered octopus, served with bean rice), the house bacalhau (fried with onions and served with pickles and cubed fries), or monkfish rice.

There’s no English menu here—just the daily specials scrawled on a piece of paper out front. If you want to eat where the locals do, search these dishes on the Web then step inside Frazão. Say bom dia ("good day") to the grill chef and pass through the tiny front room where workers watch TV while eating. Find a more comfortable table in the back room and tuck into your own €10 lunch menu, which includes a dish, soup, drink, and coffee.

This family-run restaurant opposite the Vila Galé draws a crowd for its fresh seafood and fish—the latter grilled over charcoal—but also offers squid and prawn brochettes, cuttlefish in ink, and even grilled meats. The two dozen seats in the original dining room weren't nearly enough space, so the place added a second dining room that's decorated in smart beach-house style.

This friendly café-bar has a wonderful vantage over the sea. The seafood, toasted sandwiches, and house white wine are all good, but the main attraction is the sheltered terrace.