216 Best Restaurants in Portugal

This is one of Funchal's coolest café-bars; it's a great spot to hole up for a coffee, a cocktail, or even a full meal. Nestled behind the Museu de Arte Sacra, there's outdoor seating facing the delightful main square.

The self-anointed Beer Museum is a spectacularly colorful temple to the brew; it also hosts a branch of the Casa Portuguesa de Pastel do Bacalhau, a pit stop that is all about the codfish cake—a traditional Portuguese snack that here (to the horror of gastronomic traditionalists) comes with a rich creamy cheese filling. They also serve light lunches and good coffee.

An Italian family opened this small ice-cream shop around the corner from the Parliament building (and just a short walk from the Jardim do Príncipe Real), and it immediately drew locals who don’t mind waiting in line to try the variety of flavors. They're served in a cup or cone, with or without whipped cream on top.

This offshoot of a long-established uptown restaurant is worth seeking out if you yearn for classic Mughlai food. There's a huge range of dishes, with plenty of vegetarian options, all excellent value. Service is friendly and efficient, too!

Neighbourhood was a pioneer in Lisbon's specialty coffee scene when it opened in 2019, and it still offers a wide selection of top-quality caffeinated drinks, including batch brew and V60. There are also snacks like banana bread, and bigger meals like breakfast burritos and Turkish eggs.

Tucked modestly behind a parking garage—follow the arrows to the two modern, air-conditioned dining rooms—this popular local staple prides itself on cooking bacalhau myriad ways, but according to locals the onion-rich house version is the best in the world. The changing menu invariably also features grilled fish and dishes such as filetes de polvo (octopus fritters), roast kid or, on Saturdays, rojões com papas de sarrabulho (pork medallions with corn meal flavored with blood). Most dishes are also available as a meia dose, for one person. For dessert, try the pavê, a Brazilian take on tiramisu, or coroas do rei, traditional pão de ló sponge cake but topped with meringue.

As you're heading past Sé Nova, take the first alley on the left to discover this tiny bohemian spot tucked behind a church. The Mexican fusion restaurant has a small but delicious range of hot and cold vegan empanadas, quesadillas, and massive burritos. The quirky setting, with mismatched tables and chairs and board games scattered about, is a popular hangout for local students. No international cards are accepted, so be sure to bring cash. 

Roughly 7 km (4 miles) northwest of Alvito, the main attraction of this large, popular restaurant is its wood-burning oven in which delicious legs of lamb, pork, and other meats are cooked to perfection. They're first marinated in coriander, oregano, and aromatic herbs that grow in the region. The owner is also well-known for his açorda dishes, the most popular being açorda de cação (with baby shark). The atmosphere is cozy and authentic, with brick domed walls, wood paneling, and a huge antique chandelier dangling overhead.

This storefront eatery is far from fancy—from the outside you might mistake it for a takeout joint—but the wooden benches just inside the door are always crowded because of its excellent oven-roasted chicken, served with salad and fries. It also serves home-baked bread.

Tucked away in the valley of Serra de Louro, down the road from Palmela, o Gaiteiro is a picturesque place to relax with a drink. There are two distinctly different cafés on the property: a winter one on the lower end among the pines with cozy seating, and a summer one perched on a small cliff with glassed-in walls and a balcony that faces the forested hills. There's a large and enticing pool with a glorious backdrop, surrounded by sun loungers which can be rented for the afternoon during the summer months.

One of the most fun vegetarian restaurants in town, O Gambuzino lists its ever-changing daily specials on a chalkboard menu but always highlights fresh vegetables and other products from a place called the Fruta Feia ("Ugly Fruit") co-op. You get the sustainability angle, but the pleasure is also there, with a menu full of global influences. Sample dishes include kimchi rice balls, gazpacho served in crunchy puri wheat puffs, and lettuce tacos filled with giant mushrooms that were locally grown in recycled coffee grounds.

In the village of Reguengos de Monsaraz, O Gato is a bed and breakfast, pastry shop, and restaurant in a traditional Alentejan white-stucco building with blue awnings. It's a huge favorite with locals, serving traditional fare like lamb stew made with fresh herbs and spices. There's an extensive wine list.

A good selection of pastries, a decent brunch menu, great coffee, and friendly service make this French-style café a good choice at the start of your day, whatever time that may be. Brunch is served until 3 pm, and light lunch options are also available.

One of the city's best tascas (traditional no-frills restaurants), O Zé da Mouraria features hearty traditional fare every lunchtime. It's a simple place but the servings are large enough to share, the wine list is decent, and the food is an excellent value.

A highlight among the food trucks in the hipster venue 8 Marvila, Oficina Craft Snackery specializes in "decadent," artisanal smashed-patty burgers. The menu is brief but hits all the bases, ranging from a double beef burger with bacon and cheddar to a portobello burger with red coleslaw and lime sauce. There are chicken and fish options too.

The south of the river is more than just seafood. If you’re craving Italian, Valdo Gatti serves artisanal wood-fired pizza crafted with Italian and Portuguese ingredients. The dough is left to rise slowly for two days before it reaches your plate.  

Delicious vegan dishes (think mango-and-tofu curry or seitan steak) ensure that there's always a line for a table in this restaurant's extremely colorful dining room or on the pleasant patio next to the botanical gardens. It’s part of a Buddhist center where a small shop stocks books, incense, homeopathic medicines, and other products, and yoga and meditation classes take place upstairs.

This tiny welcoming Italian restaurant serves small plates designed to be shared among friends. There are excellent imported cheeses, sausages, and wines alongside mains and desserts typical of the Sardinia region.

Portugal produces fantastic oysters, and this solar-powered food truck located next to the Discoveries Monument is a top spot to try them. “Oysters on Wheels” brings fresh bivalves from the Sado River, an hour south of Lisbon, to the capital. Pair a couple or a dozen with a glass of Portuguese sparkling wine and enjoy the million-dollar waterfront views.

Although the name translates as "Bread Bread Cheese Cheese," this bustling place serves much more than these two staples. Expect lines out the door as hungry sightseers and locals line up to take their pick from a huge variety of sandwiches, salads, falafel, and wraps.

The food at this wood-paneled restaurant is expertly prepared and comes in portions big enough to share. It’s a popular choice in the neighborhood, especially in the summer when they bring out the grilled fish.

The Portuguese have a sweet tooth—not a morning, or afternoon, goes by without a stop for a coffee and pastry—and this traditional little shop, with its wide selection of tarts, cakes, biscuits, and croissants, is a great introduction to typical Portuguese sweets. It's also a good spot for a light breakfast.

Many a Lisboeta would argue that Careca, which has been cooking up pastries since 1954, serves the best sweet croissants in town. Try them for yourself at this simple-but-smart café—best enjoyed outside on the terrace with a coffee or fresh orange juice.

The cakes and pastries in this shop, from the classic pastéis de nata to croissants and Christmas miniatures, are high quality and made fresh daily.

A few minutes from Igreja de São Francisco you'll find this pastry shop specializing in regional sweets. Set in a small house between two cobblestone streets, it stands out with its green doors and terra-cotta roof. Inside, traditional Portuguese tiles decorate the walls, but it's hard to look away from the sweets displayed behind the glass counter. The specialty is pão de rala, a delicious cake combining egg yolks, almonds, sugar, and lemon zest.

You’ll likely walk past this pastry shop on your way to the castle; step inside to see bakers whipping up a fresh batch of pastéis de nata.

This small café is the perfect place to soak up the Minho atmosphere. The proprietor makes his own pastries, cakes, and croquettes.