216 Best Restaurants in Portugal

Sharing the building of the Pharmacy Museum, this smart restaurant with a large terrace faces one of the city’s most popular viewpoints and is open throughout the day for meals and drinks—including medicinal-themed cocktails. Chef Susana Felicidade, known as a judge on the Portuguese edition of the MasterChef television show, gives a twist to traditional Portuguese cuisine, featuring dishes from her native Algarve such as gazpacho and carob cake.

This riverside restaurant looks like a traditional Alentejo house with its whitewashed walls and blue trimmings. Inside, the staff is ready to welcome you with a feast of regional delicacies. Some of the house favorites include the Burras Assadas (roasted pork jaw) and the Filetes de Peixe-Galo (dory fish fillets).

This new combination gourmet market and food hall also serves as a laptop-friendly all-day café. Different stalls sell coffee, snacks, cheese, sausages, and various light bites. Across the courtyard, an even newer space, called Refeitório da Praça, serves more elaborate lunches and dinners.

A vegan alternative to Aveiro's seafood-and-meat focused dining scene, Raiz offers wholesome dishes that could tempt the most hardened of carnivores. The menu is completely plant-based and has daily lunch specials such as spinach crepes with Mexican-style tofu scramble. There are gluten-free menu items every day, and a meatless version of Brazilian feijoada (bean stew) on Wednesday. 

At the east end of Avenida Luisa Todi, Rebarca is the best of the line of casual restaurants serving inexpensive but delicious fresh seafood—including an excellent version of the ubiquitous choco frito (fried cuttlefish). Wash everything down with a carafe of the house white wine, which always has a refreshingly light effervescence.

The popular, no-frills sister eatery to Taverna de Matilde, Arco Iris serves big portions of home-style fare such as jabalí (wild boar) stew, roast lamb, and grilled cod. There's a short list of inexpensive regional wines. If you have any room left at the end of your meal, try the almond mousse.

Overlooking the gardens and Roman ruins at Conímbriga's museum, the on-site restaurant is a sleek and modern space, with a spacious terrace and large windows. There are daily set meals and a-la-carte options, while an adjoining terrace café is an  informal, family-friendly spot for coffee, ice cream, and light snacks, all served with terrific views over the surrounding countryside.

At the western edge of town, this popular local restaurant serves simple fare that includes several types of salt cod, roast kid, and fresh fish.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

This unpretentious traditional tasca (cheap eatery) hidden among Bairro Alto’s noisy cocktail bars and tourist traps serves hearty portions of excellent Portuguese food at fair prices. Game on offer includes stewed pheasant and boar, served either grilled or in a bean stew, and there are rarely found local fish dishes such as fried shad with açorda bread soup. There's also a potent bagaço (Portuguese grappa) to round off the meal.

Hip-homey is the vibe this tavern exudes with its red-and-white checkered table runners, blond-wood chairs, and birch tables. The restaurant often hosts live music. Meat and seafood are the stars of the menu, which includes a warming fish stew with rice, grilled lamb, and steak carved table -side. Pair dinner with a carafe of local wine and finish it off with refreshing almond mousse. Taverna da Matilde is attached to Restaurante Arco Iris.

Visa is the only credit card that can be used here.

A roof terrace with sweeping views over Coimbra and the Cañas Valley draws crowds to this friendly restaurant on the outskirts of town. A downstairs dining room is packed with locals at lunchtime, but out-of-towners head straight up to the roof to enjoy drinks and snacks with those glorious vistas. The name means "Terrace of the King," and there's even a throne where children tend to enjoy posing for photographs.

Sate an appetite for Lisbon's dramatic panoramic views at this chic restaurant-bar, which sits on the top floor of a storied department store. It's a sophisticated spot for salads and finger foods, as well as more substantial, more traditional dishes.

Gourmets come from far and wide to the village of Negrais, 15 km (9 miles) south of Mafra, to sample the suckling pig served there and wash it down with frisante (lightly sparkling wine). There are several local specialists, but "Aunt Alice" has led the herd for more than 25 years. Climb the stairs to the airy second-floor dining room, with its artsy decor, for a perfectly crisped roast, usually accompanied by round potato fries, orange slices, and salad. Fans of nose-to-tail eating can instead opt for arroz de miúdos (rice made with offal). There are also non-pork alternatives, such as bacalhau and steak.

The tibia, a traditional local pastry, takes center stage here, but prize-winning pastry chef João Benjamim Araújo and his team turn out a wide range of other sticky delights, most of which also originated in Braga. Grab a coffee and choose whether to sit inside the beautifully renovated historic building or on the terrace---both of which are great places for people watching.

Locals and tourists who don’t show up early often wait for as much as an hour for a table, knowing this is where you can still eat the good old-fashioned Lisbon way. Staff rush from table to table, serving doses of reasonably priced standards like grilled tuna and garlic prawns accompanied by a good house wine. Reservations are not accepted.

A haven for vegetarians and vegans amid a sea of fish restaurants, Xéxéxé is a cozy bistro serving delicious meals as well as house-baked pies and pastries. With creative use of seasonal ingredients, there are several choices of set meals each day. Space is limited, so book a table in advance.

You'll probably need to wait on the stairs outside for a table and then perch on benches or at tightly packed tables, but it's worth the wait for the excellent Portuguese dishes served at this small neighborhood tasca. The menu changes daily with a selection of fish and meat options.

Serving spicy samosas, curries, and other spicy treats since the 1970s, Zuari was one of the first Goan restaurants to open in Lisbon (and many would argue it's still the best). It's a wonderful introduction to the flavors of the former Portuguese colony, and the very fair prices mean culinary adventures here won't break the bank.