Lisbon Restaurants

Lisbon has a great selection of dining establishments and visitors will have no trouble finding hearty traditional Portuguese cuisine or wonderful international dishes, all served at very reasonable prices.

Local cuisine

Portuguese cuisine is marked by rich and filling dishes comprising the many flavours of a Mediterranean diet. As a former colonial power, the country has also incorporated a wide variety of spices in its cuisine. However, the highlight in Lisbon is the fantastic seafood and fish, and hungry travellers would do well to dine on the countryside staples of grilled sardines, clams à Bulhão Pato and fish soups à fragateira.

For snacking, try a prego or bifana, splendid steak sandwiches prepared with beef or pork, or the café and bar staple, tosta mistal, a toasted cheese and ham sandwich. To make a traditional Portuguese meal complete, order from the fine selection of wines, as Lisbon’s restaurants carry bottles and jugs from all over the country.

The town of Bucelas lends its name to its famed white wine, noted for being rich and mellow. Full red wines from Colares are splendid, while the sweet wine made from the Moscatel grape comes from Setúbal; try pairing this wine with fresh seafood for an authentic Portuguese experience. For a table wine, look for those from the Douro Valley, where the famous Port wine comes from, as well as the jugs of spicy red from the Dão region.

Where to eat

The most noted area for restaurants in Lisbon is near the bottom of Praça dos Restauradores, but you can find good value meals nearly anywhere in the capital.

For a traditional, old-style meal, try Pateo Alfacinha, which has two locations in the city. Adega Machado is a popular restaurant that has served Nixon and Sinatra, offering great food, fado music and dancing. To sample some great Port wine, go to the Solar do Vinho do Porto in the city’s ancient Bairro Alto district.