LISGuide
The Best Restaurants In Lisbon
photo credit: Gonçalo F. Santos
No matter where you’re staying or what’s on your Google Doc itinerary, your trip to Lisbon is going to involve three things: a lot of time in the sun, a lot of time walking up hills, and a lot of time sitting at a table.
Throughout the city’s different neighborhoods—like the medieval Alfama, the ornate Principe Real, and the buzzing Chiado and Baixa—you’ll find traditional restaurants cooking up classic Portuguese dishes on open-fire grills, plus newer farm-to-table spots and natural wine bars that complement the been-around-forever, family-owned favorites.
Locals are lively, friendly, and have been welcoming guests to Europe’s sunniest city for the past millennium, so don’t be shy about saying hello over a glass of house wine and some snacks (they’re called petiscos, not tapas). Here’s where to eat on your next trip to Lisbon. And if you’re looking for a list of the best bars, we’ve got that too.
THE SPOTS
There are two different ways to have a meal at Sem: either at the wine bar or the restaurant, both located in the same building separated by a window on a busy street in Alfama, where the 28 tram zooms by. Make a night of it by booking a table on the restaurant side for their eight-course tasting menu, or keep it casual at the bar where you’ll find a smaller food menu written on a chalkboard. They change up the dishes seasonally, but you can expect things like honey roasted carrots with pomegranate or razor clam escabeche. This is a great dinner spot for a small group of friends, a date, or dining solo at the bar.
Prado paved the way for farm-to-table restaurants in Lisbon. You’ll find it right next to a 12th-century historic church in the hilly Mouraria neighborhood, with a tight menu that changes seasonally. Book this spot as one of your nicer diners while you’re in town, and plan on sharing a bunch of plates, like the beef tartare sandwiched between dried cabbage, smoked eel with melon and cucumber, and Alentejano pork with turnips, plus a bottle of some natural wine. If it’s on the menu, definitely end your night with the mushroom ice cream that’s topped with caramel and crunchy barley.
Not going to Ramiro when you’re in Lisbon is like going to the beach and not putting your toes in the water. It’s the most important seafood restaurant in the entire city, and the line usually stretches around the block. (The wait is real, but worth it.) Once you sit down at a table inside this renovated art deco building, you’ll witness a constant waterfall of beer mugs slammed (cautiously) on tables. Start with the stuffed crab, gambas à guilho, and some bread—it’s great, so don’t be shy about eating the entire tray. Two other things that should be on your table: the medium rare steak sandwich that’s slathered in mustard and a vodka lemon sorbet that comes in a champagne flute.
photo credit: Goncalo F Santos
You’ll see locals at Praia no Parque for just about every occasion—celebrating something momentous, having a business lunch on someone else’s dime, or just eating with friends among over-the-top decorations, which include a giant giraffe perched over the bar. The menu’s full of plates like angus ribeye, king crab salad, steak tartare, and oysters, but the experience of eating here is far from stuffy—you’ll see tequila shots on tables, bottle sparklers, and diners waving napkins in the air to the sound of “Sweet Caroline.” Make sure to book a table ahead of time, since it gets full almost every night.
photo credit: Grupo Jose Avillez
Bairro means “neighborhood” in Portuguese, and this huge space that houses four different restaurants is chef Jose Avillez’s take on that. Taberna is a casual, lively lunch or dinner spot that’s outfitted like a gourmet deli, with glass cases stuffed with cheeses and meats. Páteo is a massive sun-lit hall where you can linger over a plate of bacalhau com brás (salted cod, potatoes, and eggs) for a few hours over dinner. Pizzaria Lisboa serves, unsurprisingly, pizza, and Mini Bar is a theatrical dinner spot with burlesque speakeasy vibes and a 12-course tasting menu. If you’re in town for a few days, try and hit them all up if you can—you’ll be able to try Avillez’s famous “exploding olive” in a few different settings.
photo credit: Grupo Jose Avillez
Bairro do Avillez is great, but Belcanto is José Avillez’s crown jewel. There are three different menus offered inside this elegant dining room that’s housed in an old monastery: two tastings and one à la carte, with dishes like lobster paired with white beans, marrow, and caviar, and razor clams with lupin bean ice shavings. Book a table in advance, and plan on leaving your afternoon or the rest of your evening free. This is a main-event kind of place you’ll want to tailor your day around.
Different is the best word to describe Come to Tricky’s, and not in the way your mom would describe your new tattoo. This spot reflects the new international Lisbon, where people from all over the world came for a trip, fell in love with the city, and never left. Head here for things like tortellini with Jerusalem artichokes or octopus with chickpeas, and expect a good time—the vibe is relaxed and fun, and the music is cheesy in a way that you’ll actually enjoy. After your meal, venture out to the bars in Cais do Sodré.
photo credit: Goncalo F Santos
The menu at Boi Cavalo is short, sweet, and changes seasonally: traditional Portuguese dishes are modernized with international influences, mirroring the evolution of the Alfama neighborhood itself. If available, order the gnocchi with vanilla and dried tuna loin, as well as the turbot with achiote and lemon pickle to start—the latter is a spin on a classic Portuguese dish that’s traditionally made with codfish. The cozido rice with pink prawns should be your top priority for mains. It’s another contemporary take on a historic dish that’s been eaten throughout the streets of Alfama for centuries.
photo credit: Fabrice Demoulin
Bistro 100 Maneiras is an easy, cool spot for dinner with a ton of different food options and cocktails presented in an art deco picture book-style menu. Start with something like the Clockwork Orange that mixes vodka, pepper, mandarine, and basil alongside the bread basket, which comes with a greasy-in-a-good-way housemade pig-fat sauce. Definitely order some meat for your main—the staff will make sure you approve of your cut of beef before throwing it into the fire—and a side of the truffled potato mille-feuille.
If you’re a huge fan of tartares, then Misc By Tartar-ia should be at the top of your list. Yes, the food is great—the sea bass tartare, Asian beef tartare, and the perfectly crunchy partridge rice are all solid picks—but what makes this place special is the environment. You’re nearly guaranteed to leave with a new friend and a few stories to tell the following day, especially if you’re there when Pizza, the owner’s dog, is playing hostess. Plus, their Basque cheesecake is incredible—it’s a family recipe that’s been passed down and perfected for generations.
Pap'Açôrda is synonymous with Lisbon nightlife, and it recently moved to the top floor of the Time Out Market in Cais do Sodré. It never disappoints, and is a reliable go-to for dinner before heading out to the bars in the neighborhood. The menu is made up of classic Portuguese dishes to share, like peixinhos da horta (deep-fried green beans), ameijoas à bulhão pato (clams), and açorda, a bread stew that’s traditionally made with leftover stale bread.
Opposite the Portuguese parliament is a little red door on Rua de São Bento where you have to ring the doorbell and wait until someone lets you in. Once inside, you’ll see the color red is a major player in the decoration, similar to their famous medium rare steak that’s been bringing locals back to this spot for the past 40 years. Add a side of their creamed spinach, and definitely finish your meal with the tarte tatin. This is a great spot for people watching, since it’s a popular place for politicians to celebrate the deals they just sealed across the street.
The odds of finding tourists at this traditional Portuguese spot located in the middle of a narrow street in Alcântara are low, unless they’re tagging along with a local. The menu is big, and the portions even bigger. Grab a spot at one of the wooden tables on either of the two floors and order a few things to split, like the scrambled eggs with farinheira, cod fritters and fried green beans, or the crunchy bite-size fish poppers that are deep fried in olive oil. No matter how full you are, don’t skip the serradura, a whipped cream and butter cookie crumble, for dessert.
At the top of the Graça neighborhood is a tiny tavern decorated with classic wood paneling and tiles. The menu mixes Japanese and Portuguese cuisines, which you can try by ordering à la carte or through the ten-course tasting menu. Both the grilled sardine nigiri and the sardine flan are excellent, and are different from anything else you’ll find in Lisbon. After you eat, walk around Graça and head up to the viewpoint to see the city below.
Tasca Pete is a small, cozy spot that feels a bit like going to a friend’s place for dinner. It’s on a hilly cobblestone street connecting the Graça and Penha de França neighborhoods, and is easy to miss—once you find it, knock on the glass doors to be let inside. A huge counter takes up most of the restaurant, where you can sit with a draft beer or a glass of natural wine and order shared plates like blueberry focaccia and potato terrine.
It’s almost impossible to reserve a table at this small spot on the corner of a sunny square at the foothills of the São Jorge Castle, but if you’re there early—which means 12:30 for lunch or 7pm for dinner—you’ll likely be able to snag a seat. Share the piglet pastry and three or four other plates while listening to Portuguese rock music inside, or attempt to balance on the cobblestones at the outdoor tables. Plan to come by after a morning visit to the castle, or before heading into Alfama for some fado at night.
photo credit: Herberto Smith
Iconic Portuguese restaurants are a part of the city’s fabric in the same way its monuments are. Gambrinus is one of those restaurants, and it’s been untouched since 1936. Three distinct dining areas show off traditional food in Lisbon: one counter, and two wood-paneled dining areas with immaculate white tablecloths. Pop in for dinner before a concert at the Coliseu, order a draft beer and a croquette at the bar, or sit down for a full meal of their perfectly cooked roast beef, all types of seafood, and the crepe suzette that’s prepared tableside. Don’t be alarmed if you hear kissing sounds—it’s the way the waiters get each other’s attention during service.
POWERED BY
There are two lavishly decorated dining areas inside JNcQOI Avenida, including the main restaurant on the top floor where you can eat plates of Alaskan king crab or tender pork shoulder while staring at the huge (fake) dinosaur skeleton in the center of this fancy space. If you’re looking for something more casual, head downstairs to the Deli Bar in the basement. Order a shrimp cocktail and some oysters, and be sure to swing by the bathroom before you leave to say hi to the DJ.
photo credit: Hayley Kelsing
Small taverns with daily menus chalked on the door used to line the streets of Lisbon, but unfortunately, most of them are long gone. So we embrace spots like Taberna da Rua das Flores. Opened in Chiado a little over ten years ago, it's become a main attraction because of its old-school style. You won’t find many locals here—the ten tables inside the narrow space are typically scooped up by travelers who put their name down on the list before the restaurant opens at 6pm. But still, the food is excellent, and no dish is over €20. Plan to line up as early as 5pm, and go with someone who wants to share things like codfish with chickpeas, seared beef cubes called pica pau, smoked artichokes, and stingray.
The Mercado de Alvalade is one of the best food markets in Lisbon, and up on one end there’s a small, busy restaurant called Sem Palavras. It’s a traditional beer house, with fast and efficient service, paper placements, and tables that are practically on top of each other. Come by any time of day—they’re open from 10am to 1am—and order from their extensive menu of meat and fish, including traditional Portuguese dishes like farinheira (pork sausage) with scrambled eggs, clams with coriander and garlic, and any type of cod you can imagine. Portions are big, and all the seafood comes fresh from the market next door.
photo credit: Rita Geraldes
Tico Tico in Alvalade is one of the most traditional beer, meat, and seafood restaurants in the city, and it’s slightly off the tourist radar. The extensive menu is mostly filled with home-cooked classics, like meat croquettes that are largely considered some of the best in the city, lamprey rice, polvo à lagareiro (boiled octopus), and Portuguese feijoada. Grab a beer and some bulhão pato clams to share, and if you don’t get it on your first visit, come back and try their prego sandwich, which is also considered to be one of the best in town.
photo credit: Joana Freitas
Essencial is a buzzy, tiny, and minimal restaurant in the middle of Bairro Alto that feels more like having dinner inside someone’s (very well-decorated) house rather than at an actual restaurant. Pick from two options: a full menu with dishes like oven-baked rice and scarlet shrimp or a three-course tasting for small plates of turbot with caviar and pigeon foie gras.
Último Porto is a bit tough to get to—it’s located in the middle of the shipping containers in Alcantara, and you have to either drive through a shipping dock or cross a footbridge at Rocha Conde de Obidos to get here. Your efforts, though, will be rewarded: this is a big barbecue in the middle of the docks. Start with the chocos trinchados, or diced grilled cuttlefish, and make sure you splash them with plenty of vinegar. Order the red mullet fish if it’s on the menu, but if it isn’t, know that you can’t go wrong with any of the seafood that’s caught fresh from the North Atlantic. Just make sure not to discount the tomato and onion side salad—it's as important as the fish itself, and the perfect way to punch up the meal with some acidity.
Portugal has more sea than land, and the former is what’s emphasized at this fine dining restaurant inside the Four Seasons. Service is smart and formal—you’ll want to break out the hotel iron ahead of putting on the one fancy outfit you packed for this trip. You can pick from three different tasting menus, which include a 5- and 10-course option, plus one that’s vegetarian. Everything is brilliantly executed, especially the squid with hazelnut, roasted seaweed butter, bergamot, and caviar.
photo credit: Selllva
If your flight got in at 8am and your Airbnb check-in’s not until noon, make your way to this spot near the famous Avenida de Liberdade for some poached eggs or oat pancakes with homemade Nutella. Breakfast is served until 12:30pm, and all day on weekends, so if you’re in the mood for those same plates at night, that’s an option too. If you’re stopping by for lunch or dinner, their Into The Wild menu includes stuff like vegan burgers, salads, bowls, and more.
