Lisbon is a vibrant city. With so many cafes, bars and restaurants to try in Lisbon, where do you start? You can find all kinds of cuisine, from the traditional Portuguese restaurants in Alfama, to the modern places in Barro Alto. It’s easy to get hung up on making a decision, and when it’s busy getting a seat at a table can feel a little overwhelming.
We tried a few different restaurants in Lisbon whilst we were there. Some were recommended from socials or videos, some we just happened to find as we were walking around. Prices were pretty reasonable in most places we ate at. The carafes of wine were cheap, and if I had to guess I’d say we spent on average around €50 per meal, including starters, mains and wine.
Looking for restaurants to try in Lisbon? Here’s a selection of some of the places we visited, and why we loved them!
Oficina do Duque
This restaurant is located in the Chiado area and feels like a really stylish place to eat – the decor inside is fantastic. They bring ‘posh nosh’ without the pricey plates, giving traditional Portuguese flavours a brilliant, modern twist.
Our two starters and two mains cost us around €33 total, and then we added a bottle of wine too. Bargain! The food here looked and tasted much higher-end than what was reflected in the cost, and I would fully recommend eating here.
Make sure to book ahead though to guarantee a table!
Taberna Sal Grosso
I discovered this one on a youtube guide and it was described as an incredible food experience. This restaurant doesn’t look like much, I have to admit. It felt very low-key as a restaurant but was so busy with locals. That was enough to tell us we’d made a good decision!
I had tried to book to no avail, so we attempted to turn up on the night – twice. The second time we were told to wait outside and they’d get us in as soon as possible. We ended up seated at a four-seater table next to two locals. I thought it would be a little awkward but actually, it didn’t ruin the experience at all.
The menu was simply written on a blackboard on one of the walls. We ordered a mixture of smaller plates, and each one was delicious. A plate of cheese and bread to start, and then I chose broccoli with confit garlic, aubergine with smoked yoghurt and fries. We also added some Pastel Bacalhau, and these were really good.
To finish, we had two bottles of strong liqueur placed on our table. Ginja, which is cherry flavoured, and amarelinha which is almondy in taste.
Sol Brasil
We stumbled upon this restaurant when searching for somewhere that had space. Again, it was busy and we did have to wait around 20 minutes or so for a table, but it was definitely worth it!
I had the Coalho cheese starter, and the Veggie Burger. Both were very tasty, along with the chips and the sauce!
The Tomahawk steak seemed to be why this place was so busy though, and I could see why looking at the size of the dish! My partner would probably have ordered it, but it was a sharing dish and I’m vegetarian – bad luck there.
If you want to look at prices, the Sol Brasil menu is here!
Timeout Market
The Timeout Market does feel quite touristy in comparison to a lot of the restaurants in Lisbon and especially so from the others I’ve listed here, however, you can’t really expect anything else from this style of indoor food market! It was probably the most expensive place out of the ones we tried but had lots of different foods to try.
We went on two different days. The first time it had just opened and was very quiet. The second time we went mid-afternoon and the room was heaving. It was difficult to find a spot to sit down! Something to keep in mind – you can’t book tables here.
We tried food from Manteigara Pastel de Nata, Confraria Sushi, Zero Zero Pizza, and Croqueteria and had the Port tasting selection from Taylors Discover Port. I don’t think I could really choose a favourite because everything we ate at the Timeout Market was delicious.
Visiting Lisbon? Why not try out this Lisbon Kayak Tour for something different to do?
Pastéis de Belém
This is a famous pastry shop in the Belem neighbourhood, famous for having the ‘original’ pastel de natas. This bakery has been serving these tasty natas for over 100 years, and they keep a tight hold of their secret recipe.
The easiest way to get here is by jumping on a bus or train, and whilst you’re in Belem there are a few different attractions to see too. You might find a small queue outside the Pasteis de Belem shop, but it is 100% worth the short wait. Our only mistake was not buying more!
They obviously taste the best served warm and fresh, but we ate our second one the next day, and it still tasted just as good. I liked that they gave us a sachet of sugar and cinnamon to sprinkle on!
A Carioca
This is a small traditional coffee shop located within the Bairro Alto neighbourhood, and I’ve added it in because it is somewhere we spotted that was advertising vegan natas! It can’t be the only place, but it was the only one I noticed as we were walking around. These natas tasted great, and I probably wouldn’t have known they were vegan otherwise. The only real difference was the pastry, as it did feel a little crumblier in comparison to the others we tried.
Have you been to Lisbon before? Let me know your favourite places to eat!
