What to try, where to eat in Lisbon: 8 best restaurants

Lisbon is the epicenter of Portuguese cuisine. Lisbon taverns, cafes and restaurants will satisfy the tastes of gourmets of all stripes. Restaurants in the capital can not be counted, or rather, there are more than two thousand, very different: tiny, at a few tables, and elegant elite with a stylish design.

The choice of cuisine is also huge. Therefore, it is difficult to compile any one objective rating of the best restaurants in Lisbon.

Following the reviews of visitors, locals and tourists, the top ten of these ratings can easily be typed among sushi restaurants, and at the institutions of Italian and other Mediterranean cuisines, and the most romantic restaurants in the city. Fans of Indian and Chinese dishes in the capital of Portugal will not stay hungry either.

We will take a short tour of the establishments, which mainly prepare Portuguese and Mediterranean dishes.

Where to eat tasty and inexpensive

Let's start with the simplest option. When you are very hungry and you want to eat here and now, it’s good if at this time you are in the area of the famous Park Principle Real.

Frangasqueira Nacional - order and take with you!

Address: Travessa Monte do Carmo 19, 1200-276
Phone +351 21 241 9937
Opening hours: 12:00-15:00; 18:00-22:00
Sunday is a day off.

In an institution that can hardly be called a restaurant or even a cafe, simple and rather tasty food is prepared on a huge grill on coals. And most importantly - very inexpensive. Hot chicken, ribs, sausages will be removed from the grill. Garnish with crispy potato chips and crumbly basmati rice. The small menu also has tomato salad and several types of olives.

All the action takes place in front of visitors, your order will be completed in about 20 minutes and beautifully packaged. You can eat, if you cannot bear it, right on the bench next to the establishment.

But many find their benches (or just a cozy place under the lemon tree) a little further, in the park, thus arranging an impromptu picnic. Reviews on the quality of food purchased at Frangasqueira Nacional are the most positive: "Rice - melting in the mouth; chicken - in delicious sauce; ribs and chips - in general a fairy tale!".

To eat hearty food, the check will not exceed 10 € per 1 person. And sometimes the amount may be less. This is one of the places in Lisbon where you can eat tasty and inexpensively.

Estamine Art Food Drink - Chamber Family Restaurant

Address: Rua Francisco Tomás Da Costa 28, 1600-093
Opening hours: 14:00 to 20:00
Weekends: Tuesday Wednesday
There is a pub, bar and parking.

If you want to feel in the center of Lisbon as if you were in the kitchen of old friends and to have cheap lunch or dinner with a glass of wine or beer, you should go here to a small restaurant in Graça and San Vicente, which contains a nice and still quite young married couple.

Several tables, on white walls photographs in various frames, bottles of Portuguese wines on shelves, an integrated kitchen where the head of the family prepares home-made snacks, and the hostess serves guests — this is how you briefly describe this place to your friends and acquaintances if you visit one day . And be sure to tell, because the restaurant is popular among tourists in Lisbon - here you can eat and have a good rest.

All products are fresh - various slices and sandwiches. There will not be hungry and vegetarians, and adherents of a gluten-free diet. The price range of each item in a small menu is from 4 to 15 euros.

If you are not hungry, but just stopped by for a short break from a walk around the city, order a banana dessert (5 euros) and any cocktail. The price of various drinks from coffee to good wine is 1.5 - 7 euros per serving.

Lucimar - an inexpensive restaurant of Portuguese and European cuisine

Address: Rua Francisco Tomas da Costa 28, 1600-093.
Phone +351 21 797 4689
Opening hours: 12:00 - 22:00
Output: Sunday. There is parking.

The famous "Portuguese sandwich" Francesinha rightfully occupies the main place here, it is definitely worth a try. Price - 8.95 €. This is the most expensive item from almost 40 items of food and drink in the restaurant's menu, which has been operating since 1993.

What is the secret inside this sandwich? In short: between two slices of toasted bread - steak, sausage or ham, and all this is “packed”, or rather, “fused” with a layer of soft cheese and poured with delicious sauce. And on top is a fried peephole of an egg. Eat Francesinha with olives and fries or just like that. Portuguese and European dishes can be sampled at Lucimar, and vegetarian and children's dishes are also available. As with many Lisbon restaurants, only cash is accepted.

What else to try in Lisbon

Bakalyau

And, really, what else to try in Lisbon, in addition to the famous and tasty bakalyau? By the way, cod is caught in Norway, they are processed right there, therefore, most often they cook food from dry and salty. Although the shops have fresh.

The food in Lisbon is the most diverse and what to try depends on your preferences. Here is a short excursion into the menu of Lisbon restaurants, which also include dishes included in the well-known rating "Seven gastronomic wonders of Portugal."

During an active online voting (and nearly a million users from all regions took part in it) the best dish of fish, seafood, meat, the best soup and the best snack, as well as the best hunting dish and the best dessert were determined. It is these dishes that are most popular in the country and are known far beyond Portugal.

Here is a great gastronomic seven, which will certainly meet you in different Lisbon restaurants:

1. Alheira de Mirandela - fried sausages "Alera" from Miranda

The original composition of the minced meat of these sausages in lamb guts: beef and poultry, with lots of garlic seasoning and paprika. The name comes from the word "alu" (garlic).

2. Queijo Serra da Estrela - soft sheep cheese “Caju Serra de Estrela”

This cheese is one of the best examples of European cheeses, and only two specific breeds of sheep produce it from milk. If you cut off the lid of the cheese circle, then you can immediately spread it on bread or make toasts.

3. Caldo Verde - Green Caldou Verde Soup

It is prepared everywhere in Portugal, and the ingredients are very simple and common for every soup, but the main thing is the sheets of green couve-galega cabbage. A little olive oil is poured into a portion plate from above and cut into slices of “shoris” sausage.

They eat soup with broa corn-rye bread.

4. Sardinha Assada - fried sardines “sardinyash asadash”

The birthplace of the most common Portuguese dish is Lisbon, but it is popular throughout the country.

Pre-salted (2 hours before frying) fish is baked between the grills, and the readiness is determined at the moment when the color has changed from silver to beige. Sardines are good with potatoes, and with any salad, and just with bell pepper.

5. Arroz de Marisco - “Arroz de Marishka”, rice cooked with seafood

The main ingredients of the original recipe: rice, crab, shrimp and mussels. Prepared with onions, garlic, cilantro, olive oil, tomato paste and white wine. Salt, pepper are the default. The dish, depending on the variety of rice and the amount of water, can be of a liquid consistency (like a thick soup) or viscous.

6. Leitão de Bairrada - “leitau”, milk pig

This dish is often present on the menu of various celebrations, but even without reason it is prepared and portioned in many restaurants in Lisbon. With sparkling wine, vegetable salad and chips - crisp and melting in the mouth the flesh of the milk piglet leaves the tastes that have tasted it for those who eat it.

7. Pastel de Belém - Belene pastries with custard.

And finally, dessert. The recipe for the filling in this puff pastry basket for many years is a big secret. Everywhere in Portugal you can try similar pastel de nata cakes, but Belene cakes - in only one place - a confectionery at the restaurant of the same name in the Belem Lisbon quarter (d. 84-92). In it on each table is icing sugar with cinnamon, which you need to sprinkle the cake on top of the cream before eating.

Read more about the national cuisine of Portugal in this article.

Lisbon Restaurants

Having wondered where to eat in Lisbon, of course, first of all, you should start with Portuguese cuisine and pay attention to the traditional fado houses (Casa de Fado).

Fado Restaurants

It may be a small tavern or a restaurant, but they are distinguished by the fact that here, with dinner and a glass of wine, you can listen to traditional Portuguese music.

Taking the soul, it sounds in blocks several times during the evening, in a live performance. Both women and men can be soloists (fadisht), but in Lisbon it is more often a woman.

Accompanying the singing of several guitars, one of them is necessarily a Portuguese 12-string, similar to a large mandolin, with a sound reminiscent of Hawaiian.

As before, fado sounds of melancholy, anguish, motives of unrequited love, loneliness and separation, melancholy and ... hope for a better life! In 2011, Fado took its place of honor on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List. There is even a Fadu Museum in the city.

But, as they say, you won’t be full of songs, no matter how wonderful they are. What to eat in fado restaurants, and what are the prices of food in Lisbon? Some of them, small taverns, can be classified as inexpensive: here a check for two will be no more than 20-25 euros. But still, most of these restaurants belong to the middle price category, and spending a romantic evening in a fado house together will cost 30-90 euros.

And now we continue our gastronomic tour and look at the popular fado restaurants in Lisbon from the TOP 10 of this category.

Sr.Fado de Alfama - a small family restaurant

Address: Rua dos Remédios 176, Alfama, 1100-452
Opening hours: 19:30 - 00:00
In season: 08:00 - 02:00
Phone +351 21 887 4298

Seats in this family restaurant, the owners of which are also partish, must be booked in advance - there are only 25 seats in the hall. The cuisine, like everywhere else in Fado restaurants, is Portuguese, but as homely as possible, the food is prepared by the owners themselves.

You can listen to music on the street, or rather, in the courtyard of the restaurant. If you happen to be near, but already full and dined in another place, feel free to go! They will let you in, and enjoy a fado sound with a glass of wine and a small snack, sitting on soft padded stools under the trees.

The price of a dinner for two in the hall is about 40-70 euros, just in the courtyard with wine and a snack, pleasure will be cheaper. It is convenient to get here on foot, and on the metro of the Portuguese capital, and the route of the famous 28 tram runs very close.

Adega Machado - one of the oldest fado establishments in Lisbon

Address: Rua do Norte 89-91 / Bairro Alto, 1200-284
The restaurant is open every day from 19:30 to 02:00
There are also daytime performances.
Phone (+351) 213 422 282

A three-story restaurant with a wine cellar and terrace, designed for 95 visitors, is located near the Santa Justa elevator on a high hill. This establishment, known since 1937, has an interesting website of its own with comprehensive information about the history of the restaurant, interior descriptions, a detailed menu, fado programs and daily news.

A table can be ordered online and by phone.

A portion of meat dishes here costs 33-35 €, one of the specialty fish dishes is Braised Shrimp Bouillabais (Shrimp “Caldeirada”) - 35 €.

Regular visitors recommend trying Banana and Spicies Rolled Cake signature dessert for 17 euros.

It is a banana roll (cake) with spices, chocolate and cinnamon. Dishes can be chosen independently, or you can order from 6 options of the proposed menu set. The average check for two is 90-100 €.

The restaurant's wine cellar sells wines from different regions. You can also buy a company CD with recordings of concert concerts performing here.

Having got an idea of fado houses, we will visit another popular place. Our tour of the gastronomic Lisbon would be incomplete, if not to glance at least in one of the fish restaurants or those where seafood is prepared.

Within a 5-minute walk of Adega Machado, 2 of the 10 best museums in Lisbon are located, if you wish, you can include their visit to the cultural program.

Frade dos Mares - Portuguese and Mediterranean Restaurant

Address: Av. Dom Carlos i 55A, 1200-647
Opening hours:Monday-Friday from 12:30 to 15:00; 18:30 - 22:30
Saturday-Sunday from 13:00 to 15:30; 18:30 - 22:30
Phone +351 21 390 9418

Here you can eat meat and vegetarian dishes, desserts and soups. But in terms of the quality of seafood dishes, this restaurant in the price range of 50 euros / person for dinner is one of the best in Lisbon. This can be concluded from the numerous reviews of visitors to large tourist portals.

Take a look at the menu of the Frade dos Mares restaurant.

Main dishes are distinguished by the author's presentation in the design. The most requested "sea" dishes: Polvo a Lagareiro (octopus), Сataplana de Marisco (a mixture of seafood) and Сataplana de polvo com batata doce - octopus with sweet potatoes.

The last two are slowly stewed in a cataplane - a special copper pressure cooker pan on a "lining" of onions, garlic, tomatoes with bell pepper and wine and olive oil sauce and seasoned with black pepper salt. The dishes are designed for 2 people and at the price the most expensive on the menu (56 and 34 euros, respectively). The average bill for a dinner for two with wine and coffee is 70-100 €.

And although the restaurant is located a little away from the hiking trails, a table, like in many popular places, needs to be booked in advance. The restaurant does not have a website now, but orders can be made by phone or online at Tripadvisor.

You will be interested in: What to see in Lisbon - TOP attractions.
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Haute cuisine. Michelin Restaurants in Lisbon

And then came the turn of haute cuisine. When choosing a place where you can eat best in Lisbon, it’s hard to make a mistake by choosing the most expensive restaurants in the city for this purpose.

You can not only eat delicious food in them, but you also have a complete set of amenities that are not always available in most establishments of other price categories.

The Michelin Red Guide is the most influential restaurant rating in the world. It is updated annually, and even a simple mention of the restaurant in it already speaks of the class of the establishment.

At the beginning of 2017, not a single Lisbon restaurant had a maximum rating of three stars. Belcanto earned two stars, 6 restaurants have one star, three are included in the category of inexpensive and high-quality (Bib Gourmand) and 17 more are mentioned in the guide in the The Michelin Plate category.

Belcanto - Lisbon's first restaurant to receive 2 ** Michelin

Address: Largo de São Carlos 10, 1200-410
Opening hours: tuesday - saturday
12:30 - 15:00
19:00 - 23:00
Weekend: Sunday and Monday.
Phone: +351 21 342 06 07

The most expensive restaurant in the Portuguese capital is located in a beautifully restored building in the historic Chiado district. Its boss and owner Jose Avillez is a creative and well-known restaurateur, a master with great fiction and imagination.

What are the names of the dishes? They have both history and emotions, and the dishes themselves are unusual, as is their design. When preparing food, only ecological products are used. And only here, for example, you can find such original, but paradoxical products as solid olive oil and liquid olives.

If you dream of a romantic dinner at Belcanto, worry about ordering a table for almost a month. There are few of them. But you can dine in a restaurant if you wish almost every day. The restaurant is small, looks like a club and the chef himself often goes into the hall to ask visitors about their impression of the food and the atmosphere.

The Belcanto wine list contains three and a half hundred names of various wines of the most famous and expensive brands. The bill for dinner for two starts from 200 euros.

If you want to know in which area of Lisbon it is better to stay, pay attention to the Chiado, it is often chosen by tourists. In addition, there are many shops and boutiques in the area where avid shopaholics like to leave their money.

Sommelier - a restaurant for true connoisseurs in the center of Lisbon

Address: Rua do Telhal 59, Lisbon 1150-345
Phone +351 966 244 446
Opening hours: every day from 19:00 to 00:45

Beautiful and sophisticated room, comfortable chairs, polite staff, music - light and unobtrusive. An excellent and huge wine list with a rich selection of a wide variety of wines.It is possible to order a tasting menu, including a wine menu - a good option if you want to try a lot. The Sommelier restaurant in Lisbon is suitable for a romantic and family dinner, or for a business lunch.

Cuisine - Steakhouse, Mediterranean, Portuguese and International.

What to try? According to visitors' reviews, they cook deliciously here:

Tartaro de salmão

salmon tartar (Tártaro de salmão) - a piece of salmon wrapped in shallots, with oyster sauce, avocado and lemon juice;
any meat steak (Bife tártaro) - marinated in Dijon brandy and mustard, served with mayonnaise, horseradish and bread with sunflower seeds.

It is also worth trying the escalope foie gras (Escalope de foie gras fresco) in caramelized onion jelly with fruit mousse. Various branded desserts, such as carrot, are also good.

Depending on the choice of dishes, the average bill is 25-40 euros / person. The restaurant has a Russian-speaking waiter. It is better to book a table in advance.Find out RATES or book any accommodation using this form

Our tour of Lisbon's restaurants ends. We hope she gave a basic idea, helped to make a choice and suggest the right direction in the search.

The location of all the restaurants described in the article, as well as the main attractions and beaches of the city of Lisbon can be viewed on the map in Russian.

Watch also a video from Lisbon to better experience the atmosphere of the city.