Food Guide for Lisbon, Portugal
Lisbon is pretty much a melting pot of different cultures, mostly because of the Portuguese colonial past. You can find African, Indian (Goa) and other Asian influences, next to the traditional Portuguese food.
Portuguese food is very simple - often it's just meat or fish with simple boiled potatoes and veggies as a side dish. Though being next to the Atlantic ocean does mean that the fish they serve is super fresh. One of the best dishes I had was just simple grilled Sardines - so good!
As true foodies, Andrea and I were happy to check out the food scene in Lisbon, and the result is this food guide to Lisbon! Also, check out my Sightseeing guide to Lisbon!
Breakfast, Brunch & Coffee
Fabrica Coffee Roasters
This specialty coffee place is located close to Avenida da Liberdade. They also have a few brunch dishes which are very delicious, I really enjoyed the bread they use! Coffee is definitely really good - you can choose between two roasts that they offer. In the back of the cafe, they roast their own coffee. This was one of our favorite places in Lisbon, because of the relaxed environment and awesome coffee!
Zenith
This cool brunch place serves some amazing brunch dishes such as the crispy Tapioca pancakes, which are apparently a Brazilian dish! They've also got amazing eggs benedict, and you can choose different versions, e.g. with salmon, the traditional bacon or eggs Florentine, with spinach. The place is also located close to Avenida da Liberdade, so it's quite central. The coffee is decent as well and all dishes are very reasonably priced.
Copenhagen coffee
This Scandinavian coffee place and bakery not only serves excellent coffee but also some really delicious Scandinavian baked goods. I loved the Cinnamon bun - definitely try it. Other than that it's a nice spot to chill for a bit - they also have fast wifi. There are two locations, one in Principe Real, the other one is locared in Alfama.See Location on Map
COMOBA
This really cool cafe is located very close to the Timeout Market and serves great coffee, drinks, and brunch. I didn't try the brunch there, but did try some of their raw tarts - they were amazing! Also loved their Matcha latte!
Cafe Boavida
A recently new addition to the cafe scene in Lisbon, this cute cafe has become pretty popular with the indigenous Digital Nomads. If you want a quiet spot then this is the place to be.
Lunch & Dinner: Portuguese Food
Zé da Mouraria
This traditional Portuguese restaurant has two branches in Lisbon and serves traditional Portuguese food. The special thing about this restaurant is that one dish is huge and could easily feed 4 people (see picture above). We got the cod with chickpeas in olive oil (you'll find that a lot of Portuguese dishes are drenched in olive oil), and we couldn't finish it all. It was really good though, the cod just melted in my mouth. I recommend reserving if you decide to go. Prices are really reasonable for what you get!
Adega dos Arcos: Cova Funda Intendente
On our first night in Lisbon we went to a traditional Portuguese restaurant close to our accommodation. The Adega dos Arcos serves fish and meat dishes in a very simple style. We had grilled sardines and octopus, both which were delicious. On the side there were some boiled potatoes and veggies. Simple, yet delicious. The wine was so good as well - and cheap! As is all wine in Portugal. If you want to experience a truly local restaurant experience, then this is the place to go to.
Taberna da Rua das Flores
This restaurant was recommended to us by a friend who lives in Lisbon, and apparently, they make great Portuguese food. We didn’t manage to go ourselves, but if you’re in the neighborhood do have a look!
Ramiro
Even though we didn't try this restaurant, we've heard lots of good things about it, so it's definitely worth mentioning. Ramiro is a seafood restaurant and it's extremely popular - there's always a pretty long line of people waiting to get in. But seafood seems to be really amazing.
Other Cuisines
Cantinho do Aziz: Food from Mozambique
We've seen this little restaurant on Mark Wiens' vlog about Lisbon and we decided to give it a go. We loved it so much that we returned for a second time! Cantinho do Aziz serves traditional food from Mozambique. Most of the dishes are coconut based and comes with fragrant coconut rice - so good! We tried the lamb stew and the shrimp and crab coconut stew; both were amazing. Servings are really big, so we shared one main course. Also loved the Chamossas (a type of Samosa) and the ginger lemon drink (which was blue (?) but tasted so good).
Unique Sushi Lab
To satisfy your sushi cravings visit Unique Sushi Lab, which is a pretty nice sushi restaurant. It's slightly more upscale but prices are really reasonable we found. We got 28 pieces for 30 euros (see picture). The sushi was fresh and innovative - all in all, a great meal!
Ghoroa: Authentic Indian Food
There are quite a few Indian places in Lisbon, and this restaurant happened to be close to our place. Loved the food there - it was definitely authentic and the staff was very nice and even offered us some things on the house!
A Cevicheria: Peruvian Cuisine
Although we didn't go to this restaurant at the end, I've heard that it's a great restaurant and the ceviche is amazing. It's a bit more fancy and expect to wait a bit for your table. Or better yet, reserve beforehand! If you're in the Principe Real neighborhood and you feel like ceviche, then this place is definitely worth checking out.
Time Out Market
This awesome food market is definitely a paradise for foodies. You'll find lots of different food stalls, and many of Lisbon's' best chefs, have a stall here and offer some of their dishes at reasonable prices. I would say come here with an empty stomach and try as much as possible!
Of course, there are so many more amazing restaurants in Lisbon, and I’m sure that I missed quite a lot of other great restaurants, but I still hope that this little food guide has been useful to you!
If you have any other questions about Lisbon, don’t hesitate to comment in the comments section below!
