The sunny, laid-back Portuguese capital has been buzzing—with visitors, especially architecture, design, and food-focused showing up to enjoy the blend of its ancient treasures and new world vitality. Lisbon’s restaurants, like much of the city, have adapted to changing times, although luckily, so much of what is unique about the city’s dining has not changed. These days, at lunch in the cinematic hillsides, unpretentious tascas—the unadorned neighborhood restaurants serving rustic, traditional food—are filled with locals still in search as always of well-cooked, comfort Portuguese food and honest prices. At night, the cobbled streets and elegant squares are pulsing with life, spilling into and out of tried-and-true, family-run places or more hip and modern ones.
In addition to the signature and abundant ingredients Portugal has always had to offer, like fresh Atlantic seafood and countryside meat, each of these ten spots showcase and celebrate the mix of centuries of cultural influences culled from the Portuguese voyages throughout history. Here’s where to find some of the city’s most nostalgic, nouveau, and signature flavors right now.
Solar dos Leitões
It’s a 20-minute cab ride from the city center to this small place located in a narrow alley in Benfica, one of Lisbon’s oldest districts mostly consisting of a diverse residential area. Run by the Leitão family for more than 30 years, this restaurant’s daily fish menu—from sardines to cuttlefish, grouper, and sole—is charcoal-grilled to perfection and served by parents, son, and daughter with sides like a with a simple salad of pepper, lettuce, and tomatoes sprinkled with oregano and olive oil. Tv. Marques Lésbio 20
O Galito
This family-run restaurant in the residential neighborhood of Carnide is a temple of genuine Alentejo cuisine—from the large, fertile, and bread-focused region of Portugal which some say is the country’s gastronomic heart. The restaurant was founded by Gertrudes, the late grandmother of the recent owners, and the dishes served here remained unchanged. There is sopa de cação (dogfish soup), pézinhos de coentrada (pork trotters in cilantro sauce), and perdiz de escabeche (partridge in escabeche sauce), to name a few. The gaspacho with fried fish, only served during the summer months, is unmissable. Rua Adelaide Cabete
O Frade
Located in Belém, a few steps away from the 16th-century Mosteiro dos Jerónimos, this modern spot by young chef Carlos Afonso and his cousin Sérgio Frade serves modern adaptations of traditional Portuguese dishes like arroz de polvo (octopus rice), coelho de coentrada (rabbit with cilantro sauce), and salada de bacalhau (codfish salad). The pandemic forced the team to add outdoor seating, but the best experience is still at the marbled U-shaped counter overlooking the kitchen and chefs. Book a seat in advance. Calçada da Ajuda 14
Sabores de Goa
Goa, a state in southwestern coast of India, was under Portuguese rule for almost 450 years. This half-century period created what is known today as Indo-Portuguese cuisine, served in many restaurants around Lisbon. Located in Anjos since 2000, Sabores de Goa is one of the best places in town to try intense and fragrant versions of the dishes. The Goan family that runs this place cooks delicious renditions of bojés, crab xec xec (with garlic, coconut, and spices), ambotic (fish marinated in salt and spices), sarapatel (spiced pork offal), and bebinca (a Goan cake made with layers of coconut milk, flour, and egg yolk). Rua do Zaire n. 17 B
Tati
This deservedly popular wine bar in the multicultural neighborhood of Penha de França has an excellent Portuguese unsulfured and unfiltered wine selection. It’s the food cooked by Argentinian chef Romana Bertolini, however, that gets all the attention: shrimp wontons to dip in a shrimp bisque; tender pleurotus, fried potatoes and a rich demi glace; and arroz de bacalhau (codfish rice). Rua Carrilho Videira 20B
Prado
What used to be a cannery with Roman ruins a few blocks away from Sé cathedral became a wooden table, plant-decorated restaurant in late 2017. Behind the stove is a team led by chef António Galapito, who creates daily-changing dishes to share like smoked lardo toast; Minhota beef tartare; and cockles, chard, and fried bread. The imaginative, sweet, sour, and savory desserts are a unique feature not to be missed: mushroom ice cream, barley and caramel; and Moscatel grape sorbet, yogurt, and amaranth. Book a seat in advance. Travessa das Pedras Negras, 2
