Boavista
All pretty pastel shades and hidden garden alcoves, this cafe lodged in a restored 19th-century town house is a sweet deal, despite the rather indifferent…
Must-see restaurants in Portugal
Alfama, Castelo & Graça
Expect a cosy and welcoming reception at this Portuguese-cuisine restaurant on the border between Baixa and the heart of Alfama. Its trademark dish is the…
Aliados & Bolhão
With a sunny, tiled interior, marble-top tables and an Afro-Brazilian mural, this classy affair has attracted the business and literary elite since the…
Baixa & Rossio
This 16th-century palace near Rossio square, a National Monument, goes unnoticed by most of the daily passers-by in the Baixa quarter. The restaurant…
Aliados & Bolhão
Carnivores can sink their chops into a hunk of juicy meat at Bom de Sal. The signature (and highly recommended) 'Bom de Sal steak’ comes dripping with…
Príncipe Real, Santos & Estrela
Jardim is Portuguese for 'garden' and, keeping with that theme, this brightly coloured restaurant serves chips in a watering can and lime mousse with Oreo…
Miragaia
Take a trip to Portugal’s former colony of Mozambique by diving into a rich bowl of African curry amid a collection of masks and colourful tapestries…
Bairro Alto, Chiado & Cais do Sodré
This restaurant and rooftop bar is the perfect location to enjoy Portuguese petiscos (snacks) while looking over the river, bridge and harbour. The menu…
Príncipe Real, Santos & Estrela
The ideal place for a quick lunch or an afternoon break in idyllic, shadowy Praça das Flores. This remodelled 19th-century kiosk, painted in bright violet…
Alfama, Castelo & Graça
Completely renovated and relaunched in 2018, this cute and quaint cafe deals in easygoing Portuguese mains and pancakes along with rare books – the walls…
Miragaia
At this dedicated empanada bar you can choose from a range of homemade pastry pockets packed with fillings like spicy chicken and provolone cheese, then…
Príncipe Real, Santos & Estrela
The only thing suggesting there's a restaurant inside this inconspicuous building is the menu hanging on the front door listing the daily specials. Inside…
Porto
Brando is a modern cafe on a leafy street serving a range of coffees (including cappuccinos, iced coffee and soy lattes) alongside a simple food menu. Big…
Marquês de Pombal & Around
Rabo d’Pêxe is a decent fish restaurant outside the usual tourist areas. Set in a mostly residential and business area, this restaurant serves mainly…
Bairro Alto, Chiado & Cais do Sodré
The marble tabletops and the walls covered in reclaimed wood give this restaurant a casual, ocean-side atmosphere despite the sea being nowhere near. Fish…
Porto
Follow the tiled corridor to reach this adorable Victorian-style cafe and bakery, located just outside the pedestrianised commercial area of Rua de…
Boavista
An elegant stucco-adorned parlour and a romantic garden set the scene for creative takes on vegetarian and vegan dishes – including the francesinha…
Lisbon
Despensa N.6 has a modern look, decorated in white, light green and washed wood, with the atmosphere of a typical neighbourhood cafe. It's ideal for a…
Lisbon
The place to go if you really love pork sandwiches and are willing to go off the tourist route. The sandwiches here are made with freshly baked rustic…
Lisbon
Mesa do Bairro's menu honours and reinvents some of the most traditional Portuguese dishes. Located at the old market of Arco do Cego, the restaurant is…
Parque das Nações
The owners' long-term goal is to open a chain serving gourmet burgers made exclusively with beef from the Azores, a region famous for high-quality produce…
Marquês de Pombal & Around
The only place in Lisbon with a lobster sandwich at an affordable price. The owner describes the concept as a takeaway restaurant with the quality of high…
Estremadura & Ribatejo
This recent Leiria transplant occupies an old horse stable on a farm near Centro, where it serves an extensive – if pricey – 'Flavours of Portugal' buffet…
Bairro Alto, Chiado & Cais do Sodré
With a bird's-eye view over Patéo inside the ambitious Bairro de Avillez, this 1st-floor Peruvian gem is chef José Avillez' first collaboration with a…
Príncipe Real, Santos & Estrela
Diogo Noronha's top-end, sustainable seafooder takes a much-needed creative approach, bucking tradition in favour of challenging and surprising – if…
Alfama, Castelo & Graça
Daring and polarising Boi Cavalo challenges diners with its weekly changing, seasonally inspired tasting menus (no à la carte) from its open kitchen,…
Príncipe Real, Santos & Estrela
Chef Kiko Martins taps into Lisbon's growing Asian-fusion frenzy with this casual but pricey Príncipe Real newcomer. Beyond a dark and sexy entrance hall,…
La Lupita Cozinha Tradicional Mexicana
Baixa & Rossio
Mexican City transplant Ramon and his Romanian wife run a freestyle cafe called Casa do Campo during the week, but on Saturdays, Ramon whips out all his…
Estremadura & Ribatejo
A mere block and a half from the main square but feeling like a million miles away, Estrela (don't call her 'Doña!') offers just two dishes per day at her…
The Algarve
Classier than most restaurants on the strip, F has superb views over the beach from the covered terrace and contemporary Portuguese dishes such as…
Príncipe Real, Santos & Estrela
A massive sponge octopus hangs over the marble balcony at this hip cevicheria, a perfect spot for solo travellers to take in some extremely fresh, mostly…
Príncipe Real, Santos & Estrela
Taking full advantage of the bounty of fresh and fabulous fish from the Azores (much of which is often exported to Japan), local sushi-man João Soeiro…
Miragaia
Porto’s first Taiwanese establishment opened its doors in 2017 after a local fell in love with the cuisine after a trip to Asia. The space is bright and…
Sintra
Nestled along a staircased thoroughfare just above Sintra's lovely 14th-century Pipa Fountain, this newcomer puts a little more love into its traditional…
Alfama, Castelo & Graça
While it's clear Portugal's top chef, José Avillez, is certainly not concerned about saturating the market, this stylish newcomer, the 14th in his Lisbon…
Óbidos
Behind the striking church of Senhor da Pedra below town, this simple white-tiled eatery (the one on the right as you look at the row of restaurants) is a…
Peniche
This 'new-school tavern' is a reconstituted 'old-school tavern' where fishermen bought wine and groceries (plus it was the first in the area to have a…
Bairro Alto, Chiado & Cais do Sodré
In what is surely a legendary culinary coup, the owners of A Cultura do Chá woke up one morning and flipped the script. A Cultura do Hamburger was born in…
Óbidos
In an austere castle dining room with wide-eyed countryside views through medieval ramparts, the restaurant at Pousada do Castelo is one of Óbidos' few…
Évora
We’ll be upfront: you don’t come here for the atmosphere (no soft lighting, no music). You do come here for attentive service and dishes made with the…
