On my trips to Lisbon I’ve been in the lucky position of being treated to home cooked meals with Portuguese family who live there, as well as enjoying a variety of eateries. Portuguese food is delicious but isn’t as well known as many other European cuisines, with the exception of the “pastéis de nata” custard tarts which have become popular elsewhere in recent years. I don’t claim to be an expert on the dishes of Lisbon but would like to share our culinary experiences over the years.
When it comes to main meals, some that I’ve had at family get togethers include a dish of duck baked with rice, and various forms of bacalhau (salt cod), again normally with rice. Rotisserie chickens (with optional spicy sauce) are also a popular option, served with chips or crisps and salad. It’s also common to have both chips and rice with a meal.
During our recent trip we were taken to a restaurant in the Avenidas Novas district, just to the north of the centre. This area isn’t on the main tourist trail and if a local takes you to a favourite restaurant you know it must be good. We enjoyed cuttlefish with potatoes and vegetables whilst some of our party had steak and chips, accompanied by a vinho verde tinto, sitting outside which is always a highlight of summer holidays abroad. In this part of Lisbon we had the added excitement of planes flying low over us on their approach to the nearby airport!
On the subject of steak, one of our favourite restaurants is Café Império near Alameda metro station. This is set in a restored theatre/cinema building and its signature dish is “bife à Império”, steak with an egg on top and fantastic sauce, accompanied by chips. I followed this up with a “bolo de bolacha”, one of my favourite desserts, a type of cake made with biscuits.
Another eating establishment with a noteworthy interior is the nearby Café Mexicana. This has Modernist decor and has been designated as of architectural importance. Located in a pleasant mainly residential area near the university, this is another place that will give more of an authentic experience than some of the more touristy cafés in the centre of the city.
When it comes to the pastel (plural pastéis) de nata, the most famous come from the Pastéis de Belém café. Shown in the opening photo of this post, these are produced in literally industrial quantities on the premises and can either be eaten in the large seating area or taken away. The queues can be long at busy times but tend to move quickly. Served with an optional sprinkling of icing sugar or cinnamon, these are best enjoyed with a “bica”, a small strong coffee. They also make a tasty “brigadeiro”, a type of very rich chocolate cake. Manteigaria in the city centre are also well known for their pastéis de nata.
Other popular cakes in Portugal include some made with lots of eggs, these can be an acquired taste if you’re not used to them as they really are extremely eggy!
We often visit the nearby seaside resort of Cascais, and no trip there is complete without a trip to Santini ice cream parlour. This local favourite has been here for decades, and my husband used to visit when he was living in Lisbon as a child fifty years ago! I saw that they had a flavour called “marabunta”, a quick Google search told me that these were army ants. I couldn’t quite believe that they’d started making insect flavour ice cream so upon further investigation it turned out to be cream flavour with tiny bits of chocolate.
In the centre of Lisbon is the Time Out food market. This has many different food stalls but tends to be rather busy especially at lunchtime, however it’s still quite enjoyable if you don’t mind the crowds of tourists.
And finally one of our other favourite restaurants is Chimarrão at the Parque das Nações, a riverside area in the northeast of the city which was the venue of the 1998 Expo. They serve a traditional Brazilian “rodízio”, where servers come around with a selection of freshly cooked meats to carve at your table, accompanied by chips, fried banana and a buffet of salads and feijoada, a stew of black beans. Followed by a dessert trolley which visits your table with an impressive range of desserts including various cakes and mousses. As well as having delicious food, we love the post dinner walk amongst the impressive buildings that surround it, and as is so often the case it’s the setting for a meal that is what can make it memorable as much as what is actually eaten.
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We have never visited Lisbon but would very much like to so it’s great to learn about the cuisine and where we can go to find restaurants recommended by local people, that are off the tourist trail.
It’s such a lovely city, so much to do and great food.
Nice post, the savoury dishes look great for me. its been a long time since i visited Portugal but on a long list of places to take the dog.
It’s a lovely place for strolling around so would be enjoyable for Henry walks!
Great article! We actually just decided last night that we will be ending our European vacation in June, in Lisbon. This was a great read!
Thank you, Lisbon is a fantastic city!
How lucky to have a family connection to Lisbon. I remember a couple of places you mention, but missed out on most of them when I visited. Love Portuguese food. Really pleased to see that you are not full-heartedly endorsing TimeOut Market, like most blogs seem to. Not a huge fan of it. They basically killed a farmers’ market for it. 🙂
Yes we popped into the Time Out market for ice cream as we were in the area, on the way to the football store (my husband and son are big Sporting Lisbon fans), but it just feels like a tourist trap.
I wholly agree that Portuguese food is not very well known. Thanks for sharing this post. Your photos all look delicious!
Thank you. I think my favourite is the steak with egg and sauce, I don’t know what they put in the sauce but it’s wonderful!
We are planning on visiting Lisbon next year and this is a great introduction. How lucky for you to have family in the area so that you get home cooked, authentic dishes plus the best recommendations!
Thank you, it is a great city to have family in, Lisbon has so many things to do and I’m always excited to go there!