Best Lisbon Food Guide: Top Dishes To Try In The Portuguese Capital

Where and What to Eat in Lisbon, Portugal?

Lisbon is a great city for food.

The seafood is bountiful and fresh on the Tagus River at the mouth of the Atlantic. Yet, despite this abundance, the Portuguese also have a taste for preserved fish. No one has elevated either salt cod or canned seafood to such heights as the Portuguese. 

Despite the country’s overwhelming love for fish, there are many vegetarian and vegan restaurants in Portugal, several of which are in Lisbon.

Additionally, Portugal’s southern European lifestyle embraces an excellent coffee culture, lively local wines, and small glasses of liqueur to add grace to the day. 

Lisbon’s sweets are divine, morning through night.

Eating and drinking in Lisbon is a delicious cultural experience, the foundation of three days in Lisbon.

Here are the nine things that you should not absolutely miss eating in Lisbon.

Coffee and Cake, Lisbon-Style

You can start the day in Lisbon by ordering “Uma meia de leite,” which is about half strong, rich coffee and half hot milk. If you order “Um galão,” that’s more milk than coffee for an even milkier coffee drink.

What do you have with your morning coffee in Lisbon?

The classic “pao de lo,” an egg-rich sponge cake, is a local favorite. Sometimes, it’s made as a roll, with even more egg – in the form of a silky egg-yolk custard filling.

La Confitería Nacional, on the Praça da Figueira, has served Lisbon’s classic pastries since 1829. It’s a perfect place for a coffee and pastry under the gorgeous mirrored ceiling.

📖 Related Read: If you want more cakes and pastries with your morning coffee, check out our guide on the best Portuguese desserts.

Fresh Seafood – A Must-Eat in Lisbon

Lisbon’s seafood is so fresh that you might want to sample it on its own. Clams, langoustines, barnacles, and oysters are heaped on ice as lovely as flowers.

Check out the raw bars at the Time Out Market. At Marisqueira Azul, they have crisp and delicate oysters on the half-shell. Barnacles are as delicious as they are humble-looking – a sweet and salty surprise.

There is also cooked seafood, like a pan of clams sautéed in a garlicky sauce.

For an immersive foodie experience in Lisbon, sit at the counter and check out the raw bar and the skilled seafood chefs.

✦ Pro Tip: Looking for the best Lisbon food tour? Check out this small-group Lisbon food and wine walking tour by Inside Lisbon Tours, which has absolutely the best reviews in the market.

Local Wines in Lisbon – Vinho Verde

What to have with your raw oysters? Some wine, of course! Vinho Verde is a fine choice.

As the name sounds, Vinho Verde means “Green Wine,” but actually, it is a young wine. The light acidity and mineral tang make a glass of Vinho Verde a particularly ideal pairing for oysters on the half shell and any number of seafood dishes. Even better, some vinho verdes have a light effervescence. Vinho Verde is not a grape but a regional designation.

Those fond of rosé will love Vinho Verde Rosado (yes, “pink, green wine”)—a bright and vibrant rosé with all the fresh characteristics of a Vinho Verde and the added deliciousness of notes of red fruit.

As for red wine, you can’t go wrong. Even a carafe of house red at a simple neighborhood restaurant will be juicy and smooth.

It’s rumored there’s no poor wine in Lisbon.

Pasteis de Nata – Do Not Miss This Portuguese Dessert!

A Pasteis de Nata (in the singular) doesn’t sound special – it’s an egg custard tart.

But there’s a reason they are everywhere in Lisbon. These simple-looking pastries are as definitive of the Lisbon experience as the Azulejos – the gorgeous tiles of Lisbon.

A thin and flaky pastry shell is filled with a custard scented with cinnamon and lemon and rich with egg yolks.

Pasteis de Nata is baked at a high temperature, so the top is blistered and blackened while the center is still creamy, soft, and just barely set.

They’re best eaten warm, which is no problem—specialty shops bake them constantly while customers wait in line. They’re also available at larger pastry shops. 

The best place to try Pasteis de Nata in Portugal is the Pasteis de Belem Cafe in Belem, where this delicious dessert was born. This cafe has been baking these custard tarts since 1837, using the original recipe of the monks of the Jeronimos Monastery.

Another great place to try Pasteis de Nata in Lisbon is Mantegeira, which has several locations in Lisbon.

✦ Pro Tip: Fancy making your own Pasteis de Nata? Check out this 2-hour Pastel Baking Class with a Professional Chef.

Bacalhau – Salt Cod in Lisbon

Despite all that beautiful fresh seafood, the people of Lisbon have a taste for salt cod, and we’ve never had better.

For starters, bacalhau in Lisbon comes in several grades, with aged salt cod—like wine or cheese—priced higher than fillets. Unlike many other places where salt cod is eaten, there is not just one choice.

In addition to the various grades, there are many excellent salt cod preparations.

Bacalhau Croquetas – golden croquettes of salt cod and potato – are ubiquitous.

We also loved the classic Bacalhau à Brás – flakes of salt cod and crisp matchstick potatoes bound with egg.

The quality of bacalhau in Lisbon is so superb that we even loved it steamed and served with boiled potatoes.

✦ Pro Tip: Looking for the best Lisbon food tour? Check out this small-group Lisbon food and wine walking tour by Inside Lisbon Tours, which has absolutely the best reviews in the market.

Canned Seafood – Portuguese Food or Souvenir?

It’s not just the fabulous Bacalhau that vows for your attention, but also another preserved seafood – canned.

Portugal is justly famed for the excellence of its canned seafood. In addition to sardines and anchovies—each of which has a variety of preparations—there is also mackerel, octopus, and eel—any number of delicacies from the sea. 

There are some canned fish “boutiques” – marketing elaborately packaged tins of fish and seafood, doubtless for tourists.

But locals love quality canned fish. They shop at the Conserveira de Lisbon. This small family shop has wooden shelves stocked with their three brands—Tricana, Minor, and Prata do Mar—all with lovely labels.

The canned seafood is priced for the households of Lisbon, and the shopping experience is delightful.

The tins are packaged in a paper bundle and tied up with twine. This is a perfect souvenir from Portugal.

Canned fish in Lisbon is so excellent that it’s even served at some restaurants. Sol e Pesce – on the famous “Pink Street” – is a former bait and tackle shop where you can enjoy tins from an extensive menu, served with salads, excellent bread, and effervescent white wine on tap. 

Bifana – A Popular Snack in Lisbon

Although the name suggests beef, this juicy, meaty sandwich on a big soft roll is made of pork.

Thin slices of pork are sauteed in a marinade of wine, garlic, bay leaves, and paprika with a squeeze of lemon. The delicate pork slices in their sauce are served on a papo seco—a Portuguese roll.

Bifana is a popular snack to order at a tasca. Tascas are small and casual snack bars where you can eat standing up at the counter, such as bifana, croquetas, and other small bites with beer or wine.

✦ Pro Tip: Want to try an authentic bifana? Check out this highly-rated small-group Lisbon food and wine walking tour by Inside Lisbon Tours, which includes tasting of a bifana washed down with cold draft beer.

Beirão – Popular Lisbon Liqueur

Lisbon’s beautiful yellow trams are one of the city’s most popular attractions. And the ads on them often feature one of Lisbon’s most famous liqueurs – Beirão.

Beirão – from the Beira region – is a honey-colored liqueur distilled with various natural botanicals, including lavender, cardamom, cinnamon, and mint.

Ginjinha – A Lisbon Tradition

Sour Morello cherries – “Ginja” are the base of this delicious Lisbon traditional liqueur.

Ginjinha is the only thing served in specialty bars devoted solely to the liqueur. The only choice is “com” (with) or “sem” (without) – meaning with or without a couple of cherries in the glass. “Sem costs a few cents extra and is well worth it – the cherries are a little bitter and delicious with the sweet liqueur.

The specialty Ginja bars around Rossio Square are themselves a treat. You order at the counter and enjoy your shot standing up.

A Ginjinha Espinheira, open since 1840, is still run by the same family. The glasses are filled to overflowing, so the floor of this tiny shop is sticky with Ginjinha. There’s a sink for customers to wash their hands after this slightly messy, delightful, and authentic treat. 

✦ Pro Tip: Ginjinha is believed to have originated in Obidos town in Central Portugal. If you want to try the drink in its place of origin, head to Obidos on a day trip from Lisbon.