1. Cerverjaria Ramiro

About

Visited by the likes of Anthony Bourdain and Phil Rosenthal (of Somebody Feed Phil), Cervejaria Ramiro is one of the most famous restaurants in Lisbon. Their specialty: shellfish. Ramiro serves all kinds of shellfish imaginable, from various types of shrimp, to crabs, and even barnacles. It’s fresh, it’s delicious, and it makes for a great date night or celebration for any occasion.

If you’re planning on coming here during a traditional meal time it’s a good idea to make a reservation as it is quite a popular place. When I went here I got there around 4pm and got a table straight away. Ramiro is a great place to splurge a little and try lots of different things so I really liked skipping lunch and coming here for sort of a “linner”.

What to Order

The menu here can be a bit overwhelming because there’s tons of options and even with a translator app, you might not recognize all of them. Luckily, they have pictures and it’s never a bad idea to ask your server for recommendations as well. In fact, if you’re like me and a little unsure how exactly to eat some of this, you might need to get some advice for your server. Two dishes you shouldn’t skip are the Gambas al ajillo (Shrimps on garlic) and the Gamba Tigre Grelhado (Giant Tiger Prawn).

Price Point

Ramiro isn’t a cheap place by any means so I wouldn’t recommend coming here if you’re on a tight budget. However, it is worth the money if you’re willing and able to spend it. Since it’s pretty easy to get good and cheap food around Lisbon, I liked making this place the one special and expensive meal of the trip.

How to Get There

Cervejaria Ramiro is pretty easy to get to and is located in the Alfama neighborhood on Av. Alm. Reis. It’s just a 3 minute walk from the Intendente station and a 6 minute walk from the Martim Moniz station, both of which are on the green metro line. Alternatively, the restaurant is located near the Rua da Palma and Igreja Anjos bus and tram stops, which are serviced by several bus and tram routes.

2. Tropical Da Graça

About

Tropical Da Graça is my kind of place; it’s a little hole in the wall, it’s take-out only, the workers don’t speak much English, and the food is cheap and delicious. It is a type of restaurant known as a churrasqueira, which is a style of Portuguese restaurant that specializes in cooking meat over a charcoal grill. Here, they grill up chickens and serve them with their own version of a piri-piri sauce. There are other things on the menu, but if you’re only coming here once, get the chicken.

What to Order

When you order you can get a half or whole chicken and they pull it off the grill when you order, cut it into pieces with scissors, and brush it with a delicious sauce and hand it to you in a to-go container. This is without a doubt some of the best grilled chicken I’ve ever had. It’s so simple, just chicken cooked on a grill with some sauce, but it might’ve been my favorite meal I had in Lisbon.

Price Point

Not only is Tropical Da Graça great for your taste buds, it’s great for your wallet too. Prices start at around €5 for half a chicken and €10 for a whole chicken, which is a great deal if you ask me. Be prepared with cash as they don’t accept credit cards here.

How to Get There

This restaurant is located in the Alfama neighborhood and the easiest way to get here by public transport is via bus. It’s just a short walk from the R. Graça and Sapadores bus stops which are both serviced by several routes. If you’d rather take the metro it’s about a 15 minute walk from both Martim Moniz and Intendente stations, which are both on the Green line.

3. Penalva Da Graça

About

Another hole in the wall place that you might not think about visiting if you didn’t know about it beforehand, Penalva da Graça is a wonderful little restaurant serving traditional Portuguese food, primarily seafood.

What to Order

The menu here is pretty expansive, luckily they have pictures of everything so you can get a sense of what you’re ordering. All the seafood looks delicious but I have to recommend the Arroz de Marisco (Seafood risotto). It’s made with rice in a seafood broth served with tons of different kinds of shellfish. The best way I could describe it is that it tastes like the ocean in a good way. It only comes in portions for two people so be sure to bring a friend to enjoy it with you.

Price Point

While not quite dirt cheap given that you’re ordering seafood, the prices here are very reasonable. The seafood risotto for two people cost about €22 and most seafood dishes come in at around €10 per portion. This is the type of place where you could easily rack up a hefty bill if you wanted to, but you can also get a good meal for cheap if that’s what you’re looking for.

How to Get There

Penalva da Graça is located just up the street from Tropical da Graça and can be reached using the same methods of transportation. It’s just a short walk from the R. Graça and Sapadores bus stops and about a 15 minute walk from both Martim Moniz and Intendente metro stations.

4. Manteigaria

About

Manteigaria is arguably, and in my personal opinion, the best place to try Lisbon’s famous Pastéis de Nata. The pastéis here are flawless, with a perfectly crispy shell and a wonderfully creamy custard. If for some reason you only have time to get them from one place, get them here.

What to Order

I don’t think you need me to tell you what to order but I guess I’ll do it anyways. It’s the pastéis de nata. And here’s a tip: order more than one. You’re going to want to stuff your face when you bite into these because they are just that good.

Price Point

A single Pastel de Nata costs €1.10, or €1.20 depending on which location you go to. It’s also common to buy them in boxes of 6 to take with you, which will cost €6.60 – €7.20. In addition to the pastries you can also get coffee, milk, water, juice, Ginja (a Portuguese cherry spirit), or Port Wine. Drink prices range from €1 – €5 depending on what you get.

How to Get There

Manteigaria has three shops in Lisbon. One is located on Rua Augusta in the Baixa neighborhood, not far from Comercio Square, another is in the Barrio Alto neighborhood on Rua do Loreto, and finally there is also a location inside the Time Out Market near Cais do Sodré. All shops are open from 8am – Midnight. There’s no seats inside so you’ll need to eat at the bar or take your pastéis to go. Both the Time Out Market and Rua Augusta locations have seating nearby that you can use, the Barrio Alto location is near a public square that you could probably find a bench to sit on and enjoy your treat.

5. Time Out Market

About

Lisbon’s Time Out Market is basically a foodie’s paradise. Here you can try all sorts of Portuguese specialties from a variety of the city’s best restaurants. If you only have a day in Lisbon you can come here to get a sample of just about everything Portuguese cuisine has to offer.

There’s over 50 restaurants here so I have not been able to try many of them, but I will highlight the amazing food I did get and where you can find it.

What to Order

From Miguel Castro E Silva I recommend trying the Bacalhau à Bràs. This is a very traditional Portuguese dish made from salted codfish (bacalhau) with potatoes and scrambled eggs. It’s very different from anything I’ve tried before, it’s creamy and slightly salty. It’s very good and I recommend trying it, but it is a little heavy so I’d definitely stick to one serving and maybe consider sharing with someone else.

Monte Mar is a seafood restaurant where I recommend the Polvo à Lagareiro (roasted octopus). If you’re like me and hadn’t tried octopus before it can seem a bit intimidating, but they do it extremely well here. It’s cooked with olive oil and garlic and served with potatoes. The octopus itself is perfectly tender and not at all tough or rubbery. If you’ve never had octopus before this is a perfect place to give it a try.

My final recommendation is O Prego da Peixaria and their traditional Prego sandwich. The Prego is a traditional Portuguese sandwich made with steak pounded very thin with garlic served on a soft bun and optionally topped with some mustard. The steak in the sandwich here is so tender it melts in your mouth, it’s cooked perfectly with a great touch of garlic, it’s just a wonderful plate of food.

Beyond these three restaurants there are a wide array of interesting and exciting options worth trying inside the market. Some places that are on my list to try next time I make it to Lisbon are Croqueteria, for their croquettes, Manteigaria Silva, for their charcuteries, and Davvero, for their gelato.

Not to be forgotten, there’s also a location of Manteigaria here if you’d like to quench that Pastéis de Nata craving.

Price Point

Prices at the Time Out Market vary depending on where you’re getting your food. That being said, I’d estimate that most stalls tend to be priced similar to a mid-tier restaurant. You should expect to pay €10 – €15 for an entree, potentially a little bit more for seafood.

How to Get There

Manteigaria has three shops in Lisbon. One is located on Rua Augusta in the Baixa neighborhood, not far from Comercio Square, another is in the Barrio Alto neighborhood on Rua do Loreto, and finally there is also a location inside the Time Out Market near Cais do Sodré. All shops are open from 8am – Midnight. There’s no seats inside so you’ll need to eat at the bar or take your pastéis to go. Both the Time Out Market and Rua Augusta locations have seating nearby that you can use, the Barrio Alto location is near a public square that you could probably find a bench to sit on and enjoy your treat.

6. Pastéis de Belém

About

This place is the original spot for Pastéis de Nata / Pastéis de Belém. The original recipe was invented down the street by monks at the Jeronimós Monastery. Nowadays this is one of the most popular spots to get the lovely pastries, and my personal second favorite. The pastry crust here is perfectly light and crispy and the custard is excellent as well, just a touch behind Manteigaria. A trip to Lisbon would simply not be complete without a visit to Pastéis de Belém.

One tip to know about this place is that the take-out line is often out the door, but there is typically no line to eat inside. This is not immediately apparent from outside the shop, but if you want to eat inside you can walk past the line of people outside and go in the door next to them to make your way inside. Once inside you’re welcome to sit yourself, there are tons of tables so there is usually some available. A server will then come take your order and bring you your food.

What to Order

The thing to get here is, unsurprisingly, the Pastéis de Belém. However, if you’ve got any extra appetite, they do have plenty of other pastries that are also worth trying.

Price Point

A single Pastel de Belém will run you €1.20 and other pastries will typically cost between €1 – €2.

How to Get There

Pastéis de Belém is located in the Belém neighborhood near the Jeronimos Monastery. To get here, navigate your way to the Cais do Sodré (Green line) metro station. From there, take the 728 (towards Restelo – Av. Descobertas) or 15E (towards Mosteiro Jerónimos) buses, and get off at the Mosteiro Jerónimos stop, which is right by the café. Alternatively you can take the train towards Cascais, get off at the Belém stop, and walk about 8 minutes to Pastéis de Belém.

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