Best restaurants and what to eat
Portugal
Lisbon’s food culture blends Atlantic seafood, river-fish traditions, convent sweets, and the bold flavors of tavern cooking. The city and its surrounding area are especially known for salted cod, grilled sardines, octopus, pork sandwiches, pastries, and a long café-and-wine culture shaped by both maritime trade and neighboring wine regions.
Salted and dried cod is Lisbon’s most emblematic pantry staple, prized for its meaty flakes, savory intensity, and remarkable ability to absorb olive oil, garlic, and herbs. It is the backbone of countless city dishes and is especially good with chickpeas, potatoes, or in creamy baked preparations.
The Lisbon sardine is a summer classic: oily, fragrant, and ideal for charcoal grilling over an open flame. Served simply with bread, peppers, or salad, it captures the city’s Atlantic identity in a few smoky bites.
Hake is a beloved everyday fish in Lisbon, known for its delicate flesh and mild, clean flavor. It appears fried, boiled, or in stews, often paired with potatoes, rice, and a squeeze of lemon.
Octopus is a hallmark of Lisbon cooking, valued for its tender bite when properly braised and its deep marine flavor. It is often served with olive oil, garlic, potatoes, or rice, and shines in both rustic and refined preparations.
Clams from the Lisbon coast are sweet, briny, and highly prized in quick-cooked dishes. Their juices make elegant sauces for rice, pasta, or a garlic-and-cilantro stew, especially when finished with a splash of white wine.
Horse mackerel is a popular Lisbon fish with a firm texture and pronounced sea flavor. It is commonly fried or grilled and served with a simple salad, making it a deeply local, no-frills specialty.
This broad regional wine designation produces fresh whites, fruit-forward reds, and easy-drinking styles shaped by Atlantic influence. Served young and slightly chilled for whites, it is a versatile table wine for seafood and casual dining.
A historic fortified wine from the Lisbon area, once famous in royal and diplomatic circles, with flavors of dried fruit, caramel, nuts, and spice. It is traditionally served as a contemplative dessert wine or aperitif in small glasses.
A rare, characterful wine from sandy coastal vineyards near Lisbon, known for its saline edge, bright acidity, and age-worthy structure. Its singular maritime profile makes it a prized local white or red depending on the style.
A richly aromatic fortified wine from the Lisbon metropolitan sphere, notable for orange blossom, dried apricot, honey, and nutty notes. It is usually served cool as a dessert wine and is especially elegant with pastries.
Sparkling wine from the broader Lisbon area, often lively and citrusy with a refined mousse and a clean finish. It is served well chilled as an aperitif or alongside seafood and fried snacks.
A protected brandy from the Lisbon region’s northern coastal area, distilled from wine and aged to develop notes of vanilla, dried fruit, and warm spice. It is traditionally sipped neat after a meal.
A signature Lisbon dish of shredded salted cod, straw potatoes, and softly scrambled eggs, finished with parsley and olives. Creamy, salty, and deeply comforting, it is one of the city’s most iconic interpretations of bacalhau.
Salt cod roasted with abundant olive oil, garlic, and often baked potatoes, producing a rich, silky texture and aromatic finish. The dish reflects Lisbon’s love of simple ingredients treated with generosity.
A creamy baked cod casserole enriched with potatoes, onions, and béchamel, then browned on top for a luxurious crust. It is one of Lisbon’s most comforting home-style dishes.
Charcoal-grilled sardines served in their most essential form, smoky, juicy, and seasoned only by salt and flame. They are a quintessential Lisbon street and festival dish, usually eaten with bread or boiled potatoes.
A rich seafood rice with clams, shrimp, mussels, and sometimes crab, simmered into a fragrant, spoonable dish. Lisbon’s version is famously generous, aromatic, and ideal for sharing.
A layered fish stew combining mixed fish, shellfish, potatoes, tomatoes, onions, and herbs into a deeply savory broth. It is rustic and coastal, with a flavor that grows more complex as it simmers.