City guide: 10x authentic Portuguese food in Lisbon 

Lisbon has been making a trendy comeback for years. Slowly but surely, the streets are filling up with avocado shops, poké bowls, and pretentious places where you’re served tiny portions of ultra-healthy food. But the locals know better. They go to these ten spots.

Because small portions and healthy food? Those aren’t exactly keywords you’d associate with Portuguese hospitality. Fortunately, the city still has Portuguese gems where you can eat wonderfully authentic food. No gorgeous waitresses or romantic candlelight on the table here, but old men behind the bar and harsh fluorescent lighting in your face. And that’s exactly what you want, because the food is delicious, cheap, and incredibly Portuguese!

The best chicken in town

Chicken on the grill: so simple, so delicious, so Portuguese. They grill plenty of it in Portugal, and with piri-piri sauce, fries, rice (and a leaf of lettuce), your meal is complete. Casa da India (don’t be misled by the name, because it has nothing to do with India) is a typical Portuguese place in the city center, surrounded by new trendy spots. Nothing is trendy at Casa da India. You’ll probably take a seat next to a Portuguese family, while the slightly gruff waiter brings you a delicious bottle of vinho verde and your half grilled chicken. What more do you need, right?

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A butcher in the restaurant

I once wandered into Restaurante O Tachadas by chance and oh my God, this restaurant completely changed my stay in Lisbon. Oh, and by the way, if you’re vegetarian, this isn’t the place for you. The portions of meat you get here are bizarrely large. When you enter the restaurant, there’s a butcher on your right chopping the meat before putting it on the grill. Recommendations: Porco Preto (black pork) and Picanha. Picanha is a Brazilian dish made with the rump cap of the cow, often served with rice, black beans, and orange.

The ugliest restaurant in Portugal

Welcome to the ugliest restaurant in Portugal. The decor at Cova Funda is an eyesore. It’s a small basement place that you can spot from a hundred meters away because of all the fluorescent lights. So you’re surprised when you order the posta transmontana and then eat the best steak of your life. With lots of garlic, cooked to perfection, and delicious spinach and oven-baked potatoes on the side. The desserts are delicious too; go for the mousse de chocolate!

A meat sandwich for dessert

Cervejaria Ramiro is a little different from the other restaurants on this list. This seafood restaurant has been a household name in Portugal for years and is easily found by both Portuguese people and tourists. The line is therefore long and the prices are slightly higher, but it’s absolutely worth the wait and the extra few euros. The whole experience here is fantastic. The restaurant is beautiful and spacious, and the men of the family rush around serving everyone the most delicious shellfish and seafood. Vinho verde, clams, crab, prawns, lobster: each dish is even more delicious than the last. Do they have meat on the menu too? Absolutely—in fact, you eat a prego sandwich for dessert, a beef sandwich. This long-standing tradition can only be found at Ramiro; you can’t live on prawns and lobster for long, so you end your lunch or dinner with a warm meat sandwich. Heaven. 

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Most expensive bottle of wine €6? Yes please

Graça is a lovely, still relatively undiscovered neighborhood in Lisbon. At O Satelite, you won’t often see tourists sitting around. Here you’ll find tasty, simple food, and the most expensive bottle of wine costs €6 (not entirely unimportant). If you want to spend more than €15 per person by the end of the evening, you’ll really have to try hard. Recommendation: carne de porco à Alentejana; pork with clams!

Salt cod, salt cod, salt cod

Taberna Sal Grosso is heavenly. They serve typical Portuguese dishes, but pay just a little more attention to plating and presentation here. The portions are slightly smaller than usual, since the idea is for you to share your dishes. Recommendations: they prepare bacalhau (salt cod) in several different ways here, and it’s absolutely delicious. Get there early; they only have a few tables, so you may have to wait.

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Lunch: just as important

Portuguese people love lunch just as much as dinner. During the day they like to eat a hot meal, with the intention of having soup in the evening, but in reality they simply end up eating two hot meals a day. Between 1:00 and 3:00 p.m., you’ll find the Lisboetas happily at Zé da Mouraria. Typical Portuguese dishes for very little money; just the way they like it. Order a platter and a large pan will be placed on the table for everyone to serve themselves, just as if you were at home. Recommendation: choco frito. No, it’s not something involving chocolate. Choco frito is Portugal’s version of calamari, and at Zé da Mouraria this fried squid is a specialty.

Follow the fluorescent lights

When you see the word “Tasca” somewhere in Lisbon, you know you’re in for a Portuguese experience. These small, fluorescent-lit places are often run by a Portuguese family and serve only house wines and very tasty Portuguese food. You often leave a tasca full and satisfied, having spent no more than €12. Tasca Zé dos Cornos is no exception: delicious fish and meat dishes without any fuss.

I dreamed about that tuna for days

O Tasco do Vigário is easy to walk straight past. First, because from the outside you can’t really tell there’s a restaurant there, and second, even if you peek inside, the decor isn’t exactly inviting. But believe me: take a seat—you won’t regret it. The grilled fish in particular is delicious; go for the salmon, tuna, or sardines!

Even more chicken. Porque não?

I started this list with chicken and I’m ending it with chicken. According to the Portuguese, chicken is always a good idea. I’m half Portuguese, but I agree 100 percent. At Restaurante Primavera, the piri-piri is famous, and this once again unattractively decorated place is a regular stop for locals who need their chicken fix. Even better than sitting down at Primavera is getting the chicken to go: enjoy it at your Airbnb or settle down somewhere in a park with a beautiful view.

As you may have noticed, Portuguese people eat a lot, eat heavily, and eat anything but vegetarian food. Fortunately, thanks to the many new types of places in Lisbon, the vegetarians among us can have a great time too. Perhaps a vegetarian(vegan) list next time?

Also read: 

• Vinho verde: your new favorite patio wine
• City guide: the best of Florence
• 10x try something other than pastel de nata