Lisbon is a beautiful city and, for many visitors, the gateway to Portugal. There is plenty to see and do in the capital, but Lisbon is also a great place to experience Portuguese cuisine and try some of the city’s most iconic dishes.
Lisbon has several traditional specialties that are almost a must-try when visiting the city, such as Pastéis de Belém, bacalhau à Brás, and bife à café. But it’s also an ideal place to try dishes from other regions of Portugal, including grilled sardines, different types of cod dishes, cozido à portuguesa, and carne de porco à alentejana, among many others.
The city has a strong culture of traditional tascas and petiscos, and many dishes are meant to be enjoyed at the counter, accompanied by a glass of wine or a soft drink. So, make an effort to explore this side of the city as well, and don’t be intimidated by the small and sometimes darker spaces. These are precisely the places where you can find some of Lisbon’s most authentic food experiences.
Although we’re from Porto, we love Lisbon and enjoy exploring its different tascas and trying dishes that we don’t come across as often in northern Portugal. We put together this list to make it easier to decide what to eat during a trip to Lisbon, including dishes, petiscos, sweets, and drinks that are worth trying in the capital.
1. Bacalhau à Brás
Bacalhau à Brás, also spelled Bacalhau à Braz, is one of the most popular cod dishes in Portugal and a classic of Lisbon cuisine.
The dish is believed to have originated in Lisbon, in a tavern in the Bairro Alto neighborhood, created by a tavern owner named Brás. Although its exact origins are not entirely known, the story has become part of the tradition surrounding this Lisbon dish.
It is made with cooked and shredded salted cod, beaten eggs, thin crispy potato sticks, onion, garlic, parsley, and olives. It’s a simple and delicious dish that you can also easily make at home. Check out our recipe here.
If you’re visiting Lisbon, this is one of those dishes you really have to try. It’s a classic of Lisbon cuisine and, fortunately, you’ll find it on the menus of restaurants all over the city.
2. Peixinhos da Horta
Peixinhos da Horta is a traditional Portuguese appetizer associated with Lisbon and the Tagus Valley. It is made with cooked green beans that are coated in flour and beaten eggs, then deep-fried until golden. They’re crispy on the outside, soft inside, and surprisingly addictive.
It’s a very old dish, with references dating back to 1543. There is even a theory that the Portuguese took this recipe to Japan during the Age of Discoveries, where it was adopted and transformed into the well-known tempura.
Although it’s a traditional Lisbon dish, we’ve had a surprisingly hard time finding peixinhos da horta in traditional restaurants in the capital, but perhaps we’ve just been unlucky lately.
3. Bife à Café
Bife à Café is a classic Portuguese steak dish based on the famous Bife à Marrare, created in the early 19th century by António Marrare, a Neapolitan (or Galician, depending on the source) who settled in Lisbon and opened several cafés around the city. The recipe was created at Marrare das Sete Portas and quickly became popular among Lisbon residents.
Bife à Café is similar to Bife à Marrare, but the sauce is slightly different. It is also made with butter, but may include mustard, and in some versions, milk is used instead of cream. Every restaurant has its own version, and the sauce is often treated as a house secret.
On one of our trips to Lisbon, we tried Bife à Império, the famous Bife à Café served at Café Império. We absolutely loved it: a perfectly cooked steak served with a creamy, buttery sauce and topped with a fried egg. It comes with warm bread on the side, perfect for dipping into the sauce. It’s worth coming to Lisbon just to try this dish!
4. Amêijoas à Bulhão Pato
Amêijoas à Bulhão Pato is usually considered a petisco or appetizer, but we love eating it as a main course at home. The dish is thought to have originated in Almada, just across the Tagus from Lisbon, and its name is a tribute to the Portuguese poet Raimundo António de Bulhão Pato.
It’s extremely popular in Lisbon and throughout Portugal, and it’s easy to see why: it’s incredibly flavorful and satisfying. The dish is made with clams, plenty of garlic, white wine, cilantro, and lemon juice, and is served with lemon wedges and toasted bread. The real star is the garlicky, wine-infused sauce, which is practically made for dipping bread into. It’s perfection on a plate.
You’ll find this dish at almost every restaurant in Lisbon, but we recommend trying it at a traditional seafood restaurant or cervejaria, a type of Portuguese beer hall known for serving seafood and other traditional dishes.
5. Pataniscas and Bolinhos de Bacalhau
Both pataniscas and bolinhos de bacalhau are extremely popular in Lisbon, although their exact origins are unclear—it’s debated whether they originated in Lisbon or northern Portugal. They are usually served as appetizers, but can also be enjoyed as a main course, often with tomato or bean rice.
Pataniscas are made with soaked and shredded salted cod mixed into a batter of flour, eggs, sparkling water, onion, and parsley. The mixture is then deep-fried until golden, usually forming irregular, flat fritters.
Bolinhos de bacalhau, on the other hand, are made with mashed potatoes, cooked and shredded salted cod, chopped onion, eggs, and parsley. All the ingredients are mixed together to form a smooth mixture, which is then shaped into small balls or rugby-ball-shaped fritters before being deep-fried.
They’re the perfect petisco to enjoy in Lisbon, preferably at an outdoor café terrace with a cold drink.
6. Grilled Sardines
Many people would say that grilled sardines are about as Portuguese as food gets. And although they aren’t technically a Lisbon dish, they are hugely popular in the capital. They are especially associated with the Santo António festivities, but sardines are enjoyed throughout the year.
Grilled sardines, also known as sardinhas assadas, are cooked over hot charcoal and served with boiled potatoes, roasted peppers, and broa de milho, a traditional Portuguese cornmeal bread, all generously drizzled with olive oil. And don’t ask for French fries with your sardines—it’s considered bad taste in Portugal!
Don’t let the bones put you off. This is a delicious dish that you really should try in Lisbon, and you’ll find it easily at restaurants throughout the city.
7. Camarões à Guilho
Camarões à Guilho isn’t actually a Portuguese dish—it originally comes from Spain, where it is known as gambas al ajillo. But we love it so much that we eventually made it our own, Portuguese-style, changing the name from al ajillo to “à guilho.” You’ll also often see the more straightforward Portuguese name gambas ao alhinho.
In Lisbon, they are particularly popular and are a staple petisco at many cervejarias and tascas. The shrimp are quickly cooked in hot olive oil with plenty of sliced garlic, chili, and white wine or beer, along with butter and parsley. They are meant to be eaten with bread, which is perfect for soaking up all that delicious sauce.
This dish is particularly famous at Cervejaria Ramiro and Zé da Mouraria, but you can easily find it at many other cervejarias around Lisbon.
8. Fried Cuttlefish with Tomato Rice
Fried cuttlefish (choco frito) is made with thick strips of cuttlefish coated in flour and egg and deep-fried until golden. It is served with lemon wedges and parsley, alongside delicious Portuguese-style tomato rice. The combination of the crispy cuttlefish and the soft, flavorful rice is fantastic—not to mention that the cuttlefish is usually incredibly fresh.
Fried cuttlefish with tomato rice is more traditionally associated with Setúbal than Lisbon, but whenever we visit Lisbon, we love having it. You only need to cross the Tagus to Cacilhas to find several restaurants serving this delicious dish. It’s also a great excuse to take a stroll along the south bank of the river. That said, there are also several restaurants in Lisbon where you can try this classic.
We love this dish so much that sometimes we’re tempted to make the trip from Porto to Lisbon and Setúbal just to eat it.
9. Bifanas
Bifanas are one of Portugal’s most popular sandwiches, made with a thin slice of pork served in a crusty Portuguese bread roll. They’re quick, comforting, and delicious, and Lisbon has several traditional tascas specializing in them.
The Lisbon-style bifana is similar to the one from Vendas Novas, where the pork is marinated in a garlic and wine marinade before being fried in olive oil and butter. It is served in a bread roll with some of the meat’s flavorful sauce, mustard, and, if you like, a little chili. You can also add a few slices of cheese. It’s best eaten hot, with the bread soaking up the meat juices and a little mustard. We prefer Porto-style bifanas, but these come pretty close.
One of the best places for bifanas in Lisbon is As Bifanas do Afonso. Their sandwiches are excellent, but we also like the lesser-known Solar da Madalena, which serves a very good version. If you’re looking for quick, traditional Portuguese food in Lisbon, a bifana is a great choice.
10. Pastel de Nata and Pastel de Belém
The Pastel de Belém is the king of Portuguese pastries and perhaps the best custard tart in the country. It originated in Lisbon, at the Jerónimos Monastery. When the monasteries were dissolved in 1834, these pastries began being sold at a former sugar refinery in Belém, eventually giving rise to the Pastéis de Belém we know today.
At Pastéis de Belém, you’ll find some of the flakiest and creamiest custard tarts you can try. Eating them warm and fresh from the oven is a memorable experience. The crisp, buttery pastry combined with the creamy custard filling is a real treat.
If you can’t try the originals, you can always have a pastel de nata at one of the hundreds of pastry shops around Lisbon. Pastéis de nata are similar to Pastéis de Belém, but the originals are unique and the name is a registered trademark. If you want to learn more about the difference between Pastéis de Belém and pastéis de nata, check out our article.
Either way, eating a pastel de nata is a must when visiting Lisbon. Warm from the oven and paired with a coffee, they never disappoint! And if you want to find out which pastéis de nata are our favorites in Lisbon, check out our list.
11. Travesseiros de Sintra
Travesseiros are delicious, pillow-shaped Portuguese pastries made with crisp, flaky puff pastry, sprinkled with sugar, and filled with a sweet almond and egg cream. They are even better when served warm: the pastry practically melts in your mouth, while the almond and egg filling is simply delicious.
This pastry originated in Sintra, more precisely at Casa da Piriquita. And since a trip to Lisbon usually includes a visit to Sintra to see its beautiful palaces, we had to include it on this list. It’s one of those pastries that stays with you, and just thinking about it is enough to make your mouth water. If it weren’t for the Pena Palace, I’d say it’s worth going to Sintra just to eat this delicious treat.
12. Pão de Deus
Pão de Deus is a traditional Portuguese sweet bread, similar to brioche, topped with a mixture of shredded coconut, eggs, sugar, and butter. The bread itself isn’t very sweet, but the coconut topping takes the flavor to another level. It’s soft and fluffy with a slightly crisp topping.
These sweet rolls are small, about the size of a regular bread roll, and can be eaten on their own or turned into a sandwich with butter, cheese, or ham—which is even better.
Although you can find Pão de Deus in almost every bakery in Lisbon, it is one of the specialties of Padaria Portuguesa, a very popular bakery chain in the city.
13. Farófias
Farófias are a traditional Lisbon dessert made with whipped egg whites gently poached in milk and served with a sweet egg-yolk sauce or pastry cream. They are sometimes described as “clouds of egg whites,” which is a perfect way to describe them: they are light, soft, and practically melt in your mouth, while the creamy sauce makes them even more delicious. It’s a dessert unlike anything else.
The main downside is that they aren’t easy to find. Despite being a traditional Lisbon dessert, in our experience, they don’t often appear on restaurant menus. But if you come across them, give them a try—they’re a sweet treat that will take you to the clouds.
Want to try some heavenly farófias? Check out this traditional and delicious recipe.
14. Ginjinha
Ginjinha is a Portuguese liqueur made with ginja, a type of sour cherry, aguardente, and sugar. It is served in small shot-sized glasses, often with a ginja cherry at the bottom. It is traditionally enjoyed in one quick sip, either after a meal or as a little break during the day.
The drink was created by a friar named Francisco Espinheira from the Church of Santo António in the 19th century. It quickly became popular, partly because it was inexpensive and sweet. Since then, several small bars around Baixa and Rossio have been serving this local specialty. So, besides trying a traditional Lisbon drink, you can also visit some of the historic establishments associated with the ginjinha tradition. You can also buy a bottle to take home, making it a great Portuguese souvenir.
More Portuguese Food to Try
There are plenty of other Portuguese dishes worth trying, both in Lisbon and around the country. We’ve written about many of them, so if you want to explore Portuguese food a little more, have a look at:
- The best Portuguese dishes
- The best cod dishes in Portugal
- The best Portuguese sweets and pastries
- Portuguese desserts
A Few Tips for Eating in Lisbon
Our best advice is to eat at least one meal in a traditional tasca. They’re often small and simple, but that’s part of the charm, and you can find some really good food there.
At lunchtime, look for the prato do dia, and don’t be afraid to order petiscos to share. And, of course, save some room for dessert—there are too many good Portuguese pastries in Lisbon to leave without trying a few.
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