Lisbon is one of my favorite European destinations.  Not only is it beautiful, the people relaxed, but the food was AMAZING!  Below is a round-up of my favorites from Lisbon and some tips to make the most of your meals.

Anthony Bourdain Approved: Crazy Fresh Seafood at Cervejaria Ramiro

Address: Avenue Almirante Reis nº1 – H, 1150-007 Lisboa, Portugal, just north of Martim Moniz metro stop
Hours: Closed Mondays. Open everyday 12pm-12:30am. Tip: if you’re going in August, there’s a high chance they are closed for vacation so double check!

  • Pro-tip: Make a reservation ahead to avoid the queue by emailing geral@cervejariaramiro.pt.  If they’re not able to make you one, don’t get scared by the queue as it goes by fairly quickly.  You can also buy beers (for 2€ a glass) and wine (I believe 12€ for a whole bottle) and enjoy them while waiting in line.

If you love seafood, or love somebody who loves seafood… COME HERE!  I found this place from watching Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations Lisboa episode and while my boyfriend doesn’t eat seafood, he agreed to go with me.  The seafood is top quality, tasty and affordable.  The best thing is that there’s a mix of locals and tourist here enjoying all the goodness.  While it’s family run since 1956, the two story place is pretty modern and they even use iPads for their menus.

Here’s what I ate — because when my boyfriend said he was going to have a bite, he literally just had one (he liked it but doesn’t do well with seafood), leaving me with MORE to eat:

  • 1 Fresh whole crab – this was amazing! They prepare it by mixing the roe in the shell into a highly addictive paste. Just looking at the picture above makes me salivate.
  • 1 Giant prawn – it was the size of my face and grilled with garlic, do I need to say more?
  • 1 Cured ham – this was a bit bitter for our taste, but I think the Portuguese cure their ham differently so it’s just a matter of preference.
  • 4 Steak sandwiches: thinly pounded steak generously slaughtered with garlic.  “The best steak sandwich I ever had” -verbatim from the boyfriend.
  • 2 Garlic Bread orders: I tried not to fill up on these but they were pretty darn tasty! Besides the cured ham and steak sandwiches, there is absolutely nothing else on the menu that is non-seafood so the bread also helps break up the taste; so while tempting, don’t eat the bread until you have your seafood!

I don’t remember the exact amount but I believe all of the above with 4 beers was only 60€!  Totally worth it, in my opinion, for such a memorable and delicious meal.

Hipster Foodie Heaven at Time Out Lisboa Market

Address: Avenida 24 de Julho 1200-479 Lisboa, Portugal
Hours: Sunday to Wednesday – 10am to midnight / Thursday to Saturdays – 10am to 2am

Time Out Market was a fun spot for afternoon drinks and snacks! It’s a large warehouse with a selection of stalls as well as pop-ups from well-known Lisbon restaurants. It has a little bit of everything – from finger foods, drinks, dessert to chef menus from Michelin starred chefs.  While the three dishes I had were good (but not amazing), our drinks from Casa da Ginja, the lively atmosphere and just the general happiness I get from being in a food hall was definitely worth a visit!  If you happen to hit the jackpot with something ultra tasty — please share the details with me!

  • Tip: Must get the drinks at Casa da Ginja (it’s in the middle back of the food hall).  Saude! (“Cheers” in Portuguese)

The Best Portuguese Egg Tart at Pastéis de Belém

Address: 9.3 R. de Belém, 84-92, Lisbon, Lisbon
Hours: Open everyday but with different schedules throughout the year.  October 1st to June 30 (8am to 11pm). July 1st to September 30 (8am to 12am).  Tip: On 24, 25, 31 December and 1 January, closes at 7pm.

I ate Portuguese egg tarts (or pastel de nata as locals call them) everyday while in Lisbon and while they were all fantastic, my favorite was definitely Pastéis de Belém!  The crust is crispy and buttery and the custard is warm and soft.  Don’t get intimidated by the line, it goes fairly quickly and is worth it.  You can also make reservations online if you want to eat in.

  • Tip: Eat it while it’s fresh and warm!  You could also try adding cinnamon and powdered sugar on top.

Lunch with a view of Padrão dos Descobrimentos

Address: Portugália Cervejaria Belém is literally in front of Padrão dos Descobrimentos so just stroll on over after enjoying the monument.

Padrão dos Descobrimentos (Monument to the Discoveries) is the beautiful ship-shape statue next to the water and it was such a nice way to spend lunch after walking around all day.  I would suggest grabbing a drink here to take in the view and rest if you aren’t hungry.

and last but not least….

A Mind Blowing Dinner at Mini Bar Teatro

Address: R. António Maria Cardoso 58, 1200-026 Lisboa, Portugal
Hours: Monday to Sunday – 7pm to 2am (kitchen closes at 1am)

I am going to write about this experience later as it deserves its own post (stay tuned!).  Mini Bar Teatro is owned and run by 2 Michelin-starred chef José Avillez.  Service is great and the dishes are inventive, fun and sensational.  We did the “Menu On Now” and it was such a playful gastronomic experience!  It was also very nice that the 9-course meal only cost us 80€ total for two people (not including tip and drinks).  I’ve eaten at a lot of places around the world and this is definitely one of my favorite experiences.

  • Special Celebration Tip: If you are celebrating something special (birthday, anniversary, it’s a Friday…) just email them and request that they personalize a message on top of the printed menu for you (e.g. “Happy Birthday Sam! So happy to be celebrating in Lisbon with you” will be on the menu) when you arrive.  Their customer service is excellent and the personal touch enhances the experience and is a great souvenir for the person you’re surprising.
  • Food Tip: My boyfriend is lactose intolerant so I let them know in advance.  Since we both had the 9 course tasting, they switched out the dishes that had lactose.  The winning point of this was that 1) my boyfriend could fully enjoy his meal worry-free and 2) we got to try more dishes as now we had different courses.  The lady next to us actually requested her dessert be changed out to the lactose-free option as it looked so tasty, even though she was not lactose!

As you can tell, Lisbon was amazing and I can’t wait to go back for another food adventure…. and for another round (or five) of Cervejaria Ramiro, Pastéis de Belém and Mini Bar Teatro!

Cheers Wanderful

Tweet
Share
Pin
Share
4 Comments