Food guide: a day in Lisbon

WHERE YOU SHOULD EAT IF YOU EVER VISIT LISBON

Written by: @jesspennartz

You should. I mean it, you should visit Lisbon if you have never been there before and if you have, you should go again.

Last month I decided to go to the Portuguese capital once again, even though I had been there a year ago for the very first time. The thing is, Lisbon has so much to offer, that one sit cannot be enough for what it has to share. Food included.

Portuguese cuisine varies in the different regions of the country, but if you are a seafood lover, pleasing your taste buds won’t be that hard. Portugal’s national fish is a dried, salted cod, a specialty named “Bacalhau”. However, if you are not into fish, I bet there are other options that might work for you, like Portuguese sausages (they’re served in large quantities and sometimes even accompanied by cheese and wine if you choose wisely), or their famous vegetable stew called “Cozido a Portuguesa”.

So, with that being said, I would like to recommend you with places for a great culinary experience in Lisbon.

Breakfast

A padaria portuguesa – I would put an address here but they are on every corner.

A padaria portuguesa serves everything that your tummy needs and your taste buds want early in the morning: good coffee, fresh orange juice and a ton of different breads and sandwiches but, there is one thing that you must try: Pão de Deus, which literally means God’s bread (how many more signs do you need? You need to try this). This masterpiece (let’s call it a masterpiece because come on… whoever invented this is a genius), is a sweet buttery soft bread with a sticky coconut layer on top, sprinkled with powder sugar. If you want more calories with that, there’s a ham & cheese version of it. Which I highly recommend.

By the way, these are $ 1 – 2.

Lunch

Pizzeria Romana – Rua da Conceição 44

Affordable and delicious. That is all I need to say.

I’m just kidding, they offer a variety of “in-store made” pizzas with ham, cheese, tomato, mushrooms, just anything you would like to have on it. A slice is approx. 2 – 3 euro and you can easily have 2 slices and consider yourself good to go. This place is tiny but well located: it is just a 2-minute walk from Praça do Comércio.

Oh, and beer is $ 1.

Dinner

Sr. Lisboa – Rua de São José, n134-136

My favorite. Hands down.

This place sums up the whole Lisbon culinary experience. First of all, the people working there are incredibly nice and welcoming (in Lisbon in general). Second, you are able to taste the true flavors of the Portuguese cuisine.

The first time I went there I ordered (as a starter) the traditional Caldo Verde, prepared with traditional ingredients like potatoes, kale, olive oil and sliced chouriço or linguiça (smoked Portuguese sausage). This soup is glory, the combination of sausage and kale is really good.

For main, I decided to go for the shrimps in garlic sauce and the octopus (I love it, can’t help it).

Honestly, there isn’t a thing on the menu (which I tried) that I did not like.
Give everything a try, if you can. Share plates with the people you are with so you can all taste how amazing the Portuguese cuisine is, but especially how talented the chefs are.

Last but not least: sangria all night long and don’t skip dessert!

El Clandestino – Rua da Rosa 321

Where do I start? El Clandestino can be best described as a tribute to Mexican and Peruvian cuisine, although it is categorized under “Latin American” food. Every time I find a new Latin place, my roots kick in and I get this desire and urge to try it out.

The atmosphere is artsy, casual and tribal in some way. They incorporated the Mexican culture and traditions (Día de los Muertos for example) in the décor and the background music is clearly taken from a Spanish playlist.

Regarding the food… I cannot lie to you guys, it is really good, especially the ceviche, which is one of my favorite dishes (Ecuadorians make it better, so sorry Perú).

What I was most happy about was the desert. As a big fan of dulce de leche, I had to try the churros & dulce de leche when I saw it. There are no words to describe this. It seems like the chef added some kind of citrus touch to it, which made it even more tasteful.

Also, try out the micheladas and their nachos as starters.

I could go on forever because I have more places you definitely should try out, but I won’t make this any longer. I have the idea you are already booking a ticket or you probably stood up halfway through this post to get something to eat.

If you have been to Lisbon before, what are your favorite food spots? I would love to know (so I can have an excuse to plan my next trip to this beautiful city).

For more travels, you can follow me on Instagram! – @jesspennartz