What to Eat in Lisbon10 Dishes Worth Queuing For
From the pastel de nata and the bifana to ginjinha, clams and grilled sardines in June. The ten things to eat in Lisbon, and how locals order them.
By Mesa de Portugal Kitchen · Updated · 4 min read
Lisbon is a city that eats standing up at counters, sitting down for long lunches, and late into the night at neighbourhood tascas. You don't need fancy restaurants to eat brilliantly here. You need to know what to order.
1. Pastel de nata
The custard tart with the blistered top. Eat it warm, with cinnamon and icing sugar, and a bica (espresso). The original bakery in Belém makes its own famous version, but almost every pastelaria in the city makes a good one. Make them at home.
2. Bifana
A thin pork steak simmered in garlic and white wine, stuffed into a soft roll. It's the city's favourite cheap lunch. Add mustard and eat it at the counter with a small beer. Our bifana recipe.
3. Prego
The bifana's beef cousin: a thin steak with garlic in a roll. Many restaurants serve it at the end of a seafood meal, as "dessert".
4. Amêijoas à Bulhão Pato
Clams with olive oil, garlic and coriander. Order a plate in any marisqueira and mop up the juice with bread. Recipe here.
5. Sardinhas assadas
In June, during the Santos Populares festivals, the city smells of grilling sardines. They're served on a slice of bread with a salad of roasted peppers. Read our Santos Populares guide.
6. Bacalhau à Brás
Salt cod, matchstick potatoes and soft eggs. The dish was born in Lisbon and is on almost every tasca menu. Recipe.
7. Ginjinha
A sour cherry liqueur served in tiny glasses, sometimes in an edible chocolate cup. The tiny bars near Rossio square that pour it from the counter have been doing so for well over a century.
8. Petiscos
Portugal's version of tapas: pica-pau (beef bites in sauce), peixinhos da horta (battered green beans), pastéis de bacalhau, chouriço assado. Order several and share.
9. Tinned fish
Lisbon has shops that sell nothing but conservas, in beautifully illustrated tins. They make the best edible souvenir. Read our tinned fish guide.
10. Arroz doce
Creamy rice pudding with cinnamon, on the dessert list at most tascas. Make it at home.
Six phrases for cafés and tascas
- Uma bica, por favor.OO-ma BEE-ka, poor fa-VORAn espresso, please.
- Tem mesa para dois?TAYNG MEH-za PA-ra DOYSHDo you have a table for two?
- O que recomenda?oo k' r'-koo-MEN-daWhat do you recommend?
- Não, obrigado.NOWNG, oh-bree-GAH-dooNo, thank you. (A woman says obrigada.)
- Está delicioso!shtah d'-lee-see-OH-zooIt's delicious!
- A conta, por favor.a KON-ta, poor fa-VORThe bill, please.
Want to hear phrases like these? Portugal Lifestyle Pro trains your ear with real spoken Portuguese, with a slower mode for beginners. There is also a free written guide to ordering food in Portuguese.
Take Lisbon home
Nuno Mendes' Lisboeta is the best cookbook about the city's food, written by a chef who grew up there.
Lisboeta by Nuno Mendes
Lisbon's food in a beautiful hardback by Portuguese chef Nuno Mendes: tascas, petiscos and city classics.
Tip: A lovely gift for anyone who fell for Lisbon.
What you’ll need
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Lisboeta by Nuno Mendes
Lisbon's food in a beautiful hardback by Portuguese chef Nuno Mendes: tascas, petiscos and city classics.
Tip: A lovely gift for anyone who fell for Lisbon.
Delta Cafés ground coffee bundle
Portugal's best-known coffee brand, the one in most cafés. Brew it strong for a bica after dinner.
Tip: Ground coffee, so it works in a moka pot or filter.
Pastel de nata tins, made in Portugal
The small fluted tins that give natas their thin, crisp base, made in Portugal like the ones pastelarias use.
Tip: Don't wash them in the dishwasher. Wipe them clean and they'll season over time.
Frequently asked
What food is Lisbon famous for?
What is a bifana?
Where can you drink ginjinha in Lisbon?
When is sardine season in Lisbon?
What is a tasca in Lisbon?
Recipes from this story
Air FryerPastéis de Nata in the Air Fryer
Homemade Portuguese custard tarts with shop-bought puff pastry, baked in the air fryer. Honest tips on getting the blistered tops without a 300 °C oven.
Air FryerBifanas with an Air Fryer Shortcut
The Portuguese garlic pork sandwich. Marinate the pork, air fry it fast, then dunk it in the reduced wine sauce, just like the snack bars in Lisbon.
TraditionalAmêijoas à Bulhão PatoClams with Garlic and Coriander
Clams steamed open in olive oil, garlic, coriander and a squeeze of lemon. Lisbon's favourite seafood petisco, ready in 10 minutes once the clams are clean.