The 10 Best Restaurants in Lisbon, Portugal
From Michelin-starred restaurants to friendly bistros, fusion cuisine to Portuguese classics, Lisbon’s restaurant scene offers something for everyone. Regardless of whether you’re in the mood for some light bites or something more substantial, you won’t have any trouble finding something that fits the bill. The only problem you face is choosing which of Lisbon’s many, many restaurants to visit. To help you narrow down the options, we’ve rounded up the 10 best restaurants in Lisbon, Portugal. Without further ado, here they are.
10. Feitoria Lisbon
Feitoria is a Michelin-starred restaurant with the price tag to match. If you want to come away without a substantial hole in your wallet, be prepared for a night of green salad and water. If you’re happy to spend a chunk of your savings on some truly delectable cuisine, it doesn’t disappoint. With a menu that adds a little Eastern magic to some traditional Portuguese classics, it offers a unique dining experience that might be a world away from what most other restaurants in the city are doing, but that’s none the poorer for it.
9. Taberna da Rua das Flores Lisbon
If you like a side order of culture with your dinner, don’t miss a visit to Taberna da Rua das Flores. The restaurant stands directly below the apartment used as the setting for Portuguese author Eça de Queirós’ classic novel ‘A Tragédia da Rua das Flores.’ Today, a first edition copy of the novel is kept on proud display in a glass cabinet filled with wines and olives oils. The food is as good as the back story, with an emphasis on traditional Portuguese dishes like the cod-based meia desfeita de bacalhau and the liver and pork sensation iscas com elas. The wine list is equally impressive, with a good selection of local varieties from the Lisbon and Tejo regions.
8. French Arth Lisbon
Ranked as one of the best restaurants in Lisbon by Trip Advisor reviewers, French Arth is a charming little bistro with a varied but approachable menu, a relaxed atmosphere, and tip-top service. Offering a good line of vegetarian options along with the meatier dishes (including a very succulent vegetarian burger with some of the crispiest fries this side of the French border), it’s a great place to enjoy some simple, exceptionally tasty food at a price that won’t break the bank.
7. Meson Andaluz Lisbon
If you’re in the mood for traditional Portuguese food, don’t go to Meson Andaluz. If, on the other hand, you’re craving the kind of tapas that has Spanish people driving across the border in their droves to get a taste of, book your table now. If menu highlights like fresh cod ceviche with mango and garlic cream and seared scallops over cauliflower purée weren’t enough, the restaurant’s gorgeous setting in a seventeenth-century building with a wonderfully romantic terrace seals the deal.
6. Fifty Seconds Lisbon
If you like to enjoy the view while you’re eating, the panoramic view over the city offered at Fifty Seconds won’t leave you disappointed. Located at the top of the Vasco da Gama Tower (which now serves as the Myriad Hotel), the restaurant is overseen by Michelin-starred chef MartÃn Berasategui. The menu specializes in light, flavor-packed Mediterranean dishes with an emphasis on seafood.
5. Versiculo do Faia Lisbon
You know you’re in for a good time when a restaurant scores a superb 9.5/10 with reviewers on thefork.com. Versiculo do Faia is a stylish, elegant restaurant set in the very heart of Lisbon. The menu is simple and refined, featuring classic Portuguese dishes such as sautéed shrimps with olive oil, garlic, lemon, fresh chili and parsley, and “Piquillo” peppers stuffed with cod, saffron sauce, and balsamic cream. The service is friendly and attentive, the prices are very reasonable, and the wine list is first-rate. What more could you want?
4. Alma Lisbon
Named by 10best.com as one of the best restaurants in Lisbon, Alma is run by Henrique Sá Pessoa, a dynamic chef who knows how to create the kind of menu guaranteed to get your attention. Safe and boring are out: innovative and cutting edge are in. Expect creative dishes that turn classic Portuguese gastronomy on its head. The wine menu is just as dazzling, with a good selection of wines from small, unknown labels that are perfectly suited to the complexities and surprises of the tasting menu.
3. Prado Lisbon
Despite being one of the newest additions to the Lisbon restaurant scene, Prado has already established itself as something of an institution. Set in an abandoned factory, the contemporary, minimalist design of its interior is reflected in an elegant, simple menu that empathizes locally sourced, organic ingredients. Menu highlights include cockles served with chard, coriander, and fried bread, and a very unusual but very delicious mushroom ice cream. If you like restaurants that celebrate farm-to-table eating and prefer informality to stuffiness, this is the one for you.
2. Belcanto Lisbon
There are restaurants in destinations, and then there are restaurants that are destinations in their own right. Belcanto is one of the second variety. Since opening in 2012, it’s attracted hundreds of thousands of gourmets from around the world. Some of them may have been planning to go to Lisbon anyway, but a lot made the journey for one reason and one reason only: chef José Avillez’s innovative Portuguese cuisine. Rightly enough, the restaurant earned a Michelin star within a year of opening and another one soon after. It’s not cheap (according to lisbonlux.com), you can expect to pay around 120 Euros per head, excluding drinks) but it’s most definitely worth the blowout.
1. Leopold Lisbon
***PERMANENTLY CLOSED
Located in the historic 15th-century Palcio Belmonte in the Castelo quarter, Leopold offers refined dining based around a simple but immaculate seasonal tasting menu that pays homage to traditional Portuguese cuisine, while creating something altogether new in the process. It’s not the kind of place you go for a hamburger and fries (although if you asked for some, the exceptionally accommodating front-of-house would no doubt try their best). This is a place where technique, skill, and a deep understanding of ingredients come together to create a truly memorable tasting experience. It’s not particularly budget-friendly, but it’s exceptional enough to warrant the expense.
