Located in the touristy Belém neighbourhood, Michelin-starred Feitoria showcases the very best of Portugal’s produce from small, local producers. Chef André Cruz combines high-level techniques with traditional Portuguese flavors to craft an unforgettable dining experience, all while offering stunning views of the Tagus River. Standout dishes include cod with potato, mushroom, and parsley; Cruz’s take on cozido do mar (a seafood stew highlighting fresh coastal ingredients); and a traditional Sericaia dessert from the Alentejo region, made with eggs and served with herb ice cream and honey.

After leaving a Michelin-starred restaurant in the city, acclaimed chef João Rodrigues decided to take a different path: Canalha is his love letter to Lisbon’s neighborhood restaurants — think marble counter, leather chairs, and a TV tuned to soccer matches — all built around the finest products the Iberian Peninsula has to offer. From 100 percent Portuguese charcuterie (such as acorn-fed Iberian ham) to the freshest sea creatures, the menu is straightforward and executed with impeccable technique. There’s also a touch of tradition in some of the dishes, such as the bitoque (a steak crowned with a fried egg and a signature pan sauce) and the leite creme (Portugal’s answer to creme brulee). Since its opening, Canalha has become one of the city’s most coveted dining experiences, making advance booking essential.

Pigmeu is a pork lover’s heaven. The restaurant in the Campo de Ourique neighborhood is an ode to the ingredient that is ubiquitous in Portuguese cuisine from north to south. Chef Miguel Azevedo Peres and his team follow a nose-to-tail philosophy when working with the hog, incorporating pig into pork fat-infused butter, a pork-filled take on the classic bifana sandwich, and pork pudding.

There’s really only one reason to go to A Valenciana, whether you choose to take out or eat in the old-fashioned dining room: the ridiculously cheap and tasty charcoal-grilled piri-piri chicken, a local favorite. When perfectly done, as it is here, the chicken is moist inside with crispy skin. Wash it down with a beer or two.

At Cura, the Four Seasons’ fine dining restaurant, chef Rodolfo Lavrador combines exquisite plating, balanced flavors, and sensitivity to bring the best out of fresh ingredients, which come daily to his kitchen from the Portuguese coast and the countryside. When you order one of the three tasting menus, the wine pairing, which focuses on local winemakers, is mandatory.

Located near the national parliament, Café de São Bento is the place to go for late-night dining or any time of day you’re desperate for an old-school steak. The meat is served grilled or fried, with chips (or french fries), signature sauce, and esparregado (spinach puree). The service is amiable, while the room is stuffed with red sofas and dark wood furniture, a classic mix of decadence and elegance. It all pairs perfectly with the throwback character of the food.

In a country known for sweets rich in egg yolks and sugar, Brazilian pastry chef Juliana Penteado dared to innovate. Her small, charming pastry shop on Calçada da Estrela seamlessly blends precise French patisserie techniques, local ingredients, and global flavors. Penteado, a judge on Masterchef Portugal, studied at Le Cordon Bleu and lived in Paris before deciding to open her own business in Lisbon. Using organic culinary essential oils, she crafts pineapple choux with kaffir lime, caramel millefeuille with tangerines, and raspberry cheesecake with verbena. Her buttery cookies, perfect for pairing with coffee or tea, are one of many reasons people line up outside her shop on weekends.

When Rita Santos left her career as a tech executive, she traveled the country meeting people who produce craft foods before opening a grocery store and deli dedicated to Portuguese fare from small producers. Opened in 2018, the store attracts food lovers from all over the city by offering tinned fish, cheeses, cured meats, and snacks ranging from sandwiches to gyoza. Besides one of the best selections of organic and natural wines in the city, the shop also offers tastings with local winemakers and organizes a popular farmers market on Saturdays.

An alum of Alain Ducasse’s culinary empire and winner of the 2022 French TV show Top Chef, chef Louise Bourrat helms the kitchen of this modern family-run bistro, while Alexis, her brother, and his talented team ensure guests in the dining room are well cared for — and never without wine. The tasting menu, Roots, ranges from seven to 10 courses, showcases fresh Portuguese ingredients with a focus on seafood and vegetables prepared with global inspirations. The atmosphere is lively and welcoming, with efficient service to match. Twice a month, BouBou’s hosts a wine casino, transforming its tables into a playful experience where guests can learn about the wines served and even win prizes.

The prodigal son returns. After making his mark on London (where he runs Lisboeta), chef Nuno Mendes is back in his native Lisbon as the culinary director of Santa Joana, a striking bar and restaurant in the hotel Locke de Santa Joana, tucked in an old convent and close to the Marques de Pombal square. Mendes brings his signature modern approach to traditional Portuguese cuisine, as seen in dishes like grilled chicken hearts with pica-pau sauce or pan-roasted turbot with seaweed emulsion and crushed potatoes executed by head chef Mauricio Varela. Begin your meal at the counter with some local oysters from the raw bar and a signature cocktail (with local ingredients) before moving to your table for the full experience.

In a city that learned to eat pizza with a knife and fork, Lupita is producing high-quality Neapolitan-style pies that tempt diners to dig in with their hands. Duda Ferreira makes his naturally leavened pizzas using fresh, local ingredients, amplifying flavors with creative spins. Consider toppings such as  anchovies with caramelized onion or mozzarella with pickled red onion, bacon, and pineapple.

The cocktail scene in Portugal is booming, thanks in part to Red Frog, a groundbreaker that has earned a spot on the World’s 50 Best list. The speakeasy has the intimate vibe of a bar from the Prohibition era, but the drinks are made with modern techniques involving gadgets such as centrifuges, rotovaps, and sous-vide machines. Think seaweed from Azores mixed with vodka and rhubarb, or Greek yogurt in a cocktail with pet-nat and brioche distillate. To eat, a short but efficient menu (with olives, jamón, and bell pepper hummus) pairs well with the alcohol.

At this unobtrusive taberna in the enchanting Chiado neighborhood, chef-owner André Magalhães presents flavorful and inventive dishes to share. As the waiter walks you through the blackboard menu, you might hear about how the kitchen team was inspired by an old recipe the chef dug up, a fresh ingredient Magalhães brought from the market, or a dish from the growing local Asian immigrant communities. Magalhães is particularly interested in the connections between the cuisines of Portugal and its former colonies, where the chef has traveled extensively to learn about local foodways.

This two-story restaurant between charming Chiado and nightlife hub Bairro Alto is restless chef Ljubomir Stanisic’s fancy, funky, punk-chic, no-bullshit, fine dining flagship. Start with a cocktail at the bar (among the best in town) and then, at the table, go for a spinach burek (an homage to the chef’s Serbian roots), the mushroom risotto, or the signature beetroot tartare. Don’t miss the dishes that have been served since the opening, dubbed the Top 100, such as the spicy octopus with honey or the dry-aged Rossini loin with foie gras.

In Portugal, bread is a religion. And in Lisbon, Isco, located in the Alvalade neighborhood, is one of its sanctuaries. Along with a hundred loaves of bread in different shapes and flavors and viennoiserie staples that come out of the ovens every day, guests can enjoy a few dishes and sandwiches, like galette roix and sausage or pecan folhado (pastry puff). Enjoy your meal with another sacred Portuguese staple: wine. There’s a significant list to wash down all those carbs.

With three floors, five rooms, and more than 200 seats, Solar dos Presuntos looks like a tourist trap, but it isn’t. The downtown restaurant is a good place for those looking for grilled fish and meat, traditional Portuguese dishes (mainly from the north), and good wine. This is a perfect place to try classics like pastéis de bacalhau (cod fritters), John Dory fillets with tomato rice, açorda de marisco (bread stew with seafood), or roast goat.

In a refurbished Chiado building from the 17th century, celebrity chef Henrique Sá Pessoa (who runs Sereia in Miami) serves the hearty, sophisticated dishes that earned the restaurant two Michelin stars. The menu reflects influences from around the world (mainly Asia), but the chef approaches them from a Portuguese point of view, as in salted cod (with the fish’s tripes, confit egg yolk, and onion puree) or Iberian suckling pig confit (served with greens and black pepper jus). Go a la carte or try the six-course Coast to Coast menu to marvel at the local seafood (lobster, razor clams, red mullet), prepared with elegance and skill.

It is impossible to pass by this corner pastry shop in Chiado without stopping to marvel at all the mouthwatering sweet treats that fill the window. The sugary, eggy tarts and pastries are made according to centuries-old traditional recipes developed by Cistercian monks in the monastery of Alcobaça, where the original Alcôa was founded in 1957. Many baked goods even come with religious names like queijinhos do céu (heaven’s cheese), ovos do paraíso (eggs of paradise), and toucinho do céu (bacon from heaven).

Vincent Farges is one of the most talented chefs working in Portugal. In the Chiado district, the French chef leads and co-owns the fine dining, Michelin-starred Epur, where he combines French cooking technique, Portuguese produce, and influences from around the globe. He stocks exceptional fresh ingredients, and treats his diners in a contemporary, intimate space with a stunning view of the Tagus river.

Neo-tascas are popping up everywhere in the city, but few seem to channel the old-school tavern charm as well as Vida de Tasca in the Alvalade neighborhood. Chef Leonor Godinho spent years visiting traditional Portuguese eateries with friends before opening her own interpretation in a space that housed a classic tasca for over 40 years. Vida de Tasca stays true to tasca traditions with affordable prices, daily specials, and snacks like cod fritters and croquettes, all sans pretension. It’s a no-frills place, offering excellent food and the nostalgic charm of old Lisbon.

“Fine dining is dead,” reads one poster as you step into this ultracasual venue in the Mouraria neighborhood. Tasca Baldracca is among a new generation of tascas (no-frills, affordable, traditional restaurants) where chefs are showing that the genre can be updated without losing the essential character of the neighborhood hangout. Though it may look casual, the restaurant surprises with food made with refined techniques and quality ingredients at affordable prices. There’s a lively mood in the dining room, where dishes designed for sharing generate a convivial atmosphere. Start with the couvert (sourdough bread and spreadable goat cheese), followed by items such as beef tartare, gizzard tempura, and roast suckling pig.

The bifana is Lisbon’s quintessential street food, consumed by the hundreds every day in the busiest neighborhoods in town. It is a simple sandwich with thin slices of fried pork shank (the best venues fry the meat in pork fat) stuffed into a crusty roll. To enhance the flavors, some places add a good amount of mustard poured straight from the squeeze bottle or a few drops of piri piri (hot sauce). Bifanas do Afonso, on the famously steep Rua da Madalena, is one of the most popular venues for the egalitarian delicacy. Long queues are undeniable proof of the quality of the sought-after sandwiches, which have been served there for over 40 years.

On the way to São Jorge Castle, O Velho Eurico appears as if by providence, a cozy pit stop to replenish your energy with excellent Portuguese food, ideally on the charming terrace in the shade of some leafy trees. The old restaurant is now a place of pilgrimage, with the lines and sold out reservations for weeks to prove it. The menu is in the hands of young cook Zé Paulo Rocha, part of a new generation of Lisbon’s rising chefs, who have worked to move the dining scene forward. Expect traditional items made with a hint of modernity, like the excellent octopus carolino rice, pig head and white beans, bread pudding with beer caramel, and much more from a menu that changes daily.

This unassuming but elegant, modern restaurant in the downtown Sé area has been a mandatory visit since it opened in 2017, thanks mainly to talented chef Antonio Galapito, who creates recipes that are luscious, creative, minimalist, and beautiful. The former sous chef under acclaimed chef Nuno Mendes while they were both in London, Galapito focuses his micro-seasonal menu at Prado on organic ingredients from Portuguese producers. Order a little bit of everything to share, ideally with a glass of natural wine from the fantastic selection.

The atmosphere at chef João Sá’s downtown Sála is informal, while dishes are creative and contemporary, combining Portuguese heritage with global influences. You can’t go wrong with one of the two tasting menus, Horizon at Sight or In Search of New Textures, with highlights such as Sá’s version of seabass with green asparagus and caviar, as well as spider crab with Goan curry and harissa.

Located in a 19th-century building that is now a hotel in the Graça neighborhood, Plano is a two-in-one restaurant. On most days, guests eat indoors in a charming, airy dining room with minimalist decor. But on hot summer nights, chef Vitor Adão sets up his kitchen in the intimate garden around the pool where, with the help of a charcoal grill beneath the orange trees, he cooks over open fire as if he were in the countryside. The six- to nine-course tasting menu changes frequently, highlighting the best local produce from each season.

Tascas, which serve traditional comfort dishes at affordable prices, are a Portuguese institution. They proliferated in the early 20th century, but Maçã Verde (Green Apple) is one of the more recent specimens, tucked in a former snack bar in front of Santa Apolónia station. The restaurant serves hearty dishes such as chanfana (goat stew) and secretos de porco preto (fatty strips of black pig), all well-prepared by Dona Laura, the friendly cook in charge.