Audrey's
Rua de Santiago, 10-14
213 941 616
Opens every day
Price per person: €30
Audrey's is a café, restaurant and bar, located just a few feet from the castle and Alfama's most beautiful viewpoints. It serves Portuguese and international cuisine using local and fresh ingredients, in an elegant lounge and on a terrace where you may have breakfast or any other meal throughout the day. It also hosts events, private parties and business meetings.
Boi-Cavalo
Rua do Vigário, 70B
218 871 653
Closes on Mondays
Price per person: €45
When you’re ready to try something less traditional in Alfama, go for a meal at this restaurant located just a few steps from Igreja de Santo Estêvão . It serves creative tasting menus that change depending on what’s available at the market, but always focusing on experimental Portuguese cuisine.
Cais da Pedra
Avenida Infante Dom Henrique (Doca do Jardim do Tabaco/Santa Apolónia)
218 871 651
Opens every day
Price per person: €25
It's a project of one of the most acclaimed chefs in town (Henrique Sá Pessoa) but it's not a fine dining spot. Although everything comes with the chef's personal touch, it offers burgers and classic dishes of Portuguese and international cuisines.
It's found on the waterfront by the Santa Apolonia train station, in an industrial space with outdoor seating and a relaxed atmosphere.
Casanova
Avenida Infante Dom Henrique (Doca do Jardim do Tabaco/Santa Apolónia)
218 877 532
Opens every day
Price per person: €20
With an outdoor terrace facing the river and deliciously thin and crispy oven-baked pizzas, this has become one of the most popular pizzerias in Lisbon. Be sure to arrive early or you'll find yourself standing in line for some time (it does not take reservations). If sitting inside, turn on a light over your table to draw the attention of the staff and make your order. The specialties are the iced tea, the figs and prosciutto pizza (only available in the summer) and the Nutella pizza dessert.
Chapitô à Mesa
Rua Costa do Castelo, 7
218 875 077
Opens every day
Price per person: €35
Chapitô is a circus and performing arts school that's actually become better known for its restaurant and bar. It has a very inviting terrace with fantastic city views, where you're served a menu of contemporary Portuguese cuisine. The more formal and romantic interior dining area, on an upper floor, has even better views.
Downstairs is the bar, which opens at night, often staging alternative theater and live music performances.
Faz Figura
Rua do Paraíso, 15B
218 868 981
Closes on Mondays
Price per person: €40
Located on a street behind Santa Apolónia Station, this restaurant inaugurated in 1974 offers river and city views from its large windows and glass walls. The cuisine innovates Portuguese traditions, using seasonal ingredients.
The wine list includes about 60 labels from around the country.
Maçã Verde
Rua dos Caminhos de Ferro, 84
218 868 780
Closes on Sundays
Price per person: €15
If you’re looking for a restaurant in Alfama where locals are the majority, choose this very laid-back spot next to Santa Apolónia Station. It’s a family-owned “tasca” (a tavern) specializing in grilled meat and fish at very reasonable prices, and there are always daily specials. It’s like eating in someone’s kitchen — there won’t be anything to Instagram, but you’ll enjoy the generous portions of local food.
Prado
Travessa das Pedras Negras, 2
210 534 649
Closes on Mondays and Tuesdays
Price per person: €30
This restaurant is located just a few feet from the cathedral, in a former cannery, where Roman ruins can still be seen hidden by the wine cellar. The dining room is decorated with plants, and the concept is "farm to table," meaning only seasonal, fresh and local ingredients are used. The dishes (most of which come straight from the grill) change daily, and sometimes even throughout the day. The vegetables are organic, as are the wines (almost all from Portugal).
The chef was previously at "Taberna do Mercado," a Portuguese restaurant in London from Michelin star chef Nuno Mendes. Here he hopes to "celebrate the best that Portugal has to offer, from the land and the sea," while also incorporating international influences.
Primo Basilico
Rua dos Remédios, 37
218 885 287
Closes on Sundays
Price per person: €5
This small space is a good stop during a tour of Alfama. Opened by Italians from Turin, it serves pizza by the slice, made with a special dough that takes several hours to ferment. It follows Italian traditions, and products such as the cheese are imported from Italy. You can enjoy everything inside or take it with you as you continue down the neighborhood.
Sála de João Sá
Rua dos Bacalhoeiros, 103
218 873 045
Closes on Sundays and Mondays
Price per person: €35
The restaurant of one of the most acclaimed chefs in Lisbon is located between Alfama and Baixa. It’s a laid-back place but serves refined cuisine, based on Portuguese traditions with global influences. The tasting menu uses seasonal products from local producers, following a “farm to table” concept. It makes its own bread, and also stands out for its vegan tasting menu (quite rare in such a restaurant).
Taberna Albricoque
Rua Caminhos de Ferro, 98
218 861 182
Closes on Mondays and Tuesdays
Price per person: €20
This “tavern” brings the flavors of Algarve to Lisbon, through the expertise of chef Bertílio Gomes. Located by Santa Apolónia Station, it recreates a typical old Lisbon tavern, where dishes, petiscos (tapas) and good wine are shared. The ingredients are selected from national producers, so there’s something new on a weekly basis. It usually offers different suggestions for lunch, and there are often special dinner events.
Taberna Moderna
Rua dos Bacalhoeiros, 18
218 865 039
Closes on Sundays
Price per person: €35
The concept here is sharing Portuguese and Spanish flavors, mixed with a few others from elsewhere in Europe. It's a spacious "petiscos"/tapas restaurant that includes the Lisbonita Gin Bar, an-all gins bar with dozens of different choices. It's located just steps from Casa dos Bicos, on the border between downtown and Alfama, with a décor reminiscent of the old Lisbon taverns.
Taberna Sal Grosso
Calçada do Forte, 22
215 982 212
Opens every day
Price per person: €20
Thanks to word of mouth, this small and hidden spot (around the corner from Santa Apolónia Station) has become a destination for those looking for good traditional cuisine at reasonable prices. It recalls the taverns that have been disappearing from Lisbon, and attracts locals and tourists. The choices of petiscos (small plates/tapas) are listed on a chalkboard on the wall, and there are also dishes of the day.
Zambeze
Calçada Marquês de Tancos, 3
218 877 056
Opens every day
Price per person: €35
Found at the top of a building that was once a market and is now a garage, this rooftop café-restaurant offers one of the best views of Lisbon and the river.
Traditional Portuguese cuisine with some African influences is served on the terrace, while the interior features tile panels and tableware of the prestigious Vista Alegre and Bordalo Pinheiro brands.
It’s open throughout the day.
