Cafetaria Mensagem
Doca do Bom Sucesso
210 400 209
Opens every day
Price per person: €35
Facing the waterfront in the Altis Belém Hotel, this restaurant has one of Lisbon’s best terraces. It opens in the morning for brunch, and serves international cuisine.
The mostly-white interior is a luminous space, filled with natural light.
Comptoir Parisien
Rua Vieira Portuense, 44
213 638 279
Opens every day
Price per person: €25
comptoir-parisien-lisboa.com
Two former owners of brasseries in Paris fell in love with Lisbon and opened this bistro in an historic building. It’s found on one of the city’s most picturesque streets, and has a terrace facing the park in Belém. Naturally, it specializes in French cuisine, and there are homemade desserts and cheese platters to accompany a glass of French or Portuguese wine.
The interior has a “modern bistro” décor, while the terrace, with its checkered tablecloths, has a more relaxed atmosphere.
Darwin’s Café
Avenida Brasília
210 480 222
Opens every day
Price per person: €25
www.darwincafe.com
Walking along the waterfront, past the Belém Tower towards Algés, you reach the building of the Champalimaud Foundation, a center of biomedical research. Inside, facing the river and the tower, is this café and restaurant with a terrace, serving lunch and dinner, and light meals in between.
The décor is contemporary but inspired by classic science libraries.
Este Oeste
Praça do Império
215 904 358
Opens every day
Price per person: €25
www.gruposushicafe.pt/esteoeste
This spot in the Belém Cultural Center specializes in pizza and sushi, served in a loungy interior and on a waterfront terrace. Inside, the tasteful décor features hanging origami birds.
The sushi and the other dishes are prepared in an open kitchen, and the pizzas in a wood oven.
Feitoria
Doca do Bom Sucesso
210 400 200
Closes on Sundays
Price per person: €125
www.restaurantefeitoria.com
It’s one of Lisbon’s best restaurants, and that’s been recognized with a Michelin star distinction. Its waterfront location, from where many Portuguese ships departed in the 15th century, inspires the seasonal tasting menus, which are meant to be voyages of discovery of Portuguese and international flavors.
Forest
Avenida Brasília (Jardim da Torre de Belém)
213 017 118
Opens every day
Price per person: € 25
instagram.com/forest.lx
Facing the lawn and park across from the Belém Tower, the plant-filled interior is divided into café and restaurant, and there are also tables outside. It opens early in the morning to serve breakfast, and remains open throughout the day for meals at any time. The menu at the restaurant consists of wood-oven pizzas, pastas, salads, and soups, plus Italian desserts.
Guelra
Rua de Belém, 35
939 002 081
Closes on Mondays
Price per person: € 30
guelraott.com
“From ocean to table” is the concept of this fish and seafood restaurant located a short walk from all of Belém’s cultural attractions. In the sea-inspired interior and on the terrace outside, it presents creative signature cuisine, both contemporary and inspired by Mediterranean traditions. There’s also a variety of original “petiscos” or small plates, mixing Portuguese and international flavors. Everything is paired with carefully selected wines, which may be ordered by the glass.
Honorato
Rua de Belém, 116-118
935 273 971
Opens every day
Price per person: €15
www.honorato.pt
This is one of the most popular burger joints in the city, with several branches in different neighborhoods. This one is found a few feet from the Jerónimos Monastery, and has outdoor seating.
The menu is listed on a chalkboard on the wall, and to accompany the over dozen burgers available there are home-style fries, lemonade and gin.
MAAT Café & Kitchen
Avenida Brasília
910 583 709
Opens every day
Price per person: €40
instagram.com/maatcafekitchen
The MAAT has a café for the daytime hours, a “bar and bistro” for cocktails and tapas to share starting in the mid-afternoon, and a fine dining restaurant serving Mediterranean flavors at lunch and dinner. There are river views, and from Thursday to Sunday there’s usually entertainment with resident DJs and light shows and projections on the walls and ceiling.
Nosolo Itália - Belém
Avenida Brasília, 202
213 015 969
Opens every day
Price per person: €20
nosoloitalia.com
This restaurant seems to float on the river next to the Discoveries Monument. It serves the flavors of Italy (pizzas, pastas, crepes and ice cream) in a glassed interior and on a terrace, both looking out to the river.
This is also a convenient stop for a refreshing drink between a visit to the Discoveries Monument and the Belém Tower.
Nunes Real Marisqueira
Rua Bartolomeu Dias, 172E-F
213 019 899
Closes on Mondays
Price per person: €35
www.nunesmarisqueira.pt
There are those who travel to Belém not to see the landmark tower or to visit one of the many museums in the neighborhood, but rather to eat at this seafood restaurant that’s been in business since 2001. It offers about three dozen seafood options, plus a list of different types of fish and steaks. The tanks with crustaceans prove that everything is fresh.
O Frade
Calçada da Ajuda, 14
939 482 939
Closes on Mondays
Price per person: €20
facebook.com/ofradebelem
Located a few feet from the Coaches Museum, this restaurant offers traditional Portuguese cuisine in a convivial atmosphere. It’s a family business, in which two cousins welcome customers as friends, serving them at a counter like they would at a large dining table in their living room. Most dishes reflect their Alentejo roots, but there are also specialties from Algarve, in a menu that changes regularly. Everything can be accompanied by organic Portuguese DOC wines.
Sauvage CCB
Praça do Império (CCB - 3rd Floor)
913 366 585
Opens every day
Price per person: € 30
instagram.com/sauvageccb
Located on the upper level of the Belém Cultural Center (CCB), this restaurant features a terrace facing the river and the Discoveries Monument. It serves refined Portuguese cuisine, using ingredients of national origin and from local producers. The starters are a highlight, and it also offers delicious desserts and an extensive list of Portuguese wines and cocktails.
Sud Lisboa
Avenida Brasília - Pavilhão Poente
211 592 700
Opens every day
Price per person: €35
sudlisboa.com
Two buildings on the waterfront, next to the MAAT, were turned into a restaurant (the "SUD Lisboa Terrazza") and multipurpose venue (the "SUD Lisboa Hall"), connected by a skybridge. Both have two levels and a view of 25 de Abril Bridge, and the restaurant offers outdoor seating facing the Tagus, where Italian and Mediterranean cuisine is served.
Open from morning to night, the restaurant has options for lunch, afternoon snacks and dinner, as well as a bar service with cocktails and a “shisha lounge.” On the rooftop there’s a panoramic swimming pool open in the summer, while theme parties and a variety of events, both public and private, happen in the neighboring building.
The whole space features a modern décor, and is livened up by DJs or the sounds of jazz.
Vela Latina
Doca do Bom Sucesso
213 017 118
Opens every day
Price per person: €40
instagram.com/vela_latina
The name ("Lateen Sail") is yet another reminder that it was from this location that many ships departed into the Atlantic (its neighbor is the Belém Tower). It opened in 1988 and remains one of the best dining options in this much-visited district. The cuisine is Portuguese with Mediterranean influences and is especially recommended for the fish. It has a classic décor and looks out to the gardens of the landmark tower nearby.
