A Taberna da Rua das Flores
Rua das Flores, 103
213 479 418
Closes on Sundays
Price per person: €20
This small restaurant brings to the present the ambience and traditions of Lisbon's past. Its meals follow long-forgotten recipes of authentic Portuguese cuisine, and the dishes change daily, using seasonal ingredients.
Open for lunch and dinner, it doesn't accept reservations, so you'll inevitably have to wait in line for a table.
Alma
Rua Anchieta, 15
213 470 650
Closes on Mondays
Price per person: €60
Chef Henrique Sá Pessoa is a national celebrity thanks to his TV cooking shows, but the reason why everyone comes to this restaurant is for the creative tasting menus that have given it two Michelin stars. It tends to focus on Portuguese ingredients but there’s always an international (mostly Asian) influence.
Aqui Há Peixe
Rua da Trindade, 18A
213 432 154
Closes on Mondays
Price per person: €35
When it opened on this location in 2009, it was already one of the favorite restaurants on the Lisbon coast, after several years by the beach in Comporta. It has always been renowned for the freshness of its fish and the cooked-to-perfection standards that have been maintained in the center of Lisbon. The fish comes straight from the ocean, not from fish farms, and is served in a bright and relaxed dining room.
Ao 26 - Vegan Food Project
Rua Vítor Cordon, 26 (Chiado)
967 989 184
Closes on Sundays
Price per person: €25
It was one of the first 100% plant-based restaurants in the city and is one of the favorites in this category, so booking ahead is recommended. It offers original dishes together with vegan versions of some popular Portuguese traditions, such as the “cod” fritters, the bifana (“steak”) and the francesinha sandwich. To end your meal, be sure to try one of the delicious desserts.
BAHR
Praça Luís de Camões, 2 - 5º Andar
213 408 253
Opens every day
Price per person: €45
Located at the top of the Bairro Alto Hotel, this restaurant has an open kitchen and a bar on a terrace facing the river. The menus are seasonal and created by chef Nuno Mendes, who was awarded a Michelin star at his previous restaurant, in London. Brunch and light meals are also served on the terrace.
Bairro do Avillez
Rua Nova da Trindade, 18
215 830 290
Opens every day
Price per person: €40
Distinguished chef José Avillez divided this space into different dining experiences. Upon entering you find a "tavern" for small plates, while in the back is a cloister where many of the chef’s signature dishes are served. In between is a small "grocery store" with gourmet products, cookbooks, and kitchen utensils.
Belcanto
Rua Serpa Pinto, 10A
213 420 607
Closes on Sundays and Mondays
Price per person: €120
Lisbon’s first restaurant to be distinguished with two Michelin stars could very well end up with the maximum three, as it continues to surprise with innovative tasting menus and signature dishes. It puts a twist on traditional Portuguese cuisine, which can also be sampled à la carte.
Bistro 100 Maneiras
Largo da Trindade, 9
210 990 475
Closes on Sundays
Price per person: €40
Split into two levels, this is one of the most beautiful restaurants in the city, with a cocktail bar downstairs decorated with antique cabinets and Art Deco details, inspired by the building's origins. The menu lists dishes imagined by the creative chef Ljubomir Stanisic.
Boa Bao
Largo Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro, 30
919 023 030
Opens every day
Price per person: €25
This restaurant invites you to discover the best foods from Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Korea, China... It takes you on a journey around Asia through the flavors and products of the different countries, in a tastefully decorated space and on a terrace outside. It stays open in the afternoon, serving meals throughout the day, together with a list of cold or hot teas and cocktails. On the menu is gua bao, dim sum, curry, soups, salads, plus several choices of noodles and rice, some of them quite spicy, and many are vegetarian or vegan and organic.
Café Buenos Aires
Calçada do Duque, 31B
213 420 739
Opens every day
Price per person: €30
The name takes you to the Argentinean capital, but this popular restaurant is a blend of Buenos Aires, Paris, and Lisbon. Full on any day of the week, make sure you book your table in advance, and if weather allows, sit at a table outside from where you get a fantastic view of the castle (although it's just as pleasant inside, with its wonderfully eclectic décor). The dishes to get are the Argentinian steak or the "salada boyard" which also comes in a vegetarian version.
Cantinho do Avillez
Rua Duques de Bragança, 7
211 992 369
Opens every day
Price per person: €40
Chef José Avillez’ first restaurant (before the Michelin-starred Belcanto) opened in 2011, and is where he offers a simpler but varied cuisine, without losing the expected touch of sophistication. The result is a crowd-pleaser, in a welcoming and informal space. It was here that the chef's famous hazelnut dessert "avelã3" was first served, and it's the recommended way to end each meal.
Cervejaria Trindade
Rua Nova da Trindade, 20C
213 423 506
Opens every day
Price per person: €30
It's a historical place and one of Lisbon's most beautiful restaurants. It's the former refectory of a convent, and maintains the original walls with colorful tiles from the 1800s. For that reason, and for the traditional Portuguese cuisine, it always attracts large numbers of tourists and locals. It was also one of the city's first beer houses (founded in 1836), and continues to be famous for its steaks and seafood.
Epur
Largo da Academia das Belas Artes, 14
213 460 519
Closes on Sundays and Mondays
Price per person: €100
French chef Vincent Farges spent ten years at one of Portugal's top restaurants, in Cascais, but ended up moving to a luxury resort in Barbados. Years later he returned to Portugal, and chose Lisbon for his next project. And it’s quite a beautiful place, with windows facing one of the best views of the city. It has an open kitchen and a dining room decorated in a Nordic style and featuring 18th-century tile panels.
The tasting menus change every season, depending on the freshest produce available from small local producers -- so here no two meals are ever the same.
The wines are all Portuguese, with the exception of the champagne.
Honorato
Largo Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro, 12
212 453 674
Opens every day
Price per person: €15
There are now several branches of this burger joint in the city, but Chiado’s is the most attractive, as it features an authentic work of art -- a wall sculpted by Vhils, the renowned Portuguese street artist. The atmosphere is relaxed, and there’s also a bar specializing in gin.
Jardim das Cerejas
Calçada do Sacramento, 36
213 469 308
Opens every day
Price per person: €15
It was once a vegetarian restaurant, but is now 100% vegan. The lunch and dinner buffets change daily, but are always largely inspired by Indian cuisine.
Mano a Mano
Rua do Alecrim, 22
914 054 273
Opens every day
Price per person: €20
This restaurant, with large windows opening to the street that links Chiado to Cais do Sodré, serves the popular specialties of Italy, like pasta and pizza. For the pizzas, the customer decides between thick (Neapolitan) and thin (Roman) crust, and for the wines the choices are Italian or Portuguese. The interior is illuminated by lights projected onto the surfaces, and decorated with wooden and marble furniture.
Mar ao Carmo
Largo do Carmo, 21
933 502 602
Closes on Mondays
Price per person: €30
The sea reaches Largo do Carmo through this restaurant specializing in local fish and seafood. It has a terrace facing the ruins of Carmo Convent , and a small interior with a tank of lobsters and crabs next to a stand displaying the catch of the day. There are also meat options, such as the steak sandwich to end the meal.
It’s open in the afternoon, for snacks or meals at any time.
Organi Chiado
Calçada Nova de São Francisco, 2
216 065 121
Closes on Sundays
Price per person: €20
It originally served healthier meals that included fish and vegetarian dishes, but is now 100% vegan and mostly organic. There are dishes of the day based on fresh and seasonal ingredients, all-natural juices and organic wines. It has tables outside, on the steps of Calçada Nova de São Francisco, and a contemporary interior.
Palácio Chiado
Rua do Alecrim, 70
210 101 184
Opens every day
Price per person: €30
After the transformation of Ribeiro da Cunha Palace into a shopping gallery, came the conversion of Quintela Palace into a gastronomic destination. Each of the beautiful 18th-century rooms, spread over two floors, serve food from different cuisines, while on the ground floor is a bar to chill out with a drink. The highlights of the monumental architecture are the stained glass on the stairs between the two floors and the frescoed ceilings.
Sea Me
Rua do Loreto, 21
213 461 564
Opens every day
Price per person: €35
This “modern fish market” displays fresh fish that you may take home to cook however you prefer, but almost everyone eats it right there in the dining room. Like a fish market, it’s loud and crowded, so show up early or book a table, if the idea of seafood platters, grilled fish, and sushi makes your mouth water.
Silk Club
Rua da Misericórdia, 14
913 009 193
Closes on Sundays and Mondays
Price per person: €40
Member of The World's Finest Clubs, this is one of the city's most exclusive bars and is also a restaurant. Located on a rooftop, it offers a nearly-360-degree view of Lisbon. In addition to a variety of cocktails, you may enjoy Japanese cuisine (sashimi, nigiri, hosomaki, uramaki, futomaki and temaki).
Tágide
Largo Academia Nacional de Belas Artes, 18-20
213 404 010
Closes on Sundays and Mondays
Price per person: €35
From the bright dining room of this restaurant you have one of the most beautiful views of Lisbon. It’s in an 18th-century building, and maintains a 17th-century stone fountain and century-old hand-painted tile panels. It serves Portuguese cuisine, and next door it offers tapas and Portuguese wine by the glass or bottle, with the same view over the city.
Tavares
Rua da Misericórdia, 37
213 421 112
THIS RESTAURANT IS CURRENTLY CLOSED
Price per person: €60
Portugal's oldest restaurant is also one of the oldest in the world, and one of Lisbon's most iconic. It looks like a room straight out of Versailles, in business since 1784, with a baroque and rococo interior covered in gilt and mirrors. It has been serving some of the best food in Lisbon for over two centuries, and once had a Michelin star when acclaimed chef José Avillez was in the kitchen. The chefs have changed over the years, but it remains one of the restaurants everyone in Lisbon should go at least once in their lifetime. The cuisine is Portuguese, with some international inspiration.
The Green Affair
Rua Serpa Pinto, 15A
969 398 228
Opens every day
Price per person: €15
It’s one of the best options in the city for non-carnivores, with 100% plant-based dishes at reasonable prices. The tastefully-decorated interior includes a patio and a bar mixing cocktails and mocktails. The food is inspired by world cuisines, using local and organic ingredients.
Visconti
Largo Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro, 18
213 461 512
Opens every day
Price per person: €25
This “Italian bistro” took the classic Italian recipes and gave them contemporary and signature touches. All dishes use fresh produce, and can be served on the terrace or inside, in a classically-decorated space with blue walls, velvet sofas, marble-topped tables, and framed pages of Paródia magazine, which was published by the artist Bordalo Pinheiro, who the square outside is named after.
