Last Updated on January 15, 2026
Lisbon Restaurants for your next trip to Portugal
The Lisbon food scene is hot right now. There are restaurants aplenty, from Michelin-starred to food market stalls. Every price point is catered for, and it can be overwhelming to decide where to spend your precious eating opportunities and hard-earned euros. I usually spend much of my travel prep researching just this, which puts a weight of expectation on my shoulders. On a recent trip, I was hosted by Visit Lisbon, and all decisions were made for me. What a joy, especially since every meal I ate was memorable in its own way. I have paired each of these Lisbon restaurants with a museum or attraction you may want to pop into before or after your meal.
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Marisqueria Azul – al fresco seafood lunch
Having risen at 5 am on a cold November morning in London, it felt magical to have lunch in this Lisbon restaurant on a terrace, in the warm sunshine, tucking into a plate of clams. Lunch was so good, I thought it might be worth visiting the Portuguese capital for the day from time to time to get away from the UK weather. Located on the main square overlooking the Tagus River, Plaça de Comércio was once the site of the Royal Palace, which was destroyed during the devastating earthquake of 1755. Marisqueria Azul is one of many restaurants lining the square, and I suggest you visit on your arrival. It is full of good plates of fish and shellfish, cheerful and welcoming staff, and is a great place for people watching. You will instantly forget the few hours spent travelling and will immerse yourself in what makes Lisbon such a great city for visitors – a relaxed vibe and top-quality food from the sea.
Baby clams are ubiquitous in Lisbon’s restaurants, but these were particularly delicious, the buttery sauce redolent of a local white wine, and scattered with coriander. Another dish of sizzling shrimp in garlic oil is also available at almost every eatery, and it was excellent. From the main course fish choices, I had to have baccalau – a thick, moist and perfectly seasoned fillet perched on a pile of wilted greens, topped with red onions, and surrounded by baby potatoes and green olives. Dessert was a feather-light lemon tart with a good pastry base.
After lunch, pop into the Interpretative Centre of the History of Codfish – a few doors down – to learn everything you need to know about how salt cod came to be the national dish of Portugal. It is a multimedia and interactive exhibition – fun and informative for adults and children alike. Buy your chocolate sardines in the excellent gift shop.
Marisqueria Azul – Praça do Comércio 70-71, 1100-048 Lisboa, open daily 11.00 – 23.00.
Interpretative Centre of the History of Codfish – Terrerio do Paҫo, Torreao Nascente, 1100-148 Lisbon. Open daily 10.00 – 19.00.
The Decadente – inventive cooking and a great night out
Dinner at The Decadente was one of the highlights of my trip to Lisbon. I was surprised to find a restaurant of this quality in a hostel, albeit that the Independente Hostel is voted one of the world’s best hostels. The décor is boho chic with lots of candles across its two rooms. I immediately felt at home, in no small part due to the outstanding server. As a group, we ate through a number of dishes, one exceeding the previous plate for interest. If you are part of a group, you too will be able to taste many dishes; otherwise, good luck trying to make up your mind.
The cocktails looked great – I requested a mocktail, and it was delicious too. I enjoyed the orange wine, Favonius, very much, and the wine list is full of local wines to explore.
We began with nibbles of sourdough bread and a glorious smoked butter from the Azores. Tiny bites of Algarve shrimp tartare and nori were served on crispy chicken skin. Starters included an intriguing dish of leek sourdough porridge with mushroom dashi and mizuna that vied for our top spot with a fabulously crispy vegetable tempura in a shellfish and coriander broth. Sweet potato with labneh, rose syrup, and granola was a popular choice, as was a terrific dish of amberjack, tom yum, carrots and tapioca. Don’t miss a main course cataplana rice dish topped with kombu and a Carabinero prawn – those huge, deep-sea, red prawns that are fished in Spanish waters. Dessert was most imaginative – shards of meringue on a cucumber and vanilla granita. Come here for top-notch service, great ambience and music (there is a DJ), and a menu quite unlike that of a traditional Portuguese restaurant. Book to avoid disappointment.
The Decadente is located in Príncipe Real, a very trendy area with great nightlife. You could certainly go drinking or clubbing after dinner. If you are there for lunch, don’t miss the Igreja de São Roque (Church of Saint Roch), which is perhaps the most opulent church you will ever visit; it is Baroque on steroids and well worth a visit.
The Decadente Restaurant and Bar, Rua de São Pedro de Alcântara, 81, Lisbon
Igreja de São Roque, Largo Trindade Coelho, 1200-470 Lisbon
Gambrinus – traditional Portuguese cuisine
Gambrinus is a traditional Lisbon restaurant that opened in 1936. It is popular with politicians, and its walls could tell a tale. Guests are expertly cared for by career waiters, some of whom have worked there for over 25 years. Here you will find wooden-beamed and art-filled rooms, flawless silver service, and crepes Suzette that are as tasty as entertaining, the production resembling a floor show with flames and witty repartee. When I asked the waiter how many he estimated he had made in his 25 years at the restaurant, he replied, ‘not enough’.
Starter dishes of oysters, clams and veal croquettes were delicious. Copious amounts of hot buttered toast were brought to our group’s table, who felt cossetted by it as if we were revisiting our childhood. This is how comfortable one feels dining at Gambrinus. It feels secure and unchallenging. The main course dishes included cataplana – a traditional shellfish and fish stew that hails from the Algarve. Seafood rice and calamari, Andalusian style, were excellent too. I hope to return on another trip for some of the daily specials, especially the lobster pie. No one at the table could resist the crepes Suzette – we all thought the best we had had. Gambrinus is a well-oiled machine that will leave you feeling not only sated and satisfied, but also having tasted the traditional flavour of Portugal.
Gambrinus – Rua das Portas de Santo Antão 23, 1150 – 264 Lisbon
Located in the Baixa area of Lisbon, Gambrinus is a short walk from the botanical gardens, where you can relax after lunch before heading to Avenida da Liberdade, where you will find high-end stores for some retail therapy.
Eleven – a great value Michelin–starred lunch
Located in a purpose-built, glass-fronted, minimalist building, Eleven is a light-suffused, art-filled, elegant Lisbon restaurant with one Michelin-starred chef, Joachim Koerper, at the helm. As is to be expected at this fine dining establishment, the atmosphere is refined, the staff are smartly attired in navy suits, and the food is beautifully plated on gorgeous crockery. What is perhaps less anticipated is the terrific value set lunch menu. Chef Koerper presents modern European cuisine with Portuguese influences, with a number of tasting menus and wine pairings. Some of these menus include a copy of his cookbook.
The Eleven Business Lunch menu (40 euros for two courses and 45 euros for three courses) is accompanied by white or red wine of the week at £6.50 a glass. In addition to the courses themselves, this being a Michelin-starred restaurant, the menu includes three further small courses to the table. A most creative selection of breads and two butters – the smoked sardine butter was outstanding, an amuse bouche to start and a selection of mignardises to finish off the meal.
While we enjoyed the views over Lisbon on a sunny day, we enjoyed a choice of codfish salad, mushrooms and pomegranate or spinach cream, poached egg and almond as a starter. This was followed by octopus rice of black port blade shoulder, sunchoke and chestnuts. The dessert was a dainty and delicious lemon meringue tart with yuzu sorbet, or Portugal cheese map. The latter was presented on a plate shaped like the map of Portugal, with cheeses representing various regions. A plate of mignardises brought further local sweetmeats, which brought this beautiful meal to a sweet close.
After lunch, you will need a walk, and you can do so in Parque Eduardo VII, which is overlooked by the restaurant. Alternatively, a 10-minute walk brings one to the Museu Calouste Gulbenkian, which is one of the iconic art museums in Lisbon
Eleven, Rua Marquês Fronteira Jardim Amália Rodrigues, Parque Eduardo VII, 1070-051 Lisbon.
Museu Calouste Gulbenkian, Av. De Berna 45A, 1067-001, Lisbon
A few extras
If you wish to further explore traditional Portuguese cuisine, you should try pica pau. This is a starter dish consisting of pieces of tender meat – beef or pork – cooked in a garlicky sauce and pickled vegetables. Pica pau translates as woodpecker, which might seem strange until you see that it is served with toothpicks, the idea being that everyone picks at the dish. A great sharing plate. I ate a deliciously tender version of this at a restaurant named Pica Pau, which has a wonderful atmosphere and terrific service. You can go for lunch or dinner. I enjoyed kicking back and enjoying a relaxing end to a day of sightseeing. Although I tried several dishes on the menu, including the booziest chocolate mousse ever, I could have made a meal of the pica pau served with the restaurant’s home-baked rolls and a particularly fine butter. Pica Pau is located in Principe Real, a vibrant and trendy part of the city that you do not want to miss.
Restaurante Pica Pau, R. da Escola Politécnica 27, 1200 -244 Lisbon.
Lisbon’s fish delicacies go beyond baccalau, of course, and shellfish is ubiquitous in the restaurants, often in the form of starter dishes of steamed clams and prawns in garlic oil. One restaurant where I enjoyed something a little different was 5 Oceanos, where the crab paté was simply excellent. The restaurant is situated in the harbour at Belém, so it makes a convenient stop for lunch if you are visiting the museums in the area. The river glints in the sunshine a few metres from the table, and the 25 de Abril bridge rises right above. It is a gorgeous lunch spot. Don’t miss the pyrotechnics if you order one of the house specialities – seabass cooked in a salt crust.
5 Oceanos, Doca de Santo Amaro, Armazem 12, 1350-353, Lisbon.
Finally…
Of course, you may be wondering what about pastéis de nata, the iconic custard tarts for which Lisbon is famed. Yes, there are plenty of these, and I have written about them in a separate piece. One warning, though, they are very moreish, so as your mum might have said, don’t snack on them before lunch or dinner. With the quality of Lisbon’s restaurants, the great vibe and generous portions, it would be a shame to spoil your appetite.
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