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Lisbon's dining scene has evolved dramatically in recent years to include any number of high-end dining opportunities, but amid the international fare, Michelin-starred restaurants, and molecular gastronomy, the city's simplest and most traditional restaurants still do a roaring trade. Meals generally include three courses, a drink, and coffee. Many restaurants have an ementa turistica (tourist menu), a set-price meal, most often served at lunchtime. Note that you'll be charged a couple of euros if you eat any of the couvert items—typically appetizers such as bread and butter, olives, and the like—that are brought to your table without being ordered.
Lisbon's restaurants usually serve lunch from noon or 12:30 until 3 and dinner from 7:30 until 11; many establishments are closed Sunday or Monday. Inexpensive restaurants typically don't accept reservations. In the traditional cervejarias (beer-hall restaurants), which frequently have huge dining rooms, you'll probably have to wait for a table, but usually not more than 10 minutes. In the Bairro Alto, many of the reasonably priced tascas (taverns) are on the small side: if you can't grab a table, you're probably better off moving on to the next place. Throughout Lisbon, dress for meals is usually casual, but exceptions are noted below.
With two Michelin stars, Belcanto is another jewel in the crown of celebrity chef José Avillez and is one of Lisbon's most celebrated restaurants. Widely credited with putting Avillez (and Portuguese cuisine) on the culinary world stage, the restaurant uses the latest gastronomic techniques to update traditional dishes. The dining room is just as refined, with every course placed before you with a flourish by an expert staff.
Celebrated Sarajevo-born chef Ljubomir Stanisic has earned awards not just for his unconventional approach to food, but also for the slick design of his restaurants. At Bistro 100 Maneiras, expect to be wowed by the thoughtful redesign of a handsome art deco building as well as by the ever-changing menu and the expertly crafted cocktails.
The name for the upscale restaurant at Lisbon’s Four Seasons Hotel Ritz comes from the Portuguese word curadoria (curatorship), and head chef Pedro Pena Bastos does indeed apply a curator's attention to detail in choosing the ingredients for his three tasting menus. Whether you pick the Meia Cura (eight courses), Origins (12 courses) or the vegetarian Raízes menu (eight courses), expect beautifully presented small dishes that turn super-fresh seasonal ingredients into edible works of art. There are a-la-carte options Tuesday through Thursday, but the tasting menus are where the magic really lies. The restaurant has earned a Michelin star, as well as glowing reviews in Portuguese press.
Expect culinary wizardry at this award-winning restaurant headed by acclaimed chef André Cruz, who honed his talents in Portugal and South America. There's no à la carte menu, but diners can take their pick from traditional or vegetarian tasting menus of seven or nine courses each.
This slick, Michelin-starred restaurant offers tantalizing tasting menus by chef Alexandre Silva, who changes them frequently so he can take advantage of the freshest seasonal ingredients. Occasionally, he invites other top chefs from Lisbon and beyond to create special one-night-only menus in the dramatic open kitchen.
Chef Henrique Sá Pessoa’s fine-dining restaurant moved from its original location in Santos to Chiado in 2015, but the name was the only thing that was inherited from the previous space. The decor became darker and minimalist, and the entire menu was changed, adding a slight Asian touch to the contemporary Portuguese cuisine. His hard work paid off—the restaurant was awarded a Michelin star in just a few months, and by 2022 had gained a second of the coveted stars.
In business for more than seven decades, Gambrinus has plenty of historical drama in its decor, including arched wooden ceilings and stained-glass depictions of beer-swilling royals. Prawns, lobster, and crab are always available, and seasonal choices like sea bream, sea bass, and sole are offered grilled or garnished with clam sauce.
Named after the mythical water nymphs of the Tagus River, this place is divided into two parts: a sleek, modern dining room serving refined versions of Portuguese dishes upstairs and a more relaxed wine-and-tapas bar downstairs. Both spaces face the river, so the tables by the windows are some of the most coveted in town.
One of several notable restaurants at the Four Seasons Hotel Ritz, Varanda is consistently at the top of its game thanks to the keen eye of French-Canadian executive chef Pascal Meynard. He oversees a seasonally changing tasting menu at dinner (the octopus confit is a feast for the eyes as well as the stomach) and a wide range of à la carte dishes throughout the day.
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