Lisbon Restaurant Tips by call_me_rhia

cais d'alfama: simple food, best food

A little hole in the wall in the Alfama district - and the best food we had in Lisbon. We sat outside, on simple tables on a tiny square... with the owner taking breaks now and then, sitting on an old fountain nearby. The restaurant is in an old building: it's simple (basic, I would say), but the food is first class

Favorite Dish: We had grilled cuttlefish and sardines with a huge salad, and some cheese and sardines pate as a starter. Heavenly! Grilled to perfection and with plenty of extra-veggies! For dessert we had creme brulee and bolas do camelos (camel's balls?) - which turned out to be a sort of mix between a cream and an ice-cream. It had a nice and bizarre taste.

Address: Largo do Chafariz, Lisbon

Comparison: less expensive than average

Directions: Alfama. in a little square on the right, heading from the Casa do Fado e da Guitarra Portuguesa towerds the Se cathedral. About 200 metres from the museum

Price: US$11-20

Rating: 5

Theme: Local

cervejaria de trinidade: a convent turned into a beerhall

The Cervejaria de Trinidade was once a convent... it now is well-known beer hall cum restaurant. The place itself is very characteristic: the halls are covered by 'azulejos' (painted tiles) representing the 4 elements, the 4 seasons... and more.

Favorite Dish: We had an amazing dinner: we chose the safood festival for 2, and ended up with a huge plattter full of everything: lobster, crabs, shirmps, tiger prawns, shellfish.... and a little wooden hammer to work on the lobster. We ended up doing a holy mess with it (like everyone else, though). Everything was frsh and delicious - crab excepted. And the beer.. I'm not a beer lover, but my partner is - and found it excellent

Address: Rua Nova da Trinidade 20, Lisbon

Comparison: about average

Directions: in the Bairro Alto, about 5 minutes from the elevador da gloria

Phone: 342-3506

Price: US$11-20

Rating: 5

Theme: Seafood

pastelaria Monte Alto: on a lazy night...

One lazy night, we did not feel like going too far from the hotel to look for a restaurant - so we picked the nearest restaurant open: it did not look much from the outside, but we decided it was so close that it would do.

Favorite Dish: What a pleasant surprise: we had some smoked ham and azeitao cheese (unforgettable), followed by liver portuguese style (unforgettable, too) with home-made crisps, and some fresh pinapple and mango salad.

Address: rue feliepe folque 10, Lisbon

Comparison: about average

Directions: in the marques pombal area - not far from the metro stop: parque

Phone: 213571005

Price: less than US$10

Rating: 4

Theme: Local

O fumeiro: strictly for meat eaters

O fumeiro means "smoked", and it's a restaurant specialized in meats (lamb and kid goat) - in particular. The truest delicacies, however, are the smoked cold meats that you can get as a starter.

Favorite Dish: The starters... a delicious hand-carved smoked ham, and several types of salamis and sausages. They also brought us a selection of local cheeses - all incredibly delicious. The lamb and kid goat were great, too... but the starters were unbeatable

Address: Rua Conceição da Glória 27, lisbon

Comparison: about average

Directions: Metro: restauradores. 2 blocks off Av. da Liberdade, by the Elevador da Glória.

Price: US$11-20

Rating: 4

Theme: Local

casa matilde: pastries and cakes to die for

a really tiny pastry place - really in diminuitive size... there are about 5 incredibly tiny tables and about 2 square metres to stand... and the place is usually packed. Locals seems to come and go constantly... buying cakes, drinking coffee, poring over the pastries.

Favorite Dish: Amazing pastries and cakes and coffee. We tried several ones and do not have a favourite - all were delicious

Address: Rua da Barocca, LIsbon

Comparison: about average

Directions: in the Bairro Alto

Price: less than US$10

Rating: 4

Theme: Bakery

kais da viscondessa: dinner by candlelight

A wonderful amazing place... it use to be a boat's "garage", and now this large building has been restored - tastefully - and turned into a posh restaurant. Lights are placed high up and are very dim: your major source of light are candles... especially from the huge counters all covered by burning candles. There's also a cascade at the entrance. The place is a dream... so beautiful!

Favorite Dish: A great place with indifferent food - but it's still worth going for the magi atmosphere. We had oysters as starters - and then scallop in champagne sauce for me (sort of ok) and seafood pasta for my friend (it swam in cream). The pinapple we had for dessert was juicy

Address: rua da cintura, Santos, Lisbon

Comparison: more expensive than average

Directions: opposite the Santos train station

Phone: 913 932 930

Price: US$31-40

Rating: 3

Theme: Eclectic/International