Top 13 culinary specialities in Lisbon

Take a look at our selection of Lisbon’s best sweet and savoury specialities to make sure you don’t miss a single typical dish during your stay. You’ll learn a lot about the Portuguese capital and its history when it’s time to sit down to dinner! Our guide to typical dishes will give you a tantalising glimpse of what’s in store.

The range of Portuguese flavours varies from one “basic” product to another. These include cheeses, eggs, fresh vegetables, meat and seafood. While pork sausages and beef stews are commonplace, fish and seafood are the true ambassadors of local cuisine.

Another advantage is that Lisbon is a city where street food is a way of life. As we all know, street food is the best way to take the pulse of a city. Talk to the locals between orders and learn the story behind each of Lisbon’s popular specialities.

What to eat in Lisbon Our selection of 13 Lisbon specialities

While cod dishes top the list of Portugal’s favourite savoury foods, pastel de nata is the undisputed king of sweet specialities. But pastel de nata is not the only delicacy to be savoured in the capital. Whether sweet or savoury, here is our selection of the best typical dishes to enjoy during your trip to Lisbon.

1) Amêijoas at Bulhão Pato

Make way for an aperitif with this seafood dish, which is very popular in Lisbon. It is a dish of clams in homage to the Portuguese writer Raimundo António de Bulhão Pato, who was particularly fond of them. The clams are cooked in their own juice or with lemon juice, olive oil, white wine and herbs. It’s a real treat, and should be eaten with bread so as not to leave a drop!

2. Sardinhas Assadas

You can’t travel to Lisbon without eating sardines. Among all the delicious recipes, there is the grilled sardine. The preparation is simple, effective and has become a must in Lisbon and in Portuguese gastronomy as a whole. Grilled sardines are usually accompanied by grilled peppers and steamed potatoes.

3. Arroz de marisco

Don’t wait to try this delicious Lisbon speciality. This dish is one of the country’s most emblematic recipes. Rice with seafood is also the perfect dish to enjoy after a gruelling day’s sightseeing. Prepared in the most traditional way, it contains as many seasonal shellfish as the casserole can hold! These include prawns, lobster, mussels, cockles, crab, clams and more. They are then flavoured with white wine, shrimp stock and herbs. For this reason, the price per plate is quite expensive. Nevertheless, this 5-star dish is well worth it.

4. Dourada grelhada

The Portuguese are big fans of seafood. For this reason, they often place generous quantities of seafood at the centre of their plates. A case in point is this deliciously simple Lisbon speciality: grilled sea bream. You’ll find it on the menu of almost every restaurant in the capital! As the star of the dish, the fish is accompanied by a modest, unadorned garnish. Steamed potatoes will do nicely, or a few beans or cabbage in olive oil.

5. Bife a cafe

Try the typical Lisbon beef recipe: steak a café. This old recipe originated in a twentieth-century Lisbon bistro. The creation was so successful that it gradually became popular with tourists. Coffee steak is served with chips, mushrooms and a tasty coffee and pepper sauce. The first bite is a complete surprise, and you won’t be able to get enough.

6. Bacalhau com natas

Called “green broth” because of its colour, caldo verde is a kale soup from northern Portugal. Its comforting flavour and the slices of sausage that accompany it have quickly made it popular throughout the country. In Lisbon, you can’t say no to a bowl of caldo verde! Served piping hot with a slice of bread, you can enjoy it as a starter or a main course.

7. Caldo Verde

Caldo verde, also known as “green broth” because of its colour, is a kale soup from northern Portugal. Its comforting flavour and the slices of sausage that accompany it have quickly made it popular throughout the country. In Lisbon, you can’t say no to a bowl of caldo verde! Served piping hot with a slice of bread, you can enjoy it as a starter or a main course.

8. bacalhau à Brás

Cod à la Portugaise” is Portugal’s must-try hot fish dish. All the local restaurants in Lisbon serve this recipe, and for good reason: it’s one of the most popular cod dishes in the country. It’s made with crumbled cod, flaked chips, plenty of fried onion strips, egg, olives and parsley. These are the basic ingredients that make it so popular.

9. Cozido à portuguesa

Here’s a family reunion dish par excellence: Portuguese-style stew! The main ingredients of traditional cozido are fine pieces of meat. Rural and popular in origin, this dish is hearty but not particularly expensive. Both to prepare and to eat out. Originally, families in the countryside prepared it with whatever meat and vegetables they had on hand. Most often with potatoes, different varieties of cabbage, beans, carrots and a mixture of pork and beef. That’s a lot of people in the pot!

10. Polvo à lagareiro

Octopus holds a special place in the hearts of Lisboners. After the morning auction, it is deliciously prepared as a comforting stew or eaten as an appetiser with friends. In short, octopus is very popular in Lisbon, and by far the most popular recipe is polvo à lagareiro: octopus cooked in olive oil and herbs. It’s a simple, refined dish that you’ll find in the city’s top restaurants. The octopus is usually accompanied by a few lightly mashed potatoes, which are sautéed for a few moments with the rest of the preparation.

11. Pastel de nata

It’s impossible to stop off in Lisbon without sampling the country’s iconic delicacy. Pastel de nata is a mini Portuguese cream pie. It can be eaten at any time of day, as a dessert or as a quick treat. The small, round tart is made from golden puff pastry with egg cream in the centre. This sweet must-have is ubiquitous in every café and patisserie in Portugal. The people of Lisbon make countless versions, each more divine than the last. However, the original recipe comes from Pasteis de Belem near Lisbon. The cult pastry shop produces around 22,000 tarts every day.

12. Queijadas

Stay on a sweet note with the Lisbon queijada. Although delicious, this brown tart lives in the shadow of its colleague, the pastel de nata. It combines two ingredients beloved of the Portuguese: sugar and ewe’s milk cheese. While cheeses are ubiquitous and very popular throughout the country, desserts containing them are rarer. Make way for queijadas and their tender, regressive texture. Their almond flavours, topped with a hint of fresh sheep’s cheese, are always a hit.

13. Ginjinha

Also known as “ginga”, this typical drink is particularly popular in Lisbon. This is probably due to its red fruit flavour, as it is a cherry liqueur. The sugar content is quite high, and the fresh flavour of the cherry is surprisingly well preserved despite the maceration process.