Lisbon, Portugal (Food Edition) — Hannah & Christopher

Good food everywhere…

One of the main reasons why we wanted to go to Lisbon was because of an episode on Lisbon from the Netflix show Somebody feed Phil. It’s a show that came recommended by Chris’ parents and they said to watch the Lisbon episode. Immediately, we were intrigued by the seafood and Portuguese tarts. Based on that episode, we knew Lisbon was actually a foodie paradise.

Pastel de Nata

Pasteis de Belém

When it comes to Portuguese tarts, a lot of people think the infamous Pasteis de Belém invented them. In fact, they where actually created by the monks in the nearby Jerónimos Monastery. Pasteis de Belém is the first to commercialize these wonderful pastries. Now, this place has become one of the most popular attractions in Lisbon. Because this place is so famous, there’s always a huge line outside. What we were told that the fastest way to get these yummy tarts is to go inside, sit down and order in their restaurant opposed to lining up for take-out. Despite it being so popular, you definitely don’t need to wait to get a table because it can seat 400 people!

Obviously, we ordered more than one tart for the both of us. I must say these were the best Portuguese tarts I’ve had in my entire life. The tarts come with powdered sugar and cinnamon packets and I personally preferred eating the tarts with the powdered sugar. I also ordered the pasteis de bacalhau - a savoury pastry made with codfish and mashed potato (which is a must have when you are in Portugal).

Manteigaria (Timeout Market)

Manteigaria, located in Timeout Market, is also another famous place that’s known for their pasteis de nata. This cafe was recommended by my friend Cassie and also the Netflix show, Somebody feed Phil. Manteigaria has a thinner and crispy crust with a more rich and flavourful custard filling. People often compare Manteigaria and Pasteis de Belém to which has the best Portuguese tarts. A lot of people preferred this place (Chris and Cassie preferred this one) where as I preferred Pasteis de Belém. I just think it comes down to personal preference. I love eating the crispy and crunchy crust so I definitely sway towards the other one.

Breakfast

The Mill

This breakfast place was recommended by a youtube channel called Eater and a few of Chris’ co-workers. It’s a Portuguese/Australian fusion restaurant known for their breakfast and coffee. We came here early in the morning because we knew any good “brunch” place was bound to have a line outside. Chris ordered the huervos rancheros which comes with an avocodo toast (amazing) and I ordered the smoked salmon with potato rosti (also amazing). It was our first breakfast in Lisbon and oh my god we were blown away.

Dear Breakfast

Another breakfast/brunch restaurant we would recommend is Dear Breakfast. It’s also another hip brunch spot for visitors. The architecture of the restaurant was really unique especially interior was very Santorini/Marrakech inspired. We ordered the eggs benny, acai bowl, croissant, orange juice, espresso and cappuccino. Another 5 star rating from us.

Lunch/Dinner

Timeout Market

The first place we visited in Lisbon is the Timeout Market. It’s a foodcourt filled with well known chefs and restaurants. You can find the best food under one roof like seafood, sushi, pasteis, canned sardines, grilled sardines, gelato, you name it! Not only that, there are also host classes you can take to make Portuguese tarts.

Even though this foodcourt has a huge space, finding seats can be a challenge. So make sure you find a seat before you order! Here are some dishes we tried:

Garlic Shrimp with Rice - Monte Bar (Highly recommend)

Chris discovered Sumol (carbonated juice) and he loves it!

We have to mention Balcao da Esquina particularly for their grilled sardines. We actually came here for their roast pork sandwich which was recommended by Time Out Market’s website. But we were way more impressed with their grilled sardines! Chris’ first reaction while eating this was giggling and he said it was the best sardines he’s ever had. So there you go guys. If you were to come to Time Out Market, don’t forget to order the sardines!

Frangasqueira Nacional (Rotisserie Chicken)

Frangasueria Nacional was also another recommended place from the youtube channel Eater. It was said it was one of the best BBQ chicken places in town. It’s a small take away establishment with only 2 tables inside and 2 outside. We ordered BBQ chicken, ribs and sausage and it was not expensive at all! Again, one of the best we’ve ever had.

Ramiro

With my love of seafood, Ramiro is definitely on our must-go list (even though our airbnb host said there are cheaper options around that area that’s just as good as Ramiro). But since Ramiro has that reputation (And came recommended by many friends and colleagues), we set our minds to go to this place. With a popular restaurant like this, we knew there is always going to be a long wait. Luckily with the help of tripadvisor, Ramiro does reservations through email (phew)! So we booked a week ahead and we just show up at that time without any trouble waiting to get a table. And this place didn’t disappoint! We ordered the crab, shrimps and scarlet prawns (as big as our hands)! One thing I do have to mention though is that that crab is served for 2 people but because Chris is allergic to crab, it’s all on me, which I didn’t finish and felt really really bad about it. Even though it’s an expensive meal, it was delicious and left us with full and satisfied stomaches.

Restaurante Tanite

Chris insisted to go to this place to have this particular Portuguese dish called the Francesinha. It’s a sandwich originally from Porto, made with bread, wet-cured ham, linguiça, fresh sausage like chipolata, steak or roast meat, and covered with melted cheese and a hot thick tomato and beer sauce. It came with fries and was surprisingly really good! It’s freshly made and definitely not the frozen fries you get at home.

Dinner

Ponto Final

Ponto Final, as seen on Somebody Feed Phil, is a restaurant on the Almada district. You can take the ferry from Cais do Sodré ferry station to the other side of the river Tagus in 10 min. It takes another 15 mins walking alongside the water and you are there! We went around sunset so we can sit by the water, sip on some drinks and enjoy this breathtaking view. One of the unique features about this restaurant is that it has tables on the dock so close to the edge we felt you are going to fall in. However, you felt free and liberating at the same time. After it turned dark, we went inside the restaurant because it got really windy and cold (even though it’s June). The restaurant did provide a blanket if you feel cold but we knew we had to go inside. We had another seafood meal with boiled shrimps and horse mackerel with tomato rice. And again - it was delicious.

Mini Bar Theatre José Avillez

We went to José Avillez’s Michelin restaurant on our last day in Lisbon. We never intended to go to this place as we saw online how people commented it’s always busy and you rarely get a table walking in. We tried our luck anyway on our last night and we luckily got the bar seats! While we were waiting for our seats, we are greeted with a friendly host handing us an iPad for drinks. Chris got the Green apple martini and I got the Pineapple mojito. Already we can tell we are in it for a good meal just by the drinks. Their menu has a theatre/opera theme, categorizing their dishes as acts. Chris ordered a set meal where as I also ordered one but it’s a mystery menu. Everything we had was just exquisite. It really challenged our perception and taste buds. One of our surprises was the “ferrero rocher” which was not what it is! It was actually made with unctuous foie gras ball and decorated as the chocolate. My favourites are the Algarve ceviche and tuna tartar tamaki. Chris’ is definitely the dessert - lemon-lime ice globe filled with yuzu mousse. Our first Michelin star restaurant experience has been phenomenal and we really wish we can come back here again!

Caipirinha (far left), Ferrero Rocher (front left), El Bulli Olives (far right), Green Apple with Spearmint Margarita (back)

Drinks

Pink Street

I originally would have this listed as a place to go in our first post in Lisbon but other than the literal colour on the street, this place is for late night drinking! It was once a red light district area now became a new kind of nightlife in Lisbon with new cozy cafe and bars. We came here after dark and this street is filled with young folks drinking outside. It was a lot of fun!

PARK

PARK is a rooftop bar that is literally up on the roof top of a parking lot. It was recommended by a lot of our friends. It was supposed to be considered a secret location for drinking but it was not so secret anymore. We did have trouble finding the entrance but with the name “park”, all we needed to do is find a parking lot in that area. When we were up on the roof top looking down, we did see multiple people on the streets getting lost trying to find this place. (The Google Map location pin for this bar is wrong!) Anyway, we went there late at night and it was packed with younger folks dancing, trying to hook up and drinking til they were drunk. We read the reviews that the bartenders can get a bit snobby and rude but from our experiences at the bar we can tell why. We did make a couple conversations with the people at the bar and they are either drunk spilling drinks or they wouldn’t leave. Otherwise, this bar has a really nice atmosphere, drinks and a really good view of the city at night.