[Lisbon] Eats & Drinks

Just a few food and drinks recommendations for Lisbon, starting with the stylish “The Decadente” bar & restaurant located in the stylish hostel “The Independente“. The decor had me snapping photos everywhere, and the food and cocktails were quite nice as well. It’s a popular place, reservation highly recommended especially during summer high season.

One of the restaurants we stumbled upon while wandering the streets of Bairro Alto was Sophia La Loca. I was a bit worried that this would be a tourist trap, but the food turned out to be delicious. Grilled peppers, bacalhau in onion sauce and potatoes, garlic shrimps…everything on point, though the dishes are slightly expensive given the small portions.

Lunch at Cantinho do Avillez, a casual restaurant by José Avillez, one of the biggest names in the Portugal food scene. We tried a few small dishes plus the steak sandwich, all yum. There’s also a branch in Porto for those who are traveling there.

Not to be missed when in Lisbon: Pastéis de Belém, the place has been making the original Portuguese egg tarts since 1837. There are plenty of seating areas and I would recommend sitting down to enjoy these treats with a cup of strong coffee – despite the large number of people that come here, the lines actually move very fast and the service surprisingly efficient. In terms of taste, I wouldn’t say it’s the best egg tart that I’ve had…but it’s worth a try anyway.

We also happened to walk into the open air market at Praça da Figueira, and dinner was taken care of here. It’s a lively square with stalls all around, selling (as far as I can tell) very local things – it’s great fun.

Then there were cocktails at Majong, one of the most well-known bars in Bairro Alto among the artsy crowd. Excellent cocktails, and I’m definitely in love with these cabbage-shaped lights.

And of course we didn’t forget to try the ginjinha, a sour cherry liquer which the locals seems to enjoy at all times during the day. The most well-known bar for this is “A Ginjinha”, located right off Rossio square, and we also tried one called “Ginja Sem Rival” on the same street, both very good.

Just some ideas for those visiting Lisbon next :).