VisitingPortugal.com - Historic Vacation Rentals

Local Restaurant Map & Current Events

An interactive Googlemap of our favorite local Lisbon restaurants and cafés.  Enjoy! 

VisitingPortugal Lisbon Restaurant Recommendations

tinyurl.com/2uenh9

ALSO, a handy online agenda for "What's Happening" in Lisbon

Frommer's Lisbon Events

Birthday Confessions

Today is my birthday so I splurged:  First, my son and I found ourselves unexpectedly on an errand up north of our historic district.  At noon, we walked past a small neighborhood pastelaria (literally "pastry shop" but often serving much more) and knew it was time for lunch:  the pastelaria had the perfect mix of happy-looking customers of all age ranges.  The incredible picanhas -- thin planks of Brazilian beef with rice and black beans -- had my son snitching from my plate.  Total for two persons, with huge 20% tip, but no dessert:  €8

This evening, for the big Bday treat, we finally made it to the well-known and much-touted local restaurant called Pap'Açorda.  The arroz de marisco was good.  Total for two persons, including dessert:  €65

Now, if I could only remember what street that pastelaria was on...

Sintra Restaurant - Guest Recommendation

This from the Gwinnells, recent guests from UK/USA:  "Deb, Found a great café&restaurant, Páteo do Garrett, in Sintra.  Off the beaten track... neat little courtyard, about 8 tables with great view.  (Larger interior, VERY CLEAN.)  Tourist Menu €10 with appetizers, entree, dessert, coffee and 1/2 bottle of wine.  Really good value."

To find it, walk towards the Sintra Tourism Office (with your back to the Sintra Palace), take the road to the left of the Tourismo and then loop around, hard, left again when the road allows.  There's Páteo do Garrett.  Enjoy!

Buenos Aires Café

Baked pear and endive salad with creamy cheese sauce.  Argentina steaks.  Creative pastas.  Desserts to die for.  This is not Portuguese food.  But it's served Portuguese style:  arrive at 7:30-8:00pm and sit outside to watch the moon rise over the castle.  Fabulous food.  Fabulous view.  Very romantic.  Take a sweater.

(If you wish to eat inside, you will definitely need reservations and perhaps a few days advance notice.  No reservations taken for outside dining.)

Café Buenos Aires, closed Sunday.  Calçada Escadinhas do Duque, 31-B (up behind the Rossio train station); Telephone 21 342 07 39

A good Chiado/Bairro Alto café?

Everyone takes a wander through the Bairro Alto and Chiado but few people find a good place for a quick lunch:  most cafés in the area are over-touristed and over-priced.  But two blocks west of the main "Largo do Chiado" is a tiny café called "Pão com Manteiga" (Bread with Butter Café) on the little one-way street called "Rua das Chagas" (translation omitted to preserve your appetite).  Located right across from our son's temporary school facilities, this little café is packed with teachers from the school, consultants from the nearby Boston Consulting Group headquarters and not a single tourist. 

The regulars leave about 1:15, which opens just enough space for you to drop in and have the daily special.  Probably €6.50, with enough for two people.  100% Portuguese.  You'll be glad you went.

Pão com Manteiga Café, Rua das Chagas, Chiado/Bairro Alto

Seafood at PINÓQUIO

A guest from Paris pulled a ragged scrap of paper from her pocket during the neighborhood tour:  "I was told I must eat here. Pinóquio Restaurant." 

"Never heard of it," I replied, standing a few meters from the front door. 

Not long afterwards I read an article about the local theater scene which ended with "What's an evening of Lisbon theater without Pinóquio's salted prawns?"

It's rather embarrasing to admit that I've walked every guest past the front door since we started VisitingPortugal in 2003.  Decorated in two uninspired shades of green, it's tucked into the SE corner of the Praça dos Restauradores.  The salted prawns "appetizer", a €33 silver bowl of simply prepared, wonderfully fresh shrimp that easily feeds two, is often not on the menu; you need to ask for it.  The waiters, despite their green attire, are charming and the food is excellent.  A recent guest gave it three thumbs up.

What's a visit to Lisbon without Pinóquio?

Pinóquio Praça dos Restauradores 79; telephone 213 465 106

Coming Home to Lisbon, Bon Appetite (2 Recipes)

First appearing in Bon Appetite in June 2004, this great article introduces Lisbon, a few of its finest restaurants and offers two favorite Portuguese recipes.  Enjoy.

Coming Home to Lisbon

Solar dos Presuntos - Seafood Restaurant - Lisbon

Our son, 10, loves seafood.  To eat, to watch, to catch.  As such, Solar dos Presuntos, our corner restaurant, has long held his fascination:  today the window display contains an enormous seabass, suspended above a mass of lobsters, his mouth filled with a giant trout.  So when a celebration was recently in order, Solar dos Presuntos was the obvious restaurant of choice for our mother/son date.  The soup was smooth and rich.  My award-winning pataniscas (bacalhau cakes) were tasty.  But my son's shrimp were spectacular.  Yes, I snitched.  At €50 for two people, including tip but no dessert and only one glass of the (excellent) house Vinho Verde, Solar dos Presuntos is a bit pricey.  But worth it.  We'll be back. Solar dos Presuntos:  located at the far end of Rua das Portas de Santo Antão, at the Elevador da Lavra funicular.  Closed Sundays and holidays.