What to Eat in Lisbon: The Dishes, the Drinks and the Etiquette
Twelve things to order, how to ask for them, what vegetarians can eat, and how the bread on the table, the tip and the kitchen hours work.
What to eat in Lisbon comes down to a short list: grilled sardines in summer, salt cod in a dozen forms, a custard tart with your coffee and one tiny glass of cherry liqueur near Rossio.
This guide to what to eat in Lisbon is about the food itself: what is in each dish, how to order it, and the habits that confuse visitors, such as the bread that lands on your table unasked or the hours when kitchens close. When you are ready to pick a restaurant, our guides to the best seafood restaurants in Lisbon, where to eat the best bacalhau, 7 authentic Portuguese restaurants and the best pastéis de nata name the places. Facts below were checked in October 2026 and the sources are linked.
Order grilled sardines (summer), bacalhau à Brás, polvo à lagareiro, amêijoas à Bulhão Pato and a pastel de nata. Bread, olives and cheese that arrive unasked (the couvert) are charged only if you eat them. Tipping is optional: round up, or leave 5-10% for good service. Lunch runs roughly 12:00-15:00 and dinner starts around 19:00-20:00.
What are the must-try dishes in Lisbon?
- Sardinhas assadas. Grilled sardines, a summer dish.
- Bacalhau à Brás. Salt cod, onion, potato straws and egg.
- Polvo à lagareiro. Roasted octopus with punched potatoes.
- Amêijoas à Bulhão Pato. Clams with garlic and coriander.
- Bifana or prego. The pork or beef roll for a quick lunch.
- Caldo verde. Potato and kale soup.
- Pastel de nata. The custard tart, best warm.
- Ginjinha. Sour cherry liqueur, one small glass.
Eating out in Alfama or Baixa this week? Tell us your date and we will check the light and plan a short photo walk in the same neighbourhood, before or after your meal.
Check availabilityWhat seafood should you order in Lisbon?
Four dishes to start with. We leave out prices, which vary too much between a counter and a tablecloth restaurant to quote.
Sardinhas assadas
Whole sardines grilled over charcoal and eaten with boiled potatoes and salad, or on a slice of bread. They belong to the Santo António festivities on 12 and 13 June, when neighbourhood grills fill Alfama and Mouraria.
Best in summer, with July and August the peakBacalhau à Brás
Shredded salt cod, onion, thin fried potato sticks and soft scrambled egg, finished with black olives and parsley. Its current form is usually traced to Bairro Alto in the late 19th century.
The easiest cod dish for a first orderPolvo à lagareiro
Octopus roasted with plenty of olive oil and garlic, served with batatas a murro, small potatoes punched open so they soak up the oil. Where the dish comes from is not settled.
Big plate: ask for a meia dose if you are ordering several thingsAmêijoas à Bulhão Pato
Clams steamed in olive oil, garlic, coriander and lemon, sometimes with white wine. The name honours a 19th-century poet, though sources tell the origin story in several ways.
Mop up the sauce with breadCod deserves its own paragraph. Salt cod (bacalhau) is the most eaten fish in Portugal, and the saying is that there are 365 ways to cook it, one for every day. Our bacalhau guide lists where to eat it.
Between the main courses sit the petiscos, small plates meant to be shared. Gambas à guilho (prawns in olive oil, garlic and often chilli) is the classic one, and three or four petiscos make a full meal. For shellfish by weight and where to book, see our seafood restaurant guide.
Which meat dishes and comfort food are typical in Lisbon?
Some of these dishes were invented in the capital, others arrived from the provinces and stayed.
Caldo verde
Puréed potato with shredded collard greens, usually with a slice of chouriço and a thread of olive oil. The chouriço can be left out.
Warm and cheap, a good first courseBifana and prego
A bifana is a thin pork steak in a bread roll, a prego is the beef version. Both are quick counter lunches, often eaten with a small beer.
The fastest real lunch in the cityBitoque
A thin steak topped with a fried egg, served with chips and rice. It is the everyday plate of the daily menu.
Plain, filling, reliably the sameAlheira
A garlicky sausage from Trás-os-Montes, made with bread and poultry or game. Tradition says Jewish converts created it to avoid suspicion in the 15th century. Today it is served fried, with chips and an egg.
Try it once, it tastes nothing like a pork sausageLeitão à Bairrada
Roast suckling pig from the Bairrada area of central Portugal, with crackling skin. It is on Lisbon menus, but Bairrada is where it is a speciality.
A sharing dish for a long lunchFrango piri-piri
Grilled chicken with piri-piri, the chilli sauce that links Portuguese cooking with its former African colonies. Ask for the sauce on the side if you are unsure of the heat.
Chicken shops and grills everywhere
What should you have for breakfast, coffee and dessert?
The pastel de nata is the answer to the first two. The custard tart in flaky pastry is eaten at breakfast and as an afternoon treat, usually dusted with cinnamon. The bakery Pastéis de Belém says it has made its pastries since 1837, and the best-known story ties the recipe to the Jerónimos monastery, though the tart’s exact origin is unclear. Our guide to the best pastéis de nata compares the bakeries.
Coffee has its own vocabulary, and ordering “a coffee” gets you an espresso. The names below, which Portugalist explains in more detail, are the ones you will hear at the counter.
What should you drink with your meal in Lisbon?
Ginjinha
Sour cherries soaked in aguardente with sugar and cinnamon. The bar A Ginjinha, at Largo de São Domingos 8 just off Rossio, has served it since 1840. Say “com elas” if you want a cherry in the glass, “sem elas” if you do not.
One glass, not a roundVinho verde
A wine from the north-west that is drunk young and is often slightly sparkling. It comes red, white or rosé, and the light white goes well with fish and fried starters.
The easy partner for seafoodImperial
In Lisbon a small draught beer is an imperial (in Porto it is a fino), usually a Sagres or Super Bock. Most places pour only one of the two.
Ask for an imperial and you are doneRestaurants in Portugal must offer tap water and reusable glasses to people dining in, free of charge, according to the consumer group DECO (June 2026). You do not need to buy bottled water unless you want it.
Can vegetarians eat well in Lisbon?
Yes, with a little planning. Traditional menus lean on fish and pork, and soups are often made on meat or fish stock, so ask. These dishes, drawn from Tasting Table’s list of traditional vegetarian dishes in Portugal (2024), are naturally meat-free, and you can always say “sem carne nem peixe, por favor” (no meat or fish).
- Peixinhos da horta. Green beans in a light batter, fried until crisp. The batter sometimes contains egg, so vegans should ask.
- Sopa de legumes or caldo verde without chouriço. Ask whether the soup is made with water or stock.
- Tosta or sandes de queijo. A toasted or plain cheese sandwich, usually with tomato and oregano.
- Arroz de tomate, batatas a murro and tremoços. Tomato rice, punched roast potatoes and salted lupin beans, all simple and meat-free.
- Migas and açorda. Bread-based dishes that can be vegetarian, but are sometimes made with animal fat or fish, so check.
- Pastéis de nata. Egg custard, so vegetarian but not vegan.
How does the couvert work in Lisbon restaurants?
The couvert is the bread, butter, olives, cheese or pâté that appears on the table before you have ordered. It is not free, but you only pay for what you touch. The rules, summarised by DECO in June 2026, are simple:
- Look at the menu. The price list must show every dish and drink, including the couvert, so you can see the price before you eat.
- Decide at the start. If you do not want it, tell the waiter when it arrives and they can take it away.
- If you eat it, you pay. Eaten or opened items are charged, and starters you ordered cannot be sent back.
- Check the bill. If untouched items are on it, say so politely and ask for them to be removed.
When do people eat in Lisbon, and should you tip?
Meals start later than in the UK or the US, and many kitchens close in the afternoon. Times are typical, not a rule.
At lunch, look for the prato do dia (the dish of the day) or the menu do dia, usually soup, a main, a drink and coffee. A mini prato is a smaller portion of the daily special. Because mains can be large, you can also ask for a meia dose, a half portion.
Typical advice, such as this tipping guide (updated January 2026), is 5-10% or rounding up. Check your bill first, because a service charge on the bill means you do not need to add more. DECO notes that if a tip is added automatically, you are entitled to refuse it. Card machines may offer a tip option called gratificação, and some locals find the prompt awkward, so a few coins on the table also works.
How do you plan a food day in Lisbon?
Pick one dish per meal and let the neighbourhood decide the rest.
- Morning. A bica and a pastel de nata at a pastelaria counter.
- Lunch. A prato do dia, or a bifana if you want to keep moving.
- Late afternoon. A ginjinha near Rossio, then a walk to a viewpoint. Our 3-day Lisbon itinerary has the route.
- Dinner. Petiscos or a seafood dish from about 20:00. A fado evening works well afterwards, see our guide to the best fado houses.
Landing late? Our first night in Lisbon guide has ideas for a late dinner, and the Lisbon transport guide covers getting between neighbourhoods. Still planning the trip itself? Start with the Portugal entry requirements checklist.
Can you combine a food walk with a photoshoot in Lisbon?
Yes. A session is a walk through the streets with a photographer, so it fits before or after a meal in Alfama, Baixa or Belém. Tell us where you are eating and we plan the route and the light around it. Not sure which fits you? See our pages for a photographer in Lisbon, couple photography in Portugal and a solo traveller photographer in Lisbon.
Every session includes a professionally edited private online gallery within 7 days. To book, choose the session, location and date, then message us to check availability or pay by card to reserve, and we confirm the details on WhatsApp. If you do not mind where, choose “Surprise me” and we pick the location. Current prices are on the booking page.
Tell us which neighbourhood you are eating in and we will fit a photo walk around your table.
Plan your sessionCommon questions
What is the most typical dish to eat in Lisbon?
Bacalhau à Brás (shredded salt cod, onion, fried potato and egg) is the dish most closely tied to the city, and grilled sardines are the summer favourite. Add a pastel de nata for dessert.
Is it rude not to tip in Lisbon?
No. Tipping is optional. At a sit-down meal people often round up or leave 5-10% for good service, and in cafés a few coins is enough. Check the bill for a service charge first.
Do I have to pay for the bread and olives on the table?
Only if you eat them. The price must be on the menu, and you can ask the waiter to take the couvert away when it arrives. If untouched items appear on the bill, ask for them to be removed.
What time do restaurants serve dinner in Lisbon?
Doors usually open between 19:00 and 20:00, and most locals eat from about 20:00. Many kitchens close between lunch and dinner, so check the hours if you want an early evening meal.
Can vegetarians eat in Lisbon?
Yes. Peixinhos da horta, cheese tostas, vegetable soup and tomato rice are common options. Ask whether soups use stock and whether dishes contain meat fat, and say “sem carne nem peixe, por favor”.
What is the difference between a bica and a galão?
A bica is an espresso, the standard Lisbon coffee. A galão is a tall glass of mostly milk with a little coffee, usually drunk at breakfast.