The best restaurants Portugal

In the street that leads to the miradouro of Santa Catarina, an economical restaurant that offers quality Portuguese cuisine, with fresh products, carefully chosen by the owner. At lunchtime, you can have a nice dish of the day, like a good fish. Among the specialties to be tasted: chicken with goat cheese, raisins, honey and ginger. The evening is also quickly filled! Moreover, the reception is very pleasant and attentive, and the owners speak fluent French! Recommended!

In a slightly old-fashioned setting, lost near the railroad tracks, this is undoubtedly one of the restaurants where you can eat one of the best fish caldeiradas. The fish is chosen with finesse, cooked to perfection and the sauce in which it is marinated has taste and flavor. Without hesitation, "la caldeirada da tia Matilda" is recommended here as a priority. Pleasant, friendly service. In short, a good address. For the curious, "tia Mathilde" is in honor of a great lady who opened a tasca in the 20s, where delicious petiscos were said to be served.

A restaurant like no other, whether in the kitchen or in the decoration. An intimate place, created by a Swiss couple, which serves only small tables, a decoration in the style of a small mountain chalet of the 1970s. The only TV here features a fireplace, the furniture has been fitted out, decorated and remodelled by Marc who has taste and a lot of inventiveness. On the kitchen side, Sindi gets his recipes from his Swiss mother, with onion soup, pork stew, not forgetting the traditional fondue. Different and surprising.

What could be better than a real homemade hamburger? This is an address that will satisfy sandwich lovers of all kinds. On the walls a large list of homemade hamburgers, cheeses, bacon, vegetables (if you are vegetarian), it is up to you to choose the foods that tempt you the most. Accompanied by homemade French fries of course, and a revisited mayonnaise, you come out satisfied. Superb street art wall inside made by the artist Vhils. The atmosphere is young, and be careful on weekends there is often a line. That's a pretty good sign, you might say

On the quays of Gaia is this restaurant created for the tourist but where he can also forget that he is one... the welcome is so friendly and the atmosphere so relaxed! On the menu, grilled meats, fresh fish and a very decent francesinha (not the best but it should satisfy all stomachs). The menu is ultra classic and gives pride of place to the typical dishes of the country, perfect to regain strength between two visits of the city. Nice terrace on the quay of the winery with a nice view on the Douro.

Although the establishment is a bit out of the way, it is worth the trip to taste one of the best francesinha of Porto, awarded as such for several consecutive years. Don't be fooled by a simple presentation in the reception, the flavors are very present. Also small paninis to break the crust and a good selection of beers for those who wish to accompany their dish. Friendly welcome, quality products, modern and well-maintained setting. A nice address recommended rather for lunch.

Just a few steps from the Sé, in a typical street, you will find the Casa Porto a Noite. It's a small, friendly and cheap establishment, the first menu is 7 €. The dishes are presented on a plate or in their cooking dish, which reminds us that the cuisine here is typically Portuguese. At any time of the day, come to taste savory or sweet flavors all more tempting than the others. In the evening, you will hear fado tunes. Family atmosphere. Smiling and impeccable service. The staff speaks French.

This restaurant has been in existence since 1958. It was taken over in 2012 by renowned chef José Avillez (who owns numerous restaurants in Lisbon and one in Porto). In 2014, it was awarded two Michelin stars, making it one of Lisbon's most renowned restaurants. It ranks ^25th in the "World's 50 Best" list. Its aim is to offer you an exclusive experience with dishes where flavors and textures are worked to perfection. Contemporary Portuguese cuisine of the highest quality.

A gastronomic address in Sintra, located on the other side of the station, opposite the city's historic centre. Its refined cuisine is worth the trip. All light wood decor with wine bottles aligned on the wall with taste, soft light thanks to an inspiring mix of light bulbs. To enter, you will have to pass the two large columns like a Roman temple. The dishes will also impress you with their subtle presentation, as beautiful to look at as good to eat. This address is worth a lot of 10/10.

This café/restaurant is only for the most adventurous who dare to go into the narrow streets of the Mouraria. O Corvo is the perfect place to meet up with friends or to come with your book and spend the afternoon. On the menu there is something for everyone, from focaccia to burgers and a wide selection of salads. There are also cheese and charcuterie tables and dishes to share if you just want a bite to eat. For early risers, there are two versions of brunch, a classic and a healthier one.

Welcome to the home of celebrated chef José de Avillez! A restaurant that remains one of the city's trendiest addresses to this day. It is divided into several areas that have appeared over the years. The latest of these is the pizzeria upstairs, where there's even a children's playroom. In the Mini Bar, you can extend your meal with dancing or live music. Alternatively, the Páteo and Taberna offer petiscos and Portuguese cuisine at any time of day.

This small restaurant with a view of the river and the D. Luis I bridge stands out for its traditional Portuguese cuisine revisited with good fresh products. Luis I bridge, stands out for its traditional Portuguese cuisine revisited with good fresh products. Depending on what you want, you can sit down to a good meal with a dish of baked octopus, cod "à brás" (wrapped in eggs) or a good steak. Otherwise, you can enjoy several small dishes with two people or with friends. Hot dogs with shrimp or carrots are a speciality of the house, as are the desserts. Good selection of wines. You can choose between a warm atmosphere in the dining room or a more relaxed one on the terrace.

Located 10 minutes from the city centre of Aveiro, on the A25, you can easily spot this restaurant by its typical Costa Nova facade. Comfortable room inside, all in woodwork, and outside terrace, with a view of the Ria d'Aveiro. The kitchen is worth a visit. Traditional dishes of the region carefully prepared: rice with seafood, cataplana of octopus or fish, tasty baked octopus... To water the whole thing, a good selection of wines, not to mention homemade desserts. An address to come back to! Efficient and attentive service.

In a voluntarily medieval atmosphere - vaulted stone cellars, torches hanging on the walls, old and massive counter - one could believe in a tourist trap. However, it is nothing of the kind and if you let yourself be taken in by the game, you will have a good time. The chestnut and mushroom soup, the lamb chop, the spinach and goat cheese pie, the chestnut-based desserts are excellent. Everything is home-made. Put on your knight's helmet and enjoy!

This cute little restaurant takes you to Mozambique! In a warm and colourful setting, the boss Chamba welcomes you and even plays a traditional musical instrument from time to time. But Mozambique, you will find it especially on your plate because Chamba prepares delicious specialities from his country. If you are not tempted by an exotic dish, you can always enjoy a pizza over a wood fire, the chef's other specialty (he was a pizza chef in a previous life).

Opened in May 2010, the Forneria at the end of the beach in Vila Gaia de Nova is not an Italian restaurant but offers the best pizzas and carpaccios in town. Facing the waves, the large room is nicely decorated and very pleasant, even more so when plates of local cheeses arrive,petiscos as varied as they are tasty, as well as various seafood specialties. You can eat well, for a low price, in a cosy, traditional and family atmosphere. Do not hesitate to cross the bridge to go to the other side of the bank.

A seafood and fish institution, 5 Oceanos de Matosinhos, near the port and the beach, is a perfect place to meet for a meal after or before a walk on the shore or a splash in the water. It has a large room with blue and white tones where you can taste the best the ocean has to offer: crabs, lobsters, oysters, whelks, sole, sea bass... The prices are per kilo, the service is impeccable and the wines in store are in perfect harmony with the plate. There's nothing like it to restore your health!

Located at the beginning of the shopping street near the pier, this restaurant offers dishes based on fish and/or seafood. You can easily spot it with its facade and colourful sign. Seafood lovers will be delighted because everything is fresh and of high quality. It has a large room for group dining but also a terrace to enjoy the sunny weather. Among the dishes, we recommend lulas gralhadas or the traditional sea bream. Vinho da casa is a sure thing.

Across the river from Vila Nova de Gaia, on the other bank of the Douro, the A Margem restaurant is a great place to enjoy seafood. On the menu, fish dishes in particular, served in extremely generous portions and presented simply so as not to distort the product. But also vegetable soups as starters, omelettes, the chef's paella, and cuts of meat accompanied by vegetables and potatoes. Good wines to accompany the dishes. The service is meticulous and the atmosphere pleasant. Worth a try. Reservations recommended.

Situated just off the main shopping street, this restaurant boasts a lovely rooftop terrace for lunch before the beach. A little paradise for vegetarians, you can enjoy delicious fruit juices and dishes of the day, which are generally mezze with vegetables and cereals in a multitude of flavors. For dessert, there are cakes that won't make you feel guilty. The decor invites you to travel, with a wealth of antique objects and furniture evocative of India. A calm and soothing place to recharge your batteries.

A cozy restaurant hidden in Miragaia. Once installed in the small room soberly decorated with wooden chairs and white tablecloths, you will be offered a Portuguese cuisine essentially turned to the sea. You will have the opportunity to taste shrimps, bacalhau, fresh fish, mussels au gratin... accompanied by rice, potatoes or vegetables. To whet your appetite, start your meal with a soup or a small mixed salad with pieces of octopus. Tasty desserts and a good wine list of port and vinho verde. Make a reservation.

After the opening in 2015 of a first ZeroZero pizzeria in the Principe Real neighborhood, here is another sign of this name, created in 2017 on the riverfront in Parque das Nações. Same concept around the Italian gastronomy with a wider menu: pizzas with light and crispy dough cooked in oak wood fire, pastas, vegetarian dishes but also risottos. We love this warm place, its terrace and its superb view on the Tagus.

Located on a street behind the main road, this tea/coffee room is an immediate eye-catcher. The decoration is modern and in the spirit of the times with its petrol blue walls and white earthenware tiles. A few tables outside to enjoy the sunny weather, a counter top table in the window with high stools. Inside, a counter offering a wide choice of pastries, quiches, wraps... We don't know what to choose anymore! If you stay there for a while, you can see the customers who come to buy bread.

Located on the edge of the Parque de Monsanto, not far from Belém, this is, as its name suggests ("fish market"), a fish and seafood restaurant. The room is rustic and spacious, with a warm, local atmosphere. In the center is a large aquarium and a fish stall - just like at the market. Next to the stall is a large barbecue where the fish is grilled. This is the originality of the house! The restaurant also offers a good selection of wines and various homemade sweets, such as pastel de nata.

You will be very well received in this typical churrasqueira (a place where meat is grilled) of unpretentious quarter. Its yellow front and bombarded rooster (unusual for this type of traditional establishment) can be recognized from afar. If you are a fan of frango assado (grilled chicken), that's where you should go! You will also find other dishes but mainly meat. Like any self-respecting churrasqueira, it is also available to take away (in case you want to have a picnic in the Mafra tapada).

In a little street in the upper quarter, perhaps one of Lisbon's best Italian restaurants, or at least the one most associated with the capital's movida. It's famous for its veramente italiana owner and its minimalist 1950s decor, with pastel-colored walls and furniture. After a delicious gazpacho, set your sights on one of the many pizzas (nice), fresh pasta (okay) or risotto (not bad), or why not the filet of three fish with pistachio sauce! Reservations are recommended.

Notice to amateurs! One of the favourite addresses of intellectuals and advertisers, thus a point of meeting of journalists and policies that come to dinner late… Emblematic of Príncipe Real its low lighting and its ringing to enter assure intimacy! In a British boisé pub, place à de to Snob or la to transmontana, Tuesday it is black pork skewers (carrillera ibérica) and Friday, cozido to Portuguesa. Among the decor, the Oliveira brothers have been on the bar for four decades, have kept a clock without a needle, history to say that here not only the time has stopped but it is no longer important…

This is a restaurant that is as traditional as it gets amidst the more modern concepts that can be found in the Parque das Nações. You will find a selection of many regional dishes in a relaxed atmosphere. Served as a terracotta dish or small casserole, the cuisine is generous and copious: monkfish and shrimp brochettes, grouper massada, polvo or bacalhau à lagareiro, arroz de pato, the traditional migas of Alentejo, and also some grilled meats. For dessert, fruit or why not the famous sericaia.

A very small restaurant with a few tables stuck together. O Caseirinho lives up to its name: here, there is no doubt that the food is homemade, you can feel it and see it. Some lunches, there is a huge queue, annoying but revealing of the quality of this address essentially frequented by Portuguese. In the kitchen and in the dining room, it's all about good humor! In three words: copious, economical and typical. A recommended address to taste the traditional Portuguese cuisine, in a friendly atmosphere and with a smiling service.

Installed in an ancient seigneurial house, this restaurant is dedicated to vegetarian cuisine. You can enjoy compositions based on fresh products, revealing unexpected colors, textures and flavors. To start you off: fantastic creamy rice with mushrooms, demonic cashew nut bricks and homemade purée. The friendly staff will guide you between the daily dishes and the menu. The flowered terrace at sunset with an organic beer or a natural drink is the promise of an unforgettable moment.

In a welcoming, traditional village-style setting, come and taste Alentejo cuisine that smacks of its peasant origins: cold meats and cheeses, soups and açordas, migas with pork, hare with beans... Not forgetting the region's famous southern sweets: pão de rala, encharcada de ovos, bolo rançoso and sericaia de Elvas (you know, with candied greengage on top). All in all, good, nutritious food. Friendly, welcoming service. An address for those who want to discover regional cuisine.

Located in the north of the city, established in an old grocery store, this tasquinha serves not only excellent petiscos (chouriço, fifth, ovas de, polvo de…) but prepares good joyous, ravigotante and prétention cuisine (orange duck, feijoada to brasileira, choquinhos fritos).

An institution opened in 1936, it can be eaten at any time of the day or night. In this large refectory with arcades and tables, benches and wooden stools, there are couples of retired people, tourists or partygoers attracted by the smell of chorizo bread coming out of the oven. All the best values to recover your strength or to waterproof: caldo verde (green cabbage soup), pão com chouriço (chorizo bread), pastéis de bacalhau (cod fritters) and arroz doce (rice pudding)... As often happiness can be summed up in simple things!

A Russian restaurant in Portugal, why not? An alternative to Portuguese cuisine. A very different restaurant, with red and black colours that reminds us of the origin of the bosses! An avant-garde decoration, forbidden at the time by Stalin, lights and candles to accompany your culinary journey. A discovery of dishes from the former Eastern bloc countries, elaborate and popular, such as koteliete (beef and pork cut into pieces, with onions, bread and milk). Without forgetting a vodka to digest well! To be tested with delight.

Authentic and traditional cuisine with specialties such as seafood rice, lamprey à la bordelaise, seafoodaçorda, lobsteraçorda , turbot, sole, cod, crab, lobster, shrimp, clams and barnacles. All you have to do is choose. The fish of your choice will certainly be displayed in the window. You will pay by the kilo. The house also offers the famous Port-style tripe, baked kid and Portuguese stew. Definitely an address not to be missed in Matosinhos.

Close to the Oceanarium, in an area of Lisbon not necessarily known for its high gastronomy, it is a specialist in seafood and fresh grilled fish. You will find a decoration in reference to the sea and a beautiful terrace with a view of the Tagus, for a lunch in the open air. Among the sure values, let yourself be tempted by fried cuttlefish, rice with lobster or white grouper and clams. Expect rather high prices.

Named after a tea prized by the gauchos of Rio Grande do Sul (Southern Brazil), this chain has several branches in Lisbon. The colourful and friendly area is ideal for a traditional Brazilian churrasco made up of good grilled meat (including picanha, filet mignon and many other equally prized pieces, sometimes on skewers), not to mention a feijoada (a kind of Brazilian cassoulet) and a magnificent sideboard, which you will have the honour of attacking at a fixed price until you are satisfied.

Modest facilities, small space and those little white embossed paper placemats on the tables. This establishment doesn't look like much but it is run by a lovely couple who will make you feel at home. Here no manners, they serve traditional home-made food: fish soup, rice with duck (arroz de pato), black pork, spaghetti with Bolognese sauce... Simple but well-made and tasty food, and always the soup of the day. A small canteen as we would like to find everywhere on the corner. Highly recommended!

This is a very typical restaurant that is worth a visit. Open only for lunch, O Molho serves local dishes: soups, migas, etc. The prices are reasonable and the portions are very generous. Feel free to take meia doses, i.e. half-portions, or to share the meal. Unless you have a strong appetite.... It will also allow you to taste several dishes in one meal, knowing that everything is appealing. Typically decorated room. Reservations are strongly recommended, especially in high season.

O Cruzamento is a no-fuss address where you can enjoy the rustic dishes of Alentejano cuisine at reasonable prices. Don Manuel, the owner, states on his website that the restaurant's private parking lot can accommodate dozens of buses and hundreds of cars! Rest assured, the dining room is not large, and sometimes you even have to queue. One of the specialties isensopado de borrego, a lamb stew simmered in the regional style, with migas and porco preto. Tip: the half portion is more than enough for one person.

Looking for a culinary experience a little out of the ordinary in a classic restaurant? A Confraria is unique in that it offers tasting plates from the region. This means you can try a range of different dishes, cooked with talent for generations, at a very reasonable price. The plate is made up of four compartments, and your mission (if you accept it) is to choose from among the Alentejo's finest meat, fish or game dishes in season. At the rear of the restaurant is a small terrace.

Ideally located with its small terrace overlooking one of the main streets of Graça, this restaurant offers some tapas and a nice selection of wines to accompany them. There are also individual dishes with the classic burgers (also available in vegetarian version). You might want to stop in for a cheese and cold cuts board with a glass of sangria (which is very good by the way). The establishment also has some tables inside in case of bad weather. The staff is very friendly.

Portuguese cuisine made with products from the ocean, but also many Mediterranean specialties. Lia, the Dutch owner, studied gastronomy and demonstrates her talents "with love", she says. On the menu: rabbit or tournedos in Madeira as well as several vegetarian and vegan dishes. Here everything is cooked so that your taste buds appreciate the authentic taste of the products. We go to the essential in a warm atmosphere. You can choose between a beautiful room, very comfortable in winter with its fireplace, or a covered garden terrace.

A stone's throw from the public garden, this establishment is renowned in Alentejo. A pleasant service and a good cuisine with appetizing starters: queijinhos secos, linguiça (hot dry sausages), octopus salad. As massive dishes: borrego ensopado, clams with pork meat. Finally, pastry specialities that take the cake with them: bolo de gila, doce de amêndoa and queijadas. You will be served with local wines or an excellent beer, served in a cool glass and used only once a day.

In the lower town, in a small street off the main square, this is a popular place with no apparent charm, but it serves excellent rustic cuisine based on tasty seafood. If you haven't tried the "açorda de mariscos " yet, this is the perfect opportunity, since this specialty is served here in a homemade version, with the shellfish dipped in a large loaf. The other curiosity will be the plate of percebes, a shellfish quite rare in our countries. And if you feel nostalgic for the Breton platters, there is still the whole crab.

Vallecula is a safe bet for eating regional specialties. On the menu: rabbit, wild boar, home-made duck foie gras, chorizo, partridge sausages, lamb chops... Here we love meat! The portions are generous and in accordance with the warm welcome of the owners, Luis and Fernanda. If you are still hungry, don't hesitate to have a chestnut dessert. In the evening: candles, subdued atmosphere and jazz... Very romantic! An address that has existed for years to enjoy the Serra da Estrela region. Reservation recommended.