Eat and Drink in Lisbon

Lisbon is an incredible town with loads of history, tons of hills and some incredible food and wine.  We were so lucky to spend six days there this summer……..because we crashed a honeymoon!  Our great friends, Neal and David were married in Denver last August and had a delayed honeymoon scheduled.  When I mentioned that I had been wanting to go to Portugal, Neal, yelled, “come with us!”  And, we were off.  Even better, Neal’s good friend, Tina owns several rental properties across the city and generously allowed us to stay in her gorgeous two bedroom in the hilltop Mouraria neighborhood.  Neal and David got 8 days or so to themselves in Barcelona and Andalusia until we greeted them upon exiting our Uber in Lisbon.  We were welcomed into a bright and airy flat with a beautiful patio that opened to a common area with a pool and a view.  We recommend staying at Maria Mouraria for any couples or groups of friends traveling together.  Book via link above at AirBnB.

The local hosts had left us a spread of local charcuterie, cheese and fruit.  We settled in and then decided to get some local fare recommended by our hosts, a block from the place. 

 

Leitaria das Andorhinas had a single page menu tacked to the door with four traditional items.  The boys chose the Feijoada, a traditional stew of beans and pork.  This rendition was quite traditional and perhaps a bit rustic.  Many pig parts were included, most not identifiable.  I went with the less adventurous fried sardines which were quite good. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Over the next 5 days we ate and drank our way through the city and adjacent towns.  Below are my recommendations for restaurants, bites and sips.  Saúde!

Restaurants

• Time Out Market Lisbon–This massive food court is housed in an historic market hall and is all hustle and bustle, but has the quality to back it up.  Dozens of restaurants, mostly healmed by Michelin starred and otherwise acclaimed Lisbon chefs serve up traditional and nouveau fare.  Multiple bars also surround the hundreds of communal tables where you can jockey for space amongst the hip crowd and enjoy the deliciousness.  Literally everything we had there was amazing.  Do not miss this one. 

  

• Prado–Fresh and seasonal ingredients form inventive dishes in this serene space.  The wine list consists of organic and biodynamic selections.  Our meal here was happy and delicous, if a bit fuzzy as it followed a city-wide wine tasting event. 

  

• 100 Maneiras–By far the best meal we had in Lisbon was here.  100 Maneiras is the project of Yugoslavian born chef, Ljubomir Stanisic who incorporates his Yugoslav upbringing with modern Portugese cuisine.  The first course of our 18 dish odyssey was inspired by his mother’s cooking.  Traditional ingredients are prepared in surprising and delightful ways meant to stimulate all of the senses.  The service was impeccable, the wine pairings divine, the atmosphere sexy and the tunes on point.  If you can spring for one fancy dinner while in Lisbon, it should be here.  Reservations will need to be made well in advance.  Check out their website for a taste of the creativity and passion they put into the dining experience.

  

Bites

• Pastéis de Nata or Pastéis de Belém–Eat two or three of these a day and don’t think twice, because you’re going to burn the calories on those hills.  I had no idea that the thing I would eat the most of in Portugal would be a delicious, warm, custard tart…but that’s how it was.  These sweet bites can be found in literally every coffee shop, pastelaria, hotel lobby and restaurant dessert list.  They are palm sized tarts with the most incredibly crispy, flaky crust you’ve ever experienced filled with an egg yolk custard that is baked, forming carmelized patches on top.  The original was born in 1837 in Belém, a town just a few kilometers west of Lisbon.  The Pastéis de Belem shop serves up thousands of these a day to hungry tourists who sprinkle cinnamon and powdered sugar onto the confections to enjoy with their espresso.  The story as to how they came about is worth a read.  While we did go to have them at the original location in Belém, our favorites were found in Lisbon, close to the Castelao de Sao Jorge at Pastelaria Santo Antonio where you can watch the baker prepare and bake them through the window before being served the warm, delicious treats. 

  

• Bifana–This bite is a snack sized sandwich made of marinated pork served on a Portugese bread roll and topped with a spicy mustard.  The pork juices drip into the soft, brown bread and make for a delicious, slightly messy bite that is perfect while sipping on the local beer, Sagres.  Google maps can help you find the best one closest to your local habitation.
• Thistle Cheese–This pungent cheese was recommended by our hosts.  The thistle plant is used to coagulate milk to produce a soft, white cheese that is encased in an outer shell.  You peel off the top to get to the creamy cheese.  It’s not for the faint of heart, being a bit bitter and very strong flavored, but we managed to eat every bit with freshly baked bread.  Many farmer’s markets sell the cheese and we found ours at the Mercado Da Baixa.  Take a stroll through this covered market in the morning or early afternoon and put together breakfast or an early lunch before exploring the city. 

  

   

Sips

• Viniportugal–Is a non-profit organization whose mission is to promote Portugese wines throughout the world.  Their tasting room is located right on a major plaza in the Baixo neighborhood of Lisbon, the Praça do Comércio.  Buy a refundable card for 1 Euro and load it with money to taste sips from all of the DOs in Portugal.  Sit at a hightop table outside to watch the tourists meander thru the plaza.  Educational events and sessions are also held periodically at the facility.

  

• Ginjinha–Is a Portugese liqour made from the infusion of ginja berries, or sour cherries, in aguardente, a local brandy.  The sip is served as a shot either with or without a cherry at the bottom.  One of the oldest and most famous places to knock back a few of these is located just across the street from the Rossio train station.  A Ginjihna Espinheira is a walk-up tiny bar where mostly men line up to grab a shot and have been doing so since 1840.    Or, if you get lucky like us, you’ll be wandering the Alfama neighborhood and come across an elderly lady serving the shots from a pitcher on a tiny cocktail table on her front stoop for 1 Euro. 

  

• Incomum Wine Gallery–This little spot is a tiny jaunt from Lisbon in the town of Sintra.  Sintra is a must-see town with two castles including Pena Palace and the Moorish Castle.  The easiest way to get to Sintra is by train from Lisbon, and Incomum Wine is about a half a block from the station just down the hill.   They have an incomparable selction of wines from the region including vintage bottles from Colares DO, a ten minute drive from Sintra, where grapes are grown on windswept beaches and have avoided the vineyard plague of phylloxera as the pest cannot thrive in sandy soil.  Their staff is knowledgeable and passionate about wine and their tapas are to die for.  Miss the train and stay a while, they leave every 30 minutes anyways.