Lisbon is known for it’s countless ‘tascas’, traditional cheap eateries. But if you want to raise the bar in terms of quality and service, Lisbon has a lot of high-class restaurants as well. But it’s quite the jungle and difficult to separate the wheat from the chaff. Even though we did our research and got some tips from our local acquaintances, we still had a couple of “hit and miss”, which is ofcourse inevitable. Overall we were quite happy with most of the places we dined at. So here are our favorites.

The River lounge restaurant, located at the Expo city. This restaurant is, hands down, superb. Contemporary and fashionable decor with a fantastic ocean view terrace. The food, the quality and the service…simply amazing. And shockingly enough, the prices were not off the charts. Clientele is well dressed, but not in a formal “suit ‘n’ tie” way. It’s probably a good idea to make an effort in attire when visiting this place. We loved it here and would def. revisit.

Largo, located in Chiado. What we loved about this place is first and foremost the stunning decor and the atmosphere. Interior wise, It’s different from other places we have been to. The food is very good, prices are reasonable. Generally the clientele is well dressed. To put it in another way, one would feel uncomfortable in a very laid back attire. The service here is a bit slow, not properly coordinated. Not sure if this was just this one unfortunate time or if thats the overall service quality. Make your own judgement if you ever visit.

Bica Do Sapato, Located 5 min with car from city center, this is dubbed one of Lisbons most beautiful and coolest restaurants. It has two floors, where upstairs serves sushi and ground floor mixes traditional portuguese cuisine with modern trends. The food was good, but I think we were more drawn to the atmosphere of this place. There’s a terrace with ocean view where you can sit outside and enjoy your meal. It’s a very trendy restaurant, most people there were fashionable, it is slightly more laidback than the restaurants mentioned above. The bar has killer drinks. NOTE. The restaurant has a smoking section, so when booking make sure you book at the non-smoking area if you are not a smoker and don’t enjoy breathing in niccotine while eating.

O Prego da Peixaria – (Beef steak and Fish) This “burger place” is a very popular spot among locals. The burgers are inspired by Portuguese traditional cuisine and are different than the traditional American burgers we are used to. The burgers here are so delicious, especially the salmon burger. GOODNESS! This restaurant is a must to experience for those who love burgers without the grease or just want to try something tastefully different. The decor is rustic, vintage-ish and cool. The clientele and atmosphere, relaxed. It’s normally packed, so either book a table before or go there before 20-20.30 ish or drop by for lunch.

Mercado da Ribeira, is a market place located in city center, it has a food court section, which is what we are talking about. This is such an ingenious place. Normally when one thinks of food court, one would think a collection of mediocre and often franchise filled area. This is far from that as it is a collection of different fine restaurants. Everything from traditional portuguese meals, fresh seafood, meats, cheese to gourmet burgers. Basically something for everybody. We along with many others, loved this place. It’s a perfect place for lunch and late dining. Considering the level of food quality. the prices are ridiculously low. Clientele is mostly locals and it has a very relaxed atmosphere.

Mercado De compo De Orique
is another market, it’s similar to but smaller than Marcado da Ribeira and located outside city center. This too is a popular market with a food court. There were some good eating spots here as well, so
if you happen to be in this area drop by for some delicious lunch.