Date posted: September 21, 2008

Lisbon and Porto

During a visit in September 2008 I had another chance to try out the restaurant scene in Lisbon and Porto. Inevitably my selection is biased by the pre-selection of the magazines I checked. One of the great things about Portugal is that in a local bistro you can have a good meal with some excellent wine for next to nothing. In one restaurant I paid 65 eurocent per glass! And it really was a great wine. In one upscale restaurant I paid 3 euro for a glass which was truly superb. I guess that's the advantage of dining out in a wine producing country.

Lisbon

Yasmin Rua da Moeda 1A, near the Cais do Sodre metro station is one of Lisbon's most trendy restaurants. It serves great Asian-Portugese fusion cooking. Pap 'açorda, Rua da Atalaia 57-59 in the Bairro Alto is very romantic and serves excellent food in a wonderful space. The chocolate mousse is superb and the way it is served adds something special to the experience (try it). By the way John Malkovich is one of the co-owners. Bica do Sapato, Av. Infante D. Henrique, Armazém B, Cais da Pedra a Santa Apolónia (at the waterfront opposite the Apolonia Station, near the Museu Militar) is a super trendy hotspot, the food is excellent and the space very nice. The entrance is behind the metal wedge. There some great restaurants in the waterfront area of Santos as well, Cop'3, Largo Vitorino Damasio 3 and Santos de Lisboa, Largo Vitorino Damasio 10f. These are also nice places for lunch. Note that most restaurants in Lisbon open at 8pm and only come to life after 9pm. Also beware that most restaurants are closed on Sundays and some also on Mondays.

Ohh, and yes, the pasteis de Belém at the Antiga Confeitaria de Belém really are delicious. You probably have to queue, since every tourist goes there, but buy some and eat them in the nearby Botanical garden or on the waterfront.

Porto

Casa Agricola Rua do bom Sucesso serves traditional rural Portugese dishes. They've got a great winelist. I can also recommend Kool inside the Casa da Musica. I was there on a weekday, so it was a bit quiet, but the food was great and the space is wonderful. The cuisine is modern mediterranean.