Adega do Ribatejo
Rua Diário de Noticias 23, Bairro Alto
Lisbon
Phone: 01/346-8343

Restaurants

There are fado clubs aplenty in the Bairro Alto, but none so accessible as this thoroughly enjoyable, tiled adega (tavern). Primarily it's a restaurant, and the food is reasonably good. Dishes such as steaks, bacalhau, veal, and fried fish are often on the changing menu. At the nightly singing sessions, professional musicians serenade you with ear-splitting renditions of traditional songs. The manager works the tables and sings himself on occasion; even the cooks sometimes get in on the act. Note that there's a minimum charge of 2,000$00, and you'll probably have to wait in line unless you arrive before 8 PM. MC, V. Closed Sun.

Algures na Mouraria
Rua das Farinhas 1, Mouraria
Lisbon
Phone: 01/887-2470

Restaurants

For a taste of Portugal's colonial past take a trip into the narrow alleys of the Mouraria district, on the west side of the castle, where this simple restaurant serves up dishes from Angola. Chicken cooked with ginger, or stewed in palm nut oil, and spicy beef all make regular appearances on the menu. Beer's probably your best bet, but there's a short Portuguese wine list, too. If you want dinner, come early; this place closes at 9:30 PM. No credit cards. Closed Sun.

Andorra
Rua Portas de S. Antão 82, Baixa
Lisbon
Phone: 01/342-6047

Restaurants

On the renowned Baixa street of fish restaurants, the Andorra is a perfect place for a simple lunch; from the terrace you can watch the lively street scenes and smell the charcoal-grilled sardines. The friendly staff serves plates of well-cooked Portuguese favorites, and you can choose from a short wine list that caters to most tastes. MC, V. Closed Sun.

As Barrigas
Travessa da Queimada 31, Bairro Alto
Lisbon
Phone: 01/347-1220

Restaurants

The clientele are a well-traveled lot judging by the postcards that line the walls of this cozy, wood-paneled adega, but the cooking stays firmly in Portugal. House specialty is a rich arroz de polvo ( rice with octopus), and there are steaks, a fish of the day, and other tavern standards. Drink the house wine--it's more than adequate. And the restaurant's name? It means "the stomachs," which you'll appreciate once you've waded through their large portions. V.

Brasuca
Rua João Pereira da Rosa 7, Bairro Alto
Lisbon
Phone: 01/342-8542

Restaurants

In a converted mansion on the edge of the Bairro Alto, the food is Brazilian, and the welcome is warm. With its open fire, its alcove, and its intimate dining rooms, eating here is very much like dining in someone's home. Brazilian dishes such as picadinho á mineira (minced beef with onions, peppers, and bananas) or moqueca (fish or shrimp in coconut) are always reliable, though there are mainstream Portuguese dishes for the less adventurous. The beer is Brazilian, too, or you may prefer to sip a caipirinha. The restaurant is off Rua do Seculo, not the easiest place to find but worth it once you do. AE, DC, MC, V. Closed Mon.

Café Martinho da Arcada
Praça do Comércio 3, Baixa
Lisbon

Café-Bars and Pastelarias

A stand-up café under the arches, next to the famous restaurant of the same name, this is a welcome stop for a coffee and specialty pasteís de nata (cream cake) before catching your tram to Belém. Tradition oozes from the tiled walls, and the waiters rush to and fro, while the hard-working bakers prepare scrumptious pastries behind the bar. Closed Sun.

Café Nicola
Rossío, west side, Baixa
Lisbon

Café-Bars and Pastelarias

With its grand interior and suitably aloof waiters, this traditional café is one of the prime and priciest spots for sitting down and taking in downtown.

Café a Brasileira
Rua Garrett 120, Chiado
Lisbon

Café-Bars and Pastelarias

Less exclusive than it once was, this coffeehouse in the heart of the shopping district is still the most famous of Lisbon's old haunts. For a feel of bygone days, it's best to come before dark: at night every table is taken over by beer-drinking young people. Closed Sun.

Café-Bars and Pastelarias

Casa Chineza
Rua Aurea 274-278, Baixa
Lisbon

Café-Bars and Pastelarias

Join the locals for a midmorning stand-up snack and coffee at this Baixa pastelaria. Enjoy the pastry, admire the fine decor, and then on with the shopping!

Casa Faz Frio
Rua de Dom Pedro V 96-98, Bairro Alto
Lisbon
Phone: 01/346-1860

Restaurants

This traditional wine cellar--complete with wood beams, stone floors, paneled booths, blue tiling, and bunches of garlic suspended from the ceiling--is of a type that's fast disappearing. The list of Portuguese dishes changes daily, and although there's not a large choice, you'll usually find steak, rice dishes, bacalhau, grilled pork, and quail. Surroundings are simple but convivial, and you'd be hard pushed to spend more than 3,000$00, including drinks and coffee. No credit cards.

Cervejaria Trindade
Rua Nova da Trindade 20, Bairro Alto
Lisbon
Phone: 01/342-3506

Restaurants

The Trindade is a classic 19th-century Bairro Alto beer hall-restaurant with colorful tiles, vaulted ceilings, and frenetic service. It's a lively spot and, like at all cervejarias, you can pop in for a beer and a snack or eat a full meal. On the whole, the food is relatively inexpensive and hearty, with such dishes as açorda and steaks forming the mainstay, though if you opt for the grilled seafood you can expect the tab to rocket. The garden is an enjoyable spot for dining in summer. AE, DC, MC, V.

Comida de Santo
Calçada Engenheiro Miguel Pais 39, Rato
Lisbon
Phone: 01/396-3339

Restaurants

Excellent Brazilian food served in a funky, brightly painted dining room and accompanied by lively Brazilian music keep this place packed until closing time, at 1 AM. Come early and enjoy classic dishes, such as feijoada (meat-and-bean stew) or vatapá (a spicy shrimp dish). Order a caipirinha (cocktail made with cachaça, a rumlike Brazilian liquor) while you're waiting--they're lethal. The restaurant is down a side street off Rua Escola Politénica, near the botanical gardens--easy to miss if you're not on the ball. You have to ring the bell for entrance. AE, DC, MC, V.

Galeto
Av. da República 14
Lisbon

Café-Bars and Pastelarias

There's not much that this café doesn't serve, from cakes and sandwiches to full meals, from early to late every day. Pull up a stool at one of the long wooden counters, and take a break from the modern city outside.

Leitaria a Camponesa
Rua dos Sapateiros 155-157, Baixa
Lisbon

Café-Bars and Pastelarias

This is an old-fashioned leiteria (specializing in milk products and pastries), whose blue-tiled walls display bucolic scenes. The coffee, cakes, and sandwiches are all good. Closed Sun.

Pastelaria Suiça
Rossío 96, east side, Baixa
Lisbon

Café-Bars and Pastelarias

This huge café-pastelaria stretches all the way back to the adjacent Praça da Figueira. The renowned cakes draw such crowds that it may be easier to go to the inside counter and order pastries to go. Outdoor tables are at a premium, especially on nice days.

Ribadouro
Av. da Liberdade 155
Lisbon
Phone: 01/354-9411

Restaurants

One of the oldest beer halls in Lisbon--a bustling basement restaurant on the main avenue--Ribadouro has been brightened up. Sensibly, however, there has been no monkeying around with the tried-and-tested menu. First and foremost it's a seafood joint, with a counter full of fresh shellfish priced by weight--go easy, since this can be a costly way to eat. If you stick to the regular fish and meat dishes, you can't go wrong. When crowds spill out of the nearby theaters, you may have to wait for a table; try to arrive before 8 PM on weekends. AE, DC, MC, V.

Sinal Vermelho
Rua das Gáveas 89, Bairro Alto
Lisbon
Phone: 01/346-1252

Restaurants

At this update of a traditional adega, the split-level dining room is traditionally tiled, and the food is thoroughly Portuguese, but the prints on the wall are modern, the clientele firmly professional (and in-the-know tourist), and the wine list wide-ranging (if completely Portuguese). Start, perhaps, with a plate of clams drenched in oil and garlic and follow with a fresh seafood dish; the meat dishes are less inspiring, though if you feel daring, you might try the tripe or the kidneys. AE, MC, V. Closed Sun.

Vá e Volte
Rua do Diario de Noticias 100, Bairro Alto
Lisbon
Phone: 01/342-7888

Restaurants

For one-plate budget Bairro Alto fare, look no farther. In a restaurant that's little more than a bar with a couple of small dining rooms, the owner, his wife, the cook, and a small staff keep the meals coming with speed and good humor. Fried or grilled fish or meat dishes are served with enough salad, potatoes, and vegetables to keep the wolf from the door, and the arroz doce (rice pudding) is homemade. The house wine is fine, but even if you choose a regional specialty, the price won't break the bank. AE, MC, V. Closed Mon.

Versailles
Av. de República 15
Lisbon

Café-Bars and Pastelarias

In the modern part of the city, the Versailles (founded in 1929) has retained its grand furnishings and behind its bar massive mahogany display cases groan with chocolates, port wines, and liqueurs. Homemade cakes and hot chocolate are house specialties.

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Bonjardim
Travessa de S. Antão 11, Baixa
Lisbon
Phone: 01/342-4389

Restaurants

Set in an alley between Praça dos Restauradores and Rua Portas de Santo Antão and known locally as "Rei dos Frangos" ("King of Chickens"), Bonjardim specializes in superbly cooked spit-roasted chicken, best eaten with fries and a salad. The restaurant is crowded at peak times (8-10 PM), but you shouldn't have to wait long, and watching the frenzied waiters is entertainment in itself. An overspill dining room on the opposite side of the alley serves the same menu and offers the same good deals. AE, DC, MC, V.

Bota Alta
Travessa da Queimada 37, Bairro Alto
Lisbon
Phone: 01/342-7959

Restaurants

This wood-paneled tavern is one of the Bairro Alto's oldest and most favored eateries. There's little space between the tables, but this only enhances the buzz: lines form outside by 8 PM. Once you've secured a table, choose from a menu strong on traditional Portuguese dish --perhaps bacalhau cooked in cream, homemade sausages, steaks in wine sauce, or grilled fish. The house wine comes in ceramic jugs and is very good. AE, DC, MC, V. Closed Sun. No lunch Sat.

Cais da Ribeira
Cais do Sodré
Lisbon
Phone: 01/342-3611

Restaurants

Converted from an old fisherman's warehouse, this small restaurant, perched on the waterfront behind Cais do Sodré station, specializes in fish grilled over charcoal, as well as a filling caldeirada. The pretty, split-level wooden interior makes good use of the old warehouse space. Whatever you order, the views over the river will complement your meal nicely. AE, DC, MC, V. Closed Sun. and Mon. No lunch Sat. and Tues.

Cantinho da Paz
Rua da Paz 4, off Rua dos Poiais de São Bento, Bairro Alto
Lisbon
Phone: 01/396-9698

Restaurants

The trick is finding this place (take a taxi), but once you're through the unassuming entrance you'll be glad you made the effort. It's a joyful mom-and-pop establishment that specializes in the cuisine of Goa--so spicy curries galore. The shrimp curry is rich in coconut and cream; the balichão shrimp tangier and hotter. The English-speaking owner is happy to guide you through the menu. V. Closed Mon.

O Madeirense
Loja 3027, Amoreiras shopping center, Av. Eng. Duarte Pacheco
Lisbon
Phone: 01/381-3147

Restaurants

Although it's in the Amoreiras shopping center, Lisbon's only Madeiran restaurant works hard to make you feel as if you're on the island itself: rural scenes adorn the walls; the staff wear traditional costume; and the place is filled with wood, rattan, and rubber plants. But this is no mere theme restaurant; the cooking is assured, and the consistent quality of the food and service appeals to the mainly business clientele. Start with a glass of Madeira wine while you ponder the menu: the traditional espetada --a skewer of steak fillet, rubbed with salt and spices--is hung above the table from a stand so you can serve yourself. Tuna and swordfish make an appearance on the menu, too, and you might try the fried corn-cube appetizer. AE, DC, MC, V.