Image by Erik Lassche

This surprising enoteca is located in one of the former buildings of the ancient Lisbon watersupply-system. The huge aquaduct with the enormous arches that you see when you drive into Lisbon from the direction of Cascais is also part of the same system. If you are interested you can visit the old bassin (entrance in the middle of Jardim Príncipe Real).

In Chafariz da Mãe de Água the water is literally passing by your table. A great location. Here you can enjoy a glass of wine from their huge wine collection. Or stay a bit longer and try a bottle! They serve dinner as well.

They also offer winetasting activities and other special offers such as Happy Hours. Check out their site.

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Chafariz da Mãe de Água | Bars, Restaurants (Portuguese) | Bottle of wine from € 17.00
Rua da Mãe d’Água | Príncipe Real | +351213422079
Tue – Sun 18:00 – 02:00, kitchen closed 01:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Lisbon

Image by Erik Lassche

The Confraria de Sushi in Cascais is considered one of the best places to eat sushi in greater Lisbon. Now the good news for me: they opened their second restaurant, in Chiado, in my street!

Confraria LX is located inside the newly opened LX Boutique Hotel, at the end of Rua de Alecrim, near Cais de Sodré trains station. The decoration is modern and intimate.

The food, as expected is geat. They offer a wide range of innovative sushi and sashimi dishes. I normally order the Confraria dish, which is a kind of flavour-of-the-day mix of different sushi pieces.

Reservations are recommended, since I am not the only one who is a fan of the Confraria.

Package tip: dinner at Confraria LX and a night out in Cois de Sodré!

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Confraria LX | Restaurants (Japanese) | Total dinner € 30
Rua do Alecrim 12 A | Chiado & Baixa | +351213426292
Mon – Thu 12:30 – 00:00, Fri – Sat 12:30 – 02:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Lisbon

Image by Largo Restaurante

“Largo” opened its doors in the end of 2009 and it seems to be quite a success. That is, if you judge “success” by the difficulty to book a table at this fine restaurant. I was lucky the 3rd time round and I must say that it was worth the effort.

First of all, the place itself is just delicious! The restaurant is located next to the nicely renovated Largo do Picadeiro and is housed in an old cloister. The interior is a mixture of modernity and heritage. The furniture is very stylish and the huge aquarium housing dozens of jelly-fish is just awesome!

The food is good, but that should be expected from the former chef of Porto’s most famous restaurant “Bull & Bear”. The menu lists a mixture of international cuisine and more traditional dishes. The winelist is extensive (mind the wallet). They serve until late, which is also rather convenient.

Overall, a very nice place to have a great dinner. Expect to pay though, ‘cos it ain’t cheap! Spend at least an hour looking at how the jelly-fish change color in their tank. Breathtaking!

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Restaurant Largo | Restaurants (Intern.) | Dinner & wine € 50
Rua Serpa Pinto, 10A | Chiado & Baixa | +351213477225
Mon – Fri 12:30 – 00:30, Sat 18:00 – 00:30

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Lisbon

Image by Erik Lassche

Kaffeehaus is located in the middle of Chiado, just next to one of Lisbon’s most famous theatres, São Carlos. It fits in the old, and almost lost, tradition of literary cafés that were the trademark of Chiado. Kaffeehaus, however, does it in her own, Viennese style.

The place is hard to classify since you can go here for breakfast, lunch, dinner or a drink at night. A better way to describe it would be its style: a great place to get up to date on what is happening in Lisbon, read a newspaper, have a coffee or a drink.

Besides the setting, the food helps! Try great Austrian pastry in the middle of Lisbon! Amazing Apfelstrüdel and a lot of other surprising dishes. There is something different written on the chalkboard every day, so you can always come back for something new!

Great place for a pit-stop on your Saturday-shopping in Chiado or a more prolonged break on a lazy Sunday afternoon. Be patient though, it is becoming and awful popular place! So popular in fact that they increased their capacity. No more waiting (almost )

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Kaffeehaus | Bars, Coffee & tea, Restaurants (European/Austrian) | Main € 8.00
Rua Anchieta 3 | Chiado & Baixa | +351210956828
Tue – Thu 11:00 – 00:00, Fri – Sat 11:00 – 02:00, Sun 11:00 – 20:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Lisbon

Image by Erik Lassche

This restaurant is definitely one of my favorites and one of those places that will even surprise my Lisbon friends. It is hidden away in the heart of Principe Real, close to the lovely little square of Praça das Flores.

The food is Portuguese, but Chef Manuel Pessoa gives a special twist to most of the traditional dishes. There is no fixed menu, the daily offer is told to you by the Chef himself. This makes every visit to the restaurant a nice surprise, since you will always discover some new dish.

They currently serve a buffet for a fixed (and rarther cheap) price, €9.50. Or you can order à la carte. The best price vs quality ratio of all of Lisbon! The setting is cozy and intimate.

The restaurant recently started offering valet parking. Not a bad idea since parking in this area is a NIGHTMARE.

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Restaurant Charcuteria Francesa | Restaurants (Portuguese) | Main course € 12.50
Rua Manuel Bernardes 5A | Príncipe Real | +351917588281
Tue – Sun 20:00 – 00:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Lisbon

Image by Erik Lassche

This is one of Chefe Olivier da Costa’s restaurants and probably the fanciest. The others are Olivier Café located at Rua de Alecrim, anoriental outfit called Yakuza and the new gourmet-pizza joint called Guilty.

This restaurant is located inside the Tivoli Jardim Hotel, just 50 meters off Avenida da Liberdade.

The interior is very stylish and modern. It feels more like New York or Paris then Lisbon to be honest. Visited by the local high-society, it’s a place to see and to be see.

I had dinner here once and the food was excellent. Kobé Beef picanha-style, gratinated scallops, octopus carpaccio, the list goes on and on. All very yummie indeed. The menu has some interesting mixtures that you might not expect from such an upscale place, such as American mini-hamburgers. The wine list is excellent, as one can expect from a place like this.

If you want to have a great culinary evening in an impressive setting and if you don’t mind spending some dosh, please do visit. The place is already considered one of Lisbon’s best, in spite of its short history.

And in order to avoid getting to snobbish, visit Maxim located almost next door. The perfect mix!

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Restaurante Olivier Avenida | Restaurants (Upscale) | Meal + wine € 60.00
Rua Júlio César Machado 7 | Liberdade | +351213174105
Mon – Sat 13:00 – 15:30 & 20:00 – 01:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Lisbon

Image by erik lassche

Chiado is definitely one of the most charming areas of Lisbon. The main street is has some nice historical cafés, but they tend to be very touristic. A great alternative is Café no Chiado.

The location is excellent: smack in the middle of Chiado, with tram-line 28 passing right in front of you! The place has been renovated in 2006. It nowadays has a very cool interior and a great terrace.

Come here to have a cup of coffee or lunch, read a book on the terrace or just to enjoy the setting. Try the salads, they are great!

At night it’s a great place to dine, especially after visiting one of the nearby theatres, since they serve dinner until 02:00. Try the steak with mustard sauce. I did for a dozen times already

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Café no Chiado | Bars, Coffee & tea, Restaurants (Portuguese) | Great salad € 8.00
Largo do Picadeiro 10-12 | Chiado & Baixa | +351213460501
Mon – Sat 10:00 – 02:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Lisbon

Image by Erik Lassche

When I have foreign guests to entertain, I often opt for this restaurant. The reasons are plentiful. Located in the middle of Bairro Alto, the restaurant is housed in a beautifully restored wine-cellar.

The food is typical Portuguese and of high quality. Try the fish and seafood. Find out why Portuguese have fetish for codfish. Service is great.

They serve food until late in the evening, so it’s a nice place for night owls.

If you plan to go here in the weekend, your patience will be tested every now and then. It has happened that I had to wait quit long for my table, although I had a reservation. Fortunately the restaurant has a nice bar to have a drink while you wait.

And wait for the dessert trolley. Yum!

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Lisboa à Noite | Restaurants (Portuguese) | Main dish € 15.00
Rua das Gáveas 69/71 | Bairro Alto | +351213468557
Mon – Sat 19:30 – 01:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Lisbon

Image by Erik Lassche

Problem: Most visitors think that a “cervejaria” is a place to drink beer (derived from “cerveja”, the Portuguese word for beer). In reality, however, “cervejaria” are actually restaurants specialized in either meat (“bifes”) or sea-food (also called “marisqueiras”).

Cervejaria Ramiro is THE place to eat sea-food. There are better (and much more expensive!) places for sure, but few are as authentic as this one. The seafood is fantastic and always fresh.

Just observing the frantic pace of the waiters as they try to serve the waiting crowd is a spectacle on its own. Great place for a Sunday lunch. Don’t be afraid by the queue, the quick service results in a high rotation.

The only downside of this place is its location: very downtown but not the best neighborhood.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Cervejaria Ramiro | Restaurants (Seafood) | Snack & beer € 15.00
Avenida Almirante Reis 1 | Liberdade | +351218851024
Wed – Mon 12:00 – 00:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Lisbon

Image by Bart van Poll

Located right in the middle of Alfama, at the lovely little square of São Miguel. Santo Antonio has an original interior decoration consisting of hundreds of black and white photos of famous people. A nice and intimate setting for a great dinner.

In the summer you can sit at on the terrace, below the vine grapes.

It’s a great place to enjoy Alfama. Because let´s face it: it is not that easy to find a good restaurant in this charming neighborhood. The food is good. But I normally don’t order a main course.

Tip: stick to the starters. Order a whole bunch and share them. You’ll see it’s worth it!

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Santo António de Alfama | Restaurants (International) | Dinner € 25.00
Beco de São Miguel 7 | Alfama & Graça | +351218881328
Wed – Mon 12:30 – 19:00 & 20:00 – 02:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Lisbon