A popular concept in Lisbon is for hamburgers to be served ‘on the plate’ which means that when you order the burger it will arrive, complete with all the relevant garnish, salad and side orders exactly as described on the menu – on the plate with no evidence of the traditional hamburger bread roll. I personally find this rather refreshing as I inevitably end up leaving half the bread behind so I can enjoy the rest of the burger.

Café do Rio specializes in every type of freshly made gourmet hamburger you could think of – my favourite is one that consists of Roquefort cheese and bacon mixed up with the burger mince meat to form a flavorsome patty, and this is then garnished with a smaller patty of the same kind, an enormous salad and yummy potato chips cooked with the skin on them. The burgers are succulent and juicy and the salad is fresh and there is no room on the plate for a burger bun!

The menu has a selection of vegetarian burgers, and fish burgers all of which are freshly made in the restaurant. The meat burgers are split into different categories – traditional, spicy and the house specialties (of which the Roquefort burger is one). Finish off the meal with the special chocolate cake – a slice of chocolate tart filled with gooey chocolate mousse. Perfection!

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Café do Rio | Restaurants (Hamburgers) | Main meal € 10
Rua da Alfândega 114 | Riverside | +351218868050
Mon 12:00 – 15:00, Tue – Sat 12:00 – 15:00 & 19:30 – 23:00

If you fancy a coffee and slice of chocolate cake in the sun, Linha D`Água should be your destination. The self-service snack bar, consisting mainly of outdoor seating, is situated in a grassy hollow in Jardim da Amália Rodrigues at the top off Parque Eduardo VII, right behind El Corte Ingles department store.

The wooden esplanada is on the edge of a pretty, shallow ornamental pond, complete with funky fountain in the middle of it and is a perfect sun trap. There is the usual array of sweet and savory Portuguese snacks to be sampled (I recommend the chocolate cake) as well as light main dishes (the quiche is pretty good too!). Linha D`Água has a license to sell alcohol, so is also a place to go if you would like to go for some quiet sundown drinks before heading to the cinema at ECI or off down the hill into town.

People flock to this snack bar at the weekend to have late lunches or simply to catch up with friends over a beer and the whole area is a hive of activity with people walking their dogs in the park and sitting enjoying the sunshine.  Summer is on its way and this cafe is becoming busier as people celebrate the end of the cold days!

On a bright, sunny day (of which there are many in Lisbon) I love to retreat to this little cafe to relax next to the water whilst Lisbon traffic continues to rush on around me.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Linha D`Água | Coffee & tea, Snacks | Light meal & drink € 10
Rua Marquês de Fronteira, Jardim da Amália Rodrigues | Avenidas | +351213814327
10:00 – 20:00 daily

Brunch. On Saturday and Sunday. In Cais do Sodre. 

Cafe Tati, situated on the road directly behind Mercardo Ribeiro, opens at 11:00 at the weekend and, for €10 you can have a delicious, filling brunch, complete with freshly-squeezed orange juice and coffee, tea or hot chocolate, and a choice of fruit salad or cereal and yoghurt to start out with.

The main course is a beautifully arranged plate of local cold salamis, hams, salmon and cheeses which are accompanied by a portion of scrambled eggs and toradas (huge, fat slices of hot toast), jam and butter. Then, just when you think you can’t possibly eat more and are contemplating another shot of coffee, a little slice of carrot cake appears on your plate, just to finish things off.  

The atmosphere is casual and laid back and the cafe tends to start filling up after 12:30 when people have finally woken up to the world of the weekend.

This quirky little cafe is decorated with a random selection of chairs and tables and the crockery is all mismatched and some of it is delightfully old-fashioned.

It is also possible to have lunch or dinner throughout the week in this charming venue, and it is a good place to meet in the evening for a drink before heading on to one of the other bars in the area. 

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Cafe Tati | Bars, Coffee & tea, Snacks, Restaurants | Brunch € 10
Rua da Ribeira Nova, 36 | Riverside
11:00 – 01:00 daily

I love this store! Situated down from Largo do Carmo on Calçado do Carmo towards Rossio, this bright, airy shop with the cool multi-colored logo has got a wonderful selection of Lisbon souvenirs with a difference. The shop stocks mainly t-shirts and what funky t-shirts they are.

Lisboa Carmo’s designs all in some way relate to Lisbon, but what makes these shirts unique is that each of these designs has been created by a different young Portuguese artist or designer. The shop has agreements with most of the designers so the t-shirts are unique to Lisboa Carmo and can’t be purchased elsewhere.

The staff in the store are very welcoming and are happy to explain the intricacies of each design, what they represent and give you a little bit of background into the reason behind the design. Most of the t-shirts have several different colors to choose from for each design.

They also stock coffee mugs with designs similar to the t-shirts as well as an array of fridge magnet and key rings, some of which you will have seen in other tourist shops and some of which are unique to Lisboa Carmo

If you want to buy something a little different in the way of gifts or souvenirs to remind you of your stay in Lisbon, I highly recommend a visit to this store!

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Lisboa Carmo | Shopping | T-shirts from € 14
Calcada do Carmo, 26-28 | Chiado & Baixa | +351213474374
Mon – Sat 10:00 – 19:00

Another one of my favourite haunts – Graça, and another notable, typically Portuguese restaurant. Directly across the road from O Piteu is Churrasco da Graça. This restaurant has recently been refurbished and is now painted a cheerful yellow which adds to the lively atmosphere and the noisy chatter of Graça residents as they greet each other and the restaurant staff of a Saturday lunch time.

The dishes are typically Portuguese and the portion sizes are enormous and relatively cheap (a main dish will cost, on average €7). The fish dishes are always good – the fish is fresh and they also have the traditional patiniscas (kind of fish cakes lightly fried in batter) accompanied by tomato rice.

In my opinion, one of the best items on the menu (when feeling hungry) is the picanha steak which is served with black beans, french fries AND rice (very typical Portuguese combination) as well as some slides of orange and pineapple.

The service is good and very quick, the portion sizes are healthy and tasty and the atmosphere is lively – what more could you ask for . This is a good place to sample typical Portugal.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
O Churrasco da Graça | Restaurants (Portuguese) | Whole meal € 12
Lg. Graça 43 | Alfama & Graça | +351218860547
Mon – Sat 12:00 – 00:00

This is one of Lisbon’s oldest providers of bread, cakes and biscuits and all things yummy. Established in 1902 in Saldanha, this pastry shop has one of the widest selections of sweet treats that I have seen in Lisbon.

The huge glass-fronted display cases act as windows into a world of such a variety of traditional Portuguese pasteis de nata, cream cakes, apple tarts and petit fours that you can spend some time deliberating what to have with your coffee (which you will drink standing up at one of the tables around the room).

My favourite cake of all time in Lisbon is the pastel de nata, and the bakers at Sequeira have not let me down – these little pastries are always fresh and the pastry flakes perfectly. This pastelaria is very popular with the locals of the Saldanha area.

Sequeira also bakes these delights in perfect miniature form so you can buy a whole selection to take away with you and sample at your leisure (we often have a selection of these around the office!).

There is a restaurant attached to the bakery where you can have lunch, usually consisting of soup and a buffet selection of traditional Portuguese dishes such as duck rice, fish dishes (bacalhau) or stews. Sequeira is closed on Sundays.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Pastelaria Sequeira | Coffee & tea, Snacks | Coffee & cake € 5
Avenida da República 11A | Avenidas | +351213140749
Mon – Fri 07:00 – 20:00, Sat 07:00 – 19:00

The most unexpected place to find a coffee and cake bar – in the middle of a Portuguese style homeware store in Chiado. What is even more unexpected is that the little chairs and tables of the cafe are set up as if they are part of the showroom, placed carefully next to sideboards full of pretty, rustic blue and white crockery that is for sale. Go into the store and head up the stairs on the left.  

Whilst wandering towards the goods situated near the windows, you find yourself next to a coffee bar. You can buy simple beverages like coffee and various teas and there are always a couple of scrumptious looking cakes for sampling too, so this is a perfect (and quiet) place to rest your feet whilst you are doing some shopping. There are only a few chairs and tables, but it is a very calming atmosphere.

This fabulous store contains mainly Portuguese-made goods – textiles for the home (both for indoors and outdoors), cosmetics and restored furniture. It also has a variety of beautifully-packaged homemade gourmet goodies like jams and pickles for sale and these are all displayed invitingly on a table at the top of the stairs – you cannot miss it.

I recommend you pop in and browse (and drink coffee and eat cake too!).

Details about this spot (Show on map)
VOA Chiado | Coffee & tea, Shopping | Coffee & cake € 3
Rua Nova do Almada, 96 | Chiado & Baixa | +351213427097
Mon – Sat 10:00 – 17:00

You are visiting Lisbon, you’ve been here a few days and suddenly you are craving a quick curry. Sounds strange, I know, but those moments do happen. There are a number of curry houses scattered around Chiado and Bairro Alto, but one of my favourites is Natraj on Rua dos Sapateiros in Baixa Chiado.

Situated down one of the streets running parallel to Rua Augusta in Baixa this restaurant is comfortingly reliable in that it is opens earlier than most restaurants in Chiado, the menu is a nice combination of the curries that you may recognize from take out menus plus a few added extras from Goa (ex-Portuguese colony) and they are all reasonably priced. The portions are generous, the service is good and I have never been disappointed by the quality of the food.

For Vindaloo fans, please note that curry in Portugal is not hot – ask for extra heat! For added authenticity there is a television screen on the wall that mostly plays Bollywood movies/music (and sometimes soccer matches – remember, you are in a soccer-mad country and you will be hard-pushed to find a restaurant that doesn’t have a TV in it) and the decor is definitely adds to the ambiance.

Early in the evening it is very easy to get a table, but later on it does get busier. 

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Restaurante Natraj | Restaurants (Indian) | Main meal € 14.00
Rua dos Sapateiros, 171 | Chiado & Baixa | +351213468113
12.00 – 15.00 & 18.30 – 23.30 daily

Lisbon has the most fabulous fresh fruit, vegetable and fish markets where it is possible to buy healthy, fresh food for extremely reasonable prices.

Even if you are here for a weekend, staying in a hotel in the Saldanha area and don’t need to cook for yourself, it is worth popping into Mercado 31 Janeiro for the experience. The ground floor of the market is a brightly-colored, lively area with a vast array of fresh fruit and vegetables laid out in the centre whilst the sides of the hall are flanked by butchers’ stalls selling fresh cuts of meat. The sellers call out as you walk past their stalls to try and tempt you into buying their wares.

The mezzanine floor consists of the fresh fish market and there is a restaurant up there too. The variety of fresh fish in Lisbon is superb and I love to go here to buy salmon steaks to cook. This is not for the faint-hearted if you don’t like the smell of fish or are disturbed by the sight of whole fish and squid reposing on beds of ice! At one end of the floor is the fresh flower stall which provides a burst of color to the cooler, slightly austere air of the fish market.

There is a small vegetarian cafe on the ground floor of the market which serves sumptuous soup and various vegetarian meals. This cafe is open at lunch time during the week and is closed during the month of August.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Mercado 31 de Janeiro | Shopping, Snacks | Lunch € 10
Rua Engenheiro Vieira da Silva | Avenidas | +351213540988
Mon – Sat 07:00 – 14:00

Another outdoor space in which to consume food and drink – this time in Parque Eduardo VII. Once you have admired the view from the top of the Parque, down Avenida Liberdade to the river, take a break at the Botequim do Rei cafe which is attached to a restaurant of the same name and consists of an esplanade next to a pond that is home to a variety of water birds and a shoal of koi carp. In the other direction, the tables look down onto an unusual, ornately decorated, disused gym hall that somehow manages to blend into the park.

This space is well sheltered from the wind and serves as an efficient sun-trap where you can enjoy the peace and quiet of the park. I love to go there with a book on sunny days and read, or just relax watching the birds float around unperturbed on the pond. It is possible to order food from the snack menu at any time, but there are also outdoor tables that are set up under an awning and from here you can take advantage of the full restaurant menu whilst enjoying the fresh air.

The waiters speak excellent English and while I suspect this cafe may be a bit touristy, the location, for me, makes up for this. The menu is the same as you would expect in any snack bar of this nature in Portugal.

This restaurant and esplanade is closed on Mondays.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Botequim do Rei – Esplanada | Coffee & tea, Relaxing, Restaurants (Portuguese) | Meal € 13.00
Parque Eduardo VII | Avenidas | +351213160891
Tue – Sun 10:00 – 22:00