As Bifanas do Afonso Lisbon

THE pork sandwich

Alexandre from Lisbon

About me I’ve been a Lisbon resident (“alfacinha” as the Lisbon inhabitants are often called) since 1993; I first came to this beautiful city to finish my studies and ended up finding a job, a house and a neighborhood where I feel at home. I live with my girlfriend Fatinha; I’m an origami enthusiast and a board game addict. I consider myself a romantic in love with things from o...
""As Bifanas do Afonso": one of the best places in Lisbon where you can have a 'bifana'. It's a cheap snack, nothing fancy - it's the experience behind it."

You have to eat a "Bifana" if you come to Lisbon. You must! It's part of the experience of visiting the city.

It's true I could bet that every single person that visited Lisbon has eaten, tasted or spotted this Portuguese beloved "dish". Many "cafés" serve this kind of sandwich consisting of a thin slice of pork beef slowly cooked in a sauce of white wine, garlic, laurel, butter and red pepper powder (paprika) and many of these places actually have a store window for you to watch them cooking it.

You can add mustard for the traditional flavour or any other sauce you like; or just taste it simple to appreciate the real tasty flavour; you should pair the Bifana with an "Imperial" – a chilled 25cl glass of pressure beer. And it's an incredible cheap snack!

Although I'm pointing out this spot, there are many others serving this dish all over Lisbon. However this particular one is chosen by many as the best spot. And you should forget about going to a fancy restaurant; this, like many other spots serving Bifanas, is just a little shop with a balcony and no tables.

The point is, the taste of this sandwich is worth looking for it!

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Lisbon Spotter Alexandre

About me I’ve been a Lisbon resident (“alfacinha” as the Lisbon inhabitants are often called) since 1993; I first came to this beautiful city to finish my studies and ended up finding a job, a house and a neighborhood where I feel at home. I live with my girlfriend Fatinha; I’m an origami enthusiast and a board game addict. I consider myself a romantic in love with things from other times; things like film photography, vinyl discs or the first gaming consoles immediately make me smile. I see myself as a friendly person. I’m unpretentious and open minded and love...

About this spot

Rua da Madalena 146

Bifana & Beer:

5

Oct 10, 2025

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