Here’s the life-lovers guide to Lisbon. I wrote this for my friends who are visiting for a few days, but it’s also good if you plan to stay longer. There are so many things to experience in Lisbon that years are often not enough.

Food

There are plenty of restaurants in Lisbon. As a general rule of thumb, look up a restaurant on Google Maps. If it’s rated over 4, then it’s very likely a good one. Avoid the restaurants in very touristy areas or very crowded places.

Some suggestions of good restaurants:

  1. Fogo de Chão
    Brazilian all-you-can-eat barbecue with many salads and ever-coming fresh barbecue goodies.
    Get your salads from the buffe and watch all the waiters coming to your table with freshly barbecued meat of all kinds. It’s a culinary experience.
    The also have a secondary and third location.
  2. Solar Beirão
    Seafood - very tasty and affordable, including lobster, crab, etc.
    Take the boat ferry from https://goo.gl/maps/mCM5Nh7WCyQ9Kv87A it’s every 15 minutes and €1.3/ride.
    Order the main menu for 2/4 people, it’s got everything! They also have other fish/meat options for non-seafood lovers.  
  3. Os Cabaças
    These are called “tashcas”, which means (1) it’s very traditional, (2) it doesn’t look very good, (3) the food is very tasty and (4) the prices are very good. Here, get a raw Beef/pork meat and a hot stone, cook it yourself + sauces and salads (it’s called Naco Na Pedra in the menu or Picanha Na Pedra for brazilian beef meat). Another good tashca is O Arêgos.
  4. Sanskar Nepal
    Nepalese food, very tasty.
  5. Treestory (Saldanha)
    Georgian cuisine, absolutely delicious, opens at 7pm. Ideally for groups of people, where you can mix so everyone can get a taste of everything. 
  6. Tantura
    Israeli, balcanic food, again worth going with friends so you can order different dishes and taste everything.
    Opens at 6pm.
  7. Cafeh Tehran (Praça das Flores)
    Middle eastern food, delicious! 12:00 to 23:30 daily except Tuesday.
    Also, the square that the restaurant is in is lovely and good for reading a book or meeting a friend.
  8. HALALCOUNTER (Intendente)
    Kebab. Allegedly the best kebab in Lisbon.
  9. Panda Cantina
    Ramen! Simple, delicious, affordable ramen (about €10 per person). Beef, pork or tofu. Or all of them.
    In order to closeness to the center, they have one two three four places in Lisbon.
  10. In Noodles (Santos)
    Delicious noodles, with fresh vegetables, beef, chicken, and other goodies.
    I usually go for the rice noodles with beef. Fresh and tasty!
    Family business, ask for Nuno and tell him that Lucian says “Hi!”.
  11. Mīrarī (Alcantara)
    An interior courtyard with several food carts, a big bar an plenty of places to sit down. Usually in the weekend evening they have live music with DJs or bands. An excellent place to go with friends, or as an Friday after-work drinks.
  12. Dallas Burger Joint (Cais do Sodre)
    Absolutely delicious burgers. I love burgers and these are by far the best I’ve had in Lisbon.
    Secondary location in Santos or Anjos.

As for Sweets we have:

  1. Manteigaria (Cais do Sodre) 🥧
    The you-must-absolutely-try-it pastel de nata custard pie. The also have a shop in Chiado, Campo de Orique, Saldanha and Belem.
  2. Nannarella 🍦
    By far the best ice-cream 🍦 in Lisbon. Try the strawberry and pistachio. A small cone/cup gets you 2 scoops/flavors.
  3. Nivà 🍦
    Some people argue that Nivà’s ice-cream is even better than Nannarella’s. Try it and see for yourself!

Dance 💃🏻🕺🏻

See Rosanna’s document of dance classes and social gatherings in Lisbon.

Dance clubs are not Lisbon’s strong point, but if you feel like having a fun night out, there are a few clubs just for that:

  1. LUX Fragil
    Allegedly the best club in Lisbon, good ratio of internationals and local.
    3 floors with different vibes (the 3rd/top is just a chill-down terrace).
    Closes at 7am. Go between midnight to 1am to avoid a huge queue.
  2. Incógnito
    Small and cozy club, plays disco, indie, synthpop, new wave, house.
    Open 11pm - 4am every Thursday, Friday, Saturday.
    One of the first clubs in Lisbon.
  3. Outra Cena
    Never been here, but it’s been advertised by a lot of locals.
  4. MOME
    Younger crowd.
    Right next to MOME, there are a few more: Temple, Kremlin, Hype, Plateau.

Experiences

The kiosks ☕

Lisbon has plenty of Kiosks (Quiosque in portuguese) in all the right places, usually in plazas, parks or markets. They usually serve drinks and some snacks, and some even some pretty tasty burgers. Portuguese people love to sit and talk, so if you’re a bit tired from exploring or just thirsty, search for a Quiosque nearby and get a pick-me-up to keep you going.

Viewpoints 🚠

Lisbon is called the city on 7 hills, which means there are several nice viewpoints that you should see. Some of them are:

Tram 28E Ride 🚋

It’s a famous and traditional tram ride that is a must for any visitor. The line starts in western Lisbon (Campo Ourique) and goes through all the different old neighborhoods, all the way to the neighborhood of Graça, which is a colorful area on a hill.

It’s best to take the tram all the way up to Miradouro da Senhora do Monte, and from there you can walk downhill towards the river, going through plenty of nice places and markets.

Tram 28E Ride on Google Maps

Important:

  • In the station, wave 👋🏻 to the tram to stop (if no one waves, it won’t stop);
  • Get in through the front door;
  • Pay in cash if you don’t have a yellow Navegante card;
  • Press the Stop button in the tram to stop at the next station (a sign Para/Stop will light up to indicate that).

Beach time 🌊

The easiest way to get to the beach is to take the train towards Cascais, from either Cais do Sodre or Santos.

They come every 15-20 minutes and a ride is about €2. You’ll need a yellow Navegante card which you can get at Cais do Sodre (there are both machines and counters that sell and top-up a card).

A big good beach is Carcavelos beach, which is a nice 15 minute walk from the Carcavelos train station where you’d get off.

There are other closer down the train line, but they’re small.

Padel 🏓

If you want to play padel, there’s a Telegram bot where you sign up to play with soon-to-be friends: http://join.padellisbon.pt

The way it works is you add your name on the list for an upcoming game, based on your current skill level.

Communities 🧑🏻‍🤝🏻‍🧑🏻

Making friends in Lisbon is easy and fun, as there are plenty of ways to do that:

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