3 days in Lisbon, looking for recommendations

[turkob]

I've read a bunch of reviews and posts on CH about Lisbon and I've put together an itinerary for my upcoming trip to Lisbon. I'd appreciate any feedback. I'm also going to Barcelona and Andalusia on this trip, so I'll probably be back with more questions after I've done more research.

Lunch near the hotel
We'd like to eat a quick lunch near our hotel which is close to Placa Figuera so I was thinking of hitting up the hugely popular Bonjardim. Do they close in the afternoon because we'll probably get there around 2 oclock?

Dinner in Bairro Alto
We'll finish our day walking around Bairro Alto so I was thinking of getting dinner there. Nothing too fancy because we'll be in jeans. We're looking for a restaurant with great food; atmosphere and decor are definitely lesser concerns. A lot of guidebooks seem to recommend Pap Acorda, but I worry that it's too touristy and more about atmosphere than a great representative of Portuguese cuisine. I read a couple good reviews of Sinal Vermelho on this board. Any thoughts on a great option for dinner in Bairro Alto? Price is not a concern as long as the food is memorably good, though we're definitely not interested in fine dining.

Lunch in Belem
The next day we're planning to see the sights at Belem. The Pasteis de Belem seems to be a slam dunk option for breakfast. I struggled to find a good option for lunch though. Any recommendations on a good place to get Sunday lunch in Belem? Food is the top priority again, but we'd prefer something that doesn't take too long.

Dinner in Alfama
That night we're planning on hitting a Fado show in Alfama. The Clube de Fado seems like a good option, especially since it is open on Sunday night. I've read just about everywhere that the food at Fado shows is not very good, so we'd like to get dinner somewhere in Alfama before the show. I've read good things about Malmequer Bemmequer though I'm definitely open to recommendations.

Breakfast near Rossio
The next day we're planning to take the train from Rossio to Sintra. Is there a good place near the station to get breakfast? Something quick but filling would be ideal.

Lunch in Sintra
Our last meal in Lisbon will be in Sintra. The Cantinho de São Pedro sounds pretty good. Any recommendations would be great.

Thanks

[vinhotinto75]

Turkob

Bonjardim is open all day thus you do not need about it closing for lunch. Often times they close one of the dining rooms, yet rest assured it will be open 7 days a week and certainly at 2pm.

I am a big fan of Sinal Vermelho, thus I would opt for eating there over Pap' Açorda. Another option close to Sinal Vermelho is the restaurant on the second level of the cultural foundation 25 de Abril (which commemorates the Portuguese Revolution of 1974). The food there is very good and service is extremely refined and friendly. I highly recommend it in the event that you do not like Sinal Vermelho or someplace else.

You are correct that Fado clubs are tourist traps and the food often is lackluster. One place worth checking out in Alfama might be Senhora Mãe. I've had very good meals and luck there in the past. Another closeby option would be something more typical like Faz Figura or even a place in the Baixa and take a cab (very cheap in Lisbon) in case you did not feel like walking.

As far as Belém is concerned, there are plenty of restaurants in and around the area of the Mosteiro and Centro Cultural which might or might not be open on Sunday. I would suggest walking and seeing what is open and survey the menu and options.

For a morning breakfast near Rossio, I would suggest any pastelaria near Rossio or the Praça da Figueira. Two famous ones are Café Nicola and Pastelaria Suiça (which has an entrance on both the Praça da Figueira side and the Rossio side). At the far between Rossio and the Praça da Figueira is the legendary Confeitaria Nacional as well.

http://www.confeitarianacional.com/ho...

Boa Sorte and feel to write if you have additional questions!

[monchique]

Just to give you slightly upmarket options...
Bonjardim is Ok, but I prefer Gambrinus as I mentionned in an earlier post. http://gambrinuslisboa.com/
Lunch in Belem, I would say Vela Latina http://www.velalatina.pt/ the restaurant of the Yacht club, not the self-service... but not sure if they are open on Sunday
Both are restaurants where local business people eat, few tourists.

[npwest]

Do not miss Bom Jardim for it's roasted chicken with piri-piri sauce near Restauradores, Bico do Sapato for sushi (very $pendy) near Santa Appolonia, Casa dos Bicos for Sardines (near Praca Commercio). Try searching out some Goan-style Indian food, too (one of the differences is the coconut milk!). Rosa da Rua in Barrio Alto was nice, as was Cafe de Paris in Sintra. Also, seek out some Ginginha ( a cherry brandy) at a little place near Rossio Station. Lisbon is a great little city. Have fun!

[vinhotinto75]

Another place that I neglected to mention in my post above is Vítor Sobral's (formerly of the now closed Terreiro do Paço) new place in the Campo de Ourique called A Tasca da Esquina.

http://www.tascadaesquina.com/

Sorte!

[morganwong]

Gambrinus would be my #1 choice too. I walked up and down the street, checking out the restaurants for a good 20 minutes and I concluded that Gambrinus was the most "decent" looking and I was right. I had a good lunch there. Enjoy!

[turkob]

Thanks for all the recommendations!

The first stop was Lisbon where within an hour of landing we dropped our bags at the hotel and ran off to get some spit-roasted chicken at Bon Jardim. The skin was crispy and salty with a strong citrus flavor and the meat was very moist and tender. The chili sauce on the table was spicy and tangy, a perfect accompaniment to the chicken. The back room was filled with older Portuguese men watching soccer and next to them was the roasting oven that was billowing smoke and sparks. We were impressed by what an authentic experience it was considering that Bon Jardim seems to be written up in every tour book. No matter, the food was quick, cheap, and delicious. A perfect start to the trip.

That night we had a reservation to Sinal Vermelho in the Chiado district. There were two Portuguese families having huge family feasts in the rather small space, so it seems that this is a spot for locals even though it’s kind of in the tourist district. They specialize in seafood and everything was top notch. I enjoyed a half bottle of Vinho Verde which was an exceptionally crisp and fresh white wine, definitely something to try when you’re visiting Portugal. We started off with an order of the oil drenched clams, sardines, and the cod fritters. The clams were garlicky and a little sweet and absolutely tremendous. The sardines were a little salty, though fresh, and the cod fritters were surprisingly excellent with a perfect almost creamy breading surrounding moist and flaky cod. The entrée was the local specialty dourada (golden bream) which is sliced in half lengthwise (head and all) and served grilled with boiled potatoes, carrots, and cabbage. We absolutely love seafood, and Sinal Vermelho served us some of the freshest we enjoyed on the whole trip. Highly recommended!

After dinner we headed up to the Solar do Vinho do Porto to enjoy some port. I’m far from an expert on port, but the menu they have is extensive. I settled on a 30 year Dalva Porto from the bar tender’s recommendation. It was sweet and a little syrupy with a lot of burnt caramel flavor but it was very smooth. This is a great spot to go to sample a lot of different ports, and it’s a nice room with lots of comfortable couches and a relaxed atmosphere.

The next morning we were out in the Belem district, so we had to stop by the famous pastry shop Pasteis de Belem. They specialize in the Portuguese egg custard tarts called Pastel de Nata and the lines are out the door, though it moves quick. The custard is served with cinnamon and powdered sugar, and I enjoyed a shot of bico which is a small espresso-like drink. These tarts are served in every bakery, and there is a bakery on nearly every block, so I wouldn’t go out of my way to find this place, even though the hype is tremendous. The tarts were great, but the ones down the street were just as good (if not better), cheaper, and had no line. Still there isn’t much to eat in the area, and many of Lisbon’s main attractions are near by, so if you’re in the mood to join the legions of tourists, Fodor’s in hand, then it’s a good spot.

That afternoon we were wandering around the Alfama district trying to get to the castle and hoping to find a spot to grab lunch on the way. Not sure how we got so turned around (granted most of the streets weren’t labeled on the maps we had) but we ended up in the Graca neighborhood (just north of Alfama). This neighborhood definitely did not cater to tourists. No English on any of the menus, and most of the service staff didn’t speak a word of English. Still we were excited to try a local spot, so we settled on Salao Ramos. It was a small place with a long bar and a very crowded back room filled with local families. The waiter came out with two menus, but wouldn’t hand them to us because he was worried we wouldn’t understand the Portuguese. We tried to assure him that we could navigate the menu, but he didn’t understand us and seemed intent on translating for us. After an awkward 20 seconds of him looking at the menus then back at us finally he looked up and said “Feesh?” To which of course we nodded. A minute later he came out with two douradas on a plate, one full fish and the other just a fillet. We pointed at the full fish and he rushed away. About ten minutes later he came back with two whole fish, grilled to perfection, served with a light salad and boiled potatoes similar to what we had the night before. I have to say dourada is one of my all time favorite fish (I grew up loving Turkish cupra which is a close relative) so I didn’t mind at all, though it would have been nice to try something else on the menu as well. Still we had a good laugh and had a terrific and very affordable meal. If you’re interested in getting off the beaten path to eat with locals, Graca is a great option since it is close to downtown and there seem to be very few tourists.

Before we hopped on a train to Sintra, we stopped by Confeitaria Nacional for a breakfast of Portuguese pastries. We love bakeries and probably stopped by 4-5 different ones while we were in Lisbon, and this was by far our favorite. They had at least twice the selection of pastries as any other shop, and everything was fresh and delicious. The highlight was the bacalao croquettes though there really were no misses.

After an exhausting day walking around the picture-perfect mountains and forests of Sintra we were starving, but we really didn’t want to eat at the tourist traps all over downtown, so we stopped off in Sao Pedro. The town was totally dead but we did find a tavern right off the main square called Taverna Trovadores that was open at 3:30PM on a Monday afternoon. We were the only people in the restaurant, but I knew we had struck gold when the olives they served were impeccably crunchy and filled with cheese and garlic. The dishes seemed to be more country style which was a great contrast to the simple Mediterranean food we had enjoyed to that point. We had the balacao espiritual which is baked with a cheesy béchamel and a braised rabbit served with yellow rice. After a long day of walking these dishes really hit the spot.

[PBSF]

Thank you for taking the time to write about your experiences in Lisbon. It will be very helpful since we'll be stopping out there for a few days before heading off to Venice.

[missmar79]

wow thank you~ were going back this week and although we have been there already your list hit all the stops that we did not get to try on our first trip.
ill be printing this out as a guide.
Thanks again!

[Victus Populi]

This is wonderful, thank you so much for this detail!! My husband and I will be in Lisbon in two weeks, we'll definitely use your recommendations as a guide. Any chance you have opinions on places in Oporto or the Douro Valley? http://victuspopuli.com/