Bistros, trattorias and the everyday rooms where Lisbon actually eats.
Bistros, trattorias, taverns and neighbourhood rooms: the mid-tier places where Lisbon actually eats.
Cafe de Sao Bento in Lisbon's Lapa: a 40-year-old steakhouse named after the parliament next door, garlic-mustard sirloin and dark wood booths.
Signature: Steak Cafe de Sao Bento, Prego no prato
Order: Bife a Cafe de Sao Bento, garlic-mustard sauce, served with shoestring chips.
Tasquinha do Lagarto in Lisbon's Campolide: a 1973 family tasca with Sporting Lisbon shirts on the walls, atum cebolada and baked octopus to share.
Signature: Atum cebolada, Polvo a lagareiro
Order: Polvo a lagareiro, baked octopus with potatoes, garlic and olive oil.
O Magano in Lisbon's Campo de Ourique: a 2002 Alentejano room from brothers Marco and Bruno Luis, petiscos, favas com chourico and pork-with-clams done right.
Signature: Favas com chourico, Carne de porco a alentejana
Order: Carne de porco a alentejana, pork with clams, the canonical Alentejo dish.
Cervejaria Pinoquio on Lisbon's Praca dos Restauradores: a no-fuss Portuguese seafood room serving from morning to late night, clams and arroz de marisco.
Signature: Ameijoas a Bulhao Pato, Arroz de marisco, Tiger prawns
Order: Ameijoas a Bulhao Pato, clams in garlic and coriander.
Cervejaria Liberdade in Lisbon: a polished seafood hall inside the Tivoli Avenida, Berlenga gooseneck barnacles, Algarve prawns and Aveiro oysters daily.
Signature: Gooseneck barnacles, Algarve prawns, Aveiro oysters
Order: Algarve red prawns and a glass of Soalheiro Alvarinho.
Pateo at Bairro do Avillez in Chiado, Lisbon: the glass-roofed centre court of Jose Avillez's complex, modern Portuguese mains served at long tables.
Signature: Acorda real, Roast suckling pig
Order: Acorda real, bread-and-shellfish stew with prawns and lobster.
Tasca da Esquina in Campo de Ourique, Lisbon: chef Vitor Sobral's modern tasca, petiscos rooted in Alentejano cooking with Lusophone touches and a daily fish.
Signature: Croquetes of duck, Crab toast
Order: A round of petiscos, then the daily fish.
Ze dos Cornos in Lisbon's Mouraria: a tile-walled tasca on Beco dos Surradores, charcoal pork ribs at 12 euros, cash only, queue for the long table.
Signature: Garlic pork ribs, Pataniscas de bacalhau
Order: Charcoal-grilled garlic pork ribs and a jug of house red.
Cantinho do Avillez at Parque das Nacoes: the Vasco da Gama centre outpost of Jose Avillez's small-plates concept, with Tagus river views from the terrace.
Signature: Black pork, Scallops with avocado
Order: Deep-fried green beans and Alentejo-style black pork.
Petisco Saloio in Lisbon's Campo Pequeno: a tiny petisco room locals book ahead, fixed lunch menus and evening small plates, ox-tail pie and croquetes.
Signature: Croquetes, Oxtail pie, Pork cheeks with piri-piri
Order: A round of croquetes followed by pork cheeks in piri-piri sauce.
Faz Frio in Lisbon's Principe Real: a 19th-century tavern with wooden booths, ox-tail, goat stew and the city's best octopus salad on a short menu.
Signature: Octopus salad, Goat stew, Peixinhos da horta
Order: Octopus salad and goat stew with rice.
Solar 31 da Calcada in Lisbon's Alfama: a fish-counter restaurant grilling whole sea bass and dourada to order, with arroz de marisco for two.
Signature: Whole grilled fish, Arroz de marisco
Order: Whole sea bass from the counter, grilled, with vegetable rice.
Marisqueira Uma in Lisbon's Baixa: a long-running marisqueira on Rua dos Sapateiros, tiger prawns, garlic clams and whole fish straight off the counter ice.
Signature: Tiger prawns, Ameijoas a Bulhao Pato, Garlic sea bream
Order: Ameijoas a Bulhao Pato then whichever fish the counter is pushing.
Mercearia do Seculo in Lisbon's Principe Real: a grocer-turned-restaurant where reservations are essential, dried tuna, bacalhau and octopus on a tight menu.
Signature: Dried tuna starter, Bacalhau, Octopus
Order: Dried tuna starter, then the bacalhau of the day.
Pateo 13 in Lisbon's Alfama: a courtyard tasca grilling sardines and chicken over charcoal, picnic tables, sangria, summer queues from June onwards.
Signature: Grilled sardines, Grilled mackerel, Grilled chicken
Order: Charcoal sardines straight off the grill, with boiled potatoes.
Bistro 100 Maneiras on Largo da Trindade in Chiado: the casual sister of 100 Maneiras in Bairro Alto, opened by Ljubomir Stanisic with late hours and a noted.
Signature: Steak tartare, Roasted bone marrow, Russian-style salad
Order: The tartare bar selection, two cuts compared side by side.
Adega de Belem in Lisbon's Belem: a tile-walled tasca a short walk from Pasteis de Belem, bacalhau com natas, roast cod and an Alentejo wine list.
Signature: Bacalhau com natas, Roast cod, Codfish a Bras
Order: Bacalhau com natas, salt cod baked with cream and shoestring potatoes.
Tasca Ze dos Bois in Bairro Alto: the in-house kitchen of the ZDB cultural centre, petiscos and natural wines on a courtyard, open evenings only.
Signature: Daily petiscos, Natural wine glasses
Order: The chalkboard petiscos plus a natural-wine flight.
A Merendinha do Arco in Lisbon's Baixa: a no-fuss workers' lunch room since the 1950s, bitoques, pataniscas and a daily prato do dia under ten euros.
Signature: Bitoque, Pataniscas de bacalhau
Order: Bitoque, the workers'-lunch steak with egg, rice and chips.
Os Tibetanos near Avenida da Liberdade in Lisbon: a Buddhist-run vegetarian kitchen since 1989, momos and curries with a quiet garden patio.
Signature: Momos, Vegetarian curries
Order: A round of momos, then a vegetable thali with masala chai.
Cervejaria Galeto on Avenida da Republica in Lisbon: a 1966 cervejaria with the original counter intact, late kitchen, pregos and bitoques until 02:00.
Signature: Pregos, Bitoques, Toasts
Order: A prego no prato, steak sandwich on Portuguese papo seco.
La Madragoa in Lisbon's Santos: a 20-seat family-run room cooking arroz de marisco, bacalhau a lagareiro and grilled sardines with Douro wines.
Signature: Arroz de marisco, Bacalhau a lagareiro, Polvo a lagareiro
Order: Arroz de marisco for two, then grilled sardines.
Lisboa a Noite in Bairro Alto: a stone-walled dining room from 1984 cooking bacalhau, whole fish and roast suckling pig from a domed brick oven.
Signature: Bacalhau Lisboa a Noite, Whole fish, Suckling pig
Order: Bacalhau Lisboa a Noite, the namesake codfish baked in a tile dish.
O Piteu da Graca in Lisbon's Graca: a workers' tasca lined in azulejos, baked octopus, duck rice and an Alentejo wine card, full at lunch every weekday.
Signature: Polvo a lagareiro, Arroz de pato
Order: Polvo a lagareiro, baked octopus with crushed potatoes.
Tasca do Jaime in Lisbon's Graca: a tiled tasca with a daily blackboard, iscas com elas and pataniscas at workers' prices, cash only, no bookings.
Signature: Daily blackboard, Iscas com elas, Pataniscas
Order: Iscas com elas, marinated pork liver with boiled potatoes.