Eat as much as you want..

In this Asian restaurant they also serve grill, meat, seafood, soup, vegetables and salads. Chinese, Japanese, Brazilian (picanha), Portuguese and vegetarian food. Choose your ingredients to be cooked in front of you and eat as much as you want. There is also a sushi and sashimi bar, and of course, spring rolls . Open from 09:00 to 23:00, daily (also on Sundays, when a lot of restaurants in Lisbon are closed).

The famous tourist attraction Santa Justa Lift. Picture: Martijn Kramers

Restaurant ‘Wok Oriental‘ is located in Lisbon downtown, in the stairways of the extraordinary and famous Santa Justa Lift (Elevador de Santa Justa video YouTube), built around 1900 to connect the Baixa and Chiado districts (around 32 m high). The Lift brings you to Largo do Carmo, one of Lisbon’s most beautiful squares.

Owner An Lin Yang (born in China) prepares a wok dish

You can choose natural and fresh ingredients, and the chef will prepare your wok dish in a moment. Owner An Lin Yang: “We opened our restaurant 4 years ago in Lisbon and it took about a year before the Portuguese people discovered us. Now they also like to come here. Between 300-400 people from all over the world visit our place every day”.

Create your own meal

Lunch (almoço) € 7.95, dinner (jantar) € 8.95. Children under 6 years are charged € 3 less, children under 4 years free.  Certainly good value for money.  I had an enjoyable meal at this place on a rainy Sunday afternoon. Sobremesa (dessert) is not included in the price: a small portion of ice-cream (€ 1.60), fresh fruit is included.

There ‘s also a sushi and sashimi bar

You can fill your plate with various meat, shrimp, squid, and vegetables, and then take them to the next counter where they are stir-fried to your specification. The sauces are numbered 1-7 in order of spice. Drinks: water € 1:00, glass of wine € 1.50. Sangria (1 liter) € 6,95.  Or a pot of tea, beer or whiskey.

Restaurant owner An Lin Yang and Yang Xue Peng

They have 8 chefs working together (from different nationalities) and 7 waiters. The staff is very friendly.

My choise for lunch: a mix of vegetables, rice and feijãos,

Restaurant ”Wok Oriental‘ , Rua do Santa Justa 105 A, Lisbon. Tel: (00351) 213473181.  Open from 09:00 to 23:00, daily (also on Sundays)

Santa Justa Lift Lisbon: tourist queue near the ticket office

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Lisbon, December 7, 2010, Pastelaria Suíça, Rossio, a cafe/restaurant very popular with tourists

But this afternoon the city center was filled with blue skirts and blue jackets, just arrived in Lisbon, waiting for the match. The football supporters kill the time by drinking Cola   . FC Schalke vs Benfica, Uefa Champions League.

The Lisbon football clubs  ‘Benfica‘ and ‘Sporting Clube de Portugal’, have many sports teams in the highest Portuguese divisions and European competitions. Football fans from all over Europe visit Lisbon when their favorite football team play here. Football lovers in Lisbon WK 2010

Restaurant Cervejaria ’Adega de São Roque’ , Rua da Misericordia, 120, Lisbon

Football lovers: this your place to be! Near the heart of the Bairro Alto area, undoubtedly one of the landmarks of gastronomy in Lisbon’s historical city center, there’s an excellent (seafood) and unique decorated restaurant. The walls and the ceiling are covered with European football team scarves and with a mix of remarkable photos of public figures who are passing through there over time. 

The ceiling in this restaurant is totally covered with European football scarves….

Here you will find not only an excellent restaurant but also a nice pub and the most diverse and traditional Portuguese snacks. The seafood cataplana and the grilled fish plate are delicious, but if you prefer pork or a steak, it’s also on the menu. To accompany your meal, they have an elaborate wine list, or if you prefer beer, there are several options available.

Restaurant/Cervejaria ’Adega (Cellar) de São Roque’ Lisbon in the afternoon. They are open every day from 12:00 – 24:00, so if you like to come in at 17:00 you’re welcome!

Cervejaria means ‘beerhouse’, where beer is produced (or used to be produced) and where you can eat as well. There are many Cervejaria’s in Lisbon. Most Cervejaria’s have restaurant and a bar where you can stand and drink beer and eat snacks like a ‘prego’ which is a steak sandwich. The steak is grilled on the plate and comes with garlic in a white roll. The Portuguese eat the prego’s (literally: nails, referring to the full stomach after eating one) with mustard or piri-piri. A popular snack as well is a small plate of cooked shrimps (camarão) served with sea salt and a part of lemon. You can ask for camarão grande (big ones), camarão medio (medium) or camarão pequeno (baby shrimps).

Carne de porco à Alentejana, 11,50 euro, glass of wine 1.50, bread 0,50

Pork stew with clams, potatoes, coriander and garlic is a traditional Portuguese dish, particularly near the Atlantic coast, where clams are easily found. It is called alentejana as being in the manner of the Alentejo, a province of Portugal. Delicious! Recipe YouTube

Senhor Albano Matos (l). Nice people, excellent food and good service.

Restaurant/Cervejaria ’Adega (Cellar) de São Roque’ Lisbon, Rua da Misericordia, 120, Lisbon, tel. (+351) 213 432 167

The toilet in the restaurant: Um de nós é gay (one of us is gay….)

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A Friday afternoon, around 16:00. Ramiro is open from 12:00 till midnight, so if you like to come in at 17:00 you’re welcome!

Portuguese love there seafood with beer (or with ice cold vinho verde , young wine). You can order big shrimps (gambas or camarão tigre), scampi (lagostim) and crab (sapateira). Cooked fresh seafood tastes fantastic with mayonaise, grilled seafood goes very well with ‘molho de limão’. This is a sauce of butter, lemon and a bit of piri-piri.

Pedro Miguel P. Gonçalves, manager restaurant ‘Ramiro’ : “You may start by tasting the delicious dark smoked ham “Pata Negra 5, J Sanchez Romero Carvajal”.

Gamba Cozido (€10.85),  Pao Manteiga (hot buttered bread €2.55), agua (S. Pellegrino (€1.50), Carne Lombo (steak sandwich € 3,60), small bottle of white wine (Plenalto €5.50), coffee (€0.90).

My favorite dish: Camarão à Guilho (garlic shrimp). If you’re only in the mood for a snack, try a ‘prego’ , a steak sandwich. The steak is grilled on the plate. The Portuguese eat the prego’s (literally: nails, referring to the full stomach after eating one) with mustard or piri-piri.

History : The Ramiro Beer house was founded on the 7th of April of 1956, by the hand of Ramiro’s father, being a small “pasture house”. With the passing of the years Mr. Ramiro, having a main role within the business, slowly introduced seafood. This concept aroused a great interest creating a beer house (Cervejaria). Joined by his wife they amplified and improved the space focusing uniquely on the concept of seafood house: the selling of seafood, ham and “steak sandwich” . Today it is known nationally and abroad for its excellent quality of raw-materials, for its level of service and for the price-quality relationship. More….website restaurant Ramiro

I can sincerely recommend this place! If you are more in the mood for a restaurant with red candles and soft music, you might be disappointed, but upstairs you can make a reservation for a romantic ‘table for 2′.

‘RAMIRO‘, Avenida Almirante Reis 1 G-H, Intendente, Lisbon. OPEN on Sundays!

TAKE AWAY. Call at +351218851024 and order a seafood meal. Order before (24 Hours). The restaurant is closed at Mondays.

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‘Borrego no forno’ (lamb in oven € 6,50). Starters: pão e azeitonas (bread and olives € 1,20), copo de vinho branco (glass of white wine € 1.00), bica pingada (espresso with a drop of milk € 0,55). 

This is one of my favorite restaurants in Lisbon: really good service and a very friendly staff.

Owner Alvaro Martim: ‘From 1938 this place is a restaurant. All I know is that it used to be a shop selling spices from India”.

The Casa da Índia was established in Lisbon around 1500. This Portuguese organization had been based in Lagos in Southern Portugal, but after Prince Henry the Navigator died in 1460, the ‘House of India’ moved to Lisbon, and was located at the Terreiro do Paço (better known as the famous Praça do Comércio , Commerce Square). The building was destroyed by the 1755 Lisbon earthquake.

Gambas á guilho (garlic prawns) 12.50 euro, delicious! This restaurant is very popular and lively,  the marisqueira (seafood) is divine and cheap.

Portugal probably is the best place in Europe to enjoy seafood; the Portuguese appreciate eating and drinking well!

On the wall: the Duke of Viseu (Henry the Navigator), patron of the Portuguese exploration. During 1415-1542 Portugal discovered an eastern route to India that rounded the Cape of Good Hope, they discovered Brazil, established trading routes throughout most of southerns Asia, colonized selected areas of Africa and sent the first direct European maritime trade and diplomatic missions to China.

Restaurant ‘Casa da Índia’, Rua Loreto 51, near Bairro Alto. Opening hours: Monday -Saturday: 09:00 – 02:00. Closed on Sundays.

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The location, right next to the river Tagus, is an ideal place to take just a coffee or a beer after a walk in the center of Lisbon, a typical Portuguese lunch or a romantic night and dinner for 2….

The very old wooden building of the restaurant has a long history.  It was built in 1904, used by the Fiscal Guards (Guarda Fiscal) as an observation post to watch the ‘contrabando’ (smugglers) who arrived by boat from overseas.

Inside the restaurant you can see a picture of the original building.

Three times a fire destroyed parts of the building. In the 30′s it was rebuilt and during the second World War, it was used for operations in support of Jewish people, trying to catch a boat to America. (Portugal was a neutral country).

José Carlos Viejas, the owner of Restaurant ‘Guarda Rio‘ since 1994, and the very friendly waiter Carlos Antunes.

My lunch; a delicious grilled dorado (also known as dolphin-fish) 9 euro, a glass of white wine (um copo de vinho branco) 2,00, small bottle of water (agua) 1:00.

José Carlos Viejas: “in 1994 I bought this place. Due to the fire that destroyed the building it was rebuilt from scratch, going to host a nice coffee house/restaurant with two floors and large windows to show how beautiful the Tagus is”.

September 2008

There are 2 terraces just above river level, one is covered.

Restaurant Marisqueira Guarda Rio
Rua da Cintura Armazem 22, Cais do Sodré, Lisbon
Antigo Pavilhão da Guarda Fiscal
Thursday, Friday and Saturday open from 11:00h/02:00h
Monday – Wednesday from 11:00/ 24:00h
Sunday from 19:00

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Restaurant/bar “Tropical do Meco”, Meco village in September

During our stay in Meco village we ate in several restaurants in the previous days. Our favorite: Restaurant/bar “Tropical do Meco“. At night the weather is turning a bit colder in this time of the year (end of September and close to the Atlantic!), so we enjoyed our dinner at the veranda (smoking allowed).

Restaurant/bar “Tropical do Meco”

Restaurant’s specialties (especialidades): Mexilhões de cebolada (Mussels prepared with onions) ; Caldeirada de Peixe-espada com amêijoa (a fishstew of scabbard fish and small clams); Filetes de Peixe-espada preto fritos com arroz de tomate (Fried black scabbard fish fillets with tomato rice).

Our choice: Espetada Tamboril Camarao, € 12,50 and Picanha Carvao (Grilled Picanha, € 11,00) .

The espetada is a typical Portuguese dish made of chunks of beef or fish rubbed in garlic and salt, skewered onto a bay leaf stick with vegetables such as onions and bell peppers and left to grill over smouldering wood chips. Other meats including pork and chouriço are also commonly used, but there are also other types like those made from squid. It is literally named “sword”. The dish can be served on a skewer which hangs from a hook on a stand as it is presented.

Picanha (meat from Brazil) is generally considered to be the number one cut, even better than beef fillet. Picanha (pick-ahn-yeh) is much better than a steak, meltin-in-your mouth !

The restaurant service was really great, professional and friendly.

‘Tropical do Meco’ owners Hugo, Sergio (brothers) and their mother Teresa. Besides being a great restaurant, Tropical de Meco is also thé place for the Meco beachcrowd for late night cocktails and other drinks (try a caipinrinha!). Especially high summer, the bar is a favorite hangout for Meco-visitors to end the night with a drink or two, or more….

We also got invited to a tour of the kitchen: Teresa, Isabel, Gladys, Clarice and Niso.

To accompany our food we enjoyed a bottle of Montado white wine from the Alentejo region (€ 5,50), a superb choice! While drinking our coffees a glass of a delicious liqueur was offered by the restaurant: ‘Moscatel Roxo’, a liqueurous wine from the Setúbal Peninsula.

Restaurant ‘Tropical do Meco’, Rua do Comércio 28, Aldeia do Meco, Sesimbra, Setúbal. Phone 212 683398, mail tropicaldomeco@hotmail.com. Closed Tuesday.

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The lively street just behind the National Theater Doña Maria II at Largo de São Domingos, near Rossio Square and Restauradores, is a real mecca for seafood lovers, and a very popular tourist street.

Rua das Portas de Santo Antão: rather touristy and aggressive waiters

The street name dates from the 15th C. when a gate in the former town wall stood here. There’s also some very interesting buildings to be seen. The restaurants are well positioned for people-watching, prices are not really cheap, but the quality is good. In general, this street is rather touristy and the waiters are sometimes a bit aggressive in their approach to tourists.

One of the restaurant windows, with fresh lobsters and shrimps. 

Rua das Portas de Santo Antão , just north of Rossio, is one of the few streets in Lisbon where you’ll be approached by waiters in the street trying to entice you to eat in their restaurant.

‘Free’ starters

Be prepared: in the more expensive and touristical restaurants in Lisbon you have to pay for starters like bread, cheese and often olives or shrimps (camarão). They are not a part of the meal! You won’t pay for them if you don’t eat them, and often the waiter will take them away (não, obrigado), ‘no thank you’. More ……

If you don’t speak Portuguese, make sure you’ve got your dictionary handy!

Restaurante Cervejaria Inhaca, and Alex, the friendly waiter.

Cervejaria means ‘beerhouse’, where beer is produced (or used to be produced) and where you can eat as well. There are many Cervejaria’s in Lisbon (like the well known restaurant Portugalia).

Finger licking good, but expensive

Shrimp and lobster dishes for 2 persons, about € 55, except drinks. Restaurant Inhaca, R. das Portas de Santo Antão 8.

Avoid Restaurant Torremolinos

In general: make sure you are aware of what you are being charged for. Most of the restaurants in this area are tourist traps.

A good idea is to walk around and eat in a restaurant where there are no tourists in sight……. for seafood lovers, go to one of Lisbon’s best seafood restaurants ‘RAMIRO’, also open on Sundays

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The always very nice Portuguese people are proud to show you the fresh fish…

…..and take their time to make a friendly neighbourly talk.

This lively fresh produce & fishmarket is open from Monday-Saturday 07-00 till 14:00.

Mercado de Arroios, Rua Ângela Pinto, near the Arroios metro station, close to Estefania.
Selling locally sourced fish, meat, fresh fruit, vegetables and flowers.

Mercado da Ribeiro, famous market near the Tagus river

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Cais do Sodré, ferry to Cacilhas (near the railway station). Picture: Martijn Kramers

Cacilhas is a picturesque neighborhood in the banks of the river best known by its Cervejarias (traditional beer houses) also offering shellfish, seafood, and fresh fish.

Restaurant/Cervejaria “Farol” (lighthouse) is just by the ferry-terminal, the food is finger licking good! We enjoyed a fresh dourada (sea bream)

From restaurant ‘Farol’ you can walk along the river to the elevator of the famous Cristo Rei statue and enjoy the wonderful view on downtown Lisbon.

After passing some abandoned and ruinous warehouses and 2 restaurants, ‘Attire-te-ao-rio’, which means ‘throw yourself into the river’, and restaurant Ponto Final, you can go by elevator to reach the Cristo Rei statue.

Restaurant ‘Atira-te-ao-rio’, a Brasilian restaurant and a perfect romantic location for a great dinner overlooking Lisbon by night.

Restaurant ‘Ponto Final’, very good Portuguese cuisine!

Excellent menu, amazing view, especially while the sun is fading.

Elevator to reach the Cristo Rei Statue.

A sweeping view of the city and Ponte 25 de Abril (25th of April Bridge) from the top of the 82m (270ft) high pedestal (by elevator). This enormous monument is built in 1959 in thanks to God for having spared Portugal during World War II, inspired by the famous statue in Rio de Janeiro. ‘God opens his arms to the city’. View from Cristo Rei Movie

You can go back to the Cacilhas ferry terminal by bus # 101 (0,8 euro).

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“I live in a quiet part of the area Bairro Alto, but ’the place to be’ when it comes to nightlife! Bairro Alto means ‘High neighbourhood’, as it is on top of one of the seven hills of Lisbon. It is a maze of narrow streets filled with trendy shops, galeries, charming grocery stores, small restaurants and bars”.

“During the day it feels like living in a small village. Old people with coloured plastic bags are coming back from the market, having a chat with eachother while they slowly climb the steepy streets. The atmosphere is very relaxed. Typical Portuguese is the hanging laundry, drying in the wind. In the shops and in the cafes people take their time to make a friendly neighbourly talk.

For me Lisbon’s Tagus river is a very important part of my life. When I wake up the first thing I do is look out of the window to see the ‘mood’ and the colour of the river: sometimes wild or as smooth as a mirror, sometimes blue or ominous dark grey. In summertime the weather is gorgeous, and, thanks to the nearby river, there’s always a nice breeze!

Lisbon and the Tagus river are inseparable: I like it very much enjoying the calm water’s river on a Cais do Sodré’s terrace, reading a bit while slowly sipping a glass of Sangria and then take a (10-minutes) ferry trip to Cacilhas to the other side of the river”.

Cacilhas is a picturesque neighbourhood in the banks of the river best known by its Cervejarias (popular beer houses) also offering shellfish, seafood, and fresh fish.  How to get there

I can recommend restaurant/Cervejaria O “Farol“ (lighthouse) just by the boat stop, the food is ‘finger licking’ good! From restaurant ‘O Farol’ I like to make a walk along the river, after passing some abandoned and ruinous warehouses you can have lunch or a drink at the outdoor terrace of ‘Atire-te ao rio’, a Brasilian cafe/restaurant, a small paradise with wonderful views!

“The cemetery of São João (Cementerio do Alto de São João) is a very impressive and beautiful old graveyard: the alleys, the graves, the tranquility….one of the most attractive places to admire the river Tagus as well!

“For me, Lisbon is an authentic, unique city!”

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