25 Best Restaurants in Alcântara, Cais do Sodré, and Santos, Lisbon

Once a staff canteen serving hearty Portuguese dishes to factory workers, Cantina LX has incorporated elements of its original 1870s incarnation into today’s industrial-chic space. Adventurous eaters enjoy the grilled rabbit, lamb, and octopus dishes, but there are always vegetarian options too, like zingy goats' cheese salads and vegan burgers.

A U-shaped dining counter takes center stage at this laid-back restaurant in the heart of Cais do Sodré. The menu offers twists on typical Portuguese dishes—octopus salad comes with dollops of purple potato puree, for instance, and a bacalhau dish sweetened with persimmon—in a relaxed sharable-plates format.

One of the hippest tables in town, Tricky's is a collaborative project between natural wine sommeliers and creative next-gen chefs. Cooks in the open kitchen—the best seats are at the counter right in front of it—create a menu of sharable small plates with Portuguese, Italian, and Asian influences, and they're matched with low-intervention wines from across Europe.

Mushrooms are the star of the show at this stylish, low-lit new eatery in Santos. While the menu includes a few fish and meat plates, most of the dishes are vegetarian or vegan, spotlighting enoki, lamb's foot, portobello, porcini, and the restaurant's namesake black truffle mushrooms. The combinations are varied and interesting, ranging from Japanese chawanmushi custard to Italian-style gnocchi and pasta. 

Virtually everyone in the kitchen at this new-ish restaurant in Santos is from Mexico, making Boca Linda a more authentic alternative to some of the trendier taco joints sprouting up around town. The guacamole comes with chapulines (grasshoppers), the green aguachile is properly spicy, and the tacos come with fillings like cochinita pibil (suckling pig) and barbacoa (slow-cooked meat).

This French-accented restaurant brings a big dose of old-school glamour to a neighborhood increasingly populated with Instagrammable brunch spots and sharable small plates. The kitchen occupies the center of the dining room, surrounded by a gleaming bar counter where patrons can dine and watch the show; alternatively, diners can tuck themselves away on red-velvet banquettes to dig into classic dishes like sole meunière and steak à la Marrare, a century-old Lisbon classic brought by a Neapolitan chef.

This industrial-chic former factory canteen now makes good use of original features (such as a wood-fired oven) to feed the culture seekers who flock to this part of town. It's right in the middle of LxFactory, and the hearty Portuguese dishes will fuel a day's shopping or a night's socializing in the surrounding bars.

While the main street linking Cais de Sodré and Santos seems to be one natural wine bar after another, Cav 86 stands out from the crowd for the quality of its wine selection and for the sophistication of its food menu. There's not a perfunctory snack in sight; rather, the long menu of sharable plates includes dishes like duck rillettes, pumpkin arancini, and beef tartare with mussels escabeche.

This eco-conscious café sources all its ingredients from local independent producers. There's abundant use of matcha, quinoa, and spirulina, and as there's no refined sugar in any of the cakes, cookies, and other sweet treats, they make a perfect guilt-free pick-me-up when combined with a cup of Comoba's excellent coffee.

Occupying a bright and breezy downstairs room at the LX Boutique Hotel (there's a branch in Cascais, too), this sophisticated spot is one of the best places in town to eat sushi. There are vegan and vegetarian options alongside the usual fish, seafood, and sashimi.

However you like your eggs in the morning (or afternoon), Dear Breakfast will cook them to perfection, alongside a cheerful range of house-baked breads, fresh juices, and jams. Eat them any which way, from omelets and eggs Benedict to chipotle shakshuka. There's excellent coffee, smoothies, and brunch cocktails. 

This all-day brunch spot does a roaring trade in pancakes, avocado toast, smoothie bowls, and other breakfast favorites. Lines are virtually inevitable at any time of day, but the flower-filled café is a pleasant place to wait.

This bright and breezy Ukrainian-owned café was a pioneer in bringing trendy Instagrammable brunches to Santos's main drag. Its pretty, tasty meals made it famous, so there's usually a line, but the avocado toast on house-baked sourdough is worth the wait.

Widely considered one of Lisbon's best pizzerias, Lupita is the product of a Brazilian chef turning out Italian-style pies. The dining room is no-frills—guests sit on tiny stools at low tables, and the line is usually down the block—and the pizzas are both simple and playful. There are standard margherita, pepperoni, and the like, but also burrata, carbonara, and shakshuka pies. There's even an unironic pineapple-and-bacon option.

Staunchly traditional amid the flurry of modernization in the surrounding streets, this old-school marisqueira (seafood hall) is the best of several local spots specializing in shellfish. Priced by the kilo, the day's offer varies according to season and what the anglers have hauled in, but expect enormous, perfectly fresh crustaceans year-round.

Offering a little respite from the rowdy nightlife of Pink Street, this cute café-bar doubles as a bookstore, and it's not unusual to see live jazz or jam sessions. The bright primary colors and painted ceiling give it the look of a cozy kids' corner, but the coffees and cocktails are strictly for grown-ups.

The late-night fueling stop of choice for many a hard-partying Lisboeta, A Merendeira's specialty is as simple as it is delicious: pão com chouriço (sausage baked into a bread roll). Grab one to go, or sit down and enjoy it with a bowl of caldo verde (cabbage soup).

A city-smart sister to the celebrated Monte Mar restaurant in Cascais, Monte Mar Lisboa offers the same superior seafood with a more relaxed riverfront ambience. Occupying one of the formerly disused warehouses along a lightly revitalized stretch of the waterfront, Monte Mar has a terrific view of the river, the Ponte 25 de Abril, and the Cristo Rei on the other side, while indoors it's all industrial-chic black and chrome.

Neighbourhood was a pioneer in Lisbon's specialty coffee scene when it opened in 2019, and it still offers a wide selection of top-quality caffeinated drinks, including batch brew and V60. There are also snacks like banana bread, and bigger meals like breakfast burritos and Turkish eggs.

The name means "in the convent" in Portuguese, because this new date-night spot occupies a 17th-century convent tucked away on a side street in Santos. The food combines Portuguese ingredients with French traditions. The low lighting and seductive soundtrack attract the city's creative set, both in pairs and in larger groups celebrating special events.

This tiny welcoming Italian restaurant serves small plates designed to be shared among friends. There are excellent imported cheeses, sausages, and wines alongside mains and desserts typical of the Sardinia region.

This glitzy restaurant is a high-end alternative to the bustling food hall in the Time Out Market downstairs. The menu leans toward fancified versions of Portuguese classics—olive-oil-soaked roasted octopus, grilled cod, and the namesake açorda, Portugal's famous bread-based stew rich in seafood (the luxury version contains lobster) and flavored with garlic and cilantro.

Chef Vitor Adão made his name across town at the fine-dining Plano, but at this casual all-day spin-off, you can find the same quality without the commitment of a tasting menu. The plates here are simple Portuguese classics—tempura green beans, octopus rice, and Alentejo black pork—but with top-notch ingredients and technique. Barman Kostiantyn Hutnyk won first place in a bartending competition in his native Ukraine.

Sala de Corte is all about the meat, notably prime cuts of beef, grilled to perfection and accompanied by a savory dipping sauce, like Stilton, chimichurri, black truffle mayo, or béarnaise. Sip a cocktail at the stylishly lit long bar before taking a table.

Serving spicy samosas, curries, and other spicy treats since the 1970s, Zuari was one of the first Goan restaurants to open in Lisbon (and many would argue it's still the best). It's a wonderful introduction to the flavors of the former Portuguese colony, and the very fair prices mean culinary adventures here won't break the bank.