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

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.

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.

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).

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.