16 Best Restaurants in Chiado and Bairro Alto, Lisbon

Dating from 1905, Lisbon’s most famous café maintains its dazzling Art Deco interior, though you'll probably prefer to take a quick peek and then settle in at one of the tables outside to watch the lively street scenes unfold. The coffee no longer comes exclusively from the former colony that gave the place its name, but it's some of the best in town (it even features in the sauce on the house steak) alongside tasty cakes, pastries, and artfully presented seafood dishes. A few doors down, Pastelaria Bénard is an even longer-established example of Chiado's old-world cafés.

The 18th-century Quintela Palace—once taken over by one of Napoléon's generals—now welcomes diners to a gastronomic experience in a space like no other in the city. Climb the grand staircase to dine in one of four airy elegant rooms, where you can enjoy Portuguese and international cuisine (and where there are well-priced lunch menus). Or stop for drinks and snacks from 6 pm onwards at the buzzy downstairs bar, where a DJ gets the crowd dancing as the night wears on.

Imaginative small plates are the main attraction at this small seafood-focused spot, which has now expanded to a second branch in the foodie neighborhood of Campo de Ourique. The ceviche is hugely popular at both branches, and for good reason. There's even a fish-free version made with tofu.

More of a local option than some cafés in the area, Aloma is known for its prize-winning pastéis de nata, whose fame has helped it build up a small chain and even go into the export business. This outlet also offers a range of other pastries, plus sandwiches and quiches.

The tables outside this long-established haven are the perfect place to watch the old trams go by, while an interior reading room offers a quiet space to relax with a book and a snack or meal (the two-course set lunches are a good value at €15). Less touristy than some other cafés nearby, it still attracts artists from the neighboring theaters who stop for a drink.

This laid-back, friendly spot in the São Bento district, just outside the Barrio Alto, is a local reference point for Goan cuisine. Vindaloo dishes are among the stars, and vegetarians have plenty of options alongside the meat and seafood dishes.

Portugal's first vegan pastéis de nata (custard tarts) are available at this long-established coffee merchant, with its vintage facade and wood-and-glass interior. Nonvegans, too, will love these egg- and dairy-free treats.

Today it's a lively spot for petiscos and cocktails, but this was once the location for secret political meetings (and romantic trysts), thanks to its secluded gabinetes (booths). It's been given a top-to-toe overhaul, but retains its paneled booths, tiled floors, and other details from its more than 150 years of history. Light dishes such as chilled tomato soup and tapas-style plates for sharing make for sociable dining in a cozy restaurant-bar, but they also have heartier bacalhau and seafood rice dishes, which are often big enough for two. 

There’s an enormous array of top-quality Portuguese cheeses, wines, and petiscos on the menu here. Regular live sets from talented local musicians add extra panache to the proceedings.

This long-established Austrian-style café is popular with most locals and tourists, with its combination of bottled and draft beers (including their very own brand) and hearty central European dishes such as Wiener schnitzel, homemade sausages, and spätzle, along with vegan and vegetarian options. The dessert menu includes apple strudel and Sacher torte. They do excellent brunches, too.

Ever since the New York Times described it as “devilishly good,” Landeau’s chocolate cake has been reason enough to head to Chiado (or one of their three other Lisbon shops). Here you can buy an entire cake to enjoy at home or sit for a slice with some tea.

The custard tarts at this tiny shop rival those of the famous shop in Belém for the title of the best pastéis de nata in town. A bell is rung every time a batch emerges warm from the oven. Eat at the counter and watch the tarts being made, or take away a box of half a dozen to enjoy later.

With two terraces, this very popular café is located in a corner of the Santa Catarina viewpoint, so expect bird’s-eye views over the port and the city. There are well-priced daily specials for light meals and refreshing drinks, but it’s the weekend brunch that attracts most locals. The occasional live DJ mixes a soundtrack of African beats, Brazilian bossa nova, and jazz.

Sharing the building of the Pharmacy Museum, this smart restaurant with a large terrace faces one of the city’s most popular viewpoints and is open throughout the day for meals and drinks—including medicinal-themed cocktails. Chef Susana Felicidade, known as a judge on the Portuguese edition of the MasterChef television show, gives a twist to traditional Portuguese cuisine, featuring dishes from her native Algarve such as gazpacho and carob cake.

For some of the best ice cream and sorbets in town, drop into this branch of a family-run chain founded in 1949. New flavors are introduced regularly, but all stick to the tradition of using only fresh fruit and all-natural ingredients.

A visit to this restaurant—in a space that was once the refectory of a 13th-century monastery—is a quintessential Lisbon experience, although these days it's a pricey one. Transformed into a cervejaria (traditional Portuguese restaurants known for serving beer alongside seafood and hearty meat dishes) in 1836, it's the city's oldest and one of its most ornate, packing in locals and tourists under the vaulted ceiling to sample dishes from a menu devised by Michelin-starred chef Alexandre Silva. Non-diners are welcome to step in off the street at any time from 10 to noon or 3 to 7, to see the colorful azulejo tile panels in the bar area.