20 Best Restaurants in Lisbon, Portugal

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.

Serving pastéis de nata and other sweetly delicious treats since 1829, Confeitaira Nacional is the oldest pastelaria in Lisbon. The handsome antique decor competes for attention with the glass cabinets packed with mouthwatering cakes, pastries, and chocolates.

This bakery specializes in pastéis de nata: delicious warm custard tarts sprinkled with cinnamon and powdered sugar. Although these sweet treats are ubiquitous in Portugal, the version here is celebrated as the original, made here since 1837 using a secret recipe from the nearby Mosteiro dos Jerónimos. They're so good that lines snake out of the door of this traditional blue-and-white-tiled establishment. Luckily the lines move quickly, especially if you are just getting take-out.

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.

Coffee addicts and chocolate lovers stop at this small store across from the Jardim do Príncipe Real, drawn by the scent of the beans that arrive straight from a family plantation in the former Portuguese colony of São Tomé and Príncipe in Africa.

Mismatched chairs, old plates used as wall art, and a simple menu of quality coffees and small meals are the order of the day at this neighborhood café. The menu includes healthy and vegan options.

The food at the café at the Teatro Taborda is nothing unusual—standard sandwiches, salads, and the like—but they have lovely views of the city. It sometimes hosts jazz concerts, poetry sessions, and recitals.

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.

Situated on one of Mouraria's prettiest squares, Café O Corvo is a great place to recharge after a day of wandering the area's hilly streets. There are outdoor tables under shady trees, friendly staff, and a menu that includes brunch, burgers, sandwiches, and snacks.

Portugal’s oldest bakery has taken over an old pier next to the Torre de Belém. Here dozens of tables are perched over the Tagus River, with one side facing the famous tower and the other toward the city. While it lacks the opulent interiors of the original, it's location is the perfect pit stop for coffee, sweets, or a freshly squeezed orange juice.

Sit beneath fragrant orange blossoms enjoying a healthy lunch at this café with a mission. Hidden behind the Belém library, this glass-walled social enterprise café supports a project protecting and empowering vulnerable women and girls. Come for the delicious house-made cake and stay for the side helping of social justice.

This bright red kiosk directly in front of the ferry terminal is hard to miss, and there are few better spots for a quick coffee, beer, or ginjinha (sour cherry liqueur) while waiting for a boat. Although the food offer is limited, toasted sandwiches, nuts, and potato chips will keep hunger pangs at bay while you soak up the sun.

Hidden just a few feet from the Elevador do Lavra, this was one of the first places in the city to offer specialty coffee, roasted and ground on the premises. Sandwiches and pastries are also available.

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.

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.

This peachy pink all-day café serves breakfast and brunch plates nonstop along with coffee and cocktails. Find plenty of vegetarian and vegan-friendly options in the extensive menu that mixes brunch culture and Portuguese cuisine with a healthy homemade twist.

Perhaps the best place in the city to watch the sunset, the menu here is like at every other kiosk in the city, but there's friendly table service and great people-watching.

A good selection of pastries, a decent brunch menu, great coffee, and friendly service make this French-style café a good choice at the start of your day, whatever time that may be. Brunch is served until 3 pm, and light lunch options are also available.

Many a Lisboeta would argue that Careca, which has been cooking up pastries since 1954, serves the best sweet croissants in town. Try them for yourself at this simple-but-smart café—best enjoyed outside on the terrace with a coffee or fresh orange juice.

This new combination gourmet market and food hall also serves as a laptop-friendly all-day café. Different stalls sell coffee, snacks, cheese, sausages, and various light bites. Across the courtyard, an even newer space, called Refeitório da Praça, serves more elaborate lunches and dinners.