Visiting a new location also requires exploring the cultural values and not least the food culture such as cafes and restaurants 🍽️ Some of them were purely random, some planned before the trip from home, and some of them in the local area of the hotel to get into the life of the locals and feel their passion for Lisbon. Fooding around finding nice places might gives good unexpected experiences.
I stayed in the area of Entrecampos a relatively newer part of Lisbon, and there were plenty of opportunities to explore good places. Of course, I had tried looking at maps, in the guidebook, at Lonely Planet, and others that could give a clue about what to visit and what to stay away from.
At the journey in the plane, I were lucky to get a seat next to a young man who was going home to Lisbon for a week visiting his family. He and a few other passengers from the area made a few suggestions and lists of restaurants and cafes that I had to visit. Even sorted by distance from the hotel I was staying at. Nice of them. There are so many options but I unfortunately didn’t get time visit a quarter of their good suggestions, so I’ll have to take another trip another time I hope 🙂
The hotel
I booked a room no breakfast included as I have experienced that it often doesn’t fit into my daily schedule to eat there, the restaurant doesn’t open as early as I need, or it’s a type of cousin that I’m not a big fan of. So it’s better to buy breakfast on site as an upgrade, as the hotel often has a better price than on Booking.com, or go to the nearest cafe.
“The News Cafe” 📰 were nearby. Cosy place, nice service, and the price was OK in relation to the location. The coffee was thick like espresso in small cups, even as an Americano. I tasted both croissant, cafe and juice. It was absolutely something completely different from what I experience in most other places. The juice was thick as syrup, fresh and a combination of sweet and sour, which was great.
Unfortunately, not in a size that satisfied my needs for liquid, so I had to have lot of water later later on. But to be honest, the local Lidl and Continente Bom Dia had just as good deals, and were even open earlier, so I used these a couple of times, including on Thursday morning on my way to Cabo da Roca. I got a delicious sandwich, sunscreen and lots of water in my backpack that early morning. The price compared to others was low and OK. Nothing I would do every day, but for a few times it works fine.
Incidentally, I was very surprised that this historic Cafe News did not have a newspaper or news on a screen anywhere. Somehow it had lost its soul to standard noisy coffee machines, metered croissants and poor acoustics many years ago. No tablecloth for breakfast, only for lunch.
The neighbourhood area to hotels in Entrecampos
The first evening, that is to say Tuesday, I arrived so early that the cafes were not closed, and found a small original Portuguese Cafe called A Camponesa on the corner of the main street Avienda das Forcas Armadas. It was very rare for the staff to speak English or German as other languages, and my Portuguese is limited to “Olá”.
The owner, an elder gentleman, had some young women employed immigrants from Africa, one of whom spoke a little English. I managed to order an beef of cow shown in the picture, but what came to the table was something that resembled Wienerschnitzel without breading. Served with French fries and rice and a local beer Bock, this went for the present opportunity ok.
The payment, however, was almost as expected. The price was calculated by the owner and added together on a napkin, and was at least 2,5 Euros more than what I could calculate on the menu. Of course, they didn’t take credit cards there that day, and I were travelling without Euros in cash, so together with one of the younger women we went to the nearest hotel, where there was an ATM outside.
This was not owned by a bank, so instead of a reasonable normal rate of under 7.55, it was 8.24 plus a surcharge from my own bank and a minimum withdrawal of 50 Euros. Bad business, but the food had to be paid for. I rounded up from 9.40 to 10 Euros, and laughed a lot in my mind, knowing I must have been cheated. But the food, service and atmosphere were good, but generally worn interior and a men’s bar with sports television.
I also tried the local Chinese restaurant XiaoXiong Ramen, which was well attended. Nice and clean, newly renovated goods service, fast service and not least delicious food that were served fast. I’m not the big expert in Asian dishes, so I just chose a light dish that covered my not so hungry needs before bedtime on Thursday evening. Price was low compared to the area.
In the boulevard above the metro Campo Grande, there is also a local bar with both outdoor service, many locals, most students, chilling after school. Fortunately, the temperature was so warm, so you could sit outside with some warm clothes on. So wonderful to start the summer season after a long cold winter in Denmark.
Saturday night was about visiting the local area, and I have good experiences with coming 2-300 meters away from the train stations and main roads, and finding the places where the locals go. The prices are usually better, the same about the quality. My random walk led me to an Indian family-owned restaurant, called Wataan Cousine Asian & European, which had a large selection, flexible service and not least a range that could satisfy both the Indian strong curry palate, and a not so strong food fan like me.
I chose a burger following an Indian recipe with chicken, and was positively surprised. It was fresh meat and vegetables, fried just right with bite and taste, as all others should be. Nothing prefabricated, the sauce homemade and spicy enough to bite without losing your breath. It must be tried again. It also promotes when the owner’s daughter can speak English and the entire service level and restaurants are there for you, and make you feel like the most important person in the restaurant.
They were just finishing an Indian wedding for some of their family, so the whole restaurant was actually busy. I asked for a table outside, but due to the weather, where the sun had just set and it would soon be cool, they suggested a seat inside, and quickly cleared a corner for me. Everything was taken care of, and I almost felt like part of the family. The price was €9.40 with a coke, and this was quite ok with the delicious food and fresh tablecloth.
Cafe Hygge, Of course I had to visit the local variant of Scandinavian cosiness in a cafe named after it. I had found it from home on the map and via the tourist office website, entered the location into my GNSS on my phone for the Picoas site, and makes two tries before I hit it: The first time my phone ran out of power the last few hundred meters before the final, and the power bank dried out too. The locals are very nice and helpful, but without a proper city map mad of paper I was sent on a strange detour that included very old areas of Portugal, but no cafe with Hygge to see.
I saw something else, and the district is very hilly, so I left the idea of going back, perhaps taking the wrong turn again, to one side.
Second try were spot on late Monday afternoon before my return trip, and had a good experience. The environment, atmosphere, dishes and working conditions were Danish and Scandinavian in a modern style.
The menu with delicious sandwiches and smoothies. No beer, though, which I asked a little about. -How can you have hygge without beer? No candles either, as in Denmark there is a strong source of hygge, especially in wintertime.
I ordered a sandwich and a smoothie. They were delicious, large, all made with fresh ingredients, and toasted just enough to have a crunch in the bite. Later, a cup of tea and a cake. I had a faint suspicion that this one had been frozen, as the way it seemed warm was a bit microwave-like, so the delicious chocolate mousse flowed a little. The taste and consistency were ok, and together with the tea, which was just a tea bag, it went very well as a dessert.
The staff were incredibly nice, one of them from Brazil, could speak some Danish after a recent au pair stay in Denmark. It was nicely clean, tidy, small booths where you could do group work on your homework or just hang out. Bright, lovely surroundings. Unfortunately they close relatively early, but I think that’s their daily rhythm with the local traders and not least universities in the area that drive the daily turnover. You can also sit outside in the good weather if you can get a seat. Total 18.20€ is a bit on the high end compared to the rest of Lisbon, but the quality is top notch.
Exploring Cafes and restaurants in the city centre of Lisbon
Of course I had to go to a cafe in the city centre, which is notoriously expensive, like London or Copenhagen. But if you look around a bit, you can easily find good places to eat and cosy places that don’t cost nearly as much and are of high quality.
Cafe Pau de Canela da Baxia, Rua da Vitória, 57, offers both local regional dishes and cakes. If you ask nicely, you get a table in the back, quiet, and near a power outlet, so you can charge your smartphone while you yourself are charged by the deliciousness. I tried a dish that in the best Danish holiday in Callela Spanish style without knowing the language, had nice pictures of each dish. I selected something reminiscent of pulled port like tenderloin with fresh mashed potatoes and vegetable sauce. It looked excellent and the portion was so large that someone twice my size would have had plenty. It was about 20 minutes before the food was served, and a positive signal that it was fresh. The price was €10,50, and that was OK for the area in the city centre of Lisboa.
Coffee shops in Lisboa all top 10
Of coffee shops, I had to visit the place on the main street that had the most Japanese tourists in queue: Casa Brasileira in Rossio, Rua Augusta 267. I know from experience that they are very quality-conscious and have often studied the details before arriving at a new place. I waited until after 4 pm, so that the siesta race had subsided. It is also an indicator of quality when the local police come and get their espresso, which does not take more than 10 minutes. At the same time, oranges and other fruits were completely fresh, and were brought out as needed as shown in the main photo.
However, I chose a hot chocolate that was thick as syrup and could be diluted with milk as needed. In addition, one of the local specialities from Lisbon, a cake that resembles a Danish layer cake with cream in between. The fresh cherry goes well with it. Charging phone a safe place was also possible so for cosy experience the most posh location in town centre 11,11 euro are high but expected.
A single visit to A Tendinha Do Rossio were also necessary. It was in the section of small croissants and Americano coffee. It was more of a snack than a meal. The service was good, but they were not good at English. Although the tables seemed a little tired, hygiene was good and the tables were cleaned between each guest gitting rid of the pigeons droppings. The price was surprisingly €6.70, which was low for the area considering the view of Martim Moniz Square and Castelo de São Jorge, Lisbon Castle.
Quiosque do Adamastor is af coffey shop and bar with outstanding view over the fiord on the top of the steep cliffs in Lisbon. I were lucky to pass by in sunny moments after days of rain. You find it here next to the iconic yellow cable car Funicular: https://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=18/38.709479/-9.147411
Sintra Fooding around
Sintra offers local homemade ice cream at Gelati de Chef. I often have good experience with it. It is a well-visited tourist town and close to being a tourist trap in terms of price. The quality, on the other hand, is impeccable, and the strawberry trifle I chose was made with fresh ingredients. There is a big difference in consistency and taste in both the strawberries and the ice cream, and if you are a connoisseur of dessert, then you should try this when you are there. If you know Moen Is in Denmark, or ice cream from Tejn Havn on Bornholm, then the same high experience. Be prepared that the smallest change like one more scoop costs tourist prices. You easily got trapped in the warm sunshine. The size of the was no way near the photos on display.
Cabo da Roca Cocktail cart, read more here https://jes.saxe.dk/travel/exploring-cabo-da-roca-sintra-portugal-2682
Happy Fooding 🙂
