Tapas und Tascas: Private Food Tasting Experience in Lissabon

Bernardo is very knowledgeable about Portuguese history, and he took us to three charming spots in the old city. Thank you, Bernardo for the sandwich suggestion, too!

A nice walk through a part of town. The food was minimal and I wasn’t able to learn much from the guide. With a guide from Portugal familiar with food I think you would do well.

Pedro was a really nice guy. He was knowledgeable and friendly. His English is excellent. We enjoyed the tour and the food and drink, however, having already done a Tuk tuk tour and spent 3 days in Lisbon, we would have preferred to spend more time in eating establishments and less walking. Also, when we arrived at some of the places they were full, had no tables outside, or had a long queue. When you have spent the money and are with a local expert, you expect a degree of 'special treatment' (some pre-planning and/or close collaboration with the staff) We did eat some things we would not have considered, so I'm glad for that. But I think the content could be improved.

The people who gave us the tour were very nice and engaging and if you were looking for a companion to hang out with during an afternoon this would be a great event. However, the activities listed in the description of the tour bore little resemblance to what was actually provided in terms of local food and wine introduction. The guide was not fluent in Portuguese, not a local, and was very disorganized. Her friend/companion was a vegetarian and didn’t drink so could provide little in the way of insight into a good portion of the local cuisine. I would have expected a semi-planned itinerary but when we met up with the guide (and her friend) they basically left it to us to provide ideas which we did. Based upon the type of experience we described we walked to our first stop which turned out not to be open. OK this happens so we needed to fall back to plan B but there wasn’t any plan B so we ended up walking around and stopping for a cocktail at a random bar (which we paid for). After more walking around with no definite plan we ended up breaking off the tour after 2 hours with no food or drinks enjoyed. Basically I could have got this much insight into Portuguese cuisine and culture from our hotel. In contrast to another Portuguese guided culinary tour we took here in Lisbon this doesn’t even begin to compare. A definite disappointment and not worth the time even if it was free.

Our guide, Ricardo, tailored our tour to include our cultural interests as well as authentic Portuguese delicacies. We were warmly welcomed in the establishments we visited. Walking the hills of Lisbon was made so pleasant through Ricardo’s explanations & information. Highly recommend this tour to anyone who wants to embrace Portuguese culture via local neighborhoods and comfort foods.

Ann Elise was a terrific tour host and this experience was a highlight and kickoff to our visit. The selections of places, tastes, and variety was just what we had hoped for on the day following our engagement and second day in Lisbon. Her recommendations for other follow on tastes and places made the next days totally fun and delicious. Kudos and obrigadu (thank you)! I would recommend to anyone as one if the best tours taken in years.

Picture this: it's my birthday, and my husband and I have just arrived in Portugal for the very first time, straight off the Sud Express overnight train from Paris to Lisbon. Our host, Gabriele, meets us in our hotel lobby and whisks us off in a cab to a locals-only pastry shop to taste those emblematic pasteis de nata. No queues down the road, just hot dark strong coffee and totally delicious little pastries, served up immediately. Gabriele takes us around her Lisbon, stopping off for great views and great food in several places she knows personally. Shortly after we signed up for this private food tour on Trip Advisor we received an email asking us what we liked and what we were looking to do on the tour. We had said that we were wine buffs and experienced chefs and Gabriele came up trumps for us. She took us to the oldest restaurant in Lisbon for traditional pasteis de bacalhau, then to a brilliant wine bar where we had a private wine tasting with delicious nibbles. Along the way she described some of the sights of the city and pointed out places of interest for us to visit later. In one backstreet we tasted the homemade Ginjinha from a little lady with a table in the street! We finished off with a 3-course meal with wine in an out-of-the-way restaurant where we were pretty much the only foreigners - and where we had a great meal. In addition, I needed to find a jeweller's shop and Gabriele led us to one nearby, allowing us to experience even more of the sights, sounds and smells of Lisbon. We came away from our experience with full tummies, lots of photos, big smiles, and a definite desire to return to Lisbon. Thanks, Gabriele, for sharing your Lisbon and its food with us!