What food is Lisbon famous for?

Pastéis de nata (custard tarts), bacalhau (salt cod) in dozens of preparations, grilled sardines in summer, bifana pork sandwiches and ginjinha cherry liqueur. A guided food tour covers most of them in one morning.

Where is the best Fado in Lisbon?

The traditional casas de Fado cluster in the Alfama and Mouraria, where the genre was born; Bairro Alto has lively rooms too. For a shorter, concert-style option, the staged shows in Chiado run about 50 minutes with no dinner required.

Do Fado shows include dinner?

Many do — dinner shows pair a multi-course Portuguese meal with live sets through the evening, typically from around €60. Show-only formats with a glass of port or wine are cheaper and start from about €25.

Home/Destinations/Lisbon/Food & Fado day

Theme day · Lisbon itinerary

Lisbon Food & Fado: A Day of Tastings, Cooking and Live Music

Lisbon is one of Europe's great eating cities, and its soundtrack is Fado — the melancholy song of the old town, on UNESCO's heritage list since 2011. This theme day strings together a morning food walk, an afternoon at the stove and an evening in a casa de Fado, with the best-rated tastings, classes and shows to book.

At a glance

1Pastéis de nata & bica tasting
2Time Out Market & Alfama food walk
3Portuguese cooking class
4Fado night with dinner in Alfama

Morning: a food walk with 10+ tastings

Start with a guided food tour — most pack in 10 to 18 tastings over about three hours, from around €70. Expect a warm pastel de nata dusted with cinnamon, a bica (Lisbon's espresso), sheep's cheese with quince paste, a bifana pork sandwich and a shot of ginjinha, the sour-cherry liqueur poured from tiny hole-in-the-wall bars. The best routes wind through the Alfama or Baixa, mixing food with neighbourhood stories.