Best Restaurants in Lisbon for Sharing

Best Restaurants in Lisbon for Sharing

Technically speaking, most restaurants are suitable for sharing if you are creative enough with your orders; of this I am well aware.

The enjoyment of ones dining experience while sharing is what we are actually measuring when we consider whether a restaurant is good for sharing or not.

by Priscilla Du Preez – Unsplash

Lisbon is a dining Mecca. The Portuguese love food and they enjoy preparing it… they also love a shared dining experience and there are many restaurants around the city center that can cater to this. Read on!

The Food Temple in Lisbon

The Food Temple is a small hole in the wall spot in Lisbon’s most historic area, the Alfama . It requires an open mind and will to share from the moment you walk in.

Run by some local hippies, the concept of The Food Temple is a daily changing menu intended for diners to share with love.

Each day, The Food Temple kitchen staff come up with a range of creative dishes that are prepared prior to opening and then plated by the order one service begins. You are somewhat left at the mercy of the chef, and you can order as many small plates of the different options on offer to share between you and your guest/s.

The Food Temple in Lisbon – by The Food Temple – Sourced from their website

One could classify The Food Temple as vegan tapas dining. 

The Food Temple is a one hundred percent plant based establishment, although this actually has nothing to do with their success. Most diners that find their way into this restaurant do so because of the welcoming ambience, loving staff and delicious food, and are blown away to learn that no animal products were used in their creation.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

OPENING HOURS: Monday to Sunday – 7:30pm to 11pm

ADDRESS: Beco do Jasmim 18, 1100-289 Lisboa, Portugal

Metro STATION: Martim Moniz

Phoenicians Restaurant in Lisbon

Middle Eastern cuisine is usually always a safe bet for sharing a meal with another. Dishes native to the land tend to be portioned and plated smaller than regular restaurants; the intent being to eat a variety of things in one sitting.

Phoenicians is a wonderful Lebanese restaurant in the northern suburbs of Lisbon. The do full plated mains, or small plates of each dish presented cleverly on dish-holding stands that create layers above the table.

by Martin Lewison – Wikimedia Commons

Sharing breads, dips, meats, salads, falafel, potatoes and more doesn’t get much better than this. Phoenicians is also one of the more affordable Lebanese restaurants in Lisbon.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

OPENING HOURS: Monday to Saturday – 12pm to 3pm // 7:30pm to 11:30pm

ADDRESS: Rua do Loreto 54, 1200-242 Lisboa, Portugal

Metro STATION: Marquês de Pombal

Pesqueiro 25 in Lisbon

The Portuguese are big on sharing meal times, but not so big on sharing their actual plate of food with someone else. One’s main is very much a personal experience, but when they do feel compelled to share-dine then a seafood platter is the most obvious choice.

And what better place to share seafood than right on Lisbon’s coast? Perqueiro 25 is on the edge of the Tagus waters, in lower Chiado. They specialize in seafood from all coasts of Portugal and their seafood platter is famous amongst Lisbon tourists.

Pesqueiro 25 in Lisbon – by Pesqueiro 25 – Sourced from their website

Aside from the platters there are also a few mains at Pesquiero 25 that are suitable for sharing simply due to their sheer size. The lobster main is one of them, great for two hungry people to devour together.

The staff are great at coordinating shared dining here, just let them know your preferences.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

OPENING HOURS: Monday to Sunday – 12pm to 3pm // 7pm to 12am

ADDRESS: R. Nova do Carvalho 11, 1200-161 Lisboa, Portugal

Metro STATION: Cais do Sodre

Mesa Kreol in Lisbon

One thing you’ll learn about while on a free guided walking tour through the Alfama is Portugals long standing history of colonization in Africa. There aren’t many opportunities in Lisbon to explore this further, but here in the Alfama south there is a restaurant that makes an effort.

Mesa Kreol is a fusion kitchen in which diners are taken on a journey of the cuisines of all the African colonies once ruled by Portugal. If you’re open to tasting and sharing a few dishes throughout the evening, you’ll bounce between Angolan, Mozambican and Cape Verde dishes.

Mesa Kreol in Lisbon – by Mesa Kreol – Sourced from their Facebook

Another thing that Mesa Kreol does well is to create a warm and entertaining atmosphere throughout the evening. The music is fantastic and dancing is encouraged should anyone feel so inclined!

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

OPENING HOURS: Tuesday to Sunday – 6pm to 12am

ADDRESS: Arco Portas do Mar 9, 1100-035 Lisboa, Portugal

Metro STATION: Terreiro do Paço

Time Out Market in Lisbon

Further down the coast in Cars do Sodre there is a famous food market that is considered an unmissable attraction for travelers to Lisbon.

The Time Out Market is a one stop shop for anything food, grocery or flower oriented.

Shared dining is easy at this market, as well as ideal; there are so many food kiosks available offering great meal options that selecting just one becomes a bit boring. Everything from oysters to sushi, poke bowls to acai bowls, pizza and pasta, bacalhau to gluten free meals… a kingdom of pleasures.

Time Out Market in Lisbon – by Time Out Market – Uploaded by them

Diners at the Time Out Market eat in the central communal dining area which offers thousands of spaces to create your own little hub of food and drink. A great spot to share food with a lover, as a family or with a large group of friends.

Note: The opening hours offered below are the technical hours of the market itself; food stalls within the market operate on their own individual schedules.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

OPENING HOURS: Monday to Sunday – 10am to 12am

ADDRESS: Av. 24 de Julho 49, 1200-479 Lisboa, Portugal

Metro STATION: Cais do Sodre