The Best Tapas Restaurants in Lisbon


 

Once overheard on the Lisbon metro: “anyone who says they don’t like tapas is lying”.

Couldn’t have worded it better myself. What’s not to love about multiple plates of bitesized foods featuring nearly every cuisine in the world?

by Maddi Bazzocco – Unsplash

As much as The Med loves seafood, they do love tapas foods as well. In Portugal, meal times are a time for gathering, enjoying and sharing. Tapas style dining ensures that all three of these elements are embraced — this is the perfect way to share food in Lisbon, including when you’re dining with children.

Where to enjoy tapas, you may ask? I do this often. Allow me to lead the way.

Tapa Bucho in Lisbon

Here’s the thing about Tapa Bucho in Lisbon. It is one of the only tapas restaurants in the district of Bairro Alto, which has caused it to see incredible success in a very short space of time.

If you would like to eat here and there are only two of you, expect about a 30 minute waiting period on any given night. For tables greater than 2 people a booking is absolutely necessary.

Tapa Bucho in Lisbon 0- by Tapa Bucho – Sourced from their Facebook

There is no specific cuisine being followed in Tapa Bucho. The chef has instead taken different ingredients and fresh meats and combined them with spices and cooking techniques to create each individual menu option.

The result is phenomenal, and the high-demand of this spot in Bairro Alto is absolutely understandable. Their tapas are best experienced alongside their house sangria.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION
OPENING HOURS: Monday to Saturday – 7pm to 12am
ADDRESS: R. dos Mouros 19, 1200-141 Lisboa, Portugal
METRO STATION: Rossio-Lisboa

11 Tapas in Lisbon

11 Tapas’ menu is more targeted at traditional Portuguese foods. They identify as a tapas restaurant, although their menu offers full plated main meals in addition to the small plates made for sharing.

What’s great about 11 Tapas is that too often in Lisbon the traditional restaurants potion their food so generously, that one can rarely manage more than one main on their own. 11 Tapas gives you the experience of sampling all the different Portuguese recipes in one evening, offering tapas versions of each.

11 Tapas in Lisbon – by 11 Tapas – Sourced from their Facebook

That bacalhau you’ve been too nervous to order as a main? Now you can try it.

This is also one of the most reasonably priced tapas restaurants in Lisbon. Note that there are not a whole lot of vegetarian friendly options at this restaurant, and certainly nothing for vegans.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION
OPENING HOURS: Wednesday to Monday – 4pm to 1am
ADDRESS: Travessa da Água da Flor 11, 1200-010 Lisboa, Portugal
METRO STATION: Rossio-Lisboa

Tapisco Lisboa in Lisbon

A common misconception is that all of the best restaurants in Lisbon must fall under the Bairro Alto, Chiado or Alfama zones. This is largely untrue, and if you take a free guided walking tour through the center you’ll come to find that some of the best restaurants are actually gathering just north of these areas, on the outlying streets.

Tapisco Lisboa sits right above Bairro Alto, just before the main road where one would enter into the neighborhood’s perimeter.

Tapisco Lisboa in Lisbon – by Tapisco Lisboa – Sourced from their website

They cater tapas style foods from around the world, with the focus being on fresh ingredients and flavors as opposed to needing to stick to one specific cuisine.

What I love about restaurants this far north of the center is that they are noticeably more diverse and inclusive of the Lisbon locals instead of being overrun by tourists.

Tables as Tapisco turn quite quickly though you may need to wait a few minutes. They’ll offer you a spot at the bar in the meantime where you can sip sangria until your table is prepared.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION
OPENING HOURS: Monday to Sunday – 12pm to 11:15m
ADDRESS:R. Dom Pedro V 80, 1250-096 Lisboa, Portugal
METRO STATION: Rossio-Lisboa

Taberna Tosca in Lisbon

One of the most famous food complexes in Lisbon is the Time Out Market on the water’s edge, south of the center .

The Time Out Market offers a plethora of miniature eateries and kiosk-style restaurants, built around a central communal dining hall where people banquet the days away. Eating tapas style at the Time Out Market is easy if you simply purchase different dishes from many different stalls within the space.

Just outside the market, on the main street Taberna Tosca is doing tapas dining professionally and offers both lunch and dinner dining close to the water’s edge.

Taberna Tosca in Lisbon – by Taberna Tosca – Uploaded by them

At first glance Taberna looks as though the menu is only concerned with cheese, meats and wines; but once seated you’ll come to find that they have a large assortment of vegetable based tapas on offer as well.

The service is nothing special, but if you offer your dietary requirements from the beginning the staff will make arrangements with the chef to cater.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION
OPENING HOURS: Monday to Sunday – 12pm to 12am
ADDRESS: Praça São Paulo 21, 1200-425 Lisboa, Portugal
METRO STATION: Cais do Sodre

Bairrices in Lisbon

Seafood tapas enjoyed from the Portuguese coast is as Mediterranean as it gets. Despite being far from the local fishing harbors, Lisbon city gets daily delivery of all the freshest catches from around the coastline, making it one of the best places in Portugal to eat seafood.

Seafood tapas is hard to find in the city center, most of the restaurants prefer to focus on seafood mains. Bairrices is one of the top spots to eat both seafood mains and small plates; it is widely regarded as one of the best seafood restaurants in Lisbon.

Bairrices in Lisbon – by Bairrices – Uploaded by them

In addition to seafood tapas, they also do small plates of other Med delicacies like olives, dips, breads and cheeses. A low-key, laid back dining environment where all focus is placed on the quality of the food.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION
OPENING HOURS: Monday to Sunday – 6pm to 10pm
ADDRESS: R. da Barroca 110, 1200-051 Lisboa, Portugal
METRO STATION: Rossio-Lisboa

Planning a trip to Paris ? Get ready !


These are Amazon’s best-selling travel products that you may need for coming to Paris.

Bookstore

  1. The best travel book : Rick Steves – Paris 2023 – Learn more here
  2. Fodor’s Paris 2024 – Learn more here

Travel Gear

  1. Venture Pal Lightweight Backpack – Learn more here
  2. Samsonite Winfield 2 28″ Luggage – Learn more here
  3. Swig Savvy’s Stainless Steel Insulated Water Bottle – Learn more here

Check Amazon’s best-seller list for the most popular travel accessories. We sometimes read this list just to find out what new travel products people are buying.