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Lisbon's dining scene has evolved dramatically in recent years to include any number of high-end dining opportunities, but amid the international fare, Michelin-starred restaurants, and molecular gastronomy, the city's simplest and most traditional restaurants still do a roaring trade. Meals generally include three courses, a drink, and coffee. Many restaurants have an ementa turistica (tourist menu), a set-price meal, most often served at lunchtime. Note that you'll be charged a couple of euros if you eat any of the couvert items—typically appetizers such as bread and butter, olives, and the like—that are brought to your table without being ordered.
Lisbon's restaurants usually serve lunch from noon or 12:30 until 3 and dinner from 7:30 until 11; many establishments are closed Sunday or Monday. Inexpensive restaurants typically don't accept reservations. In the traditional cervejarias (beer-hall restaurants), which frequently have huge dining rooms, you'll probably have to wait for a table, but usually not more than 10 minutes. In the Bairro Alto, many of the reasonably priced tascas (taverns) are on the small side: if you can't grab a table, you're probably better off moving on to the next place. Throughout Lisbon, dress for meals is usually casual, but exceptions are noted below.
The cool, colorful restaurant on the ground floor of the Internacional Design Hotel in the heart of the Baixa is as cheeky and irreverent as its name suggests. Expect the unexpected on the menu, which takes the country's culinary traditions on fantastic flights of fancy in dishes like octopus with sweet potato, Bourbon, kimchi, and black garlic. The restaurant and the adjoining bar welcome non-guests.
The unpretentious bar-restaurant at trendy 1908 Lisboa Hotel is as stylish as the design hotel itself. The space has been tastefully designed to make the most of its historical building with a striking tiled floor, high ceilings, an exposed metal staircase, and windows on three sides. A pleasant place for brunch, lunch, or dinner, the eclectic menu features seafood, meat, and vegetarian options, many with Asian influences. There's a dedicated kids' menu, too.
Seasonal, locally-sourced ingredients are the stars of the show at this chic but relaxed restaurant, where plants hang from the ceiling and contemporary furnishings keep things feeling serene. The presentation is on par with some of the city's most acclaimed restaurants.
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