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City Guide - Lisbon - Food and Drink | ||
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Food and Drink Lisbon is a great place for restaurants, which tend to be crowded and lively as late as midnight at the weekend. The best place to wander around is the Bairro Alto, which has a number of reasonably priced spots. The casas de fado - restaurants where the traditional music of Lisbon is played from about 2100 - tend to be aimed at tourists; the more heavily one is promoted as restaurante típico, the better it is avoided. There are also a number of casas de fado in the Alfama district. More expensive restaurants can be found along the docks, as well as those aimed at tourists near the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos. Otherwise, there are good restaurants spread throughout the city. The cuisine in Lisbon is geared heavily toward seafood and meat dishes. Bacalhau (salt cod) is especially prevalent and is served as bacalhau à Brás (fried with egg and potatoes), pastéis de bacalhau (fishcakes) or pataniscas de balcalhau (fritters). Typical Lisboan drinks include ginjinha (cherry brandy found especially in the Baixa), pontapé na cona (sweet, dark beer found in traditional bars) and caipirinhas, a popular rum-based Brazilian cocktail. Lisboetas generally eat lunch around 1200-1400 and dinner at 2000-2200, although it can still be hard to get a table at 2300 at weekends, and some restaurants stay open as late as 0200. A service charge is included in the bill, although a gratuity of 10% for good service is common. Restaurants There is no shortage of traditional fado restaurants, but it is difficult to find one that feels authentic. One place to try is the Clube do Fado, Rua de São João da Praça 92-94, behind the Cathedral (tel: (21) 885 2704). A three-course meal will cost Esc7000-12,000. Tasca do Manuel, Rua da Barroca 24 (tel: (21) 346 3813), is a typically Portuguese restaurant in Bairro Alto with a menu heavy on fish, meat and game. Main courses average Esc1100-1500. Worth checking out is Pap'Açorda, Rua da Atalaia 57-59 (tel: (21) 346 4811), a well-known and expensive (Esc5000-Esc6000 for three courses) restaurant for this part of the city. The Casa do Leão (tel: (21) 887 5962) is a good option for a crowded sightseeing itinerary - it is located in the Castelo de São Jorge in a cellar with an outstanding view, matched only by the excellent Portuguese dishes, quality service and high prices (from Esc6000 for three courses). On the neighbouring hill, below the Miradouro da Graça, is Via Graça, Rua Damasceno Monteiro 9b (tel: (21) 887 0830), which also offers great views and reasonably priced meals from Esc4000. Below the Castelo, the Restaurante Bar Costa de Castelo, Calçada Marquês de Tancos 1-1b (tel: (21) 888 4636), offers a terrace with a fine view over the Baixa. In addition to the homemade Mozambique cuisine (Esc3000 for three courses), there is a storyteller who recounts traditional Portuguese and African tales on Friday nights. Cafés Espresso is ubiquitous in Lisbon, and is often accompanied by delicious pasteis (custard tarts) in the afternoon. Pasteis evolved from the recipe of a monk at the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos, and the best place to taste them is just east of the monastery at Antiga Casa dos Pasteis, Rua de Belém 90 (0800-2400). Pavement cafés abound in the Baixa district, as well as tucked into corners in the Alfama and Bairro Alto. One of the best known is A Brasileira, at Rua Garrett 120, with a statue of the poet Fernando Pessoa outside. One of the oldest cafés in Lisbon, its ornate decor draws people in night and day. In the Baixa, famous cafés are also tourist favourites - Martinho da Arcada, Praça do Comércio 3, and Suiça, Praça Dom Pedro IV (Rossio) 96, are both worth a try. Café Nicola, opposite Suiça at number 24-25, has a lovely Art Deco atmosphere. Versailles Café, away from the old centre at Avenida da Republica 15, is a typical old-style café with ornate ceilings high above the white starched tablecloths. |