It was when we found ourselves dancing, unexpectedly, cold beers in hand, to a live band that had set up at sunset on the Miradouro de Santa Catarina that I began to fall hard for Lisbon. A crowd of people, all ages, were twirling and spinning in the warm, fading sunshine, high up on the cobbled viewpoint, looking out over Lisbon’s towers, domes and higgledy-piggledy terracotta roofs and the wide, blue River Tagus.
Hazy smoke hung over the streets below, where dozens — perhaps even hundreds — of makeshift barbecues had been lit to celebrate the feast of Santo Antonio with grilled sardines and spicy sausages cooked until so blistered and hot that one melted my plastic fork.
I was there to research my latest recipe book, but because June is Festas month in Lisbon, my husband and I were easily sidetracked by the street parties, parades and convivial outdoor eating, drinking and dancing every weekend.
You don’t have to visit this month to fall for Lisbon, though. The waterside city is fast becoming one of the most popular destinations in the world for food-loving tourists. This comes as no surprise to me: its steep, narrow streets are stuffed with exceptional places to eat, from Michelin-starred gastro-temples opened by young, dynamic chefs to holes-in-the-wall serving prego no pao (garlicky steak sandwiches), with everything from custard tart and coffee shops and bustling seafood canteens in between.
Time Out magazine has done a lot for the city’s foodie reputation. In 2014, it converted half of the famous Mercado da Ribeira into a food hall, now known as the Time Out Market. Ringed by small kiosks run by many of the city’s best-known chefs and restaurants, the setup means you can eat dishes including Michelin-starred TV chef Henrique Sa Pessoa’s pork belly, or the famous burgers as served at Honorato, Lisbon’s first gourmet burger spot. The market is hugely popular and its long refectory tables are packed from morning to night; it is also an extremely loud, brightly lit barn, full of tourists, but — however you feel about it — it has efficiently highlighted the diversity and quality of Lisbon’s food scene to outsiders.
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If you can’t make it to Lisbon, don’t despair. Buoyed by the ever-growing number of Britons learning that there is far more to Portuguese cuisine than merely very good custard tarts and piri piri chicken, Portuguese chefs are finally gambling on opening proper restaurants in the UK (see below). Happily, that means I can now get my fix of crunchy salt cod croquettes, caldo verde soup, pork with clams and caldeirada fish stew quite easily — although I would love an excuse to return for a night of dancing under Lisbon’s huge, hot skies this summer.
3 London picks
Bar Douro
If you’ve ever been to Lisbon, the painted blue tiles in this railway-arch restaurant in Southwark will take you straight back, even before you start ordering plates of smoky alheira chicken sausage croquettes, salt cod cakes or Alentejo-style pork. bardouro.co.uk
Taberna do Mercado
Portuguese chef Nuno Mendes was best known for fashionably avant-garde cooking until he opened this delightful taberna in Old Spitalfields Market, his version of Portugal’s relaxed, casual restaurants, serving simple, hearty dishes. tabernamercado.co.uk
Leandro Carreira’s new opening
With several successful pop-ups to his name and a career including stints at Mugaritz in Spain and under Mendes at Viajante, Carreira is opening his own space in Bermondsey, southeast London, next month. The menu aims to combine his love of the city he now calls home with the flavours of Portugal. Look out for an exceptional list of Portuguese wines, too.
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3 Lisbon picks
Taberna da Rua das Flores
Not far from the Largo do Chiado, this is one of the best places to eat in town, but it’s very small and takes no reservations, so be ready to queue. The menu is a daily-changing chalkboard using Portuguese ingredients in magical ways. Owner André Magalhaes is a food hero beyond Lisbon, so don’t be surprised if you see world-famous chefs at the tiny wooden tables here. 00 351 21 347 9418
A Cevicheria
Kiko Martins is Brazilian-Portuguese and in this restaurant (he has three), in Principe Real, he adds Peruvian cookery to the mix. Expect beautiful dishes of Portuguese-style ceviche, meticulously plated in front of diners at the bar, under an enormous sculpture of an octopus that hangs from the ceiling. 00 351 21 803 8815
Boi-Cavalo
Clever and delicious spins on traditional Portuguese cooking, created by chef Hugo Brito, who defied local (sometimes conservative) tastes to make a huge success out of this small and deceptively simple restaurant, housed in an old butcher’s shop in Alfama. boi-cavalo.pt
Lisbon: Recipes From the Heart of Portugal by Rebecca Seal (Hardie Grant £25) is out on June 15