PORTUGUESE DINING CULTURE

Updated March 2026

Like any country, Portugal has its quirks and ettiquetes when it comes to food. So I have listed a few pointers to help when dining at the super local, no-frills neighbourhood restaurants and tascas.

If you’d like some guidance on what dishes to order, you can check out my list here.

Couvert

The bread is not free. Ever. Nor is the butter or any other little table snacks automatically provided, like olives or cheese. This is customary across the country for locals and foreigners alike. Please don’t leave a shitty review because you’ve assumed differently.

They’ll be placed on your table without being asked and you simply tell them to take them away if you don’t want them. Don’t overthink it, a simple “não obrigada” will suffice. You’ll see them listed on the menu as “Couvert” if you want to know the price, which will be minimal.

Service

Service may be more utilitarian than you’re used to. They've been running their restaurants for the neighbourhood folk for decades, long before tourists came expecting a song and dance - or lo behold, a smile - for their patronage. It's cultural, not personal, I promise.

Large Lunches = Late Dinners

Tourist traps aside, forget going to dinner at 7 or 7.30, unless you want to be the only ones in the place. Dinner is usually after 8, even 9pm is common.

This late dinner time makes sense when you consider that lunch is a proper meal rather than a quick sandwich. You’ll see labourors and office workers having a steak and red wine for lunch, even in a mall food-court.

When you’re getting antsy at 4 or 5 pm, it's time for lanche. Sounding suspiciously like “lunch”, it’s a pit-stop snack designed to tide you over until meal-time. Normally a sweet or savoury pastry with an esspresso.

Carnivores Only

Aside from maybe switching out fries for rice, leave any modifications for more modern places. Tascas are not celiac, allergy or vegetarian friendly. Don’t ask for your sauce “on the side”. It comes as is, which is how they’ve been making it for eons. In the interest of the illusion of health, a basic garden salad is almost always avaible on request for a few euro extra, just ask for a Salada Mista. Stay tuned for my vegetarian recs coming soon.

Opening Times

Many local restaurants outside the tourist drag are only open for lunch and closed on weekends! A complete culture shock! This isn’t always the case though so do check times. Although it’s getting better, google maps opening times isn’t exactly 100% reliable in Portugal. Online reservations are also increasing but it’s common to have to make a call.

Wine

The cheaper the restaurant, the less likely there’s a wine menu. If having a vinho (wine), just ask for the house wine and accept whatever comes. Does it come from a box? Almost certainly. Is it still drinkable? Surprisingly so. It will be as cheap as a coca cola.

Tipping

And I don’t want to touch this topic but I know besties want to know. The appropriateness of tipping in Lisbon is a constant debate on social media, so no matter what I say I will offend someone.

The problem is, that although any server/estabishment would appreciate a tip, it was never expected as the norm until the influx of foreigners. And locals say that they shouldn’t be expected to conform to outsider’s traditions, especially when their spending capacity may be different.

However the way locals have always “tipped” is by rounding up. So if a bill is €27, you leave €30. If service has been exceptional, leaving some more cash on the table, not the credit card machine. That is totally normal. But an 18% or 20% calculation is not. Keep in mind, adding extra money into the card machine of a more traditional restaurant often goes straight into the till’s coffer, not the staff, as they simply haven’t been set up this way (hence the cash tip).

Having said that, new, less traditional restaurants, like fancy brunch places, are going the route of automatic tipping &/or service charges in on the cc machines, and the local Lisboetas are NOT happy. Though the young portuguese working these places are.