YLB’ s Top 5 Mid-Range Local Restaurants
The city is teeming with restaurants in this price bracket but the more authentic ones, the ones that aren’t trending on social media, are getting harder to find. Unless you have a bestie to tell you, that is!
If you’d like some guidance, I have made a list of Portuguese dishes here and I think reading my page on Portuguese dining culture will be benificial to you.
I know “Mid-range” is an objective term, but for this list I’m saying somewhere around 30-45 euro for a main desert and a drink + coffee. If you want more affordable than that, check out my other lists here and here.
O Vinhaça
Stuck between the tourist traps around the castle, O Vinhaça stands proud. A family restaurant for a few generations, Carlota took this restaurant over when her father retired and has done a great job bringing it into modernity while keeping it’s roots. Tapas style, the food is made with precision and care (I recommend the marinated sardines from the cold selection). The wine is also a high point. You’ll find no Papa Figos or Planalto here, Carlota carefully selects her wines and she has excellent taste.
Belmiro
Where the middle class Portuguese like to dine, you’ll barely see another foreigner here…(if this changes, they’re probably a bestie). The menu is traditional but classy. If you say you're going to share a dish between two, they’ll split it and plate it accordingly, which I just love. In a city full of chips, the handmade ones here are the best.
Bestie Tip: Don’t go before 8 pm, it’s completely dead, yet if you come at 9 it’s heaving, so make your reservations accordingly.
Tico Tico
A decades-old institution, Lisboetas come from all over the city to eat here. The menu allows you to go as cheap or as expensive as you like, but generally the prices are mid-range. Do as the locals do and start with a plate of fresh prawns. Tico’s popularity means there’s often a queue so I always make a booking.
Adega da Tia Matilde
The untouched retro decor gives a warm, old-fashioned wine cellar vibe. This historical place has a solid reputation for some of the best traditional cuisine in the city. The only downside is the service from staff who have been there for their whole career can vary from fabulous to dismissive but if you’ve been in Lisbon a while, you'll see that’s normal and not personal.
Com Certeza!
If you're looking for a quaint place for traditional cuisine when you’re in the mecca of touristic tack around Praça do Comércio / Baixa, I recommend this place. Very homely but somehow still modern, all the classics are here and done well. The wine selection is decent and the service is lovely. If you’re feeling game, I think the moelas estufadas (stewed gizzards) are the best in the city.
Honorable Mention: Sant'Avó
I know I wasn’t gonna share the cool new things, but I would be doing my besties a massive disservice if I didn’t share my absolute favourite place in Graça…maybe the whole city. It may be new-ish but the decor - as the name suggests - is done like a Portuguese grandmother's house. Every detail is spot on. It’s also reflected in the menu that honours the dishes avós would cook. So for this reason it meets my criteria. From the excellent service, the delicious food and the great vibes, I cannot fault this place. A great place to take visitors also.