It was Sunday night in Lisbon but it was Sunday morning back in the States. This meant it was time to watch football. We started walking around all the bars and restaurants to see who might have the football games on tv. Luckily for us we found Cervejaria do Bairro. We knew this was where we would be hanging out for a few hours.
They were having a football special, a beer with a basket of French fries and cheesy garlic bread. It was a good little snack. The fries had garlic on them too, which made them even better. They used freshly made bread that can be found all around the city. This bread is perfect for garlic bread, soft on the inside and crispy on the outside.
Since we were there for a while, we ended up ordering a few more things. I ordered the grilled ham and cheese sandwich. This was the perfect comfort food even in Lisbon.
We tried the cheeseburger. To our surprise it was pretty tasty. They had great seasoning on the patty, but it was the bread that made it all the better.
It was strange watching football so late at night, but it is a good thing the parties don’t start until 10:00pm in Portugal.
A food and wine tour in Lisbon would not be complete without having some ginjinha, that famous cherry liqueur. A lot like their pastel de nata, ginjinha can be found all over the city. And everyone makes their own version. We got to try one of those homemade versions at O Estamine Snack Bar.
The owner did not speak any English but Kika was able to help translate for us. He was excited to welcome us to his little shop and serve us his homemade ginjinha.
It was not as sweet as the previous version I tried. This one was smoother going down. The cherry was just as strong, having been soaking in the alcohol for a while.
He seemed really excited to get a picture with our group.
Our tour was almost coming to an end. Kika took us to a market called Mercado de Campode Ourique. It had multiple stands that offered a variety of food.
We visited a homemade gelato & sorbet stand called Artisani.
We each were able to get two scoops. I went for the Limao com Manjericao (lemon and basil) and Chocolate com Oreo. It was the perfect combination of sweet and tart. This was the perfect ending to the tour.
We discussed with the group what our favorite parts of the tour were. Kika gave us other suggestions of places to visit during our time in Lisbon. She even gave us her email address so we could reach out with any questions. She was wonderful and one of the best tour guides I have ever had. I would highly recommend Culinary Backstreets to anyone visiting Lisbon. I also learned that they have other tours in places around the world.
We continued to explore the area of Estrela. We went to a café that has been there since 1943 called Aloma. They offered a variety of pastries, including the famous pastel de nata and bolos de coco (coconut cake). The coconut cake was Kika’s favorite. We were lucky to get to try both.
The coconut cake was moist and fluffy. The toasted coconut on top added a little crunch. It would be great with an espresso or café latte.
The pastel de nata was similar to the other ones I had already enjoyed. The cream filling was cool, and the crust was crispy. With 2 bites I devoured this treat.
Continuing our walk through the neighborhoods of Estrela. The architecture of the buildings is amazing. There was a combination of classic and contemporary.
Soon we approached the building where we were going to enjoy our second lunch. The restaurant A Padaria do Povo was located in a building that also serves as a community center. This meal was going to center around the Indian influence from Goa that was a Portuguese colony until 1961.
Here we got to enjoy a different wine from the Douro Region of Portugal called Esteva. This red wine was bold but was smooth to taste. The lack of sulfites in the wine made it all that more enjoyable.
Our guide Kika also explained the different wine regions and drew us an extremely easy to understand map.
The appetizer that came out for us to enjoy with the wine was the Chamuca, which is the Portuguese equivalent of a Samosa. The shell was crispy. The inside filling of chickpeas had amazing flavor. It was salty and savory, but not overpowering.
The main dish was Pork Vindaloo. This Goan dish was intensely flavored with Indian spices including curry, garlic, and chilies. The pork pulled apart as soon as the fork touched it. It is almost like a stew because there are a few potatoes in the sauce.
They also served a yellow rice that had a hint of curry in it as well. The rice was good on it’s own however, I enjoyed putting the extra Vindaloo sauce on top. It made the dish very filling.
At this point of the tour you would think the group would be pretty full. But no way, we were ready for more. We headed to another café called Botica do Café.
This time we were not getting anything sweet. We were going for a savory snack, an Empada de Frango. This was a little chicken pie, very much like empanadas you would find in the Caribbean. It was the perfect little bite. The shell was slightly crispy, and the filling was flavorful. It went well with the café latte I ordered.
The cafe was cute inside. I could tell it was a neighborhood hang out, where the ladies go to share stories of the day.
When on vacation eating and drinking in a new city is extremely important. When it is a city, I have never been to before, I want to make sure that I experience the true city, not the tourist areas. This is why I was excited to take a tour with the Culinary Backstreets (www.culinarybackstreets.com). They were going to help me experience the history of food and wine in Portugal.
We met our tour guide Kika at the entrance of Jardim de Estrela (Estrela Gardens). This is a green space that was created in 1852. It is loaded with palm trees, flowers, cacti, and at the center a giant banyan tree. What Kiki explained to the group is that all these trees and plants located in the park are from all over the world. As the Portugues traveled the world, they always brought something back with them.
This kicked off our lesion about the Age of Discoveries in Portuguese history. What better way to have the discussion than over coffee at a café located in the park, Café Banana.
The most helpful thing we were taught was the types of coffee that can be ordered at one of the many cafes and pastry shops around the city. I ordered a Bica (espresso). I enjoyed the coffee a lot on this trip. It was smooth and had a rich flavor.
While I enjoyed my Bica, Kika explained how the Portugues explored the world, setting up colonies and bringing food and spices back to the country. From Brazil, Africa, India, Japan, and even China, the Portugues fell in love with sugar, pepper cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and star anise, just to name a few.
These ingredients added to their abundance of eggs, olive oil, wine, grains, and vegetables. With a combination of all these components, these created some of the signature dishes that still exist today. Even the salted cod that is a staple in the diet, is imported from Norway. It was these ingredients that we were going to be experiencing on our tour today.
Our first lunch brought us to O Lavrador. This traditional neighborhood restaurant has expanded over the years to three different buildings because it is so popular.
We were greeted by the owner and brought some freshly made bread, olive oil, and a cheese called Queijo de Serpa. The olive oil was mild and had a creamy taste. It was an amazing accompaniment to the bread. I kept dipping every bite of bread. The cheese was made from sheep’s milk. The rind has a brunt orange color to it because of the paprika that is brushed on during the aging process. The paprika gives the cheese a slightly spicy taste, but nothing overwhelming.
While we were enjoying this snack, we learned about some Portuguese wines, specifically the Verde Wine. This is a green wine that really does have a green tint to it. This wine is produced in the Northern region of Portugal. The wine has a low alcohol content (around 7% for what we tried) because the wines are bottle and released shortly after the grapes are harvested. The wine we got to enjoy was called Bico Amarelo (Esporao). This wine was so smooth and went down so easily I had to be careful not to drink the whole bottle myself. It was really refreshing.
The fresh salad came out, along with the Salted Cod. The cod was sauteed with onions and had homemade potato chips on the side. The flavor of the fish was savory. The fish was flakey, every now and then you had to watch out for a bone, but other than that it was delicious. The sauteed onions were tender and sweet. It washed down wonderfully with the Verde wine.
If the fish wasn’t enough, we also got some rotisserie chicken. This was similar to what I enjoyed the previous day. The seasoning on this chicken was a little different, but I could taste the fresh salt and pepper that was sprinkled on top. Simple ingredients but full of flavor.
Now came dessert. I was not going to pass this up. The dessert was a Custard with cinnamon on top. It was very similar to crème brulee just without the crispy sugar topping. The custard was very sweet with a hint of vanilla. It was the perfect complement to the salty, savory dishes we enjoyed previously.
I enjoyed my meal at this restaurant, and I could not believe that we were about to walk around Lisbon to try even more goodies.
While walking around Lisbon, I kept seeing signs for codfish cakes. They looked interesting, and since the Portuguese eat so much codfish I figured this had to be good.
The shop I went in to had a snack of a cod cake stuffed with Serra cheese. Serra cheese is made in the mountain region of Serra da Estrela. It is a sheep’s milk cheese that is soft and gooey when melted in the middle of the cod cake.
The cod cake was a blend of chopped up fish and mashed potatoes. It was similar to the jamon croquettes I had in Barcelona.
When I took a bite the melted cheese blended with the creamy texture of the potato fish mixture. After a few bites the flavor became very rich. This is wen I took a sip of the port wine that came with the cake.
I never knew that there was a white port wine. The port was sweet but complemented the savory and salty taste of the cod and cheese. It was a very nice balance. It was the perfect evening snack.
They made a beautiful presentation by serving the cod cake and port on a little wooden tray that was similar to a paint palette. It was a souvenir along with the wine glass that the restaurant gave us.
We had a wonderful time here. This is a must try if you are in Lisbon. Visit their website at www.pasteldebacalhau.com
With all the walking that we did in the morning, we worked up an appetite for lunch. Our bartender at the Turium hotel recommended visiting Bonjardim to experience a traditional Portuguese roasted chicken. This was one of his favorite restaurants, so we figured we had to try a restaurant that a local love.
We started off by ordering a pitcher of red sangria and one large beer. The sangria was delicious. It had a nice number of fresh fruits, and it was made with amazing Portuguese wine.
Ordering was simple, we each orders a half a chicken with sides of French fries and creamed spinach.
The chicken was amazing. It was so juicy. The way it was cooked on the spits and roasted, it gets basted in it’s own juices. The flavor of the salt and pepper that coated the outside skin was simple but helped create a powerful punch. I could not get enough. I devoured the chicken. It has ruined me for rotisserie chicken back home.
The French fries were a shoe string variety. They were crispy and the perfect complement. They have this hot sauce called piripiri that tasted great drizzled over the fries. It is really hot so a little goes a long way.
The creamed spinach was also a great side. It tasted different from the creamed spinach I have had in restaurants back home. It was creamy but not because they used a bunch of cream in the sauce. It felt more of a natural creaminess.
This restaurant stayed busy the entire time we were there. People just kept coming and going. Everyone was ordering the chicken. I am so glad it was suggested that we try this place. If it wasn’t for that we might never have found this place.
We continued walking along the cobble stone streets, observing the architecture both old and new. In the Bairro Alto area, it is the lively bohemian district. This is the area that comes alive at night with a plethora of bars and restaurants.
The final church we visited on the walking tour was Igreja de Sao Roque. It is a beautiful baroque church that is awe-inspiring as soon as you walk in.
The ornate, gold decorations is something to behold. Photos cannot capture the pure splendor of this church.
The last stop on the tour was the Miradouro S. Pedro de Alcantara. This was another spot with astonishing views of the city.
You are able to see all the old and new buildings that make up the uniqueness of Lisbon.
This tour with Lisbon Walker was well worth it. I would recommend it to anyone wanting to see the city with the help of a local.
Walking further along on the tour we stopped at a church in the heart of downtown Lisbon, Igreja de Sao Domingos.
The start of this church began in 1241. The columns, tall ceilings, and ornate carvings are all symbols of the original medieval architecture. It survived two earthquakes, one in 1531 and then the Great Earthquake of 1755. Both earthquakes altered how the church looked. After being rebuilt to its full glory it suffered a devastating fire in 1959.
After the fire, the church was a gutted shell – with charred beams and burnt debris everywhere. All the treasures, relics, and paintings were lost to the fire. By Christmas of 1960, the church had a temporary roof put on so that mass could be held.
By the 1990s a better roof was added to give it an admirable ceiling, but simply painted, not ornate. Everyone loved how it looked and like that it showed the scars of the past mixed in with the baroque façade.
Pictures do not do this church justice. The wow factor you get when you walk in cannot be captured with a picture.
The next stop was for a sip of a Portuguese treat, ginjinha, which is a cherry liqueur. We got our glasses at Ginjinha Sem Rival. This tiny little shop sells hundreds of glasses of this liqueur each day.
This is a port based drink that is infused with sour cherries, which are fermenting in the liquid.
Though it is served in a shot glass, it is meant to be sipped. The cherry is usually saved for the end, but be careful, there is a pit in the cherry.
After that boost of sugar we continued our walk around the neighborhoods of Lisbon. We came to Restauradores/Av Liberdade. This is a square dedicated to the restoration of Portugal’s independence in 1640. The obelisk that is in the middle of the square – placed there in 1886 – carries the names and dates of battles fought during the Portuguese Restoration War in 1640.
Climbing higher up the hills, we came to the Largo do Carmo. This was the setting for the democratic revolution in 1974. It was nearly a bloodless coup that saw soldiers put carnations down the barrels of their rifles to show they did not want to fight and wanted the government to be handed over peacefully. To this day the carnation is the official flower of Portugal.
Not far down the street stood the Carmo Ruins. This gothic monument is all that is left of a convent for Our Lady of Mount Carmel.
At the door entrance, you can still see evidence from the 1755 earthquake by the cracked, shifted stone.
Our guide even mentioned that they still use these ruins for concerts and other events. There are beautiful views of the city from this spot as well.
When visiting a city like Lisbon, with so much history, it is important to try and learn as much as possible. I found the Lisbon Walker tour company (www.lisbonwalker.com) that offered a tour called Revelation that spent three hours exploring all of Lisbon. We met our tour guide Jose first thing in the morning. He has been doing tours with the company since 2005. He was fantastic.
Our tour started at Praca do Comercio. This area faces the harbor and is one of the largest plazas in Lisbon. Just 40 years ago this plaza was used as a parking lot. Luckily it has been cleaned up and is a major meeting place.
The center of the plaza has an iron statue of Dom Jose I. There is a horse on one side and an elephant on the other. This is to mark all the exotic animals that he brought over to Portugal from his trips to India and Africa.
Not far from the square is a marker for the 1908 assassination off Dom Carlos I and his son. Right there in the open air as they paraded around in a car, they were shot. It was considered the fall of the monarchy in Portugal.
What really draws everyone’s attention in this plaza is the Arco da Rua Augusta. This was designed by Eugenio dos Santos. This arch was built after the 1755 earthquake (an earthquake that destroyed the city of Lisbon). It was part of the Lisbon reconstruction. It is adorned on top with a statue of Glory rewarding Valor and Genius with crowns.
Four historical figures are represented at the center on each side of the arch. On the right side are statues of Nuno Alvares Pereira and Sebastiao Jose de Carvalho w Melo, Marquis of Pombal. On the left side are statues of Vasco da Gama and Viriatus.
At the far end of each side, there are two lounging figures. On the right the figure represents the Douro River. On the left the figure represents the Tagus River.
While walking along the streets, we came to the Lisbon City Hall. It is located in the city square, Santa Maria Maior. This is technically where the mayor would be but this place has become more of a ceremonial location. This is where the Portugal independence was declared.
Around town on the light posts and on the tile sidewalks, you will notice a symbol of a ship with ravens on either end. This is symbolic of when the Jesuits went to look for the Christian relics of saints to bring back to the churches. They said that the ravens helped safely guide them home.
Also as you walk throughout Lisbon, you will also notice these black and white limestone tile patterns on the sidewalks and open spaces. These were all laid by hand. It is absolutely amazing the detailed patterns that were created. It is even more amazing that it was all done by hand so precisely.
An interesting architectural note that I learned on the tour, as part of the rebuild after the earthquake, many of the churches were destroyed along with all the buildings. When everything got rebuilt, the churches were required to be built into buildings so that everything was in line – for a uniform look.
There is a tram system that still operates throughout Lisbon. There are 50 classic tram cars. Tram 28 is the famous route. It takes you from one end of the city to the other. It is a great way to see different areas without having to do all the walking. It is amazing how tight some of those turns are that the tram has to make.
While walking through the limestone tiled streets we came across the Elevador de Santa Justa. This is a wrought-iron structure that was built in 1902. It stands out from all the other building that surround it. You can pay to take the elevator up to the top platform lookout, or you can just walk a little and get to the bridge that takes you over to the platform.
The views from up top are amazing. You can see all of the city. People bring locks to this area and attach them to the fencing for good luck.
It is important to start the day off with a great breakfast. That is exactly what we did at Fabrica da Nata.
It was an amazing place. It smelled wonderful when you walked in. They were making the pastel de nata’s right in front of everyone. They were making ham and cheese one while we were there but we did not get to try them since they were not ready yet.
They offered great breakfast prices. We each got a ham and Swiss croissant or baguette, a café latte, and a pastel de nata and the total came to under 12 Euros.
The pastel de nata’s were a little different than the other ones we tried. They were warm because they just came out of the oven. They were really creamy. The crust was very different. It was crispier. Not like a flakey pie crust, crispy almost like phyllo dough.
The croissant was fresh and flakey. The ham and cheese were just simple ingredients but absolutely satisfying.
The café latte was larger than we expected but warmed us up on the chilly morning. The coffee in Portugal is spectacular.
Fabrica da Nata is a great place to go for breakfast. It is also one of the only places that were open at 8:30 in the morning. Most places do not open till a little later.
