Lisbon–great city–makes SF look flat, it’s a city of 7 hills and the stone sidewalks are slippery. Don’t drive in the city–crazy rules, lanes, and drivers. Taxis are cheap. Take a Tuk-Tuk ride and tour. People are very friendly, prices great, food better than Spain. We stayed in a great location, a small hotel called Valverde, knowledgeable staff and great air conditioning. In Chiado (area of Lisbon), there is a glove store called Lucaria Ulisses worth visiting, there since 1925 and amazing leather gloves and service. Coffee shops and bookstores are there, a fun area. Super restaurants near Valverde–one called Sommelier, has very good food and a super Portuguese wine list, most available by the glass. Speakeasy called Red Frog was fun, had an excellent drink there several nights. Solar dos Presuntos is a must–should have gone there twice–classic Portuguese restaurant, cheese, olives, ham, had delicious kid. JNçquoi, pronounced je ne sais quoi, was excellent–lots of natives eating there, definitely worth lunch or dinner. Largo had good Portuguese food and is known for martinis–roast pork excellent. Michelin 2 star Belcanto had very good food, disappointing wine list and wine service, decor very simple. Visit “Time out Market” and eat their Pasteis de Nata, better than any others and worth eating several. Try and buy some Ginja sem rival, a cherry liqueur. Spend a day in Sintra, amazing and 25 miles from Lisbon. Great city!
Some quick belated notes from our trip to Lisbon last fall, some of which is covered by Alan above. Long story, short: Lisbon is amazing and we loved every minute of it.
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Palacio Belmonte is one of the most distinctive and wonderful hotels we’ve ever stayed at. Perfectly located for exploring the old city by foot. Exquisitely decorated rooms and impeccable service.
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The restaurant Leopold is across the plaza from the hotel and is one of the most exciting dinners we had last year. Small place, so need advance reservations. Advanced and delicious, and fun wine pairings.
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We had lunch at the kitchen table at Belcanto and thought it was fantastic, so obviously it was a different experience than Alan’s.
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Alma was the other big dinner we did and it was great. Hip vibe, awesome cocktails, cool food presentation, geeky Portuguese wine list.
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The TimeOut market is definitely a must. We ate at Alexandre Silva and it was super good.
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If you want local wines (including Port and Madeira), head to one of the several locations of Garrafeira Nacional. Huge selection, back vintages, prices that are crazy compared to the States. There’s a branch in the TimeOut market, by the way.
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Sintra is really cool. We did a day trip with a driver from Lisbon. Pena Palace is a must see. You can get your Ginja fix in one of the little shops in town.
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The Colares wine region is not far from Sintra. We did a tasting at Viuva Gomes, then drove out to the ocean to see the vineyards in the sand just steps from the water. A truly remarkable experience.
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Go to a Fado bar or restaurant. We chose Clube de Fado. It was hauntingly beautiful. Pro-tip: the food is not very good, but you don’t need to eat. You can eat somewhere else and go in later in the evening just for drinks and the show. Clube de Fado has Dom Perignon on the list at a reasonable price.
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If you go to the Lisbon Cathedral, make sure you buy tickets to see the “claustro” (cloister) which is outside behind the main cathedral building. They’ve excavated ruins all the way back to Roman and Moorish times. Fascinating.