Though it’s not technically on the coast – that there body of water you see is the Tegus River – Lisbon is one of the continent’s finest destinations for seafood lovers. Prawns the size of your forearm, buckets of clams with enough garlic to keep the vampires at bay for life, salt cod wearing so many guises…it’s all here, it’s all fresh, and we can’t get enough of it. With that in mind, here’s where to eat the best seafood in Lisbon.
Cervejaria Ramiro
We had to start here; to not do so would be dishonest. Because if you’re wondering where to eat the best seafood in Lisbon, Ramiro is the one. This is where locals, tourists and even whole tour buses head in their droves – expect queues with a capital Q – to eat the finest seafood of the region in the organised chaos of the city’s most famous cervejaria. And while the name suggests beer is the headlining act, it’s stuff from the sea which gets top billing.
The enormous tiger prawns are definitely worth ordering, as well as deservedly popular clams in garlic butter, but the absolute standout is the scarlet prawns, each with enough head juice to fill a coffee mug. Though that sounds like an agreeable drink, it’s even better mopped up with a mountain of buttered, toasted bread roll, which comes as standard. Wash down with a bottle of Portugal’s famous vinho verde and finish with a steak sandwich for dessert, because, well, everyone does. And this is one situation when we’re more than happy to swim with the shoal rather than against the tide.
If you really don’t have room for anymore food, their vodka-spiked lemon sorbet provides a light and refreshing end to what will most likely be one of the best meals of your life.
Address: Av. Alm. Reis 1, 1150-038 Lisboa, Portugal
Website: cervejariaramiro.com
Marisqueira Azul, Time Out Market
Lisbon’s Time Out Market, or Mercado da Ribeira for those not in thrall to branding, is a mixed bag if ever there was one. Though some of the country’s finest chefs have set up shop here, peddling signature dishes for less than ten euros, at times the vibe is corporate and the atmosphere clinical. Venture out of the central plot though, and to the peripheries, and you’ll find a set of more established, proper restaurants, more intent on dishing up spanking fresh seafood and less on churning out a single dish in a cardboard box en masse.
The pick of the bunch is Marisquiera (meaning seafood eatery) Azul, with around twenty countertop stools and plenty of live crustaceans in tanks to choose from. The banter between staff and customer is boisterous, the beer ice cold and free flowing, and dishes like razor clams with garlic butter lip smackingly delicious. It’s on the more expensive side, but with al fresco seating available in the warmer months, there’s no place we’d rather be on a fine day.
Address: Av. 24 de Julho 49, 1200-479 Lisboa, Portugal
Instagram: @marisqueiraazul
Marisqueira Do Lis
Less touristy than some of the more heaving, heard about joints, Do Lis does the important stuff right and worries about little else in terms of frippery or fuss. The space is cavernous, the room bare and the table cloths paper, but the seafood arrives whole, with all the dirty, delicious head juices and brains in tact ready for sucking, and is as fresh as you’ll find. The garlic prawns and barnacles are particularly good here. It’s also just a three minute walk north of Ramiro, so if you find the queues too much, it’s an awesome reserve option to have up your sleeve. Once seated, roll them up, you’re going to be down, dirty and elbows deep in all the good bits.
Address: Av. Alm. Reis 27B, 1150-019 Lisboa, Portugal
Website: www.facebook.com
Read: The best restaurants in Lisbon, Portugal
Cervejaria O Palacio
O Palacio, in the city’s up-and=coming, hip-as hell-Alcantara district, is another eminently viable alternative. True to the soul of any self respecting cervejaria, it stays open late and gets increasingly raucous as the evening wears on.
Start with a wheel of local cheese and some thinly sliced pata negra before the main event begins. Here, crayfish is excellent, as well as spider crab which is brimming with brown meat lightly seasoned and utterly delicious. Away from the shellfish side of things, monkfish over black rice (arroz de tamboril) is a star dish, comforting and moreish in the extreme. Delicious.
Address: Rua Prior do Crato 142, 1350-263 Lisboa, Portugal
Website: www.palacio.gastronomias.com
Pateo Do Avillez
Celebrity chef Jose Avillez has made this little corner of Chiado, Lisbon very much his own with the Bairro do Avillez concept; several excellent, dependable restaurants under one roof and banner. We say roof, but the pick of the bunch is Pateo, a large and open outdoor space and a fine purveyor of all things oceanic. Ordering off the grill is reliably excellent; a particularly fine tuna steak served with Algarve salad was fantastic. If it’s a special occasion, don’t miss the blue lobster over coals from the specials; top notch and a real treat.
Address: R. Nova da Trindade 18, 1200-303 Lisboa, Portugal
Website: www.bairrodoavillez.pt
Cervejaria Trindade
Housed in a former 13th-century monastery, dining at Trindade is as much about soaking in history as it is about the seafood. The stunning azulejo-tiled walls and vaulted ceilings provide a backdrop quite unlike anywhere else in the city, though regulars hardly notice anymore – they’re too busy tucking into plates of percebes (goose barnacles) and seafood rice swimming in a rich, saffron-tinged broth. The tiny, briny Atlantic prawns here are boiled rather than grilled, bringing a straightforward, squeaky clean saline finish that’s one hell of a match for the house-brewed beer, still made to the original monastery recipe. Do try the caldeirada de peixe, a fisherman’s stew that changes daily based on what the boats bring in. Unlike many of the city’s other revered cervejarias, booking ahead is essential – the tourists may come for a night on the tiles, sure, but they stay for the seafood.
Address: R. Nova da Trindade 20C, 1200-303 Lisboa, Portugal
Website: www.cervejariatrindade.pt
Gambrinus
Don’t let the wood-panelled walls and suited waiters fool you – this old-school establishment has been serving some of Lisbon’s finest seafood since 1936, and remains steadfastly unstuffy despite its grand appearance. The lobster tank by the entrance has witnessed decades of business deals and political machinations, yet the real power moves happen when someone orders the house speciality – the rich, stacked seafood stew Cataplana Gambrinus, served in a big, sharing copper pan with theatrical flourish. The staff, most of whom seem to have been here since opening day, know exactly when to top up your glass and when to leave you to savour that last spoonful of Bouillabaisse (served only on Wednesdays, and retaining an air of exclusivity as a result). Their take on bacalhau à brás might be the finest in the city, though saying that too loudly around here could start a riot.
Address: R. das Portas de Santo Antão 23, 1150-264 Lisboa, Portugal
Website: www.gambrinuslisboa.com
Solar dos Presuntos
Though the name suggests this spot’s all about the ham (and yes, the presunto is excellent), it’s the seafood that keeps Lisbon’s culinary cognoscenti coming back for seconds. Opening in 1974, it’s watched the Avenida da Liberdade transform from a shabby thoroughfare to the city’s most glamorous address, all while maintaining its commitment to impeccable ingredients treated with respect.
The scarlet prawns are served ‘au naturel’ simply on ice, allowing their sweet flesh to shine, while the rice with lobster requires 24 hours’ notice – and deserves every minute of the wait. Unlike some of the more tourist-focused spots, you’ll hear more Portuguese than English here, particularly during Sunday lunch when local families pile in for epic feasts that can stretch well into the evening. We’d implore you to leave yours free and allow things to take their natural course in much the same way.
Address: R. das Portas de Santo Antão 150, 1150-269 Lisboa, Portugal
Website: www.solardospresuntos.com
