Top 19 dishes to try in Lisbon

One of the signature dishes of José Avillez served at his double Michelin-starred restarant Belcanto, this is made up of an egg cooked at low temperature, nestling in edible gold leaf, on a poultry cream sauce with chestnut purée. It also features crunchy bread and mushrooms.

Price: €35

At Ramiro’s, Lisbon’s temple to shellfish, they serve the finest examples of these delicious reddish crustaceans by the kilo. You could think of them as a kind of giant prawn or, alternatively, a dwarf lobster; their Portuguese name means ‘police officer’.

Price: €79,75/kg

Pinóquio stands out from its neighbours for its juicy clams and succulent prawns, plus delicious nibbles such as pica pau (marinated meat) and steak served with the famous house sauce.

Price: €22,50

One of locals’ favourite snacks, the breaded and fried croquete comes here with various fillings. But the meat one is really excellent. Whether hot or cold, it's worth dipping it in the house mustard.

Price: €1,50

A traditional Lisbon dish, this warm cod salad is made here to a recipe that keeps strictly to early 20th-century principles. That means it contains bacalhau, chick peas, potatoes, onion, parsley and boiled egg.

Price: €6,50

A Portuguese-Japanese combo that is original and tasty, with rice rolled in a slice of braised sea bass and with clams à Bulhão Pato (a typical Lisbon recipe featuring garlic and fresh coriander) on top.

Price: €8,50

‘Asian tartare’ is a dish to destroy, that is, to look at, photograph (you will want to) and then mix up. It is composed of raw steak, a sweet and sour Asian chilli seasoning, foie gras, shitake mushrooms and wasabi peas.

Price: €12,50/100g

Served at one of the coolest restaurants in the Príncipe Real neighbourhood, this is a delicious light dish devised by chef Kiko Martins. It features seasonal white fish, sweet potato purée, onion, seaweed and tiger's milk – the citrus-based marinade that is typical of Peruvian-style ceviche.

Price: €11,80

The servings here are so big that you must either come very hungry or with a big group. The flaked salt cod, served with chick peas, roast potatoes and peppers is divine – there is just no other word for it.

Price: €16,50

No doubt about it: this is Lisbon’s best prego (steak sandwich). It should be ordered mal passado (rare) and eaten at the counter – our favourite seven metres of wood in the city – and accompanied by a tulipa Gambrinus, that is a mixture of dark and light beer.

Price: €8

This place is right by the garden of the Gulbenkian Foundation and was of the most welcome newcomers of 2015 – it was given five stars by the restaurant critic of our sister magazine, Time Out Lisbon. The house hamburger features 100% Black Angus meat (minced daily) in a homemade brioche bun, melted cheese, lettuce, tomato, fried red onion and a special sauce.

Price: €9,90

After trying this broth made with clams from the Algarve, you will have to agree with us on this point: that a hot soup can also be refreshing. Very refreshing. Perhaps it is the mint that they add just before serving.

Price: €9,50

One of the signature dishes of chef Miguel Castro e Silva, based on a recipe from the Minho in northern Portugal, this is veal cooked at low temperature and served with rice.

Price: €14.40

This is Lisbon’s best hangover cure and also the most expensive, but worth every cent. It is tender sirloin steak, swimming in a sauce that contains cream, flor de sal salt crystals and black pepper.

Price: €23,40

Sometimes more, sometimes less toasted, with caramel that either runs or sticks to the chopped nuts, the almond tart served at this restaurant is one of those desserts with a homely touch that you could eat every day and never get sick of.

Price: €2

Every time the bell rings here another batch of custard cream tarts comes out of the oven. So if you are passing by and hear it, then be sure to step in. The tarts are warm and crunchy, just as they should be.

Price: €1

‘Hungarians’ – biscuits partly covered with a chocolatey icing – can be found in many cafés in Portugal. But if you think they are the same everywhere, you are much mistaken. The ones at Versailles are freshly made and very tasty.

Price: €13,50/kg

Here the specialities are sandwiches and fresh juices. When in comes to making your choice, you could do a lot worse than try the sandwich packed with suckling pig that is always roasted on the same day and served in fresh crunchy roll.

Price: €4

This restaurant only serve pork dishes and the sandwiches are among the big attractions. The one with cachaço (pork neck) features incredibly tender meat with added pickles, lettuce and garlic mayonnaise.

Price: €6,80

Welcome to the Time Out EAT List, our handpicked ‘best of’ Lisbon’s food scene. These are the tastiest places to eat in this city right now: the freshest, most inventive and most memorable, ranked by expert local editors. Time Out’s local experts scour the city every day for great eats, great value and insider info (like a certain steak place’s secretive BYO Mondays). We value fun, flavour, freshness – and value at every price point. We update the EAT list monthly, plus whenever there’s a truly spectacular new opening. It could be a mega-hyped destination restaurant or a pop-up-turned-permanent in a shipping container: if it’s on the list we think it’s awesome and reckon you will too. Eaten somewhere on this list and loved it? Share it with the hashtag #TimeOutEatList Recommended: The best fish restaurants in Lisbon