Food Tour in Lisbon with Secret Food Tours
We love good food! And it’s a must when we travel: we seek out local specialities and the best restaurants. The best way to learn more about a country or city is through its food. We didn’t really know where to start in Lisbon, so we booked a food tour through Secret Food Tours. You can enjoy local dishes and drinks while learning more about the history of Portugal and Lisbon, and the many influences that characterise the city’s food.
And why are they called Secret Food Tours? There is always a “secret dish” that you can taste, but you don’t know what it will be in advance. This was our third food tour with them, and the local guides always make it so interesting.
A good tip: avoid eating too much before starting the tour, as there are many delicious dishes to discover.
On the day of the food tour, our guide Marta was already waiting for us at a symbolic location: right next to the Saramago Foundation in the centre of Lisbon. The famous Portuguese writer José Saramago, who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1998, is buried nearby.
After a brief explanation of what to expect from the food tour and a brief overview of the geography, we set off. Marta gave us lots of tips along the way: where to buy the best canned fish (it’s not in the colourful shops), a dish that is served in every family, and how to easily conquer the many stairs and slopes in Lisbon.
Stop 1: Taste Port wine
Our first stop begins with a Portuguese classic: port wine. We sampled a glass of tawny port and learned why all port brands have English names! It is also a protected name: only fortified wine from the Douro Valley may be called port.
Stop 2: Bifanas (Bifanas do Afonso)
Our second stop is for a typical Portuguese street food: bifanas. These are sandwiches with thinly sliced pork that has been marinated overnight and then cooked. You eat them with mustard and hot sauce. The sandwiches were delicious and big enough for a snack. There are several places in Lisbon where you can eat bifanas, but according to our guide, the ones at Afonso are the best 😉.
Stop 3: Vinho Verde, petiscos, and the secret dish
We continued to Mouraria, the former Moorish quarter. It is a melting pot of different cultures around the lively Martim Moniz square. Portraits of the neighbourhood’s original residents hang in the streets. Due to gentrification, many of those residents have had to leave the neighbourhood.
In a small restaurant, we sampled petiscos, delicious ham, and the secret dish. While eating, we learned not only about the Moorish influences on Portuguese cuisine but also about the turbulent relationship between Spain and Portugal.
The wine we tasted was Vinho Verde: a wine that originates in the Vinho Verde region in northern Portugal. Like Porto, it is a protected name. Literally translated, it means “green wine” because the grapes are still green when they are harvested. After an initial fermentation in open stone vats, the wine is stored in barrels where the second fermentation takes place. This results in a fresh, light, and sparkling wine.
Stop 4: cheese and figs
During the penultimate stop, we sampled delicious Portuguese cheese and pickled figs. The combination of salty cheese and sweet figs was surprisingly tasty. We also learned a little more about the Portuguese language and how it differs from Spanish, for example. That’s the great thing about a food tour: you get to know other people who share your love of travel and good food.
Stop 5: Pasteis de Nata
We conclude with Portugal’s most famous dish: Pasteis de Nata. You can find them all over Lisbon, but the original recipe belongs to Fabrica dos Pasteis in Belem. Originally, they were also called Pasteis de Belem. You should definitely try them there! In our opinion, there really is a difference between Pasteis de Nata and Pasteis de Belem: we personally found Pasteis de Nata to be tastier. Pasteis de Nata are eaten with lots of cinnamon, possibly accompanied by a strong Portuguese coffee. Or eat them while enjoying the charming streets of Lisbon.
Conclusion
A food tour through Lisbon is the perfect way to learn more about the city and the country. Afterwards, we also received a Google Maps map with all of our guide Marta’s favourite places. Ideal if you want to try out more local restaurants.
Maybe these articles are also interesting?
8 things to do in Edinburgh
What to do in London
One week in New York City
48h in Athens
Exploring Milos
Paros travel guide
Weekend in Eindhoven
What to do in Paris
Some of these links are affiliate links. If you buy something through these links, Travel Eat Enjoy Repeat will earn a small commission. This will cost you nothing extra. This article is the result of a fun collaboration with Secret Food Tours. But as always, all opinions are my own!.
