Our first night in Lisbon we asked the guy at the hotel for a recommendation, something within…read morewalking distance of, good local food, not too fussy. This was it exactly. The food was excellent, the service was so attentive. They really wanted us to enjoy ourselves and we did! It was busy but we weren't hurried at all. A beautiful fall night on the patio. And very reasonably priced

Espaço 39 Degraus is a quaint, cozy cafe hidden inside a building that houses a film museum. I…read morewould never have discovered such a nice eatery without the help of Yelp and some locals who pointed me in the right direction a couple of times once I got into the building. The food was very tasty and my server was helpful in selecting it and then checking on me periodically throughout my meal to see if I needed anything else. One thing that was a little disappointing was that as soon as I was seated, another server brought me a couvert course of breads, butter and cheese. I was delighted to have this to enjoy while my food was prepared. I thought it was complimentary but it was NOT! I saw it was charged as €5 on my bill. Not that I could not pay it but I should have been asked if it was not included. I was obviously not a local as I was speaking another language. Overall, I would recommend Espaço 39 Degraus, and I would dine there again if I had the chance.

Delightful snack bar serving up delicious, cheap, and authentic Portuguese food! I stumbled upon…read morePica Pau while meandering back to my hotel after realizing that the restaurant I was originally planning to eat lunch at was closed on Thursdays. It was getting a wee bit late for lunch (~1:30 PM), and I was quite hungry, so when I passed by Pica Pau and saw how packed it was, I knew I had to drop by to give it a try. It's absolutely bustling inside; there are several tables inside and outside, and you can generally just seat yourself as long as there's an open slot. There are very few tourists here -- another great sign -- so the menus will all be in Portuguese, and it will be hit or miss as to whether your server can translate for you. However, the menu is pretty simple, so it's easy enough to intuit what they say (or to just use Google Translate) -- the menu is spread across three blackboards, one for daily specials, another for seafood, and the last for other meat dishes. Everything is just twelve euros for lunch, and it also comes with a drink and bread. You genuinely can't go wrong with anything on their menu. My mom and I both ordered from their seafood menu, and the fish is super fresh and grilled to perfection. It has a perfect char on the outside, and is super flaky and tender on the inside; they add a hit of salt and a side of lemon, but the fish honestly doesn't need much else. The fish also comes with a side of boiled veggies and potatoes, which are a great, neutral accompaniment to the fish. I ordered the swordfish, and my mom got the sea bass, but we ended up splitting both of the dishes between us (especially since they both conveniently came with two pieces). Both were phenomenal, but I did enjoy the swordfish a tiny bit more; it was a bit more tender, and they also descaled the swordfish but did not for the seabass, so it was a slightly easier eating experience.

4.5 Stars Lovely restaurant with warm ambiance…read more Took a while for the food to arrive, but really enjoyed the meal. The starter bread with pica pau (meat) sauce was a great snack, as well as the garlic prawn starter. We all enjoyed our dishes, as well as the porto tonic drink!

This is a great place for some traditional Portuguese home cooking, the service was great as it was…read morerun by an older husband and wife who treated their patrons as if they were guests at their kitchen table. As it is a traditional Portuguese restaurant don't expect any English menu training wheels, but the bacalhau is excellent and keeps bringing me back, or order the Frango (chicken for an alternative) very affordable prices also.

From the owner: Comida Tradicional da Madeiraread more