Walk away from the waterfront. Within 5 to 13 minutes on foot from the square, the streets of the Baixa, Alfama, Chiado and Mouraria hold counters, seafood rooms and chef-run dining rooms. Our picks run from a standing bifana to a five course dinner, and we give the walking time from the square for each.
The short list
10 places, in the order they appear below.
- 1As Bifanas do AfonsoA standing bifanaWalk from the square: 8 minKind of place: Tasca
- 2Marisqueira UmaSeafood rice to shareWalk from the square: 10 minKind of place: Marisqueira
- 3KOPPU RAMEN IZAKAYA CHIADOCurry ramen at the counterWalk from the square: 7 minKind of place: Ramen bar
- 4DiscretoA calm lunch in an archwayWalk from the square: 6 minKind of place: Restaurant
- 5PradoVegetable plates and low-intervention wineWalk from the square: 7 minKind of place: Restaurant
- 6Cantinho do AzizMozambican curry on a terraceWalk from the square: 13 minKind of place: Restaurant
- 7SálaA booked five course dinnerWalk from the square: 5 minKind of place: Fine dining
- 8OfícioWine and slow braisesWalk from the square: 13 minKind of place: Restaurant
- 9SantiniFruit sorbetWalk from the square: 11 minKind of place: Gelato
- 10Landeau ChocolateChocolate cake and a bicaWalk from the square: 11 minKind of place: Café
Where can I get a quick lunch near Praça do Comércio?
For a fast, cheap lunch, head inland rather than along the river. Three places within ten minutes of the square cover it: a standing counter for pork sandwiches, a downtown marisqueira for seafood rice, and a Chiado ramen bar where the broths are built slowly.
As Bifanas do Afonso is eight minutes from the square. This hole in the wall counter just off the Baixa grid makes one thing all day long, the pork sandwich, for a crowd that keeps coming. There is nowhere to sit, so you eat your bifana standing on the cobbles, ideally with the bread dipped in the cooking juices and a beer. Cash is easiest. Arriving a little ahead of the midday crowd, or once it has thinned out, means a shorter wait at the counter.
As Bifanas do Afonso
Hours: Mon–Fri 08:00–18:30 · Sat 09:00–13:30 · Sun closed
Address: R. da Madalena 146, 1100-340 Lisboa, Portugal
The classic Lisbon seafood formula gets a more careful treatment at Marisqueira Uma, in a room warmer than the old beer halls. The percebes and clams are excellent. Build the meal around the arroz de marisco: it comes to the table bubbling in its pot, and there’s enough to share. The room is small and books out at dinner, so reserve for the evening.
Marisqueira Uma
Hours: Mon–Sun 10:00–22:30
Address: R. dos Sapateiros 177, 1100-577 Lisboa, Portugal
Broths at KOPPU Ramen Izakaya are built from kombu, dried bonito flakes and shiitake, with no bottled shortcuts. Order the Ebi Kare Ramen, a Japanese curry broth with udon, shrimp sautéed in garlic and ginger, and crunchy lotus root.
KOPPU RAMEN IZAKAYA CHIADO
Hours: Mon–Thu 12:00–23:00 · Fri–Sat 12:00–23:30 · Sun 12:00–23:00
Address: R. de São Nicolau 114, 1100-548 Lisboa, Portugal
Where can I have a proper sit-down meal near the square?
For a long lunch or an unhurried dinner, there are three kitchens within a quarter hour of the square. Discreto hides in an Alfama archway, Prado serves vegetable-led plates under high factory ceilings, and Cantinho do Aziz brings Mozambican food to Mouraria.
Discreto is six minutes away, inside a stone archway that seems to lead nowhere until you walk through it. The kitchen starts from bacalhau à brás and rabbit rice, then adds braised leeks with pistachio and goat cheese, and veal cheek on celeriac purée. In colder months, order the octopus and bean stew. Lunch is calmer. At dinner, couples book ahead.
Discreto
Hours: Mon–Sun 12:00–15:30, 19:00–22:30
Address: Arco Portas do Mar 9, 1100-035 Lisboa, Portugal
Prado fills a restored factory with very high ceilings. It serves short, vegetable-forward plates from small organic producers, with low-intervention Portuguese wine. Chef António Galapito trained in London before he opened it. Half the menu changes week to week, depending on what came in that morning, so let the kitchen choose.
Prado
Hours: Mon closed · Tue–Wed 19:00–22:30 · Thu–Sat 12:00–15:00, 19:00–22:30 · Sun closed
Address: Tv. das Pedras Negras 2, 1100-404 Lisboa, Portugal
The cooking at Cantinho do Aziz, a Mozambican family restaurant in Mouraria, follows the spice routes between Portugal, India and East Africa. Start with the prawn curry and the chamuças. On a warm night, take a terrace table above the steep street and order a Laurentina beer.
Cantinho do Aziz
Hours: Mon–Sun 09:00–23:00
Address: R. de São Lourenço 5, 1100-530 Lisboa, Portugal
Where should I book a special dinner near Praça do Comércio?
Two chef-led rooms close to the square deserve a whole evening. Sála, five minutes away on the edge of the Baixa, pairs Portuguese produce and tradition with clear Asian touches, in front of an open kitchen. Ofício in Chiado, thirteen minutes away, is a small wine and dining room that leans on preserves, smoke and slow braises. Book Sála weeks ahead; Ofício fills up early.
Sála has two menus: three courses you choose yourself, or five chosen by the chef. João Sá often brings plates to the table himself. On a first visit, choose the five course menu and let the chef set the route. For dinner, book three to four weeks ahead.
Sála
Hours: Mon closed · Tue–Fri 18:30–21:30 · Sat 12:30–14:00, 18:30–21:30 · Sun closed
Address: R. dos Bacalhoeiros 103, 1100-068 Lisboa, Portugal
Chef Maurício Varela keeps the menu at Ofício short. It runs from fried corn with turnip stew to a chickpea cozido with Alentejo pork, put together like a Sunday lunch. Start with the alheira croquette, and have the smoked ray if it’s on the day’s board. The waiter knows the wine list better than the printed page does. Couples tend to linger over the wine long after the plates have gone.
Ofício
Hours: Mon closed · Tue–Sat 18:00–00:00 · Sun closed
Address: R. Nova da Trindade 11k, 1200-301 Lisboa, Portugal
Where can I get dessert near Praça do Comércio?
Two Chiado counters, both eleven minutes from the square, take care of the sweet end of the day. Santini has made gelato in Lisbon since a family brought the recipe over from Italy, and its fruit sorbets taste of the fruit. Landeau Chocolate made its name with one dark, dense chocolate cake, served in a minimal room with good espresso.
At Santini, pick the strawberry, or whichever sorbet is in season. Expect a queue on warm evenings. Lisboetas have been ending a stroll through Chiado with a scoop here for generations.
Santini
Hours: Mon–Sun 11:00–23:00
Address: R. do Carmo 88, 1100-581 Lisboa, Portugal
At Landeau, order a slice and a bica, and that’s it. The cake also travels well whole, so it’s easy to take one along to a dinner.
Landeau Chocolate
Hours: Mon–Sun 12:00–19:00
Address: Rua das Flores 70, 1299-195 Lisboa, Portugal
Every place here is within a 13 minute walk of Praça do Comércio, so two or three fit comfortably into one day: a bifana or ramen at lunch, a booked dinner in the evening, a sorbet on the way back. Wear comfortable shoes for the climb up to Mouraria.
