Once you reach Rossio, your first meal can be as quick as a pork sandwich at a counter or as slow as an evening at an old seafood bar. Charcoal chicken in an alley sits somewhere in between.
The short list
8 places, in the order they appear below.
- 01As Bifanas do AfonsoA standing bifanaWalk from Rossio: about 7 minBaixa
- 02BonjardimCharcoal piri piri chickenWalk from Rossio: about 5 minRestauradores
- 03Confeitaria NacionalPastries, quiet lunch upstairsWalk from Rossio: about 2 minBaixa
- 04Fábrica Coffee RoastersSpecialty coffeeWalk from Rossio: about 8 minBaixa
- 05A ProvincianaOctopus and grilled fish at lunchWalk from Rossio: about 4 minBaixa
- 06Floresta das EscadinhasGrilled fish on the stepsWalk from Rossio: about 5 minBaixa
- 07GambrinusSeafood, a croquete at the barWalk from Rossio: about 3 minBaixa
- 08Cantinho do AzizPrawn curry on a terraceWalk from Rossio: about 5 minMouraria
How much is a taxi from Lisbon airport to the city centre?
We’d take the taxi with heavy bags or after a late arrival. With a backpack and some energy left, the metro does the job.
Where can I grab a quick first bite near Rossio?
Downtown around Rossio has plenty of counters and casual rooms. We picked four: a standing bifana counter, a charcoal chicken house in an alley, the city’s oldest working pastry shop and a specialty roaster for a proper coffee. Drop your bags and walk.
As Bifanas do Afonso does one thing all day: pork simmered in a garlicky, peppery broth and lifted straight into bread. There are no seats. People eat out on the cobbles with a beer. Ask for the bread dipped in the cooking juices and bring cash. The queue moves fastest just before or after the lunch crowd.
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
Bonjardim sits in an alley off Restauradores, and the smell of the grill does the advertising. The chicken arrives with crisp skin and fries, plus a dish of hot sauce to brush on. Ask for extra piri piri on the side and eat with your hands, out on the alley terrace if the weather allows.
Bonjardim
Hours: Mon–Sun 12:00–23:30
Address: Tv. de Santo Antão 11, 1150-312 Lisboa, Portugal
Confeitaria Nacional, on Praça da Figueira, is the oldest working pastry house in the city. Inside you get gilt mirrors and a carved ceiling. The everyday case holds natas, queijadas and folhados, and at Christmas people queue for bolo rei. Upstairs, a far quieter room than the counter below serves a sit-down lunch.
Confeitaria Nacional
Hours: Mon–Sun 08:00–20:00
Address: Praça da Figueira 18B, 1100-241 Lisboa, Portugal
Fábrica Coffee Roasters roasts its own beans in a high-ceilinged Baixa room. After an early flight, it’s a good place to reset. Most people walk past the mezzanine, so climb up and order a single origin as filter. They sell bags of beans too.
Fábrica Coffee Roasters
Hours: Mon–Sun 08:00–17:00
Address: R. das Portas de Santo Antão 136, 1150-269 Lisboa, Portugal
Where can I have a proper Portuguese lunch near Rossio?
For a seated lunch with a plate of grilled fish, we’d go to one of two downtown tascas. Both get busiest at midday, so arrive a little ahead of the rush if you want a choice of seats.
A Provinciana serves hearty Portuguese standards in ample portions at fair prices. Order the polvo à lagareiro (roast octopus) or the grilled fish. Neither lets you down.
A Provinciana
Hours: Mon–Fri 12:00–15:30, 19:00–22:00 · Sat–Sun closed
Address: Tv. do Forno 23, 1150-265 Lisboa, Portugal
Floresta das Escadinhas is a forty-seat tasca in a former church space. It cooks fish and meat on charcoal, and the menu has barely changed in decades. Everyone wants the tables on the steps outside. Skip the printed menu and order whichever fish is on the counter that day.
Floresta das Escadinhas
Hours: Mon–Sat 12:00–15:30 · Sun closed
Address: R. de Santa Justa 3, 1100-483 Lisboa, Portugal
Where should I eat dinner near Rossio on my first night?
For a first dinner, we’d choose between a classic seafood house and a Mozambican family kitchen, both a short walk from the square.
At Gambrinus, the display of clams, prawns, lobster and spider crab at the front decides most orders. The front bar is the easier way in. A croquete with mustard and a beer costs a fraction of a table, and the counter regulars are half the entertainment. If you do sit down, finish with crêpes Suzette flamed in orange and Cointreau.
Gambrinus
Hours: Mon–Sun 12:00–00:00
Address: R. das Portas de Santo Antão 23, 1150-264 Lisboa, Portugal
Cantinho do Aziz cooks Mozambican food shaped by the spice routes between Portugal, India and East Africa. We start with the prawn curry and the chamuças, then move on to a slow-cooked stew. Drink a Laurentina beer out on the terrace on a warm evening.
Cantinho do Aziz
Hours: Mon–Sun 09:00–23:00
Address: R. de São Lourenço 5, 1100-530 Lisboa, Portugal
Which place near Rossio suits my first meal?
It comes down to how much time and appetite you have after landing. If you just want to eat and keep moving, go to a counter or the pastry shop. For a sit-down lunch, pick a tasca. Arriving in time for dinner? Then it’s the seafood bar or the family restaurant. The table below sums up all eight.
You can reach every place here on foot from Rossio. Check each card for opening days before you set out: some of these kitchens close on certain days or serve lunch only. Sit-down places fill up at peak hours, so book Gambrinus if you want a table rather than the bar.
