What to Eat in Portugal: 25 Dishes and Drinks to Try

Portuguese food is one of the best reasons to visit: incredible fish and seafood, hearty stews, legendary pastries and very good-value wine. Here are the dishes our members say you can’t leave without trying, and where to find them.

Quick answer: start with a pastel de nata, a bifana (pork sandwich), grilled sardines (in summer), bacalhau (salt cod) and, in Porto, a francesinha. Wash it down with vinho verde or a glass of port.

Pastries and sweets

• Pastel de nata: the famous custard tart with flaky pastry, best warm with cinnamon. The original pastéis de Belém are in Belém, where they’ve been baked since 1837, but great ones are everywhere. The 2026 national contest for the best pastel de nata was won by Aloma in Lisbon. See the best pastel de nata in Lisbon.
• Bola de Berlim: a doughnut filled with egg custard, sold on beaches in summer.
• Ovos moles: sweet egg-yolk treats from Aveiro. See day trips from Porto.
• Travesseiros: almond pastries from Sintra. See our Sintra tips.
• Pastel de Tentúgal: paper-thin pastry filled with egg cream, from near Coimbra.
• Arroz doce: creamy rice pudding dusted with cinnamon, a classic at family lunches.

Many Portuguese sweets are built on egg yolks and sugar. A common story is that convents used egg whites to starch clothes and turned the leftover yolks into pastries.

Fish and seafood

• Bacalhau (salt cod): Portugal’s national obsession, said to have hundreds of recipes. Try bacalhau à Brás (shredded with egg and crispy potatoes) or pastéis de bacalhau (cod fritters).
• Grilled sardines: at their best in early summer and the star of the June festivals. Eat them on bread.
• Polvo à lagareiro: roasted octopus with potatoes and plenty of olive oil.
• Arroz de marisco: a soupy seafood rice, made for sharing.
• Cataplana: an Algarve seafood stew cooked in a clam-shaped copper pan.
• Amêijoas à Bulhão Pato: clams in garlic, olive oil and coriander. Mop up the juice with bread.
• Grilled fish in Matosinhos (Porto) or any fishing town: pick it from the display and have it simply grilled.

Fish and shellfish are often priced by the kilo. Ask for the weight or the price before it goes on the grill, so there are no surprises.

Meat and hearty dishes

• Bifana: thin pork slices in a garlicky sauce in a soft roll. A cheap, perfect lunch.
• Prego: a steak sandwich, the beef version of a bifana.
• Francesinha: Porto’s monster sandwich, layered meats under melted cheese and a spicy beer sauce, often with an egg on top and chips. Share one if you’re not starving!
• Frango piri-piri: grilled chicken with chilli, especially good in the Algarve.
• Cozido à portuguesa: a hearty boiled meat-and-vegetable feast. In the Azores it’s cooked underground by volcanic heat. See our Azores guide.
• Caldo verde: a comforting soup of potato, kale and chouriço.
• Leitão: crisp roast suckling pig, the speciality of the Bairrada area between Coimbra and Aveiro.

Regional specialities

Porto and the north

Besides the francesinha, try tripas à moda do Porto (tripe and bean stew, the reason locals are nicknamed tripeiros) and alheira, a smoked bread-and-meat sausage from Trás-os-Montes. See what to eat in Porto.

The Alentejo

Bread-based dishes such as açorda (bread soup with garlic, coriander and a poached egg) and migas, plus prized porco preto (black pork). See Alentejo food.

The Algarve

Cataplana, grilled fish, clams and almond and fig sweets. Many beach restaurants grill fresh fish all day in summer.

Madeira and the Azores

On Madeira, try espetada (beef on a bay-laurel skewer), bolo do caco flatbread with garlic butter, and black scabbard fish. The Azores are known for beef, São Jorge cheese, pineapples and the volcanic cozido of Furnas.

Cheese and snacks

• Queijo da Serra: a rich, runny sheep’s cheese from the mountains.
• Chouriço assado: sausage flamed at your table.
• Petiscos: Portuguese small plates, perfect for sharing over drinks.
• Tinned fish: sardines, tuna and mackerel in pretty tins, a good-value gift to take home.

What to drink

• Vinho verde: a light, fresh “green” (young) wine from the north, perfect on a hot day.
• Port: the famous fortified wine from the Douro, aged in Vila Nova de Gaia. Try a port wine tasting tour.
• Madeira and Moscatel de Setúbal: two more fortified wines, often served with dessert. See Madeira wine.
• Douro and Alentejo reds: excellent and great value, often under €10 a bottle in shops.
• Ginjinha: sour cherry liqueur, drunk in tiny bars in Lisbon or from a chocolate cup in Óbidos.
• Coffee: a bica or café is an espresso, and a galão is a milky coffee in a glass.

Eating with the seasons

• June to September: sardine season, with the June saints’ festivals in Lisbon and Porto at its heart.
• November: roast chestnuts from street sellers, especially around São Martinho on 11 November.
• Christmas Eve: boiled bacalhau with potatoes and greens is the traditional dinner.

Eating out like a local

• Look for the prato do dia (dish of the day) at lunch. It’s great value in local tascas.
• The couvert isn’t free: bread, olives and cheese on the table are charged if you eat them. If you don’t want them, just ask the waiter to take them away. See money in Portugal.
• Half portions (meia dose) are often available and still generous.
• Dinner starts late, around 8pm. Book popular places at weekends.
• Walk a street or two away from the main squares for better food and prices.
• Tipping isn’t expected, but rounding up or leaving about 5 to 10% for good service is appreciated.
• Markets: the Time Out Market in Lisbon is fun for trying lots of things. The Bolhão market in Porto feels more local, but it’s closed on Sundays and public holidays.

FAQ

What is Portugal’s national dish?

There’s no official one, but most Portuguese would name bacalhau (salt cod). Cozido à portuguesa and grilled sardines are close behind.

Do I have to pay for the bread and olives?

Only if you eat them. You can’t be charged for food you didn’t order and didn’t touch, so send it back if you don’t want it.

Is tipping expected in Portuguese restaurants?

No. Locals often round up, and about 5 to 10% for good service is generous. See tipping in Portugal.

When is sardine season?

Roughly June to September, when sardines are fattest. The June saints’ festivals in Lisbon and Porto are the classic time to eat them.

Hungry for more? See the best restaurants in Lagos, try a Lagos food tour, or ask our groups for their favourite tasca.

See also: bacalhau, seafood, cheese, desserts, tinned fish, port, vinho verde, coffee, vegetarian tips, food tours in Portugal, caldo verde, Portuguese sardines, bifanas and pregos, the Portugal food itinerary, Portuguese breakfast, the best restaurants in Lisbon, what to eat in Lisbon, what to eat in Madeira, what to eat in the Algarve, what to eat in the Azores and leitão da Bairrada.

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