5 great small restaurants in Lisbon

There’s a constant line of people waiting outside this restaurant, and here’s why: they don’t take reservations here, the restaurant is small, the food is delicious and very good value. Owned by self-taught chef André Magalhães, this tiny temple of traditional cuisine mirrors the old tabernas of Lisbon in both the décor and the food served.

Chef Carlos Duarte Afonso, a rising star of Portuguese contemporary cuisine, created a restaurant inspired by the rich traditions of the Alentejo, his birth region. In his intimate ‘living room’, he serves reinvented local dishes that are always rooted in authenticity.

This hidden restaurant is in fact a sake bar (with more than 50 varieties available) owned by a sake distributor, who is a native of Japan. The concise menu offers some Japanese bites to go with the sakes. A true gem.

Owner and chef Kiko of Cevicheria is one of the new stars of the local food scene. His ceviches and tartares are so amazing that every day you will find people lining up on the street in front of his restaurant, hoping to get a highly coveted table inside, while drinking their killer Pisco Sours.

This tiny restaurant has a mere seven seats around an open-kitchen counter, where chefs cook genuine Mexican food like you won’t find anywhere else in the city. All dishes are made from scratch and represent the different regions of Mexico, using unique ingredients that are rarely seen in restaurants outside the country.