This post was first sent out from the Tiny Letter we set up after we moved to Lisbon in 2017.
Hello friends,
So as we’ve started to relax after the hectic few months that surrounded us extricating ourselves from our home in Dublin and making a home in Lisbon, we’ve begun to try different places to eat out.
One of the tougher things about upping sticks, as anyone who has emigrated will know, is having to start your spice collection basically from scratch (although Ben’s mum recently sent Nathalie back with a giant bag filled with little packets of spices 🙏).
It’s been interesting to see what we’ve missed and went to the trouble of hunting down. So far, we’ve managed to find:
- Glood aka expat homesickness shop. Sadly, their Mexican section only consisted of a few Old El Paso kits (which Nathalie wasn’t above buying)
- Mex Grocer, where we picked up lots of dried chillis, Mexican sweets, and even some hominy to make our first ever Pozole (which was fucking great) [+ recipe here if you fancy it]
- Lisbon’s Martim Moniz area has a few Asian markets, where we nabbed garam masala, sesame seed oil, pickled mango etc.
- Other staples we tracked down included Maldon sea salt, black pepper (surprisingly hard to get), bottles of Guinness (made in Belgium, still good)
In general, we’ve been really impressed with the standard of food in Lisbon. We’ve had great grub in greasy spoons, fancy restaurants, chains and even shopping centre food courts. Traditional Portuguese specialities (and pastries!) are plentiful and delicious, and there’s a strong showing of international cuisine too. Some recommendations below!
🍝 5 delicious dinner spots
- A Taberna Rua Das Flores: Teeny tiny restaurant; a tapas-style menu is brought to your table on a huge blackboard, you pick a bunch of stuff, drink lovely wine and have a pleasant surprise at the size of the bill.
- A Cevicheria: Hip and trendy spot (and not as cheap as most places in Lisbon!) almost the entire menu is mouth-wateringly tasty and exciting ceviche. For extra points, get drunk on the street on decent cocktails while you wait for your table!
- El Clandestino: 3 mins walk from Cevicheria, this is an upmarket Mexican. We liked the micheladas 🍻 and the tacos al pastor 🌮. Can’t wait to go back with a gang!
- Boa Bao: Asian tacos? Kinda? We’ve only been for lunch, but have vowed to return and explore more of the menu.
- Stop Do Barrio: We were put onto this neighbourhood spot by some lovely local friends. They do a monkfish and rice dish which Ben hasn’t stopped talking about for weeks.
☕️ 3 Great places for coffee
- Copenhagen Coffee Lab (where we are right now!)
- Wish Slow Coffee
- Kaffeehaus
🤝 Nathalie’s favourite places for meetups and chats (which handily all happen to be about three minutes from each other)
☘️ 5 things Ben misses from Dublin
- Salt & Vinegar Hunky Dorys
- A pint of Guinness (such a cliché 🤦♂️)
- Zaytoon
- Kerala Kitchen
- His family and friends or whatever
The weather here has been pretty up and down for the last month or so – not as bad or disruptive as Dublin, but still inclement. We’re hungrily eyeing the temperature charts for April and May, eager for things to clear up and get warmer, so we can start exploring the outdoor delights of Lisbon.
We’re looking forward to hanging out with some of you over the next 6 weeks, as we have lots of family and friend visits between now and June. Can’t wait to see you!
Until next time,
N&B
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