We may earn affiliate commissions from websites we link to, at no cost to you. Click here for details.
The best foods from Portugal are not only found in the many fantastic restaurants and cafes; you can find them in small family-run eateries, bakeries, and small unassuming places you’re sure to discover along the way.
Whether you’re on a short stopover in the colourful cities of Lisbon, or Porto or planning to explore Portugal independently or even on a group tour, here are some of the best foods from Portugal that you simply shouldn’t miss.
Let’s start this delicious list of foods from Portugal with a mouthwatering pastry. Pastel de nata is an egg yolk custard tart, a staple Portuguese dessert.
You can find them in bakeries and supermarkets all over Portugal, and if you’re spending a few days seeing the highlights of the beautiful city of Lisbon, be sure to stop by Manteigaria.
This small patisserie bakes the best Pastel de nata we’ve ever tasted. The secret is in the crunchy yet light pastry base.
These yummy tarts are also famous in countries we’ve travelled in that were former Portuguese colonies, such as Brazil, East Timor, Mozambique, and Macau (China).
One thing is sure in Portugal; the Portuguese know how to cook seafood! So this dish that translates into ‘grilled fish’ is just that; a fresh whole fish cooked perfectly over a charcoal grill.
Typically served with boiled potatoes, steamed vegetables, and a freshly dressed, simple salad, Peixe Grelhado is tasty. Fish such as grouper, seabass, and bream are ideal for this cooking style.
Bacalhau means cod in Portuguese, and a bacalhau dish comprises salted and dried cod. The taste is surprisingly sweet, mild, and soft, not salty at all, as many people would guess if you have seen Bacalhau in the markets before it has cooked.
Bacalhau is one of the quintessential foods from Portugal that you shouldn’t miss.
If you ask a local, they’d tell you that this is one of the top foods from Portugal. Furthermore, sardines are available throughout the country, especially in coastal cities and villages, where they’re incredibly fresh.
Sardines are cleaned, seasoned with salt, and then charred whole over an open fire. As a result, they take on a smoky flavour penetrating the sardines, and the inside remains soft.
Sardines are typically served on top of a slice of bread, which soaks up the flavoursome oily fats from the fish. Delicious!
These are the ultimate comfort snack foods from Portugal. You can enjoy these tasty snacks, hot or cold, and the best part is that you can find them at tavernas, delicatessens, patisseries, and small cafés all over Portugal.
Essentially, the ingredients that make Pastéis de Bacalhau are salted codfish, onion, potato, and parsley. Don’t miss them!
Sopa de Pedra is one of the most traditional Portuguese foods. A soup made up of cured meat that is typical of the region (such as sausages such as chouriço and morcela, pork belly and pig’s ear), along with kidney beans, potatoes, and other vegetables.
Caldo Verde is another delicious soup with the core ingredients: potato kale and linguica (cured sausage). Be sure to add this one to your list of foods from Portugal to try. The recipe to make Caldo Verde is simple and doesn’t require much time.
A comforting and filling meal, this is a traditional food from Portugal that hails from the Minho Province in the country’s northern region.
Locals commonly eat this dish at home on Sundays or for special occasions.
Arroz de pato is Portugal’s version of a Spanish paella or a flavourful Chinese fried rice.
This tasty dish consists of shredded duck, stock-infused rice, smokey bacon, chouriço, vegetables, and a bunch of aromatic elements to flavour.
It’s a hearty meal and one of my favourite foods from Portugal.
Don’t miss our EUROPE CITY GUIDES
Primarily, Bitoque is a lean cut of steak with an egg on top, and it’s often served with salad, rice, and chips. The best part is watching the egg yolk ooze over the steak.
This dish is a typical lunch menu for locals, and you can find it served in many restaurants and small eateries all over Portugal.
A good dish of Bitoque is when the meat cut is quality and it must be cooked just right.
Linguiça is one of the spicy foods from Portugal that you’re going to love. It’s a smoke-cured pork sausage, seasoned with onion, chillis, garlic, paprika and other spices. Some would say that it’s a cousin to the famous chorizo sausage.
Linguica sausage is an essential ingredient in some traditional Portuguese food from Portugal, such as Caldo Verde and Portuguese beans. It’s a much-loved food from Portugal and Brazil too.
Polvo à lagareiro is a delectable Portuguese dish of grilled octopus with smashed potatoes, flavoured in a wonderful herb garlic oil. It doesn’t get much better than this for seafood lovers.
Get Connected with eSIM
Get connected easily on your travels—buy an eSIM! It works like an app: buy it, download it, and get connected in minutes! It’s easy, affordable, and convenient. Keep your original phone number, too!
Use our code: RACHEL5045 to get $3 off your first purchase!
If you’re craving some tasty vegetarian foods from Portugal, pop this Portuguese snack on your list!
This simple dish consists of sliced-up vegetables that are battered and then deep-fried.
Green beans are the most standard vegetable used for this dish; however, capsicum, and squash are common too.
I like to order them as a snack with a cold beer or wine, although it’s a great starter dish too.
Read more: The Perfect Itinerary for 2 Days in Lisbon
The word Feijoada derives from feijão, or ‘bean’ in Portuguese. Feijoada is one of the traditional foods from Portugal.
Feijoada is a thick and flavourful stew made from beans, pork and beef.
Enjoy this dish in other Portuguese-speaking countries such as Brazil, Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea Bissau, Mozambique, & São Tomé and Príncipe, to name a few, all nations preparing the dish with slight variations.
WHERE TO EAT IN PRAIA, CAPE VERDE – 7 BEST DISHES
Want to enjoy a few sweet types of traditional foods from Portugal? This Portuguese donut is a must-eat! The best part is the ample amounts of a creamy, delicious egg custard filling that oozes out of it when you bite it. It’s remarkable, let me tell you.
Find them sold at patisseries, supermarkets, and small shops, and it’s a popular snack sold by beach vendors too.
Francesinha is a much-loved Portuguese sandwich, said to be invented in Porto. This food fave is a multi-stacked sandwich filled with various types of meat like sausage, ham, chourićo, and steak.
But then, this gigantic sandwich is covered in melted cheese, doused with tangy sauce, and topped with a fried egg!
This dish is a rustic fisherman’s stew that is traditionally cooked in the ‘caldeirada’ or a copper pot. The ingredients depend on what seafood is caught that day. Then, additional ingredients usually include potatoes, vegetables, and spices.
The stew is infused with saffron to give it colour and flavour.
Enjoy it with some crusty Portuguese bread to mop up the delicious broth.
Join our Nomads Newsletter!
Receive our best tips on how to travel in every country!
Sign up now, and we’ll send you our FREE eBook, “How to Travel Like a Boss!“
Carne de Porco à Alentejana is a traditional food from Portugal made from braised cubes of pork, crisp fried potatoes, and fresh clams simmered in white wine sauce.
And yes, it tastes as good as it sounds.
Once the dish has been prepared with the main ingredients, it is then topped with black olives, fresh coriander, and an assortment of pickled cauliflower, carrots, and red capsicum.
Bifana is arguably one of the best sandwiches you’ll taste in the country. The secret is in its simplicity. Slim strips of marinated pork are grilled and served in a white bread roll and then a tasty sauce is added to give it a delicious flavour.
Depending on where you’re eating the bifana, will determine the overall taste.
The secret is in the marinade and how it’s cooked they say. In Porto, the sauce is made from garlic, white wine, and a few spices. If you taste a bifana in the South of Portugal, it’s standard to put yellow mustard on top instead.
Either way, you need to try simple and satisfying foods from Portugal. Find these yummy sandwiches in snack bars and cafes for around €2.
Piri Piri chicken is one of the classic foods from Portugal.
A whole butterflied chicken is marinated in olive oil, secret seasonings, and crushed piri-piri peppers and then grilled over charcoal to create some of the best-roasted chicken you’ve ever eaten. Don’t miss it!
To complete this list of foods in Portugal to try, let’s finish with a popular Portuguese breakfast dish. The Pão de Deus, or ‘the bread of God,’ combines a soft brioche bun with a mixture of eggs and desiccated coconut.
The dough typically has rum or vanilla, and lemon zest to flavour. The buns are baked until the top is crisp and golden.
These sweet breakfast snacks are perfect for enjoying alongside a strong Portuguese coffee or tea.
We have many travel guides and tips for Europe— an incredible continent!
Are you travelling on a budget? These ten cheapest European countries will help you plan an itinerary that lets you see as much as possible while there.
Furthermore, if you plan to travel long-term (or at least until the money runs out), these 21 cheapest countries to visit will help you make your hard-earned dollars stretch a bit further.
Delicious cuisine can be enjoyed across Europe, and our food map of Europe will inspire your culinary journey.
For food lovers, don’t miss our top 10 best countries for foodies, a couple of them are located in Europe.
Here are 8 things to know about travelling to Eastern Europe and it’s good to know these 7 misconceptions about Eastern Europe too.
These top 6 travel hacks to save money are great to read when planning your travels.
You’ll need to stay connected while travelling in Europe. We recommend eSIM. It’s easy, reliable and affordable. View eSIMs for individual European countries, or consider a regional eSIM for Europe (which covers 39 countries).
If your travels in Europe are part of a much larger global adventure, then a Global eSIM may be the answer. It connects you in 124 countries, offering data-only eSIM and data/call/text eSIM. The Global eSIM has been a game-changer; we couldn’t imagine travelling without it now.
If you want to travel with like-minded travellers, consider joining a group tour. Check out our Group Tours first for any upcoming European departures, or view Tourradar for great deals on group tours in Europe.
Check out our best-ever travel tips compiled from more than twenty years of experience.
✈️ Flights: We use Skyscanner to book cheap flights worldwide.
🏨 Accommodation: Booking.com is our preferred platform for booking hotels and accommodation. We use Vrbo to book apartments and long-term stays.
🏥 Travel Insurance: We recommend Heymondo (Get 5% off Heymondo) & SafetyWing
🚌 Transportation: Trainline is the best website to reserve trains. We use Omio to book transport worldwide. For travel in Asia, we use 12Go.
🚘 Car Rental: We use DiscoverCars to book rental cars worldwide.
👫 Group Tours: We now offer Group Trips; view them here! Alternatively, we recommend G Adventures OR Tourradar. For Europe, Expat Explore is a good choice. *Get 5% off when you quote code VERYHUNGRYNOMADS to your Expat reservations agent. (*Valid for new clients only).
📸 Day Tours & Trips: GetYourGuide & Viator are the only two platforms you need.
📚 Lonely Planet: The Best Range of Travel Guides & Ebooks, and FREE Shipping! (use code RACHELDAVEY10 for a 10% discount)
🎒 Luggage: Osprey Farpoint 40L Backpack or Samsonite Luggage Range.
🛄 What to Pack: Don’t forget your Universal charger and a good power bank. To help you pack the essentials, here is our ULTIMATE Packing List for all Travellers.
🐶 Become a House Sitter: Join Trusted Housesitters and enjoy FREE accommodation worldwide. Use our invite to receive 25% off your new membership.
💰 Send Money Anywhere: WISE & Revolut are the best online accounts that let you send money, get paid, and spend money internationally. Both are so easy to use and way cheaper than any bank transfer.
📶 Stay Connected: Airalo eSIM allows you to get connected the moment you land at your destination, and you can avoid those expensive data roaming charges. We LOVE this product! Use code RACHEL5045 to get $3 off your first Airalo eSIM.
✅ Check out our Travel Gear and Travel Resources for more valuable tips to save you money!
2 Comments. Leave new
For those in Melbourne, there is a Portugese van often parked outside of the National Gallery of Victoria which makes the best Portugese Tarts
Great tip! Thanks Rob, we’ll be sure to check that one out too 😉