🍕 I didn’t expect Lisbon to ruin pizza for me
This is not a Lisbon guide (but you should save it)
We just got back from 2.5 weeks in France and Portugal.
This part of the story is about Lisbon. 6 days with our friends Samir and Yulia.
And this one’s a little different.
No van breakdowns.
No gravel parking lots.
No Louie judging us from the backseat.
Just:
really good food
long walks
ocean swims
and a list you’ll probably want to save
First: context matters
This was our second time in Lisbon.
The first time, we did what any reasonable person would do:
try everything.
This time, we came back with a mission:
only the best.
No experiments. No “let’s see.”
Just… go straight to the winners.
The real highlight (not the food… surprisingly)
The best part of this trip wasn’t a restaurant.
It was Samir and Yulia.
Elite hosts. The kind that:
casually live in a beautiful, perfectly located flat
make you walk everywhere
and somehow convince you that eating 3 meals + 2 desserts a day is “balanced”
We walked a lot.
Which is great because… we ate a lot.
Call it equilibrium.
Rain, timing, and one questionable decision
First two days: rain.
Now, some people get sad when it rains on vacation.
I get… opportunistic.
“Yalla, massage.”
Samir and Yulia had a go-to Thai spot:
💆♀️ BAO BAO
Super clean. Super professional. Very calm.
Then comes the moment.
The woman looks at me and goes:
“You can wear this… or your own underwear.”
And hands me what can only be described as…
a concept of underwear.
Minimal fabric. Maximum confusion.
So naturally… I chose it.
Alizée too.
We look at each other.
Pause.
And just lose it laughing.
Fast forward a couple days later—we’re in the car heading to the beach and I ask Samir:
“So… you guys wore theirs or your own?”
He looks at me like I just asked if water is wet:
“Of course our own.”
Silence.
Then:
“Wait… what did YOU wear?”
Anyway. Still laughing about it.
Massage was incredible though.
10/10. Would question my decisions again.
Lisbon is unfairly good at everything
You go to Lisbon expecting:
seafood
pasteis de nata
You don’t expect it to casually dominate:
pizza
gelato
Lebanese food
And yet.
The best pizza I’ve had (yes, really)
🍕 Lupita
I did not expect to write this sentence in my life but:
The best pizza I’ve ever had… was in Lisbon.
We ordered:
Pepperoni + caramelized onions
Courgette & burrata
Both illegal levels of good.
Order this: honestly, anything.
Vibe: simple, no nonsense, just excellence
And right across the street…
🍽️ Fabric
This is the kind of place you don’t plan for, but end up loving.
Middle Eastern-leaning, a bit unexpected, very good.
Arayes → exceptional, mandatory
Tempura broccolini → also exceptional, mandatory
Lebanese-inspired schnitzel plate → yes
Mousse au chocolat → also yes
This whole little area felt… unfairly stacked.
The best gelato I’ve had (also yes, really)
🍨 Niva Gelato
Dense. Rich. Deep flavor.
The kind of gelato where you stop mid-bite and go:
“Wait.”
Pistachio (vegan!) and chocolate (vegan!) were ridiculous.
Order this: pistachio. Don’t overthink it.
Lebanese food… in Lisbon??
🇱🇧 Citron
We did what any self-respecting Lebanese would do: test the local Lebanese scene.
Verdict: shockingly legit.
Kibbeh: approved
Fattoush: fresh
Daoud Bacha: next level (but ask ahead 👀)
Honestly… proud moment. Lisbon really said:
bring your culture, we’ll make it work.
Respect.
The only pastel de nata you need
🍮 Castro
We tested a lot on a previous trip.
Skip the experiments. Just go to Castro.
My record is between me and God.
Bread = happiness
🥖 Gleba → elite baguette (excellent for homemade jambon beurre at the beach); open late
🥖 Pão de Pastor → seeded loaf = 🔥
Beach days (earned, obviously)
🏖️ Costa da Caparica
About 30 minutes from the city.
We went twice:
once with friends (beach club vibes at Nuua)
once just us, long walk, no plan
And yes… we went in the ocean.
Cold.
Refreshing.
Main character energy.
Slow mornings & surfer energy
☕ 🌊 Balagan Ericeira
Coffee. Ocean. Surfers on loop.
This was one of those spots where time just… disappears.
I sat there for a while just watching surfers catch waves,
snapping videos, pretending I understand what makes a “good wave,”
and fully convincing myself I could try this one day.
Order this: coffee + whatever justifies staying longer
Pro tip: don’t rush this one. It’s the whole point.
Cascais: Come for the chicken, stay for the lifestyle
🍗 Jardim dos Frangos
Simple, solid:
grilled chicken
fries
sea bass
But the real moment:
🛥️ Cascais Marina
That walk.
Boats. Sun. Effortless wealth.
You look around and think:
“Yeah… we could live here.”
We can’t.
But for a second, it felt convincing.
If you’re going to Lisbon, steal this
Breakfast: Gleba or Castro
Lunch: Fabric (or whatever’s nearby)
Dinner: Lupita or Citron
Dessert (mandatory): Niva
Sweet backup: Brera
Beach: Caparica (Nuua if you want the full vibe)
Coffee moment: Balagan (stay longer than planned)
Wildcard:
Get the massage.
Bring your own underwear.
📍 One more thing
I pinned all of these spots (and more that we tried and would recommend) into a Google Maps list so you don’t have to think.
The best meals weren’t on the list
For all the places we went to…
The best meals of the trip weren’t at a restaurant.
They were at Samir and Yulia’s.
Samir is known to be a great home chef.
This trip, along with many others, confirmed it.
We got served.
egg salad
kafta
seabass
salmon
The kind of meals that don’t need a menu or a review, just a table, time, and good company.
If this were a spot I could recommend, it would be at the very top of this list.
But the only way in… is to become friends with Samir and Yulia.
And honestly, that’s the real takeaway.
Not just the food. But the conversations, the laughs, and the time spent around their table in their new home.
Those are the ones we’ll remember most.
10/10. Would recommend. Very hard reservation to get.
No van.
No Louie.
Just Lisbon doing what it does best:
making you stay longer… and eat more than planned.
so catchy! you convinced me to go back to Lisbon!
So nice to have this list to go back to and souvenirs. Laughed out loud reading about the undies at Bao Bao. Can't wait to go back to Lisbon and add more places to the Google list.