Best restaurants to watch the World Cup 2018 in Lisbon

The seafood restaurant owned by João Mendes Esteves and César Lourenço is a good place to devour a shellfish platter with a group of friends while watching a game on TV. The shellfish comes in two varieties of Waves, a mix platter: the Supernova, with portions for two to three people (€65) or the Elite, for a group of four to five (€130). Prepare your stomach with a scarlet shrimp soup (€8.70).

The docks are always a place to be when there's football to watch on TV, especially considering the classic Irish&Co is nearby. But there's another place with a pleasant outdoors area, perfect if you're going with kids, because of its large playground: Doca de Santo. More than 22 years old, it was fully renovated (menu included) by the new management, the Capricciosa group, using the expertise of one of its shareholders, the José Avillez group. Beyond new international dishes - ceviches, tartars, great samosas and curries - there is a mushroom risotto and the same old Doca de Santo-style steak.

When Alexandra Lopes opened this restaurant specialized in "pregos" (Portuguese steaks), she didn't think of including television screens. But considering "pregos" are great football-watching food and the World Cup was just around the corner, she decided to install a TV set large enough to watch the games. The menu was entirely devised by chef Vítor Sobral. Do try the traditional "prego", whose beef is matured for 14 days; it comes with homemade fries and mustard.

It entered the game in March and it already has an edge over its opponents: a half-secret viewpoint over the city. The outdoor lounge was devised with the World Cup in mind: there's a big screen for viewing the games, with "tremoços" (lupin beans) and draught beer to go along. If you can't cope with the nerves on an empty stomach, there's also prawns "al ajillo", Bulhão Pato clams, "prego" steaks and more elaborate fare, such as shellfish rice or tournedo beef tenderloin. 

The group that owns Peixola and the Espumantarias earned the concession to manage Ferroviário, then spent a year renovating it - and the extreme makeover didn't just touch the terrace (now tropical and comfortable, with a Latino snack menu). The other floors were also renewed; during the World Cup, matches will be broadcast in the TGV room, where there is a bar. During halftime, go upstairs to breathe a little fresh air.

The first Chakall Empire restaurant in Marvila will broadcast some World Cup matches as part of Lisbon's newest festival, the Marvila aos Molhos. Organized by the Sociedade Musical 3 d'Agosto, it continues beyond the Festas de Lisboa until July 15. When you are at El Bulo, try the ceviches, the kid lamb chops (cooked for 22 hours), the Argentinian "picanha" steaks or the cod fillets.

Time Out Market will broadcast every World Cup game on two big screens; there will be something for fans of every nation. During game breaks, stroll through the market's corridors, where you can find a selection of the city's best restaurants (a growing selection, with the recent openings of Ground Burger and ZeroZero). Options range from haute cuisine to Croqueteria croquettes.

Vasco Rodrigues is the son of the Júlio in the name; he inherited this restaurant serving very popular plates and platters of snails and roasted "caracoletas" (larger snails). O Filho do Menino Júlio dos Caracóis ("the son of young Júlio of the Snails") has close to 400 seats, making it a good place to get a bite while screaming "goal". Beyond the little shelled creatures, the other house speciality is steak "aguilho"; there's also "pica-pau" diced beef, that comes with a special house sauce.

This patio is famous in Cascais as a destination for nibbling on traditional Portuguese food: "alheira" sausage croquettes, clams, chicken gizzard stew ("moelas"), eggs with "farinheira" sausage, "peixinhos da horta" fried vegetables. If there's too much of a crowd or it gets too noisy on game days, run to the Páteo do Guincho, owned by the same group, in the Clube D. Carlos, next to the camping site.

The new Carpintaria in Cais do Sodré is big enough to fit three whole football teams. There's even live music on a real stage, but these days the sounds will be, hopefully, of goals being scored. Italian food is served here, from thin, crusty pizza to pasta and risotto.

We could have included it in the previous pages - after all, this is a place for good Spanish "tapas", and "nuestros hermanos" are among Portugal's group stage opponents. But Taberna Ibérica has more than great "huevos rotos", diverse "montaditos", tortillas and "pescados" (fish); it's also a comfortable spot to watch the games. Never mind the Spanish team scarves, lay back and have a few "cañas".

If the weather cooperates, this restaurant near the Praça das Flores plans to set tables and a big screen on the square opposite from it to watch Portugal games in style, like it did in the last few World Cups and Euros. But if the weather gods aren't helpful, the party moves inside, where there are also TV sets. As for food, the menu lists shareable plates such as garlic prawns, chicken gizzard stew ("moelas"), Brás-style"farinheira" sausage and fish meat dishes.

In game days, this establishment in Campo de Ourique, which specializes in Portuguese snacks, is most likely to have a crowd. Besides a perfect terrace for group dinners, there's chessboards, foosball tables, darts and inexpensive drinks if you stick around post-game.

Charkoal took over the former Peter Café Sport in Oeiras with a menu devised by José Cordeiro - chefe Cordeiro (chef spelled the Portuguese way, like his cuisine). That includes plenty of charcoal grilling, a lot of fish, fresh shellfish and beef. Games will be broadcast on a big screen inside the restaurant; in good weather, there's "theme sunsets" on the outdoors area, with a capacity for almost 200 people, and a long cocktail menu.

It opened in mid-2017 as an extension of Sal, in Praia do Pego (Comporta), bringing to Lisbon seafood platters and snacks, and some meat dishes. There's a beer happy hour from 6pm to 7.30pm, conveniently coinciding with several World Cup matches. To ensure all patrons can keep their eyes on the games, inner rooms were equipped with extra TV sets. For large parties there's menus from €35 per person, with the works: a "couvert" with Alentejo bread, appetizers including "aioli" squid rings, plus cuttlefish black rice and diced tenderloin "pica pau".