A guide to the Time Out Market Lisboa eateries

Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside – that’s how the cookies from Funky Chunky are, and they have become a true phenomenon in the city of Lisbon. The recipe is simple: only quality ingredients, nothing artificial. Flour, brown sugar, baking soda, butter, Belgian chocolate, among others. And because everything is 100% handmade, each batch can come out entirely different. At the Time Out Market kiosk, various flavors are available, such as Nutella, dulce de leche, double chocolate, peanut butter dream, and red velvet. To accompany these cookies, there are beverages like Pink Lemonade, Matcha Latte with strawberry foam, and a Nutella Frappuccino with cookie bits.

The queues outside the door of the brand’s first outlet, in Praça de São Paulo, have been reproduced at the shop-cum-factory in Santos; to this day they are the greatest evidence of the quality of these artisanal ices. The business is overseen by Filippo Licitra and Riccardo Farabegoli, two Italians who yielded to the charms of Lisbon and created Gelato Davvero (literally ‘Real Ice Cream’). Their ices are made daily, without colourings or preservatives, from the best possible ingredients. The hazelnuts and pistachios come from Italy but everything else is fresh and Portuguese, such as milk and ricotta from the Alentejo, and the fruit, of course, much of it bought right here at the Mercado da Ribeira. At this outlet 25 flavours are on offer, including the more obvious, but also some of the brand’s bestsellers, such as ricotta and walnuts, basil and salted caramel. All are served with a spatula and irresistible whipped cream on top. Time Out says: Davvero, the delightful work of a master ice cream maker trained in Bologna, has conquered Lisbon with his artisanal ices made from fresh, natural ingredients and served in Roman fashion: with a spatula and topped with whipped cream.

First they won over locals with the American-style hamburgers of Ground Burger. Then came the weekly pop-ups offering artisanal doughnuts, sculpted like works of art with sugar and fresh ingredients, which sold out in the wink of an eye. The next step was a shop for the brand itself, right next to the mother ship (Ground Burger), where the display window is full of colourful doughnuts made from a brioche dough fermented for 24 hours, with various classical and original flavours and combinations. And now this successful brand launched in 2018 por Caroline Eng and her husband has now arrived in the Time Out Market.

‘The best seafood is the one that is alive’, says Manuel Aguiar, responsible for Marisqueira Azul, as to justify the 3.20 meters aquarium at the venue, a (very) temporary residence of lobsters, crabs and santolas. The house dedicated to seafood at Time Out Market reopened in 2018, after works to refresh the space and increase seats at the counter. The winning team remained the same: the barnacles still come from Berlengas, the shrimp and the lingueirão from the Algarve and the oysters from Setúbal.

The same team that created Libertà on Avenida da Liberdade has just opened a Pasta Bar at the Time Out Market. A more casual space, where everything revolves around good, simple and authentic Italian food, as chef Silvio Armanni puts it. At this Pasta Bar, Italian heritage is respected, with a menu featuring many classics such as fettucine all’amatriciana, focaccia, lasagna, and a light tiramisù. It also nods to modernity with dishes like the vegetarian option ‘Maltagliati Al Pesto’, fried polenta served in a cone, or Gnocchi ‘Alla Norma’. And just like in the original Libertà, where the view of the kitchen is part of the experience, here at the market, in a space with a terrace and counter seating, you can watch fresh pasta being made and plated directly, accompanied by ingredients like sundried tomatoes and pesto.

In 2019, the “Frade” cousins, who come from an Alentejo family of cooks, vintners and tobacconists, and who are passionate about Portuguese gastronomy, have turned the Calçada da Ajuda, uphill from Belém, into an epicentre of Alentejo cuisine in Lisbon. Their success earned them a ‘Bib Gourmand’ label from Michelin Guides – a category that distinguishes spaces with a good price-quality ratio. From a counter in Belém to another counter and terrace in the Time Out Market, they brought their soulful Alentejo cuisine that in fact draws on elements of all traditional Portuguese cooking – from Trás-os-Montes in the far northeast to the Algarve in the south. The arroz de pato à Frade, a duck rice with orange and chorizo flavours that is one of the house icons, the coelho de coentrada (a rabbit dish seasoned with coriander), the duck escabeche, and the muxama (dried, salted tuna) with eggs are among the dishes and snacks on the menu at the Market, but with an original book of recipes containing more than 150, many others are sure to pop up here.

For so many years, since 1982, the green-and-white sunshades on the terrace tucked in a corner of central Lisbon square Praça dos Restauradores were the trademark image of one of the city’s classics restaurants, which had inherited the name of an old toy shop that had operated on the premises. With a renovated restaurant at Restauradores, Pinóquio opened a second space in the Time Out Market, also with many of the dishes that have won over generations of diners from Lisbon and beyond, such as clams, garlicky pica-pau steak and roast grouper head. Time Out says: Truth be told the pica-pau at Pinóquio is the first that a real local recalls when they think of the dish. It comprises chunks of tender sirloin steak, served rare (always!), in the garlic, butter and wine sauce in which they were cooked, happily married with fried potato slices.

Monte Mar was one of the restaurants of the food court that took a serious transformation in the last update to the market in early 2019. Everything to guarantee the freshness of the fish and seafood that comes from Guincho straight to your plate. There are seafood barbecues for two, with tiger shrimp, prawn and grilled prawns (45 €) and other more modest seafood dishes, like octopus salad or and oysters and prawns dish(€ 27.50). Hake fillets with cockle rice (€ 14) are the specialty of the house that is worth a try.

Croqueteria is the first and only house entirely dedicated to croquettes and you can only find it at the Time Out Market Lisboa. And you can either eat it as a snack or build your plate with the traditional meat, game meat and greens, cuttlefish with ink, tuna with dried tomato or cod and chorizo, and add rice or potato slices if the idea is to make a meal out of it, and not just snack. If you like to take chances and are not afraid of inventions, you can always discover that happiness lies within two slices of brioche bread with the Croqueteria sandwich: it has homemade mustard butter, a mixture of lettuces and two croquettes of your choosing. You can go for the traditional meat croquette and toss it in there or choose one of the other flavors. A good snack or lunch - believe us when we say that you will leave with a well comforted stomach (€6.50).

As well as consistently making the Top 20 of Lisbon restaurants, as ranked by Time Out, Sea Me is known for three things: coming up with an original format that is a mix of a modern petisqueira (snack bar) and a traditional marisqueira (seafood eatery); serving above all dishes that feature high-quality fish and shellfish; and being one of the few places in Portugal that pays homage to the country’s gastronomic links with Japan. Start the experience with the fabulous sardine nigiri sushi, move on to a robalo (sea bass) salad with seaweed, and round it off with something like chocos fritos (fried cuttlefish) in their own ink.

A lawyer by training, Susana started cooking within sight of the beach at Praia de Arrifana in the Algarve. But lucky for us all, she ended up here, in Lisbon, where she opened a series of successful petisqueiras, or snack bars, that earned her a ticket into the Time Out Market with her outlet Cozinha da Felicidade. Eight years on, and in a year in which she also opened the restaurant Cal on Praia de Arrifana, she has made her debut under her own name, joining the chefs’ wing at the Market. Here she presents signature cuisine based on the Algarve’s most traditional dishes, focusing on the Vicentine Coast area and its most iconic products, such as fish and shellfish, sweet potato, alcagoita (the local name for peanuts), xerém (cornmeal), pork from the Iberian black pig, carob, figs and muxama (dried tuna). Time Out says: Susana Felicidade brings to the Market a cuisine of memories, but with a touch of modernity, “as signature cuisine demands.”

In his restaurant at Time Out Market Lisboa, chef Miguel Castro e Silva brings together many of his great dishes under one roof: his oven rice dishes, all the brás cod dishes and even a francesinha made by the book that has become one of the most coveted dishes on the menu. Have a side of chips and, if you are like us, you will need a little more sauce to dip them in (€12.50).

The two Michelin-starred chef (for his Alma restaurant, in Chiado), has the menu of his Time Out Market eatery divided between lighter salads, sandwiches (try the crispy pig's bifana, €14.50), more classic fish dishes, like the cod with a puree of grain or meat, and comforting dishes like the black pork cheeks (15,50 €) or a low temperature egg with asparagus and ham (13,50 €). If you are looking for the best of Henrique Sá Pessoa, the Time Out Market Lisboa is a good place to start, with a selection of dishes that made him famous, full of Portuguese roots and influenced by international cuisine.

Vincent Farges was born in France, but has lived in Portugal for almost 20 years. For over a decade he ran the kitchen at the famous Fortaleza do Guincho, where he retained the Michelin star that the restaurant had won in 2001. In 2018 he opened Epur, in Lisbon’s Chiado neighbourhood, which in just one year also won a Michelin star. Farges is known for cuisine that is sophisticated but based on simple, seasonal, high-quality produce. At the Time Out Market, he aims to offer food that reflects this path, acknowledging his indelible French roots. Time Out says Farges creates a cuisine that is rigorous and full of flavour, using classic French techniques but stripped down, without too many elements on the plate.

What the pastel de nata is to Portuguese pastries, the prego is to sandwiches: a national icon. The Prego da Peixaria was the first brand in Lisbon to value this heritage as it deserves, in the form of a restaurant (nowadays several) that specialised in this steak sandwich and took it to places it had never been before. Try the classic – sirloin steak in a slightly sweet bolo do caco bun from Madeira – or sample one of the adapted versions with fish.

The best of Asian cuisine is in this laboratory, with the hand of chef Daniel Rente, an expert in oriental cuisine. For starters there are gyosas, satay chicken skewers, Indian sausages or the tom yum kung soup, nicely spicy and aromatic. On the main dishes you can choose up to where you want to travel: from Thailand there is pad Thai, from China came the chow mein and from Goa there are the curry options. If you have a sensitive stomach, watch out for the spice levels.

One of the few places that’s been in every Time Out Lisboa restaurant guide. And for the best of reasons: it has fresh fish caught locally, successful combinations of ingredients, and the courage to pair fusion recipes with traditional sushi. It started out in Cascais, by the sea, then won over a wider public near here, at the LX Boutique Hotel, and now appears at the Time Out Market in this more informal guise. The only reason we don’t single it out for recommendation is that we recommend everything.

They are the best burgers in town and the reason for it is in the meat they use: 150 grams of Black Angus certified meat. At the Time Out Market you will find all the burgers from the original shop, made with homemade, lighly roasted brioche bread, and the hardest part will actually be to choose just one (prices start at 8.95€). Be sure to order the crispy fries to go with your burger.

The queues outside the door of the brand’s first outlet, in Praça de São Paulo, have been reproduced at the shop-cum-factory in Santos; to this day they are the greatest evidence of the quality of these artisanal ices. The business is overseen by Filippo Licitra and Riccardo Farabegoli, two Italians who yielded to the charms of Lisbon and created Gelato Davvero (literally ‘Real Ice Cream’). Their ices are made daily, without colourings or preservatives, from the best possible ingredients. The hazelnuts and pistachios come from Italy but everything else is fresh and Portuguese, such as milk and ricotta from the Alentejo, and the fruit, of course, much of it bought right here at the Mercado da Ribeira. At this outlet 25 flavours are on offer, including the more obvious, but also some of the brand’s bestsellers, such as ricotta and walnuts, basil and salted caramel. All are served with a spatula and irresistible whipped cream on top. Time Out says: Davvero, the delightful work of a master ice cream maker trained in Bologna, has conquered Lisbon with his artisanal ices made from fresh, natural ingredients and served in Roman fashion: with a spatula and topped with whipped cream.

Are your sugar levels running low? Go straight to the Nós é Mais Bolos showcase, at the Time Out Market Lisboa, where they have some of the best cakes you can find in Lisbon, all from different bakeries. The showcase is an authentic sin, with decadent slices, and the space itself is Instagram-worthy with its exquisite look given by the white cabinets inspired by the classic French pastries. If you want to try the best cakes in the city, all under one roof, this is the place to be.

Back in the days when hardly anyone in Portugal knew what sourdough was, Tartine had already sought out a French baker to work with the must trustworthy of raw material for bread. But it was not just in their baking methods that they were local pioneers. They also gave a new meaning to the most important meal of the day – breakfast – and boosted the status of the word ‘brunch’ in locals’ culinary lexicon. From their base in Chiado to the Mercado da Ribeira they’ve brought some of their bestsellers, such as Eggs Benedict, Royal and Florentine, their tartines, salads, pancakes and, of course, bread. They have recently increased the offer with the inclusion of homemade Hot Dogs, in brioche bread and homemade sausages. Available from breakfast to dinner.

First they won over locals with the American-style hamburgers of Ground Burger. Then came the weekly pop-ups offering artisanal doughnuts, sculpted like works of art with sugar and fresh ingredients, which sold out in the wink of an eye. The next step was a shop for the brand itself, right next to the mother ship (Ground Burger), where the display window is full of colourful doughnuts made from a brioche dough fermented for 24 hours, with various classical and original flavours and combinations. And now this successful brand launched in 2018 por Caroline Eng and her husband has now arrived in the Time Out Market.

When at the Time Out Market it’s best thing to try a bit of everything and pair it with a glass of wine. At Manteigaria Silva you will be sure to find the best cheese boards and charcuterie to graze on for hours. Whether it is with homemade curd cheeses, supervised by José Taboaço Branco, the owner, or with trios of black pork, everything goes well with the homemade toasts or sandwiches. Ask for the mixed boards (with two cheeses and one ham, €12) or a mixed black paw (€17). You can also take some of it home with you - and we encourage you to do so. 

Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside – that’s how the cookies from Funky Chunky are, and they have become a true phenomenon in the city of Lisbon. The recipe is simple: only quality ingredients, nothing artificial. Flour, brown sugar, baking soda, butter, Belgian chocolate, among others. And because everything is 100% handmade, each batch can come out entirely different. At the Time Out Market kiosk, various flavors are available, such as Nutella, dulce de leche, double chocolate, peanut butter dream, and red velvet. To accompany these cookies, there are beverages like Pink Lemonade, Matcha Latte with strawberry foam, and a Nutella Frappuccino with cookie bits.

This kiosk might not be a designated meeting point, but it might as well be, given that it is here that many people arrange to meet when they are coming to the Mercado da Ribeira. The aroma gives the game away: here coffee rules. Or rather, Delta coffee rules. All the coffees on offer here – bicas (espressos), milky meias-de-leite, cappuccinos or Irish coffees – are made with the Platinum line of coffee, a blend of Arabicas and Robustas from some of their top places of origin.

For the Portuguese soup is comfort food and is enjoyed whether it’s rainy or sunny, much like ice cream. And when the soups are created by Miguel Castro e Silva, one of the most renowned Portuguese chefs, it’s even better. Especially because in the soup menu of this new Time Out Market kiosk, there are options for all tastes and temperatures. The selection of soups crafted by the chef varies according to the seasons. On warm days, there are chilled soups like gaspacho or vichyssoise, but there are others that comfort the soul and stomach (as they are complete meals) such as the dogfish soup, rich seafood soup, tomato soup with tofu and spinach meatballs, or the classic vegetable cream soup. To complement an excellent soup, there’s also cottage and tomato toast.

Of the thousand and one ways there are in Portugal to prepare codfish, the pastel de bacalhau (cod cake) is probably the most universally loved – whether in its classic version or in modern reinventions, such as with peppers or olives. At this stall run by the Terra do Bacalhau brand they offer all of them in large quantities. And since behind every great pastel is great bacalhau, it is only right to say that in this case the raw material comes from the cold waters off Norway, and is fished sustainably, prepared in traditional fashion and cured for at least nine months. And yes, you can buy it packed up (whole, in loin fillet or shredded) to take home with you.

L'Éclair's éclairs, the French pastries of Matthieu Croiger, are absurd, genius, foolish, delicious, perfect, unique and scandalous. Every season there is something new, just like the Spring/Summer and Autumn/Winter fashion collections, with the finger of the chef João Rodrigues, and the counter at the Time Out Market is always loaded with colorful macaroons, long eclairs or other French specialties. It was the second to open and, together with the pioneer in Saldanha and the one at Rua dos Bacalhoeiros, composes the gold triangle of L'Éclair in Lisbon.

The first official outlet of the brand Recordação de Sintra (literally ‘Sintra Souvenir’) opened at the Market, but this queijada (small cakes) manufacturing business was started as long ago as 1890. Even most locals don’t know the name, but if you mention ‘queijadas do Gregório’ it’s a different matter. From the Sintra factory to Time Out Market, Vera and Vasco de Almeida Ribeiro, Gregório’s great-grandchildren, are bringing back the original brand. They’ve brought to the market the famous queijadas, in both regular and miniature sizes, and in pudding format (that is, without the pastry case), but also the travesseiros de Sintra (flaky pastries filled with egg cream) and five other sweet items: almond biscuits, areias (crumbly ‘sand’ biscuits), butter cookies, bolos do amor and broas de mel (honey cornbread).

The small but bustling Manteigaria on the corner of Largo de Camões, in Chiado, now has a larger outlet in the Mercado da Ribeira where the best pastéis de nata in town come out of its ovens constantly. The formula to success here is very simple and does not need to be locked up away from prying eyes. The artisanal production is the secret of these tarts’ success: the quality of the ingredients used – whole eggs, proper butter rather than margarine, plenty of sugar, and no preservatives – and the process by which the flaky pastry is kneaded and folded by hand, which requires several months’ training to learn properly. The result is a crispy, crunchy case and a cream filling with just the right amount of sugar – sending Time Out head over heels in love with these tarts and pushing Manteigaria up to the top spot on on Tripadvisor among places in Lisbon for pastéis de nata. Price: one tart (€1), box of six (€6).

When the tables and chairs around a kiosk are full of people on a sunny day that is a good sign. When they are still full on an overcast or rainy day … then the place is a real success story. That is the case at the red kiosk on Praça Dom Luís – which now has the name Quiosque do Mercado – making it a leading candidate for the city’s best. It has at least one quality that deserves a medal: it is the first decent offering on Praça Dom Luís, one of the city’s prettiest squares, in at least 20 years.

Unless you've lived as a hermit in recent years, you already know for sure that Pap'Açorda moved out to the first floor of Time Out Market. You also know that Manuela Brandão, the cook who does not like to be called a chef, came with it, and despite some new things (such as the Market Menu, served until 18.00), there are the usual suspects: baked lamb chops, poached egg tomatada and, of course, the chocolate mousse.