Anthony Bourdain in Lisbon: 8 Spots Where Tony Ate

Do you remember the time before Lisbon was cool? It was probably before the time that Anthony Bourdain visited Lisbon! Tony visited Lisbon in late 2011 or early 2012 and ate his way across city. Since he visited, Lisbon has changed dramatically: it has continued recovering from the economic recession of the late 2000s, gentrified, cleaned up, and had many more fantastic restaurants open.

Today, a visit to Lisbon will look a lot different than it did when Bourdain visited. If you’re curious about the places visited by Anthony Bourdain in Lisbon, this post will help. All of the places he ate are still open today – making it a great destination for food-lovers and Bourdain fans alike!

Bourdain visits Lisbon in season 8, episode 4 of No Reservations. This is the only time he visits Lisbon during any of his shows. Anthony Bourdain’s trip to Lisbon combines the best aspects of what makes his shows compelling: delicious food and exploring a new destination, speaking – and dining – with locals, and learning through those conversations to gain a greater context and awareness for the world.

In Lisbon, Tony enjoys a series of meals with some of the best chefs in town, at some of the best restaurants in town – but not necessarily the fanciest. This includes a lot of fresh seafood, canned fish (popular in Portugal), and a classic Bourdainian water scene where the crew gets pretty much skunked while octopus fishing off the Portuguese coast. He also tries Chinquilho, a version of the game Horseshoes, which shows that sport is another great way to learn about the culture and connect with locals.

Want to watch the episode where Anthony Bourdain visits Lisbon?
It’s available on Amazon, Hulu, and Apple TV.

This post was originally published in July 2021, and was updated for accuracy in March 2023.

Where Anthony Bourdain Ate in Lisbon

Lisbon is a European capital – and accordingly a large place to explore and eat. The map above shows you the places Bourdain ate in Lisbon, and the rest of this post shares more details about each one and what he tried.

1. Cervejaria Ramiro

At Cervejaria Ramiro, Bourdain’s food is almost entirely focused on the bounty of the sea. He enjoys percebes (gooseneck barnacles), langoustines, clams, sapateira (crab) with wine, and giant camarões (tiger prawns), paired with a side of Sagres beer. For dessert – because this makes sense – he orders a traditional Lisboan option: a prego – that’s a garlic steak sandwich with mustard. (Definitely not for those of you with a sweet tooth!

2. Sol E Pesca

Next, he heads to Sol E Pesca to sample canned foods. While this might not sound particularly appetizing for those of us who don’t eat canned meats and starches regularly, it’s popular in Portugal – and Southern Europe as a whole.

Through the meal, Tony samples smoked tuna, Portuguese sardines on Pão Alentejano bread (similar to sourdough), and tuna roe with sweet potatoes and horse mackerel. (Note: horse mackerel is a type of fish!)

3. A Tasca do Chico

At A Tasca do Chico, Bourdain sat down with author Antonio Lobo Antunes to gain insight into Portuguese history and what it was like to live through Fascism and the Carnation Revolution. They don’t eat much, but they also enjoy listening to fado, traditional Portuguese folk music.

4. A Ginjinha

One of my favorite things to do when traveling is to try the local spirits; A Ginjinha is the place Tony does that in Lisbon. Here enjoys several small glasses of ginjinha, a liqueur made from sour morello cherries. The editing makes it look like he enjoys perhaps more than the rest of us could handle, but it looks like a great way to start the day!

5. Cantinho do Avillez

For one of his higher-end meals, Bourdain heads to Cantinho do Avillez. Here, Chef José Avillez – who we met at Cervejaria Ramiro at the top of the show – treats Tony to an incredible meal of peixihos da horta (tempura green beans), morcela de arroz (blood sausage), pig trotters in olive oil with cilantro and corriander, a golden egg dish, and a hazelnut ice cream, whipped cream, and nut medley for dessert.

Fun fact: While we associate tempura with Japanese cuisine, tempura was invented by the Portuguese and brought to Japan by missionaries in the 16th century!

6. 100 Maneiras 

At 100 Maneiras, Tony enjoys another fantastic meal. Here, Chef Ljubomir Stanisic shows that immigrants are also pushing the culinary envelope. Born in what is now present-day Bosnia & Herzegovina, Stanisic presents a series of courses that challenge even the local Lisboetas dining with Bourdain.

These dishes include: dried and deep-fried codfish tripe; a rabbit game pie with truffles and São Jorge cheese; stew with horse heart, bull liver, and pork brain stew; and cabrito (milk-fed young goat) served on rice mixed with goat liver, tongue, mushroom, and chicken stock.

7. Alma

Alma is a two-Michelin-star restaurant is Lisbon’s Chiado district; here Tony has his final fancy meal. It consists of marinated mackerel, baby pork wrapped in a sweet potato purée served over bok choy, and bacalao (semi-salted cod) with chickpea purée. It’s this bacalao that allowed the Portuguese to sail so widely around the world, as it is preserved and can be transported on ships for long journies.

8. O Trevo

Finally, Bourdain ends with a cheap eat – the bifana. This sandwich serves marinated pork with mustard and piri piri (chili) oil on a bun. You can find it at cafes across Lisbon, but Tony tries it at O Trevo, also in Chiado. This one is definitely on my must-try list on my next trip to Lisbon!

Lisbon Food Tours You Might Enjoy

We don’t all have a location scout to choose the best restaurants and get us local friends to dine with… so if you’re planning to follow in the footsteps of Anthony Bourdain in Lisbon, you might consider doing a food tour instead! Here are a few that I love the look of:

One last tip: though he didn’t try them in this episode, if you love egg tarts you can find them here in Lisbon, or in Macau – which Bourdain also visited!

Have any other questions about where Anthony Bourdain ate in Lisbon? Let me know in the comments!

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