In Portuguese, when something is yummy, you say, “soube-me a pato” — literally, “it tastes like duck!” A rather expensive and not-so-frequent ingredient stands, it turns out, for everything that tastes or feels good. But where in Lisbon do you actually go grocery shopping if you want to cook ̶d̶u̶c̶k̶ all things tasty?
In this post, I bring together all my favorite places to get the best (and budget-conscious) food supply. Supermarkets aside, the Portuguese capital offers a pleasing variety of options that deserve to be explored. Even for those who are not into cooking, the grocery-shopping journey here is an exciting cultural experience.
Vegetable/ fruits
Unarguably, the best place to get your veggies is the market. Although lots of markets in central Lisbon have been converted into food halls, they have still maintained a few old-fashioned stalls. Even a super touristy Mercado da Ribeira still has vendors that only take cash and scribble the price on a piece of paper instead of giving you a receipt. The same goes for mercados in Campo de Ourique, Arroios and Saldanha.
It is here that you find things that are harder to spot in other places — dill, small crunchy cucumbers, fennel and artichokes. The parade of Lisbon expats can be witnessed every Saturday in Jardim Principe Real, a small, expensive, but cute bio-market. Now, we get to my favorite, a Sunday morning option that requires more time and effort but is so worth it: Feira do Relógio. The Relógio market occupies a whole big prospect in Lisbon’s outskirts and gathers an incredible number of vendors. It’s loud, it’s festive, it’s intense.
It’s a place where you easily forget you are in Lisbon.
A great place to shop, get a snack (great bifanas and outstanding Brazilian fast food) or just enjoy the vibe. For daily fruit shopping, look for a frutaria — a small veggie vendor in the neighborhood to shop for seasonal products.
Meat
Here is a fact known to every local but not so obvious if you are used to different arrangements: find a butcher, talho, in your neighborhood and stick to it. Full stop. The quality is incomparable. Supermarket pre-packaged chicken, beef, and pork are “enhanced” with water, salt and synthetic preservatives. It’s especially obvious with minced meat — supermarket mince is going to be excessively fatty and salty even before you add anything to it.
I was surprised the first time I read the package — preparado de carne from a supermarket had merely 60 percent beef. It tasted accordingly. It is also at the butcher where you can easily get minced chicken, turkey, and lamb. Lots of butchers do delivery, so you can pre-order and get it to your door to save time.
Fish
Now we get to the tricky part.
Portugal faces the ocean and fish here is remarkably good. The supermarket fish section might look impressive to anyone not used to such abundance. However, for a long time I was wondering how I can eat great seafood in a restaurant but struggle to have the same quality at home. The truth is that restaurants get their fish at special auctions that very often happen early in the morning or even at night. For normal people the answer, once again, is the market. My personal favorites are “Rosamar” stalls in Mercado da Ribeira, “Aristides Correia” in Mercado da Benfica and several vendors in
Mercado de Campo de Ourique. I
f you want to see something really extraordinary, plan a trip to Mercado do Livramento in Setubal — arguably, the best and definitely the most picturesque fish market in the country. By the way, did you know that octopus is more tender if first frozen? That one you can get in a supermarket.
Spices / International goods
The list wouldn’t be complete without things you don’t buy daily but might need or crave from time to time. Long story short: the best selection of spices that you buy by weight can be found at Especiarias Dom Pedro, the spice stall in Mercado de Campo de Ourique, and Rota das Índias. The easiest place to find international foods is Auchan Amoreiras.
For Asian stuff like crispy chili, good Thai rice, kimchi and fresh lemongrass, check out Mercado Oriental in Martim Moniz. For Middle Eastern food, try a small Palestinian grocery in Arroios, Zaytouna. Mexican peppers and tortillas also have a place in the heart of Lisbon — at Casa Mexicana, next to Praça dos Flores.
Whether you chase the freshest fish or stumble upon a spice stall by accident, Lisbon’s food scene rewards the curious.
Skip the supermarket aisle, embrace the markets, and let each ingredient tell its own story — because here, even a simple vegetable can “taste like duck.”
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Read more about Lisbon here in Dispatches’ archives.
Nina Danilova is an art writer and contemporary art curator. She is about to finish her PhD
in Culture Studies. She grew up in Russia and lived in Germany, Estonia, Italy and
Portugal, where she is currently based. She is passionate about history, languages, food,
and dancing.
