Lisbon, Portugal's capital and largest city, offers much to those who come with different expectations, other than visiting popular tourists sites. Over the years, I have flown in/out of Lisbon (Lisboa) without, paying much attention to the fact that it is home to, urban wineries, wine bars, and culinary hotspots. During my recent stopovers I found that exploring its foodie and wine scene was filled with delightful discoveries. Every day, while I was in town, I visited a new location to checkout its offerings. I was fortunate to have friends who live there, and others I meetup with for gastronomic adventures. I do not know why I waited so long to discover this fascinating city.
Time to Celebrate, Lagar Do Joãso Abade, Lisbon © SpaswinefoodLet the Conversations Begin
While most folks come to checkout the top tourist sites I loved exploring Lisbon because of its exciting gastronomic scene. For sure dining out in Lisbon offers many options. The following vignettes are but a small sample of what this city has to offer.
1. Lagar Do Joãso Abade
Our last evening in Portugal Carol and I meetup with friends at Lagar Do Joãso Abade. Here we enjoyed mostly Portuguese wines with traditional food (Cozinha Tipica Portuguesa).
Lagar Do Joãso Abade © Spaswinefood
Cheese Plate, Lagar Do Joãso Abade © SpaswinefoodSoon we were gathered around the table.
Some of our main plates included:
Salad and Omlette, Lagar Do Joãso Abade © SpaswinefoodIndeed there was wine to share.
Of course it is Portugal hence there will be wine conversations.
2. Kefi Greek Bistro, Estrela
My explorations began in the Estrela neighborhood where I rented an apartment for a week.
Jardim da Estrela, which later was renamed Jardim Guerra Junqueiro, is a public garden located in Estrela Parish, Lisbon. One of its entrances is in front of Bascilia Estrela.
Basilica Estrela © SpaswinefoodRight around the corner from this area there was a Greek Restaurant on Calcada da Estrela where I ate lunch one day.
Kefi Greek Bistro © SpaswinefoodI ordered a Greek dish and a glass of Greek wine.
Kefi Greek Bistro was a pleasant neighborhood outing, and one of the neighborhood finds during my stay.
3. Off to Cortes de Inglés
Yes, even the mall can be a fun outing. Another day I took an Uber to Cortes de Inglés, Av. António Augusto de Aguiar 31, 1069-413 Lisboa.
There are many restaurants at this mall; so I managed to have lunch at Ribalta Pizzeria Tradionale, an Italian Restaurant.
Pizza Time at Ribalta Pizzeria Tradionale © Spaswinefood
Yes, it was a place to have a cappuccino, and I did.
As I sat there taking in the city views from the seventh floor, Ribalta was just the perfect spot for my lunch that day. For sure the diversity of restaurants at Cortes de Inglés offers something for everyone.
4. Vossa Lisboa, São Vicente
When my friends, Carol and Sue, arrived in Lisbon we met for breakfast one morning at Vossa Lisboa in São Vicente.
Vossa Lisboa, São Vicente © Spaswinefood
We (Carol, Sue and I) enjoyed a most delightful brunch here.
Waiting for Brunch, Vossa Lisboa © SpaswinefoodI loved our brunch outing that day. For sure dining out in Lisbon offers many inviting options.
5. Belém
It was a fun day. In fact we did three stops in Belém.
Pastéis de Belém
Everyone has heard of Pastel de Nata (Pastel de Belém) is a Portuguese egg custard tart pastry. Pastéis de Belém is consider one of the best places to enjoy this custard pastry. So, of course it was well worth a visit.
Pastéis de Belém, Lisbon © SpaswinefoodThe day we visited Adega Belém our Lisbon friend, Malfalda suggested we all meet at Pastéis de Belém, a local bakery famous for its pastel de nata. From the bakery we walked to the winery. After our winery outing it was onto O Frade for lunch.
Adega Belém
Getting to know Lisbon's wine scene included a visit to Adega Belém, an urban winery. Not only does Lisbon have an exciting wine scene but also you are not far from wine country. Top on my list was Adega Belém where I met up with #winelover friends, Catarina and David (winery owners who also winemakers), and a family pet. What I discovered at this family winery were inviting stories about wines, which were created with love.
After a fabulous meetup with friends over a wine tasting we were off to lunch at nearby O Frade.
O Frade
It was so convenient to have lunch at nearby O Frade.
O Frade © Spaswinefood
Lunch that day called for wine from Alentejo.
Yes, we managed to order a dessert.
For those want to explore wines while they dine you will find many options at O Frade.
6. Lisbon Wine Bars
Given Lisbon is home to urban wineries and numerous wine bars it means wine tasting is a popular activity. In fact knowing this, I came to Lisbon with a list of wine bars to visit. Shortly after my friends arrived in town, we booked an evening reservation at Maria Palato's wine bar.
When I stepped out of the taxi my friends were waiting at the entrance to the wine bar.
This Alentejo red is a blend of Alicante Bouschet and Touring Nacional.
A red wine from the Douro followed.
Barão De Vilar, Reserva Tinta, Douro DOC 2020
It is a red wine blend from the Douro made with Touring National, Tina Roriz, Tina Barroca, and Tinto Cão.
Some sweets arrived at our table. Yes, there was chocolate too, to pair with a port.
Barão De Vilar, 10 Year Old Tawny Port
Barão De Vilar, 10 Year Old Tawny Port © SpaswinefoodThis was my first time tasting port from this producer. I must admit that when it comes to port I have been spoiled still, it was exciting to discover this producer's port.
Our host treated us to an extra pour, a Madeira.
Blandy's Madeira 5 Year Old Reserve
It was great for me to revisit this wine. For my friends this was the perfect introduction to Madeira wines. Blandy's was a place I had visited earlier on a trip to Madeira.
Overall the wines that evening gave us a great vine-filled trip across Portugal's wine regions. The above tasting is great for newcomers to Portuguese wines. If you have a deeper understanding of Portuguese wines then you might want to request something more appropriate to your needs. I am sure they would be happy to accommodate you. The service and attention to details at Maria Plato's was excellent.
After a wonderful evening I hopped back into an Uber for a ride across town to my apartment. I managed to get a photo before disappearing into the night.
I would highly recommend Maria Palato wine bar.
Exploring Lisbon © SpaswinefoodDuring my recent visit to Portugal I managed to travel into and out of Lisbon a number of times. The second time, I took some photos. Arriving on a clear day, I got to view this historic, coastal city, at the mouth of Tagus River, spread over seven hills, with its kaleidoscope of colors.
Lisbon by the Coast © Spaswinefood
Feeling that Lisbon Vibe comes when you reach out and explore! In fact, we almost felt at home,when returned to Lisbon after traveling to Galicia, Douro Valley, Dao; and with a stopover at Aveiro on the coast, along the way. Exploring Lisbon was an highlight of my 2023 wine travels in Portugal. It was perfect timing to be in Lisbon just before the peak tourist season. I loved feeling that Lisbon Vibe while chasing its foodie and wine scene .I invite you to join me in my wine travels in Portugal and elsewhere at Wine Travels with Dr. Sharon, and at Spaswinefood on Twitter and Facebook. I am so looking forward to more vine-filled explorations in Portugal.
Lisbon #winelover
No comments:
Post a Comment