RESTAURANTS + FOOD + DRINK:
+ Bifana: A traditional pork sandwich served at every restaurant with mustard and garlic. If you go to McDonald's, the McBifana is the #1. (and yes, I went to a McDonald's to get a coke on a hot day)
+ Bacalou or Salted Cod: Although this is not a native food to Portugal, it is a traditional ingredient to many dishes that you will find at pretty much every restaurant.
+ Pasteis de Belem: An egg tart pastry that the Portuguese eat morning noon and night. It is very common to see people at the counter of a pastry shop with a pastel de nata with their bica at all times of the day.
+ Bica: "Bica comes from the saying "Beba Isso Com Acucar" (drink that with sugar) because when the espresso-like drink was first introduced in Lisbon, people found it too bitter." (from wikipedia)
+ Sardines: Are a big deal in Lisbon, found in every restaurant. Art is centered around them and you can find sardine souvenirs all over town. They are basically the mascot of Lisbon.
+ Empanaderia do Chef: A "fast food" joint created by Jose Avillez, one of the top chefs in Lisbon. It was actually some of the best food we had. If you can't afford to go to his very highly acclaimed Belcanto, you can go here and say you've had his food.
+ Ramiro: One of the restaurants that Anthony Bourdain recommends on No Reservations. It's a bit pricey, approx $80 for the two of us, but very worth it. Some reviews say it is the very best seafood you can get in Europe but I will need to do more research before I can confirm that. We ate clams in butter and garlic along with a whole crab. They were served with bread and butter and nothing else. We had 5 big beers between the two of us and my husband ordered a Bifana for dessert.
+ Bar Alto: A restaurant smaller than my condo with great service and beautiful food.
+ Sagres and Vinho Verde: Sagres was the beer my husband deemed the best of their two standard pilsners, the other being Super Bock. Vinho verde is very popular there and you can get it everywhere here as well. I didn't like it very much as it stands for "green", meaning young wine and tasted more like juice to me. I did fall in love with all of the white wine I drank even though I usually drink red in the states.
DAY TRIPS:
+ Cascais: Only about 20 miles and half an hour outside of Lisbon, this is a beautiful beachside town. The water was too cold for us to swim in but it was warm enough for us to sit by the beach and drink sangria.
+ Sintra: Also about 30 minutes from Lisbon, this mountain town has castle after castle to wander through and the most stunning views of the country side.
+ Belem: Halfway to Cascais, this is where Vasco de Gama set sail from and the home of the monastery that created the Pasteis de Nata. There are great museums and restaurants here.
GREAT THINGS ABOUT LISBON:
+ It does not rain in the summer. At all. It was cloudy for a few days while we were there and it drizzled for an hour one night but that was it. While everyone back on the east coast of the US was suffering through constant rain this summer, we were soaking up the sun.
+ The sidewalks are so tiny in some places that one person has a hard time staying on them.
+ It has two things in common with San Francisco. 1. The main bridge looks just like the Golden Gate Bridge because they were designed by the same person. 2. Lisbon still has functional street cars.
+ There is endless graffiti. And I'm not exactly sure why.
+ I would call Lisbon: "The city of a thousand views". Since Lisbon is on a river and then the city goes up hill from there, as long as you're going up, you're going to have a great view of the city below you and the water.
HIDDEN GEMS:
+ Mall food courts: I know it sounds strange but we had some really good food in the mall food courts. They are quite different than in the states, the food is much better and they even give you real plates and silverware. The food court at El Corte Ingles is very fancy and delicious.
+ Fountain at Alameda: In Alameda, there is a park with a huge fountain at one end. The fountain is only on twice a day but is equally beautiful off as it is on.
+ Cemetery of Pleasures: This is the largest cemetery in Lisbon and we happened upon it since it was pretty close to our apartment. We were literally the only tourists there.
+ Our little neighborhood: I would recommend that anyone get a little outside the center of Lisbon and experience neighborhood life. Renting the apartment really allowed us to do this. We made friends with the Bengali guy at the mini mart on our street. We found great restaurants that would never make a travel guide. It was here that we really felt like we got to know the Portuguese people.
I hope this little guide entices you spend some time in Lisbon.
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