Lisbon Food Tour: Baixa, Chiado & Cais do Sodré Tasting Walk

4.94

(1721 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

The first thing I remember is the sound of our guide Rita greeting the café owner in rapid Portuguese—her voice just carried over the clatter of coffee cups. She waved us inside with a smile and before I could even sit down, there was a plate of Iberian ham in front of me. The smell was salty and rich, and honestly, I hesitated for a second because I didn’t want to look greedy in front of everyone else. But Rita just grinned and said, “You have to eat with your hands here.” So we did.

Walking through Baixa felt like stepping into someone else’s daily life. There was this old man on the corner selling roasted chestnuts—smoke curling up into the chilly morning air—and he nodded at us as we passed. We stopped at a tiny tasca where the bifana sandwiches were stacked behind glass. The bread was warm and soft, and the pork had that peppery kick I didn’t expect. Rita told us how her grandmother used to make them for Sunday lunch. Someone tried to order in Portuguese (not me), which got a laugh from the cook behind the counter.

I lost count of how many times we all said “just one more bite” but then out came the pastel de nata—still warm, dusted with cinnamon. It was flakier than any I’d tried before; when I bit in, powdered sugar stuck to my fingers and I didn’t even care. In Chiado, we sipped ginjinha (that sour cherry liqueur) from tiny glasses while watching people hurry past outside—Lisbon always seems half in motion, half lingering over another coffee. There was fish rice too, creamy and comforting, but honestly it’s that first bite of custard tart that sticks with me.