Fall in Love With Lisbon

To commemorate Valentine’s Day, I want to reaffirm my love for Lisbon, Portugal. This great city has left me totally enamored. 

So much so, I had to showcase my love in the form of this video below. This is by far the best travel documentary I’ve made to date. We’re talking highlights of the best food in Lisbon. Day drinking with the locals. And the ghostly beautiful music; known as Fado. All this and more, packed into less than 20 minutes!

Here are some of my favorite moments in Lisbon:

Pastéis de Belém

Plundering these delicious gold doubloons.

The Portuguese Custard tart, pastéis de nata is a heavenly creation. And only fitting that a treat this divine originates from nuns in Lisbon’s seaside district Belém, named after Bethlehem. 

They’ve got this operation working like clockwork. Pay ahead and hold on to your receipt while you wait in a line for your turn. Despite the many people, the line moves fast! Pastéis de Belém turn out 20-30,000 of these delicious golden moursels daily! Cray. 

O Trevo

Supposedly, you should choose either mayo or mustard. But we mix! #rebel

O Trevo is home to the greatest snack in Portugal; the glorious Bifana sandwich.

Thinly sliced pork is submerged in a cauldron of searing oil. As the fat crackles, you smell the heavenly scent of garlic and spices permeate the air. The savory pork is served on fresh crusty bread. 

Did I mention they’re cheap?! I love you Portugal.

And yes, I did mention these are considered a snack! STRONG snacking culture here. The Portuguese are my kind of people!

Restaurante O Tachadas

I’ll let you in on a little secret - Portuguese wine is about as good as any other wine in Europe. But let’s keep that on DL.

At O Tachadas they serve up steaks as big as yo face! Not the easiest of pronunciations for english speakers like myself. When in doubt, just point to it on your phone and a local will help you out. This is my favorite restaurants in all of Lisbon. I can’t recommend it enough! This restaurant gets PACKED! So get here before the dinner rush. You’ll thank me later!

Bolo de Bolacha. AKA heaven in cake form.

Bolo de Bolacha, aka cookie cake is the crescendo to take this brilliantly orchestrated meal over the top. It’s difficult to define exactly how good this dessert is. It’s really something I miss most here. It’s sublime. I guess you’ll just have to visit Lisbon to find it out for yourself!

Cervejaria Ramiro

Gangs all here!

If turf ain’t your thing, then try the surf. Seafood in Lisbon is extraordinary!

One of the best restaurants for fresh seafood is Cervejaria Ramiro. A truly authentic Portuguese restaurant. No frills here, just good eats. 

Shrimp in garlic and oil. Langoustine. Clams. And a refreshing pint of beer. Life is good in Lisbon.

What else do you want in life? 

This place gets super busy too. But the staff is so friendly. The customer service is second to none. They are truly appreciative of your business. It makes an already great meal an all around excellent experience!

A Ginjinha

You have the option for a cherry or without in your shot. Team cherry FTW.

After all this eating, I went for a digestivo. The legendary A Ginjinha is a fun and quirky addition to Lisbon’s vibrant culture.

These hole in the wall liquor stands serve up countless shots of sweet cherry liquor. Nectar of the Gods, people.

Partook in many, many shots with the locals. Lisboetas are fun people. 

I lost count. 

Tasca do Chico

Soulful, beautiful music. 

Fado music is the Portuguese blues. It’s a ghostly beautiful genre of music. The singing is hair raising and the guitar is mesmerizing. Fado can be funny but it’s traditionally melancholic. Summarized by a Portuguese word: Saudade. You don’t have to understand any Portuguese to be captivated by this music. It’s hypnotizing. 

Escadinhas de São Cristóvão

There's an amazing Fado mural tucked away in a little square called Escadinhas de São Cristóvão. Head along Rua da Madalena in the Santa Maria Maior district of Lisbon and ask the locals to point you in the right direction. It's worth it!

Iconic shot of Lisbon, Portugal

For my fellow American’s, the best comparison I can make is that Lisbon is like an ancient San Francisco. What with the Golden Gate Bridge look-a-like, trolly cars, and the many many hills. But Lisbon’s weather is nicer though. They see a lot more sun than San Francisco and the city is very old. Lisbon is lined with Roman and Moorish architecture. Anthropologists say that Lisbon is one of the oldest city in all of Europe. Even older than Rome! 

You should strongly consider Lisbon, Portugal on your European trip. You may just fall in love too.