🍽️ Gastronomic guide to Portugal: times and places to eat
Many of us are accustomed to the fact that when we get hungry, we can go somewhere and eat without any problems at any time, because cafes are open from morning until late evening. But a surprise may await you in Porto Galilee – be prepared that you may not be able to have lunch at 3 pm or dinner at 6 pm. Most establishments will be closed at this time, and those that are open will most likely only offer you baked goods.
As it turns out, the Portuguese are quite conservative when it comes to food. For breakfast, many of them eat the same thing over and over again. They dine in their favorite restaurants, which are more similar to our canteens. They also have dinner there. Locals typically eat four times a day. Let's try to figure out each of the meals.
Breakfast: pequeno-almoço
The Portuguese have breakfast at the pastelaria. This is something like our confectionery shops. Such establishments are open from 7-8 am to 7 pm. For a “small lunch”, as pequeno-almoço translates, locals order buttered toast (torrada com manteiga), or grilled sandwiches with ham and cheese (tosta mista), and of course, a cup of coffee. You are unlikely to find scrambled eggs or oatmeal in a traditional pastelaria.
I’ll dwell on coffee in more detail. Espresso here is called café. Want a bigger cup? Order an abatanado. By the way, the locals make Americano stronger than we are used to. Do you like coffee with milk? Ask for meia de leite. If you say “cappuccino”, they will most likely bring you something similar to our “3 in 1” coffee. And in Portugal they drink hot milk – Leite quente. If you add espresso to it, you get galão.
You can also order tea: green – chá verde, black – chá preto, herbal – chá de ervas.
Prices: a hot drink plus toast will cost you from 3 euros.
Lunch: almoço
In any Portuguese restaurant you will be served lunch from 12 to 2-3 pm. But first, ask if they have dining complexes – elementa do almoço. The word “menu” is also present in local everyday life, but it is better not to use “lunch”, a little later you will understand why. You won’t see a menu in the usual printed form with the dishes offered for lunch – the Portuguese will simply list what they prepared today.
Almosa includes the soup of the day – most often vegetable. For the second course you will be asked to choose meat – carne, or fish – peixe. The side dish will be potatoes, rice and salad. The price may include a glass or even a small decanter of wine: white – vinho branco, red – vinho tinto, or young sparkling green – vinho verde. Don't forget to leave room for dessert with a cup of coffee.
Prices: the cost of the lunch menu depends on the level of the restaurant: in the simplest it will be about 8 euros, in more touristic places it can reach 20 euros.
Snack: lanche
The Portuguese call lunch the snack between lunch and dinner. At about 5 pm, local residents finish work and go back to the pastelaria to eat a sandwich or something sweet and chat. In addition to a cup of coffee, some take a glass of port. This is such an unusual tradition for us.
Dinner: jantar
At 7-8 pm restaurants are ready to receive visitors again. Some of them will offer you a set dinner – its composition is similar to lunch, but it costs 1.5 times more.
If this is not an option, then as soon as you sit down at the table, the waiter will bring snacks: cheese, olives, butter, bread, and sometimes local sausages. You can refuse appetizers – then you won’t have to pay for them. If you decide to start with appetizers, I recommend taking the main course for two, because portions in Portugal are quite large.
I talked about what local cuisine you should try here: 10 Portuguese dishes that every tourist should try.
By the way, soup is often eaten here for dinner. Feel free to order it if you want to feel like you belong here. Well, what would an evening be without wine? This is Portugal after all! Locals finish off their meal with dessert and coffee for the fourth time that day. Can you imagine how you can get better here?
Prices: appetizers plus a main course, if shared between two, and a couple of glasses of wine will cost you from 20 euros.
To ask for the bill, say “a conta, por favor.”
Tipping is not accepted in Portugal, and if it is left, then it is a couple of euros from the entire table. And not because waiters and cooks have high salaries. Most likely because most Portuguese earn little, but they like to sit in a cafe – so they save on tips.
What if you eat at hotels when the restaurants are closed?
Option 1: Go to the supermarket and buy food there. Salads, sandwiches, pita bread with chicken or fish – you will always find it. There are also special thermal refrigerators that contain boxes with pieces of warm grilled chicken. Please note that most stores do not have microwaves. If you like something ready-made: for example , rice with meat or potatoes with cod, you will have to eat it cold or look for somewhere to heat it up.
Option 2: Have a sandwich at the pastelaria. You can also ask if they have any salad. But keep in mind that the Portuguese love not only olive oil, but also vinegar. Better ask to bring the refill separately. From personal experience, I was convinced that the amount of vinegar they add to the salad can cramp your stomach and teeth.
Option 3: Go to a large shopping center. They usually have food courts with fast food restaurants. By the way, any Burger King or McDonald's in Portugal is open without a siesta break.