Savoring Lisbon’s Local Tastes on a Budget

Lisbon may be one of Europe’s more affordable capitals, but if you’re in search of a spectacular meal, it’s not difficult to drop 120 euros (about $135) for a three-course dinner (without wine) at restaurants like the Michelin-starred Belcanto.

Fortunately, budget travelers can turn to tascas: small, unpretentious restaurants that, back in the early part of the 20th century, catered mostly to the working class, and sold wine and petiscos, or shared plates, along with what was once their main product: coal.

These days, Lisbon’s tascas — including those that have recently opened or been taken over by new owners — still serve traditional, filling dishes, with meat- and seafood-based stews figuring predominantly.

“The word tasca,” said Tiago Cruz, the author of “Guia das Tascas de Lisboa,” a guide to about 25 of Lisbon’s most traditional restaurants, “is a compliment, more like a guaranteed, trusted value, with well-cooked, comfort Portuguese food, and honest prices.” While newer versions of tascas “bring a touch of refinement,” he said, “the Portuguese traditional tasca cuisine continues to be there.”

Twenty euros or under will buy you a three-course meal with wine at most of these restaurants, and you can expect to find dishes like pataniscas de bacalhau (salt cod fritters) and cozido à portuguesa (meat-and-sausage stew) on the menu, along with a variety of petiscos: clams à Bulhão Pato (clams with a sauce of olive oil, garlic and cilantro), say, or moelas estufadas (chicken gizzard stew).

If you’re looking for a taste of local Lisbon, here are four spots — all part of a new wave of tascas — worth checking out.

CreditAna Brigida for The New York Times CreditAna Brigida for The New York Times

Petisco Saloio

Walk downstairs to this small, tiled, basement-level restaurant in the residential neighborhood of Campo Pequeno, and you’ll find one of Lisbon’s great dining bargains.

The two new owners and cooks, Carlos Pinheiro and Diogo Meneses, weren’t even born when this tasca first opened 30 years ago with the name O Buraquinho, which means tiny hole (and indeed, the dining room seats only about 20 people). Their goal is to attract a mainly neighborhood clientele with dishes that the former tasca specialized in: filetes de peixe-galo (John Dory fillets), feijoada (bean stew) and arroz de gambas (rice and shrimp), while keeping the TV on a news channel.

For 8.5 euros, you’ll get a full lunch, with bread and olives, a main course, dessert and espresso. On a recent visit, I settled on a wooden stool next to two locals who were already devouring pots of feijoada with a bottle of homemade piri piri, a Portuguese sauce made with crushed chiles, lemons and red bell peppers. I hesitated between petingas fritas com arroz de tomate (fried whitebait with tomato rice) and entrecosto assado (slow-cooked spareribs), and settled on the latter, which was tender and moist, served with homemade fries and a tomato and lettuce salad. Dessert was a sweet, dense slice of syrupy torta de laranja (orange roll cake).

Cacué

Amid the tall office buildings and hotels of Picoas, a few blocks from the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum and the Eduardo VII Park, is the 36-seat Cacué, which has been a hit ever since it opened last fall.

For almost 25 years, this space was called O Tomás, a favorite among locals, not only for the convivial atmosphere, but also for its inexpensive daily specials. When the new owner and chef, José Saudade e Silva, bought it in 2017, he wanted to improve its appearance, so he replaced the dark wooden walls with lighter wood, and added a counter in front of the kitchen. He has barely touched the prices, though, with daily dishes costing between 6 and 12 euros. He also hired Dona Rosa, who cooked at the original tasca, to produce a weekly menu that runs to feijoada, bacalhau à minhota (salt cod with onions and potatoes), and favas com entrecosto (fava beans with spareribs).