One of the main things that I wanted to do in Lisbon was to taste the food in Portugal and to find out more about the place, so I went looking for a tour online that would provide me with a guided exploration of Portuguese Gourmet Food, Wine and the place itself. I found a Food, Wine and a Walking Tour with a company called Inside Lisbon Tours online for a reasonable price of about USD55.
We met our guide, Pedro, at the base of the statue of Pedro IV in Praça D. Pedro IV. Our tour group of about 8 was from all over the world.
Lisboa – Rossio
On the way to first stop we passed the Lisboa – Rossio train station. Great looking building.
Café Beira Gare
Our first stop was Café Beira Gare a local favourite and, even though it is in the middle one of the biggest tourist areas in Lisbon, had good quality Portuguese food at decent prices (apparently). Locals visit the place on the way to and from the Lisboa – Rossio train station that is next door.
We started the Portuguese Gourmet Food part of the tour with Cod Fish and Vino Verde Green Wine. The Vino Verde Green Wine was very dry, a little spritzy with a slightly sour short to medium finish. The wine is from the Porto region of Portugal, and was a better with the cod, which I liked more than wine. The cod was served like a fritter, ie deep fried in a very light batter, and was quite tasty.
Oz’s Wine Rating 2.5 out 5
Elevador de Santa Justa
One of the sights was the Elevador de Santa Justa which was built in 1902 to connect the Carmo Square with the streets below. It is now a major tourist attraction. I did not get a chance to go up to the top on this trip, too many tourists, next time.
Lisbon Trams
Lisbon is also famous for its trams, they are similar to the trams from my home town Adelaide.
Oz’s Useless Trivia
- The first tram tracks were laid in 1873
- They were drawn by horse
- In 1901 the conversion of the Lisbon trams to electric started, took about 1 year. Wonder how many years it would take to do the same today
- By 1959 there were 27 tram lines in total, 3 of which were circular lines that had tracks that ran both clockwise and anti-clockwise
- From 1959 the development of a metro train line and expansion of the bus network halted the further development of the tram network
- There are now only 5 lines that are in operation
- 12 – Praça da Figueira – Miradouro de Santa Luzia circular route (clockwise only)
- 15 – Praça da Figueira – Belém – Algés
- 18 – Cais do Sodré railway station – Cemitério da Ajuda
- 25 – Rua Alfândega – Campo de Ourique (Prazeres)
- 28 – Praça Martim Moniz – Graça – Estrela – Campo de Ourique (Prazeres)
- A Lisbon Tram was also featured in one of my favourite Australian movies “Malcolm“. A good laugh
Espumantaria Do Petisco Lisbon
The fare for this spot was a small tasting plate of:
- Sardines with tempura beans. Yum!
- Wasabi sauce – went well with the sardines
- Toast with cod. Very tasty
Manteigaria Silva Lisbon
A Ginjinha
More of Oz’s Useless Trivia
- Ginja is a sweet cherry liqeur
- Ginja is a fortified wine that is infused with Ginja Cherries combined with sugar. The cherries are left in the bottle, giving you something to snack on whilst you get a bit tipsy, this does have a decent kick
- It originated in Lisbon
- A Ginjinha Bar is the traditional home of Ginja in Lisbon
- Ginja is a “grand parent” cure for a number of illnesses, I can see how it would help by numbing the symptoms of a number of illnesses
- Ginja is the shortened name for Ginjinha
- A Ginjinha is also known as Ginjinha Espinheira bar
Restaurante Chaminés do Palácio – Kantina
- Scrambled eggs with ferdina sausage (it is a pork sausage of some type)
- Chorizo
- Pinto beans with tuna.
- Carrot
Portuguese Gourmet Food Tour
A walking tour around Lisbon that focuses on Portuguese Food is a great idea. The Lisbon Small Group Gourmet Portuguese Food Tour and Wine tour by Inside Lisbon Tours is one I would recommend. Pedro is a good tour guide, providing us with about the right amount of information in good English and had everything arranged so that we did not need to wait when we arrived at any of the locations.
My favourites on the tour were the second, Espumantaria do Petisco, and third, Manteigaria Silva Lisbon, stops, followed closely by the fourth stop, A Ginjinha.
Next Up
Next up a Ervideira Winery in the Alentejo wine region