We don’t move at my usual hectic pace every day. Today we slept in a bit then had a great food tour in central Lisbon. Our guide was Lisa Boatman of Culinary Kickstart Tour, a US citizen who has taken up residency in Portugal. Our first stop was at Bifanas da Tia Alice to try a classic Portuguese sandwich, Bifana. Made with pork, we added a hint of mustard for a little kick. Delicious and surprisingly light!
Our next stop was at A Licorista e O Bacalhoeiro just off of Praça do Rossio. Lisa said she feels this is one of the more authentic restaurant Portuguese restaurants around, not for those in a hurry. Here we indulged in some Salada de Polvo (cold octopus salad) and Bacalhau à Brás. A Portuguese comfort food, Bacalhau à Brás is made with salt cod, potatoes, and eggs. Cod is quite popular in Portugal, native to colder waters farther north Lisa told us that the Portuguese explorers brought it home plus with salt the fish preserves well for long sea voyages.
Our final stop was at Fábrica da Nata to indulge in some Pastel de nata, a Portuguese egg custard tart pastry. Originally called Pastéis de Belém, these pastries were created by monks at Jerónimos Monastery in the 18th century to bring in revenue when convents and monasteries started to close in Portugal. Pastéis de Belém Bakery near the harbor is the owner of the original recipe which is known only to a few people. Our pastries from Fábrica da Nata were fantastic with a flakey crust that is too easy to indulge in. Lisa said the custard of the pastries at Pastéis de Belém Bakery was slightly better and if one could combine that custard with the crust from Fábrica da Nata you would have the perfect Pastel de nata. Oh these went down too easily. This was the end of the tour, thank you Lisa for your patience, knowledge and company.
After a bit more relaxing we headed over to Solar do Duque for dinner then stopped by Ginginha do Carmo to indulge in some Ginginha. A Portuguese liqueur made by infusing ginja berries in alcohol, Ginginha is another thing that goes down way too easy here. I am sensing a theme…
The day did get off to an odd start. For some reason we had the meeting point for the food tour with Lisa incorrectly marked, instead of going to Hotel Mundial we went to sao pedro de alcantara which was in the opposite direction. To get to sao pedro de alcantara we had to climb Calçada da Glória, a 900 foot 18% inclined road. We certainly earned our upcoming food tour. There were rails running in the road but no vehicles. I was thinking there must be a renovation of the line going on but found out later this was the site of a funicular accident on September 3, 2025. There were many casualties and caused the four funicular systems of Lisbon to shut down. Only one (Graça Funicular) has reopened while the others remain suspended pending extensive safety reviews and system overhauls. Our thoughts go to those affected by this accident.
We took a cab to the correct meeting site after calling Lisa. Like I said, she was very patient with us.
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