Address: Av. 24 de Julho 49, 1200-479 Lisboa, Portugal
Opening hours: 10:00-02:00 Thurs to Sat, 10:00-00:00 Sun to Wed
More information is available on their website
Lisbon has earned a well-deserved reputation as a foodie hotspot, attracting travellers from all over the world with its world famous pasteis de nata and love of all things cinnamon and cod. While Portuguese cuisine is starting to become more appreciated and understood around the world, visitors to Lisbon may still feel a little overwhelmed by the gargantuan selection on offer. This is where the Time Out Market in Lisbon’s Mercado da Ribeira comes into play, just a minute away from the banks of the mammoth Tegus River and a stone’s throw away from the heart of the city centre.
What Is It?
Time Out Market Lisboa opened in the Mercado da Ribera in 2014 and is the first of several planned food halls by the Time Out Group, with others planned for New York, Boston, Miami, Montreal and Chicago. Its mission: to take the best elements of what defines the flavours of Lisbon and to place them under one roof. The food market features 35 stalls, selling everything from pasteis de nata and pregos to tinned fish and local wines – with a couple of Michelin starred chefs thrown in for good measure. With prices to suit all kinds of budgets and a generally laid-back atmosphere to savour what the city has to offer, there’s nowhere better in the city to get acquainted with its cuisine than the Time Out Market.
How Does It Work?
The food stalls surround bars and several seating areas. If you’re with friends, go and grab a seat. When it gets really busy (if you want to avoid the crowds go later in the day, around 4pm), just be patient until a seat comes available. Then go to your chosen stall. If it takes a little time to cook, they’ll give you a buzzer after you pay (you can pay by card), which will enthusiastically vibrate once your food’s ready. Then hand over the receipt and tuck in.
What to Try
When you first walk into the Time Out Market, especially on a busy day, it’s hard not to get a little overwhelmed by its size, its smells and its sounds. We went to the Time Out Market twice, once on an exceptionally busy day – I suspect May Day had something to do with it – and again on a more relaxed Sunday afternoon. If you’re able, take the time to take in all the menus, get a drink, sit down and decide. If you’re the indecisive type, we can vouch for the following:
Sea Me
There are few foods as instantly eye-catching as octopus and that’s exactly what drew me to Sea Me’s octopus hot dog – which I believe was 7 EUR or so. It is exactly as it sounds. An octopus tentacle in a bun. It’s tender, beautiful octopus served in a very memorable way, looking like something out of a Klingon cookbook. On the walk back from the Sea Me to where we were sat, I caught the wide-eyed hungry gaze of several other curious foodies, taken in by the strange sight of this alien hot dog. This was probably the seafood highlight of Lisbon and arguably the best octopus I’d had in my life.
Café de São Bento
Praised for serving the best beef in Lisbon, the Café de São Bento’s eponymous beef dish - Bife a Café de São Bento – was another delight from our first visit to Time Out Market. Succulent, tender, melt-in-the-mouth steak with a delightful sauce for, I believe, 10 EUR or so.
Alexandre Silva
Alexandre Silva is one of the Time Out Market’s Michelin-starred chefs and this stall provides Michelin star quality Portuguese cuisine for a reasonable price. We opted for the barriga de porco confitada com molho teriyaki (pork belly with teriyaki sauce), which was a little pricier for the venue at 16 EUR or so, but still at an exception price given the quality of both the produce and the chef. The pork was tender in texture and rich in taste, with a beautifully crisp crackling on top. Highly recommended.
Tartar-ia
Tartar-ia is a restaurant devoted to tartar created by the team behind the famous Algarve restaurant Vila Joya, the first in Portugal to have two Michelin stars. With tartar made from everything from salmon and herring to beef and vegetarian options, Tartar-ia stands out as one of our surprise foodie highlights in Lisbon. Having never tried tartar before, we didn’t know what to expect when we ordered our bife tártaro (steak tartare) – seasoned raw ground beef with onions and capers, among other ingredients. The result was spectacular and for 10 EUR it was a steal.
O Prego da Peixaria
These pregos – garlicky steak sandwiches – are a must-try in Lisbon. If you’re going with a dining partner, split one of these between you. What’s to dislike? Unless you’re vegetarian. But there are veggie options too.
Nós é mais Bolos
While you can get pasteis de nata in the Time Out Market - and they looked extremely good, especially when covered with cinnamon – these cakes are worth trying for dessert. We tried the chocolate truffle cake, lime pie, tiramisu and bolo de bolacha (all 4 EUR or so each), which were all superb, but none were quite as good as the bolo de bolacha (biscuit cake). Our love of bolo de bolacha cannot be expressed enough, and this was among the best we tried. Crunchy on top, creamy and sweet in the middle and like carving through warm butter, the bolo de bolacha is in our opinion the underrated hero of Portuguese desserts.
Drinks
There’s a selection of bars in Time Out Market, but our favourite was one in the middle, close to the wine shop. There, they serve a selection of good wines from all over Portugal (about 4 EUR or so for a glass) and gin and tonics for 7.50 EUR. If you fancied a Portuguese liqueur, ask for Licor Beirão over ice, originally used in the 19th century for stomach aches, so the natural choice if you’ve had a little too much to eat.
There’s also a good spot for ginja and coffee outside to relax and people watch in the sun.