Barreiro travel guide for food lovers
We’ve said it before and we will say it again: if you’d like to marvel at some truly stunning views of Lisbon’s cityscape, your best bet is to travel to the south bank of the Tagus River. Amongst other places, this applies to Cacilhas, in Almada, which we have invited you to come to explore with us on a previous occasion, as well as Barreiro, which is precisely where we’d like to take you today.
Photo by DN
If you could use a break from the more touristic sites you’ll find in Lisbon’s city center, we would suggest taking the boat to Barreiro, something you can easily do from Terreiro do Paço. The trip takes only around 25 minutes (you can see the schedule of Transtejo Soflusa here), with regular boats between 5AM and 1AM. The trip is pleasant and rather scenic. Once you reach the other side, you will be able to experience a slower pace of life, more and more elusive in Lisbon itself these days.
So what should you explore in Barreiro, besides Portuguese food, which we will certainly look into further ahead? First things first, we’d recommend not to be too worried with a list of sites to tick from your list. Chances are your best moments in Barreiro are precisely experienced while simply roaming around, both within the city center, which is home to about 70,000 people, as well as by the shores of the river. In the more urban areas, several examples of street art stand out, including artwork done by Bordalo II, Odheit, and Vhils, some of the most prominent urban artists in Portugal these days. To plan your own self-guided street art walk in Barreiro, follow this map and tips.
Photo by NIT
If a more natural setting is what you are after, there are several rive beaches (known in Portuguese as praias fluviais), inviting enough for a dip in the summer, or ideal for a walk or an end of day drink while appreciating the sun go down during any other time of the year. Alburrica is Barreiro’s most popular river beach, and also where you’ll find the highest concentration of establishments serving food and drinks, but other spots such Praia do Clube Naval/Bico do Mexilhoeiro, Praia da Barra a Barra and Praia de Copacabana are also worth checking out.
Photo by Alma de Aventureiros
Besides the actual river beaches, Barreiro’s river shorelines (such as Frente Ribeirinha Verdena or the more prominent Passeio Ribeirinho Augusto Cabrita) extend as well alongside the city itself. This is indeed where you can catch one of the best views of Lisbon, surrounded by green spaces, facilities for children to play, and interesting places where to grab a bite.
For those into history and culture, there are a couple of venues in Barreiro which would be worth checking out. These include Espaço Memória (Parque Empresarial da Quimiparque, Rua 17 10), which is a place run by the local authorities, dedicated to promoting local history, culture and arts. There are a couple of museums dedicated to the industrial past of Barreiro, namely Museu Industrial da Baía do Tejo (Parque Empresarial da Quimiparque, Rua 44 29-25) and Casa Museu Alfredo da Silva (Rua Industrial Alfredo da Silva), but visits should be planned and scheduled in advance as they do welcome take walk-ins.
Photo by hassis on Reddit
We love going to spend the day in Barreiro, to soak up the tranquil vibes and to enjoy a leisurely meal. Barreiro’s dining scene includes the variety one could easily expect from a locality so close to the capital of the country, from regular corner cafes to hipster bars, international restaurants to oh-so-very Portuguese tascas.
To go out and enjoy Portuguese food in Barreiro, these are the establishments you should check out:
Best restaurants for Portuguese food in Barreiro
A Tasca da Galega
Back in the day, A Tasca da Galega became popular because of its own brand of ginjinha, that is, sour cherry liqueur. This establishment is so iconic and associated with sipping this beverage that, every year, on Christmas Eve, the president of the country goes to A Tasca da Galega to down some cherry goodness before heading home to celebrate with the family [inserir aqui link para novo post How to celebrate christmas like a Portuguese], as we customarily do. Over the years, A Tasca da Galega has evolved from a no-frills tasca to a more full-on restaurant, where now-a-days, you’d be silly to miss incredible dishes such as polvo à Galega, featuring octopus tentacles with garlic infused olive oil and sweet paprika, the fried pork with prawns or the very famed tiger prawns curry, which brings to the table the Mozambican origins of the chef, making our taste buds travel and crave for more.
📍Rua Combatentes da Grande Guerra 65, 2830-341 Barreiro
www.instagram.com/atascadagalega
Photo by Tasca da Galega
O Planalto
Traditional Portuguese cooking is O Planalto’s speciality. This is the kind of restaurant where you’ll find many of the most iconic dishes from across Portugal, including salt cod recipes, meat grills, assorted seafood preparations and one-pot comfort wonders. Besides a pretty large a la carte menu, O Planalto also offers several daily specials on rotation, always including a soup of the day as well as meat and fish specialities, usually around 10 euros per serving. A safe bet for a typical Portuguese lunch in Barreiro.
📍Rua Dr. Manuel Pacheco Nobre 58, 2830-059 Barreiro
www.facebook.com/p/Restaurante-O-Planalto-100063475606011
Photo by O Planalto
O Moinho
O Moinho is a great restaurant in Barreiro for an uncomplicated yet hit-the-spot meal. The food is good and home-style, there is enough variety to keep you coming back for more, the staff is friendly and the prices are fair. Indeed these are some of the characteristics we often like to associate with typical Portuguese food and establishments (including that cozido à portuguesa is on the menu once a week) so we could say O Moinho is a good representation of what local hospitality and taste are all about.
📍Rua Miguel Pais 68, 2830-356 Barreiro
www.instagram.com/o.moinho.barreiro
Photo by Uber Eats
Porta36
If for once you don’t feel like indulging in traditional Portuguese food, and you’d rather try local dishes with a twist inspired by several cuisines from around the world, visit Porta36 for a truly delicious experience. Their idea of fusion cuisine translates into a good variety of dishes bound to satisfy most tastes. From the menu, we would recommend the Iberian black pork with celeriac; the black scabbard fish sandwich with sweet chili mayonnaise; or the salad featuring sweet potato, arugula and requeijão, which is one of Portugal’s most popular soft cheeses. Their desserts may be a mix of local and international so, if you’re in the mood for something Portuguese, ask for the velvety farófias com leite creme, that is, poached meringues with a topping of smooth custard.
📍Rua Miguel Pais 232, 2830-356 Barreiro
www.instagram.com/porta36_barreiro
Photo by Porta36
Talho Central do Barreiro
Talho Central has two restaurants, one in Barreiro and another in Lumiar, a neighborhood in Lisbon. This is the kind of place where meat lovers come to rejoice and friends spend quality time around the table. They have menus specifically for groups, precisely to make the restaurant more appropriate for large group celebrations, such as birthdays. If you’re in the mood for a good steak in Barreiro, O Talho Central delivers.
📍Rua Dr. Câmara Pestana 17 A, 2830-342 Barreiro
Photo by Entrega Em Casa
Mirasol
Simple and good – these are two words which we could use to describe the food experience at Mirasol. And, even though it may not sound like this is particularly appealing, we do mean this in a complimentary way, as sometimes you’re not in the mood for something complicated, but rather to have a meal that hits the spot, in a familiar and not luxurious atmosphere. Home-style cooking, good desserts that taste like they used to back in the day… like we said: straightforward, but mighty fine too.
📍Av. Santa Maria, 2830-494 Barreiro
www.facebook.com/p/restaurantemirasol-100076005093831
Photo by Mirasol
Ambrosius Espetadas
Ambrosius specializes in skewers grilled over charcoal, locally known as espetadas, which are also one of the most representative dishes (or at least cooking method) from the Portuguese island of Madeira. Ambrosius consistently gatherers excellent reviews from locals and visitors because of its top-notch food and impeccable service. Besides espetadas featuring meat and fish, Ambrosius also has a good range of appetizers to get the party started. Prepare yourself for a feast, as you will certainly be well fed around here.
📍Rua Capitães de Abril 41A, 2830-189 Barreiro
www.facebook.com/ambrosius.espetada
Photo by Ambrosius
Casa Velha Taberna Portuguesa
Also known as Casa Velha Pub or simply Casa Velha, this is one of Barreiro locals’ favorite establishments for food and drinks. In the management’s own words “our suggestion is that you share the food”, which makes absolute sense as there are just so many enticing things on the menu that you will be lost when trying to pick just a few. In good company, you could simply ask for more, including beautiful items such as fried eggs over pulled pork; grilled squid over sweet potato mash flavored with coriander oil; or a refreshing salad with figs, goat cheese mousse and walnut vinaigrette. Don’t be surprised to also come across international deliciousness such as gyozas – Casa Velha is, for the most part, a taberna Portuguesa, but sometimes likes to do a little traveling too, like most Portuguese would.
📍Rua Marquês Pombal n°116, 2830-336 Barreiro
www.facebook.com/casavelha.taberna
Photo by Casa Velha
Grelhador Mor
A few years ago, Grelhador Mor won the 1st prize at the Concurso de Gastronomia Ribeirinha, a local competition meant to highlight some of the region’s best dishes. Their arroz de frutos do Tejo à Mor (rice with seafood from the Tagus, Mor style – photographed here) stole the hearts and the taste buds of those judging during this event. Thankfully, anyone can visit Grelhador Mor to enjoy this award-winning dish, as well as a range of other specialities such as local seafood, traditional meat dishes and irresistible home-made desserts. This is one of the very best restaurants in Barreiro.
📍Rua Camilo Castelo Branco 10,12 e 14, 2830-328 Barreiro
Photo by CM Barreiro
O Mário 100 Espinhas
“100 Espinhas” is a play on words as phonetically it sounds the same as “sem espinhas”, that is Portuguese for “without fish bones”, indicating that this is a restaurant dedicated to fish specialities. In fact, if you are craving fresh fish while in Barreiro, there might be no better restaurant to visit than O Mário 100 Espinhas. Go there during the weekend for lunch, when it’s packed with locals, and you’ll see how we’re not the only ones who think so. Truly the freshest catch, only enhanced by salt and fire – this is what fish Portuguese style is all about. Do not miss it.
📍Largo 1º de Maio 8, 2830-313 Barreiro
www.facebook.com/Mario100Espinhas
Photo by O Mário 100 Espinhas
Aromas e Sabores
If value for money matters a great deal to you when choosing a restaurant to go eat out at, you can safely head to Aromas e Sabores in Barreiro knowing that you will not spend a fortune and that, indeed, you will eat very well. They are open for Portuguese style breakfast, lunch and dinner, and serve some of the most iconic Portuguese dishes, including bacalhau, grilled alheira, feijoada de choco (white beans and cuttlefish stew), oven roasted duck rice and so much more. As it is almost compulsory in such a Portuguese restaurant, the desserts menu is quite varied and full of home-made specialities bound to raise your blood sugar while, of course, also making you happy.
📍Rua Miguel Bombarda 190, 2830-089 Barreiro
www.facebook.com/aromassaboresbarreiro
Photo by Uber Eats
Best cafes and bakeries in Barreiro
Pastelaria Moderna
Pastelaria Moderna popularized bolas de manteiga, literally butter balls, which are now seen as one of the most typical sweets to eat in Barreiro. Even though the name makes them sound heavier than they truly are, these bolas de manteiga are basically sweet soft breads with a stuffing of whipped cream until the point that it is basically churned butter. They come in two sizes: mini, which would honestly be more like regular, and regular, which two people could easily split. Many Barreirenses will tell you that your visit to Barreiro is not complete without going for a cup of coffee and a bola de manteiga at Pastelaria Moderna.
📍Rua Dr. Manuel Pacheco Nobre 78A, 2830-096 Barreiro
www.facebook.com/pastelariamoderna.moderna
Photo by Pastelaria Moderna
Pastelaria Mafraria
In their own words, Mafraria was born in 1996 “to recuperate the traditions of local baking and pastry making”. Mafraria has several locations near Barreiro, namely in Pinhal Novo and Quinta da Lomba and, even though they all seem pretty contemporary and very inviting, they pride themselves in serving traditional products. Their range includes assorted Portuguese breads and the typical cakes you’d normally find in a Portuguese pastelaria, with particular highlight going towards their pastel de nata, which they produce in standard size as well a mini, for a quick sweet bite any time of the day.
📍Rua Miguel Bombarda 172, 2830-266 Barreiro
Photo by Mafraria Cafetarias on Linkedin
Pastelaria Transmontana
Pastelaria Transmontana has several locations around Barreiro, and it is a true local institution catering to the very Portugue habit of having breakfast out or, at the very least, of grabbing a cup of coffee and a custard tart. They serve good options both on the sweet side of things as well as typical Portuguese savory snacks, as well as quick light meals such as grilled sandwiches and home-made soups which vary daily. Even if you don’t look for a branch of Pastelaria Transmontana while you’re roaming around Barreiro, chances are you’ll come across it.
📍Rua D. Francisco de Almeida 71, 2830 Barreiro
📍Rua D. João Iv 15-B, 2830 Barreiro
📍Rua 20 de Abril 78, 2830 Barreiro
📍Rua Instituto dos Ferroviários Sul e Sueste 4, 2830 Barreiro
www.facebook.com/p/Pastelaria-Transmontana-Barreiro-100064013648340
Photo by Pastelaria Transmontana
Cafetaria Coffeebox
A picturesque spot where to hang out with friends, right by the river, enjoying the simple pleasures of life. When in Portugal, and in this kind of setting, those pleasures often revolve around downing cold beers, munching on braised snails, or drinking a cup of coffee with a torrada, that is, generously buttered toast.
📍Largo 1º de Maio 51C, 2830-079 Barreiro
www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100031771072012
Photo by Coffeebox
Where to go out for a drink in Barreiro
Ó Rio
If there is one nice spot to catch a beautiful sunset with a drink in hand around Barreiro, Ó Rio is it. They are open every single day and, besides operating as a regular bar, they also serve lunch, dinner and assorted petiscos to keep your drinks company at any time. Not only is this venue housed in a beautiful setting, it is made super lively and chill and they regularly organize events with live music and DJ sets. If you’re looking for a place to celebrate with your friends while in Barreiro, or to simply chill while sipping a cocktail, look no further than Ó Rio.
📍Rua de Maputo 3A, 2830-169 Barreiro
www.instagram.com/barreiroorio
Photo by Guia Empresas
Camarro Lounge
If you are looking for a trendy cocktail bar in Barreiro, Camarro Lounge would be it. Their indoor setting is quite fashionable but, weather permitting, it’s outside where you’ll get to enjoy the greatest of vibes at Camarro Lounge, with a lovely view out towards the river. Camarro Lounge regularly organizes events, namely live DJ sets and other music related nights, which bring in the crowds from around Barreiro to dance, drink and, when the hunger quicks in, to eat one of their contemporary bites too.
📍Av. Bento Gonçalves S/N, 2830-304 Barreiro
www.instagram.com/camarrolounge
Photo by Camarro Lounge
MGB Bar
Also known as MGB Bar or Bar do Bento, this bar is located in Barreiro’s most popular river beach, Alburrica, in a setting that invites you to lounge around and forget about time. After all, you’re here on holidays! In the evenings they often organize events such as karaoke nights and live DJ sets but Bento Bar is also a lovely place to come by during the afternoon or early evening for a cup of coffee or a drink.
📍Praia Fluvial de Alburrica, 2830-400 Barreiro
Photo by Aquapolis
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Feed your curiosity on Portuguese food culture:
Iconic foods and places Lisbon locals love
Alcochete travel guide for food lovers
The best ways to enjoy the Tagus river in and around Lisbon
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