Where locals go grocery shopping in Lisbon
Until just a few generations ago, shopping for groceries in Lisbon was almost a daily affair. People stopped by the local market, greeted the fishmonger by name, and carried fresh ingredients home for that day’s lunch. There were no freezers stuffed with meal preps for the entire week, nor impulse buys of vegan cheese or Korean noodles. You bought what you needed for the day or, at the most, the few coming days, and food was mostly fresh, seasonal, and you’d usually know where it came from.
Things have obviously changed quite a lot. Today, Lisboetas still cook at home more than most of their European neighbors, and certainly more than the average New Yorker or Londoner. But instead of shopping solely at the local market or the corner store, people have split their purchasing habits between different kinds of stores, including big supermarkets with parking lots and loyalty cards, but also neighborhood fruit shops, artisanal sourdough bakeries, weekly organic fairs, and minimarkets dedicated to Asian and other specialty ingredients.
Photo by A Mensagem de Lisboa
Photo by Hipersuper
Modern living is responsible for this change of habits. Just like everywhere else in the world, thanks to capitalism and busier schedules, there’s been a rise of convenience culture. In fact, in more recent real estate developments, even kitchens are becoming smaller and are clustered together in an open space with the living room. Given that scenario, it’s quite unlikely that people are going to fry up typical Portuguese savory snacks and stink up their designer couch.
Today’s grocery shopping for a Lisbon resident may vary more than back in the day, as food habits are much more heterogeneous amongst the city’s inhabitants. But, no matter what kind of food you’d like to buy, we hope our guide can direct you to the store(s) that best matches your needs.
Lisbon’s Local Neighborhood Food Markets
Photo by Midlife leap
Before supermarkets even existed as part of Portuguese life, mercados municipais were the place where most of the grocery shopping used to happen. Managed by the municipality and usually housed in large, ornate buildings from the early 20th century, these markets were once where everything happened. Housewives negotiated with their preferred vendors, kids helped carry groceries in woven baskets, and fishmongers shouted prices over the buzz of the morning crowd.
Each neighborhood had its own mercado, and some still do. Besides food shopping, many of them are true architectural gems and that’s why we believe it’s worth visiting while you are traveling in Lisbon, even if you’re not planning to buy much or cook at home. These places have been a part of Lisbon’s historic landmarks for many decades.
While some municipal markets declined in the late 20th century with the rise of supermarkets and changing lifestyles, recent years have brought a revival. There’s been a renewed appreciation for local, seasonal produce, locally caught fish, and regional cheeses and charcuterie. Some markets have been reinvented as hybrid spaces, with traditional vendors side by side with gourmet food stalls and stylish cafés. Others remain refreshingly old school, serving the same loyal clientele as they did decades ago or, in some cases, their family members.
If you like striking up conversation with the vendors who are selling your food, these markets are definitely the place to go. You can usually ask about the ingredients you are purchasing, learn about their origin and even ask for recommended recipes.
These are some of the best municipal food markets in Lisbon:
Mercado de Campo de Ourique
📍Rua Coelho da Rocha 104, 1350-075 Lisbon
www.instagram.com/mercadodecampodeourique
Mercado da Ribeira
📍Av. 24 de Julho 49, 1200-479 Lisbon
www.timeout.pt/time-out-market-lisbon
Mercado de Arroios
📍Rua Ângela Pinto 40D, 1900-221 Lisbon
www.facebook.com/MercadodeArroios
Mercado de Benfica
📍Rua João Frederico Ludovice 354, 1500-354 Lisbon
www.facebook.com/MercadodeBenfica
Mercado 31 de Janeiro
📍Rua Engenheiro Vieira da Silva, Praça Duque de Saldanha, 1050-094 Lisbon
www.instagram.com/mercado_31_de_janeiro
Mercado de Alvalade Norte
📍Av. Rio de Janeiro, 1700-330 Lisbon
https://informacoeseservicos.lisboa.pt/contactos/diretorio-da-cidade/mercado-alvalade-norte
Outdoor markets and street fairs
Photo by OsgrobioPrubeta on Reddit
Occasional street fairs and outdoor markets in Lisbon are a great complement to municipal markets, especially in neighborhoods which may not even have one.
Arguably, Lisbon’s most legendary street market is Feira do Relógio, which takes place every Sunday morning in the eastern district of Chelas. This is an enormous open-air market that stretches along a road, lined with stalls selling everything from fruits and vegetables to clothing, cleaning supplies, spices, and African beauty products. It’s chaotic, cheap, and super local. You won’t find artisanal kombucha here, but you may find 5Kg of oranges from nearby producers for about €3. Even if it’s not for shopping, this is an incredible place to grab some Lisbon style street food and to watch people, as this market has one of the most diverse crowds in the city.
Many other outdoor markets in the city often sell organic produce and artisanal foods. The most well known is the Mercado Biológico do Príncipe Real, which happens every Saturday morning, and where independent producers sell seasonal organic fruits and vegetables, fresh herbs, handmade jams, sourdough bread, and other baked goods. Similar markets pop up in different neighborhoods throughout the week, and they’re all managed by AGROBIO, an organization which aims to promote bio produce.
If you’re planning to visit an outdoor food market in Lisbon, these are definitely the best.
Supermarkets and hypermarkets
Photo by Melhores Destinos
Let’s be honest: most Lisbon residents don’t do the bulk of their grocery shopping in the above options. It would sound quaint, but the vast majority of people buy their food in supermarkets and hypermarkets. Especially when you have a car or live in the suburbs with your family, it’s quite likely that you’d shop using a trolley, filling it with a week’s worth of supplies. This system is efficient and it’s where most of the budget for groceries ends up going, as smaller stores are in decline and, for most people, there’s simply no time to visit the butcher, the fishmonger, and the vegetable and fruits store, all in separate venues.
Chains like Pingo Doce, Continente, Auchan, Lidl, and Aldi dominate the city’s grocery scene. Pingo Doce is practically everywhere and it offers decent produce, competitive prices, and a bakery that lures in regular grocery shoppers as well as people who step in for a Portuguese style breakfast no regular pastelaria in Lisbon can compete with in terms of price point. Foreign chains Lidl and Aldi have risen in popularity in recent years thanks to their low prices, surprisingly good quality, and their middle aisles of “unexpected” items for home that keep on changing.
Then there are the hipermercados, consisting of huge stores located in malls on the city’s outskirts, like Continente or Auchan. These are where families do big monthly purchases, stocking up on toilet paper, dog food, or desalted cod to improvise a mid week bacalhau à Brás, and that one wine brand they swear by and that happens to be on discount often.
Even if many locals go to these regular supermarkets for most of their foods, that doesn’t mean they’re not picky. Some might buy basics at the chain store, but they’ll still go to the market for fish or to the frutaria for better produce. They’ll compare promos, chase discounts (Pingo Doce’s infamous 50% campaigns are practically a sport), and know which store has the best prices on yogurt this week. It’s part shopping, part strategy, as the Portuguese certainly love a good deal!
Neighborhood grocers and frutarias
Photo by Time Out Lisboa
Most Lisbon neighborhoods have at least one smaller fruit and vegetable store, that is, a frutaria. These tend to be humble, family-run shops, packed with crates of fresh produce and handwritten price signs. They don’t have loyalty cards or curated lighting, but some would argue that the peaches from this kind of store are always juicier, the onions are cheaper, and the herbs are fresher than anywhere else. In fact, when you are a regular customer and buy a variety of vegetables and fruits, the store keeper might throw in your coriander and parsley for free.
Even though there is no official rule for this, you are much more likely to shop Portuguese produce when you visit a frutaria, versus a bigger chain, as supermarkets and hypermarkets import a lot of the ingredients that Portugal also produces, because of being more competitive when it comes to prices. That, in itself, is enough motivation for many to keep going to these smaller stores.
Despite the name, frutarias aren’t usually just about fruit and veg. Most stock a bit of everything, including eggs, bread (more often than not carcaças), tins of tuna, dried and jarred legumes, as well as essential pantry items like olive oil or vinegar. Some might have a refrigerated counter in the back for cured meats and regional cheeses and certainly don’t be surprised if there’s also a small selection of Portuguese wines.
There’s also the category of mercearias de bairro, the old school corner stores that may or may not call themselves a frutaria but serve a similar purpose. These places are often run by the same people for decades and reflect the identity of the neighborhood, in the sense that they may also carry some world ingredients residents of the given neighborhoods may usually look for, besides the usual Portuguese staples.
For locals, frutarias and neighborhood grocers are still essential. They are where you quickly run to get that one ingredient you forgot to be able to make dinner, or grab a bottle of wine to bring as a gift just before you head to a friend’s for a meal, particularly when you don’t feel like stepping into a bigger establishment and stand in line for the check out cashier.
Convenience stores, aka lojas de conveniência
Photo by Jornal SOL
There’s a moment we have all lived before: you’re halfway through cooking dinner and realize you forgot the salt, or it’s Sunday night and everything’s closed, but you need milk for your morning coffee. Enter the loja de conveniência, Lisbon’s small, often overlooked life savers.
These convenience stores are usually tiny, usually open late and stocked with the basics, similarly to a mercearia or neighborhood grocer above. Think bottled water, milk, bread, snacks, a few cleaning products, maybe some fruit, and always a fridge with beer and other cold drinks. Perhaps this last detail is what sets most convenience stores apart from day time mercearias as, just based on looks, most of them would be sort of the same. The alcoholic selection is usually wider at convenience stores versus mercearias, and so is the tobacco.
Most of Lisbon’s convenience stores are independently run, often by immigrants from South Asia, and they’re scattered across residential neighborhoods, especially in areas like Anjos, Arroios, or Graça. Unlike other countries, Lisbon still doesn’t have chains like 7-Eleven.
These stores may not have the variety of a full supermarket, and prices tend to be a bit higher, but we think this is normal as you’re paying for access and convenience. And, at the end of the day, no one does the bulk of their shopping here. These shops are built for emergencies and spontaneity, certainly not for meal planning.
The only competition convenience stores have in the late hours are the food delivery apps like Uber Eats, Bolt Food and Glovo that, in recent years, besides regular eateries, also include stores that sell ingredients and home staples and bring them directly to your door.
Specialty stores for classic Portuguese products
Photo by Visão
Stepping into Lisbon’s old-school specialty grocers feels a little bit like traveling back in time, as the products on display haven’t changed all that much in decades. Stacks of smelly bacalhau, rows of regional cheeses behind the counter, chouriços and presuntos suspended from the ceiling beams, and tins of sardines stacked like tiny edible mosaics. More than shops, these specialty grocers are almost like living museums of Portuguese food culture.
Places like Manteigaria Silva in Baixa or Pérola do Arsenal near Cais do Sodré are Lisbon legends. Their shelves are full of products you won’t find at the supermarket, or at least not with the same quality. Think DOP olive oils from Trás-os-Montes, rustic cornbreads from the Minho, independent producer wines, traditional sweets from Alcobaça, Azorean teas, and more types of cured pork than you knew existed. Some of these shops are over a century old, and many are still family-run.
Here, the focus is quality over quantity, putting the focus on origin and authenticity. Of course that makes price tags go higher but, usually, these aren’t stores for everyday shopping. You visit when you want to buy something extra special and you want to get your hands on the good stuff. This is when you’re preparing a holiday meal, visiting family, or making a gift basket that actually means something. This explains why many of these shops still make a large part of their business around Christmas time.
Tourists also visit these types of stores more and more here in Lisbon. So the crowd today is a curious mix between foodie travelers and nostalgic grandparents. These are also great places to buy some of Portugal’s most delicious edible souvenirs.
Read more about Lisbon’s most iconic traditional grocery stores.
World food stores
Photo by Geraldine on Happy Cow
Lisbon has always been a city of arrivals. From the days of the spice routes to today’s immigrant communities, the capital has absorbed flavors from every corner of the world, and this is evident not only in our local cuisine, but also in the variety of world food stores that we’re lucky to have here in the Portuguese capital. These stores serve their own communities, but increasingly so, they also serve the curious palates of Portuguese locals and expats who want to expand their recipe repertoire.
The centre of this global food scene is Martim Moniz, a lively, sometimes chaotic hub that reflects Lisbon’s multicultural reality. Wander the side streets and you’ll discover Asian minimarkets offering everything from Thai curry paste and Japanese soba noodles to Korean snacks and Chinese dumplings. Many of these shops also stock vegetables are are usually harder to find, like pak choi, Thai basil, or daikon radish, and a solid selection of tofu, miso, and soy derived products, that appeal to foodies craving world foods, but also vegetarians and vegans in general.
Indian and South Asian stores are especially concentrated around Rua do Benformoso. This is where you’ll find shelves packed with turmeric, garam masala, lentils in every color, and stacks of flour to make chapati. Mustard oil for cooking, for example, it’s virtually impossible to find anywhere else in Lisbon, but in Rua Benformoso, several stores carry it.
A short walk away, in areas like Intendente and Anjos, you’ll come across African grocery stores, often owned by folks of Cape Verdean or Angolan descent, selling things like dried fish, cassava, okra, plantain, spices, palm oil, and ingredients for dishes like moamba or cachupa.
Brazilian markets are also increasingly common in Lisbon, reflecting the large and growing Brazilian population. They’re the place for farofa, frozen pão de queijo, Guaraná soda, tapioca flour, and everything needed for a proper feijoada brasileira, which is not to be mistaken with Portuguese feijoada.
Many of these shops double as community hubs, as they somehow end up being places for food, but also for comfort and a certain sense of home. And for the rest of us? They’re a goldmine of flavor inspiration. We simply love how these stores offer a glimpse into the city’s cultural mix and its evolving tastes.
Photo by Time Out Lisboa
These is where you should go in Lisbon for multicultural shopping:
🇺🇸Best stores to buy US American products in Lisbon:
Flavers – International Flavors Shop
📍Rua de São Bernardo 128, 1230-827 Lisbon
Liberty American Store
📍Largo de São Sebastião da Pedreira 9D, 1050‑205 Lisbon
Glood
📍Areeiro: Av. João XXI, 11A 1000-298 Lisbon
📍Telheiras: Rua Professor Mário Chicó, 2J 1600-645 Lisbon
🇨🇳 The greatest establishments for Chinese & Pan‑Asian ingredients in Lisbon:
Supermercado Chen
📍Rua da Palma 216, 1100-394 Lisbon
https://supermercadochen.pt
Supermercado Hua Ta Li
📍Rua Fernandes da Fonseca 16, 1100‑238 Lisbon
www.instagram.com/explore/locations/766634976/supermercado-hua-ta-li
Mercado Oriental
📍Rua da Palma 41A, 1100-390 Lisbon
https://amanhecer.pt/lojas/supermercado-oriental
KoPo Mart (Korean supermarket)
📍Av. Infante Santo 58D, 1350-174 Lisbon
www.kopomart.com
🇮🇳🇵🇰🇧🇩🇳🇵Where you can get Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Nepali and South-Asian essentials in Lisbon:
Martim Moniz & Benformoso area
Not a single store, but a whole cluster of shops offering legumes, authentic spices, breads, and halal meats. Just wander Rua do Benformoso and adjacent streets and pop in wherever you see other folks walk in.
Popat Store
📍Inside Centro Comercial Martim Moniz, 1100-364 Lisbon
https://popatstore.pt
Shere Punjab
📍Rua da Palma 284 A, 1100-394 Lisbon
www.instagram.com/sherepunjabportugal
Dilliwalla
📍Av. Alm. Reis 29E, 1150-008 Lisbon
www.instagram.com/dilliwalaodivelas
🇧🇷Where to purchase Brazilian ingredients in Lisbon:
Mercado Brasil Tropical
📍Rua Carlos Mardel 5A, 1900-122 Lisbon
www.instagram.com/mercado_brasiltropical
Império do Brasil
📍Estr. de Benfica 460B, 1500-104 Lisbon
Made in Brazil
📍Rua Morais Soares N 126 A, 1900-023 Lisbon
www.instagram.com/lojamadeinbrazil
🌽🇵🇪🇨🇴🇲🇽🇦🇷🇻🇪 Where to find Latin American foods in Lisbon:
Andes Mundo
📍Rua Leão de Oliveira 8, 1300-352 Lisbon
Fatias de Cristal
📍Rua Cidade da Beira 68H, 1800-065 Lisbon
www.instagram.com/fatiasdecristal
Casa Mexicana
📍Rua Quintinha 72B, 1200-368 Lisbon
🇦🇴🇲🇿🇨🇻 Where to buy African (Lusophone) products in Lisbon:
Lisbon’s African grocery scene is rich, particularly for former Portuguese colonies: Angola, Mozambique, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, São Tomé & Príncipe, that is, the PALOP countries. Because of the neighborhoods people of African descent mostly live in, you’re more likely to come across African grocery stores in the Greater Lisbon area, namely around Amadora or Odivelas, than in Lisbon’s actual city centre, so we have included a few of those options here too.
Casa do Bacalhau da Ribeira / Loja Africana
📍Mercado da Ribeira, Av. 24 de Julho 49, 1200-479 Lisbon
www.facebook.com/casabacalhauribeira
Keifys
📍Rua José Gomes Ferreira 3c, 2720-324 Amadora
www.instagram.com/keifysafricanstore
Babok Minimercado Africano
📍Rua Alfredo Roque Gameiro 17B, 2675-339 Odivelas
www.instagram.com/mini_mercado_africano_babok
🇷🇴Romanian and Eastern European groceries in Lisbon:
Mix Markt Lisboa
📍Av. do Brasil, nº 90 C, 1700‑073 Lisbon
Cantinho Romeno
📍Rua Carlos Mardel 119, 1900-015 Lisbon
www.facebook.com/cantinhoromeno
🧆🇸🇾🇱🇧🇪🇬 Where to shop Middle Eastern foods in Lisbon:
Zaytouna
📍Mercado de Arroios, Loja 18, 1000-027 Lisbon
Al Waha Market
📍Rua Prof. Orlando Ribeiro 6, 1600-796 Lisbon
www.facebook.com/elwahaelarabia
Organic food stores and health food shops
Photo by NIT
Once upon a time, if you asked a Lisbon local where to find tofu or gluten free oats, you’d get a blank stare. Fast forward to now, and bio shops and health food stores are virtually everywhere.
Leading the change is Celeiro, quite possibly the largest health focused chain in Portugal. It’s been around since long before veganism was a well known concept, and it’s still the go-to for everything from nutritional yeast and herbal teas to supplements, soy milk, kombucha, sugar-free snacks, spirulina powders, hard to find flours with ancient grains, pickled foods, and so much more. You’ll find Celeiro locations across the city, often tucked into central shopping streets, but also in central neighborhoods like Baixa.
But there are other smaller shops also worth checking, including Miosótis, often highlighted for its high quality organic produce section and bulk dry goods. If buying bulk is important to you, head straight to Maria Granel, which is Lisbon’s leading bio and zero waste store.
These stores attract a specific crowd, including nutrition conscious families, vegetarians, vegans, gluten and lactose intolerant shoppers, as well as some slow food advocates. But increasingly, they’re also drawing in regular Lisbonites who want to try new things or cut back on additives, sugar, and ultra processed foods. Lisbon is still a land of bread, cheese, and pork, but these shops reflect an important shift and how people are starting to care more about what they eat, where it comes from, and how it affects their bodies and the planet.
Mobile vendors and informal markets
Photo by Mensagem de Lisboa
Not all grocery shopping in Lisbon happens under a roof, or even inside a store. In fact, some of the city’s most original products are sold directly on sidewalks or, less commonly, straight out of the back of a van. We are referring to informal or (not exactly legal) pop-ups, most commonly found in areas like Rossio, Intendente, Mouraria, Chelas, or Benfica.
Many of these improvised shops stock goods that cater to Lisbon’s diverse communities, carrying bunches of cilantro, green bananas, dried shrimp, cassava, okra, African greens, and homemade sweets wrapped in clingfilm. Some of these vendors operate under the radar, while others are tolerated due to local demand and cultural importance.
You’ll also find informal food stalls near official markets, like Mercado do Forno do Tijolo or Mercado de Benfica (especially on weekends), creating a kind of economy parallel to supermarkets and official stores. Prices are usually negotiable and you’re expected to pay in cash.
For many immigrant communities, this is also an opportunity to mingle with their people, and feel a bit like “back home” or, at least, what was home for their previous generations.
If you’re curious to see these mobile vendors in action in central Lisbon, your best bet is to walk around Rossio, namely Largo de São Domingos, and notice what’s on display on the sidewalks. You may find yourself, at the very least, munching on some different kind of nuts you may have never tried before.
Let us share with you more tips about Lisbon’s food scene over on Instagram
Feed your curiosity on Portuguese food culture:
The best artisanal bakeries in Portugal
Unique Portuguese food gifts and where to buy in Lisbon
The most iconic traditional grocery stores in Lisbon
What and where to eat when you’re hungover in Lisbon
The best private chefs at home you can hire in Lisbon
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