A few days ago two of my friends who were my companions during early morning Portuguese classes 3 years ago flew in to Lisbon and we were reunited after 2 years. For our day out we decided to go to the new Mercado da Ribeira for lunch. Mercado da Ribeira used to be a huge fresh foot market and now the whole interior has been redesigned to a modern food court with a rustic touch.
This is not some random shopping center food court. It’s a collection of 35 shops and restaurants that serve high quality regional dishes with true flavours made by some dedicated chefs. There’s something for everyone’s cup of tea. Whether you’d like to indulge in a traditional Portuguese meal or you’re just craving for Sushi, this is your place.
Prices vary between 5-15€ for a main course. So it’s probably one of the best places to find affordable yet scrumptious and healthy cuisine. There’s also a few shops that sell pastry and of course you can’t go to Lisbon and skip out on the delightful Santini ice cream which has just opened it’s second branch in the market.
I decided to go for fish and chips since it’s not the kind of fish you find everyday in Lisbon between all the Sardines and Codfishes. The fish was soft, crispy and tasty, just how I liked it. However the chips could have been better and by that I mean thicker.
If you’re ever in Lisbon and looking for a place for lunch that gives you a lot of choices, Mercado da Ribeira is highly recommended. Another plus point is that it’s located very close to the city center and near all the touristy stuff, so you have no excuses.
The 3 of us had a great time catching up in Lisbon after 2 years, having great food and making cheeky plans on where we would meet again before we all head off to different parts of the world.