Time Out Market Lisbon: Tips and What to Eat

The Time Out Market in Lisbon’s historic Mercado da Ribeira is one of the city’s most popular places to eat. It’s a big food hall where you can try dishes from well-known chefs and classic local names under one roof. Here’s how to make the most of it, and what to order.

Quick answer: the market is at Cais do Sodré, opposite the station. It’s busiest at lunch and dinner, so go at 11:30am or mid-afternoon to get a table. Order from several stalls and share. Try a bifana or prego, seafood, and a pastel de nata. The traditional fresh market in the other half of the building is best in the morning.

Why go

If you only have a day or two in Lisbon, the Time Out Market lets you try a lot of Portuguese food in one meal. The stalls were picked by Time Out Lisboa’s food writers, so the quality is usually good. It’s also easy: no menus to translate, no tables to book, and it’s open all day.

About the market

The Mercado da Ribeira has been Lisbon’s main market for over a century. In 2014 the magazine Time Out turned half of the building into a food hall, and the idea has since spread to other cities around the world. It now has dozens of food stalls, bars and shops around long shared tables.

How it works

• Stalls around a central hall: order and pay at each stall, then find a seat at the shared tables.
• Food: petiscos, sandwiches, seafood, steak, burgers, sushi, desserts and more.
• Drinks: wine, beer and cocktail bars.
• Payment: cards are taken almost everywhere.
• Prices: higher than a local tasca, but good for trying lots of things.
• Hours: usually open every day from 10am to midnight, and sometimes later at weekends. Check the market’s website for current times.

What to try

• Prego or bifana: steak or pork sandwiches. See the bifana and prego.
• Seafood: clams in garlic and coriander, prawns or octopus. See Portuguese seafood.
• Croquettes and other petiscos (small plates to share).
• Cured ham and cheese: a plate to share with a glass of wine.
• Pastel de nata for dessert. See the best pastel de nata.
• Portuguese wine by the glass. See Portugal’s wine regions.

The traditional market

The fresh produce and fish section still operates in the other half of the building, mainly in the mornings. Go early to see fishmongers, fruit stalls and flower sellers serving locals. It’s a good contrast to the busy food hall next door. See Lisbon food markets.

Getting there

• Metro: Cais do Sodré station on the green line.
• Train: Cais do Sodré is the terminus for trains to Cascais and Estoril, so the market is easy to reach after a beach day.
• Ferry: boats from Cacilhas, across the river, arrive at Cais do Sodré.
• On foot: about 10 minutes from Praça do Comércio along the river.

See Cais do Sodré.

Make a half day of it

Allow about an hour for a relaxed meal. Go early to see the fresh market first, then eat at the food hall before the lunch crowds. Afterwards, walk along the river to Praça do Comércio, or take the short ferry across to Cacilhas for views back over the city. In the evening, the market makes an easy first stop before a night out in Cais do Sodré or Bairro Alto.

Tips

• Avoid peak hours: 1pm and 8pm are packed.
• Split up: one person holds the table while others order.
• Watch your bags: the hall is crowded, so keep your phone and wallet close.
• Want the real thing too? For a cheaper, more local meal, try a tasca in a nearby neighbourhood another night.
• Nearby: Pink Street and the Cais do Sodré bars. See Lisbon nightlife.
• Want a local guide? See Lisbon food tours.

More: food tours in Portugal and what to eat in Portugal.

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