The Atlas · Nº 17 ·Portugal

Most Popular Portuguese Food

Portuguese food is the Atlantic on a plate: octopus roasted in olive oil, clams steamed with garlic and coriander, salt cod cooked a hundred ways. It runs on pork, piri-piri chili, and bread, and finishes, always, with a custard tart, the pastel de nata scorched dark and eaten warm.

154 dishes ranked·29 in the global top 1,000 ·7,887 diner ratings·Best rank Nº 35

Plate I — The Origins

Fig. 1 Where 154 ranked portuguese dishes were born. Dish origin

Drag to pan · Double-click or +/− to zoom · Select a marker for its entry

The Signature Dishes

The twelve highest-ranked Portuguese dishes, by global position.

Pastel de nata, sweet pastry from Portugal
Plate IISweet Pastry · Portugal

1 Nº 35 worldwide

Pastel de nata

Sweet Pastry · Pastéis de nata · Queijadas de nata

Portugal's famous custard tart, a cup of shatteringly flaky puff pastry filled with rich egg custard and scorched dark on top under a fierce oven. Best eaten warm with a dusting of cinnamon and a bica espresso, it is the country's great sweet export.

★ 4.5|88% positive |641 ratings

Pastel de Belém, sweet pastry from Portugal
Plate IIISweet Pastry · Portugal

2 Nº 50 worldwide

Pastel de Belém

Sweet Pastry · Pastéis de Belém

The original, and by law the only one that can carry the name: the custard tart made since 1837 to a secret monastery recipe at the Fábrica in Lisbon's Belém. Every other pastel de nata is a copy of this, the crust a touch flakier, the custard a shade less sweet.

★ 4.5|90% positive |235 ratings

Frango assado com piri piri, chicken dish from Portugal

3Frango assado com piri piriNº 86

Chicken Dish · Also Frango piri piri

Roast chicken with piri-piri, the small fiery chili the Portuguese carried home from Africa, butterflied and grilled over coals then basted with a garlicky chili-and-lemon sauce. Cheap, smoky, and eaten with fries and salad, it is Sunday and takeaway food alike.

★ 4.4|97 ratings

Polvo à Lagareiro, octopus dish from Portugal

4Polvo à LagareiroNº 120

Octopus Dish · Also Octopus à Lagareiro

Octopus cooked until tender, then roasted with garlic and a generous pour of olive oil alongside batatas a murro, small potatoes smashed and crisped in the same oil. Lagareiro means the olive-press keeper, a nod to how much good oil the dish takes.

★ 4.4|115 ratings

Amêijoas à Bulhão Pato, clam dish from Portugal

5Amêijoas à Bulhão PatoNº 147

Clam Dish · Also Bulhão Pato Clams

Clams steamed open in a fragrant sauce of olive oil, garlic, fresh coriander, and white wine, finished with a squeeze of lemon. Named for a 19th-century poet who loved them, it is petiscos at its simplest, meant for dipping bread into the briny juices.

★ 4.4|102 ratings

Bifana, sandwich from Portugal

6BifanaNº 221

Sandwich

A humble, perfect Portuguese sandwich: thin slices of pork simmered in a garlicky, wine-and-paprika sauce, then piled into a crusty papo-seco roll. Ordered at counters and beer halls, sometimes with a smear of mustard or piri-piri, and eaten fast on your feet.

★ 4.3|150 ratings

Espetada, beef dish from Portugal

7EspetadaNº 224

Beef Dish

A Madeiran specialty, big chunks of beef rubbed with salt and garlic, skewered traditionally on a bay-laurel stick, and grilled over wood embers. Hung from a hook at the table so the juices drip onto bread below, it is festival and celebration food on the island.

★ 4.3|145 ratings

Prego, sandwich from Portugal

8PregoNº 231

Sandwich · Also Prego no Pão

The beef counterpart to the bifana, thin steak seasoned with garlic, seared, and tucked into a soft roll, often with mustard. The name means nail, for the garlic clove once driven into the meat, and it is the classic end to a Portuguese seafood dinner.

★ 4.3|88 ratings

Chouriço assado, technique from Portugal

9Chouriço assadoNº 237

Technique · Also Chouriço flambado

Chouriço grilled at the table, the pork sausage set over a little terracotta dish and flamed with aguardente until the skin blisters and the fat runs. A theatrical petisco, it arrives still burning and is sliced hot, charred and smoky, to go with wine and bread.

★ 4.3|45 ratings

Leitão da bairrada, pork dish from Portugal

10Leitão da bairradaNº 277

Pork Dish

Suckling pig from the Bairrada region, seasoned inside with a garlic-and-pepper paste and slow-roasted on a spit until the flesh turns creamy and the skin crackles like glass. It is roadside-restaurant feast food, carved into pieces and served with crisp skin on top.

★ 4.3|77 ratings

Carne de porco à Alentejana, pork dish from Portugal

11Carne de porco à AlentejanaNº 295

Pork Dish

The classic Portuguese surf and turf, cubes of marinated pork browned then simmered with clams in a spiced, wine-and-paprika sauce until the shells open into it. Despite the Alentejo name it is coastal in spirit, served with fried potatoes to soak up the juices.

★ 4.3|110 ratings

Petiscos, assorted small dishes or ritual from Portugal

12PetiscosNº 304

Assorted Small Dishes or Ritual

Portugal's answer to tapas, small plates meant for sharing over drinks, from a saucer of olives or clams to grilled sausage and slabs of cheese. Petiscar is a whole way of eating out, grazing slowly across a table of little dishes rather than sitting down to one big one.

★ 4.3|72 ratings

The Departments

Every Portuguese dish in our ranking, grouped the way you'd order them.

The Complete Ledger

All 154 Portuguese dishes in the world ranking. Every entry, leaf by leaf.

154 entries
  1. 35 Pastel de nata Sweet Pastry Lisbon District ★ 4.5
  2. 50 Pastel de Belém Sweet Pastry Belém ★ 4.5
  3. 86 Frango assado com piri piri Chicken Dish Algarve ★ 4.4
  4. 120 Polvo à Lagareiro Octopus Dish Portugal ★ 4.4
  5. 147 Amêijoas à Bulhão Pato Clam Dish Portugal ★ 4.4
  6. 221 Bifana Sandwich Vendas Novas ★ 4.3
  7. 224 Espetada Beef Dish Madeira ★ 4.3
  8. 231 Prego Sandwich Portugal ★ 4.3
  9. 237 Chouriço assado Technique Portugal ★ 4.3
  10. 277 Leitão da bairrada Pork Dish Mealhada ★ 4.3
  11. 295 Carne de porco à Alentejana Pork Dish Algarve ★ 4.3
  12. 304 Petiscos Assorted Small Dishes or Ritual Portugal ★ 4.3
  13. 373 Alheira de Vinhais Sausage Bragança District ★ 4.2
  14. 385 Alheira de Mirandela Sausage Mirandela ★ 4.2
  15. 391 Bitoque Beef Dish Portugal ★ 4.2
  16. 394 Bacalhau com natas Saltwater Fish Dish Portugal ★ 4.2
  17. 404 Cataplana Technique Faro ★ 4.2
  18. 420 Bolo do caco Bread Madeira ★ 4.2
  19. 497 Bola de Berlim Sweet Pastry Portugal ★ 4.2
  20. 506 Choco frito Cuttlefish Dish Setúbal District ★ 4.2
  21. 545 Travesseiros Sweet Pastry Sintra ★ 4.1
  22. 562 Pão de Ló de Ovar Cake Ovar ★ 4.1
  23. 602 Rojões à moda do Minho Stew Portugal ★ 4.1
  24. 802 Arroz de marisco Rice Dish Leiria District ★ 4.1
  25. 809 Filetes de polvo Octopus Dish Portugal ★ 4.1
  26. 835 Alheira Sausage Portugal ★ 4.1
  27. 845 Broa de milho Corn Bread Portugal ★ 4.0
  28. 879 Açorda de camarão Bread Soup Portugal ★ 4.0
  29. 927 Pão com chouriço Snack Portugal ★ 4.0
  30. 1,078 Bacalhau Saltwater Fish Dish Portugal ★ 4.0
  31. 1,090 Sopa da pedra Soup Almeirim ★ 4.0
  32. 1,173 Leite de creme Custard Portugal ★ 4.0
  33. 1,227 Bacalhau à brás Saltwater Fish Dish Lisbon ★ 4.0
  34. 1,265 Folar de Chaves Bread Chaves ★ 4.0
  35. 1,330 Sanduíche de pernil Sandwich Portugal ★ 3.9
  36. 1,354 Bolo lêvedo Bread São Miguel Island ★ 3.9
  37. 1,375 Bacalhau com broa Saltwater Fish Dish Portugal ★ 3.9
  38. 1,412 Pastel de Chaves Savory Pastry Chaves ★ 3.9
  39. 1,465 Alheira de Barroso-Montalegre Sausage Montalegre ★ 3.9
  40. 1,560 Tigeladas Custard Alcaravela ★ 3.9
  41. 1,564 Cebolada Sauce Portugal ★ 3.9
  42. 1,579 Malasadas Sweet Pastry Azores ★ 3.9
  43. 1,616 Milho frito Snack Madeira ★ 3.9
  44. 1,620 Ovos moles de Aveiro Dessert Aveiro ★ 3.9
  45. 1,802 Arroz de pato Rice Dish Portugal ★ 3.9
  46. 1,822 Serradura Pudding Portugal ★ 3.9
  47. 1,831 Bacalhau à lagareiro Saltwater Fish Dish Portugal ★ 3.9
  48. 1,951 M Morcela com ananás Appetizer Azores ★ 3.9
  49. 2,030 Toucinho do céu Cake Portugal ★ 3.9
  50. 2,056 Pão de Deus Sweet Bread Portugal ★ 3.9
  51. 2,310 F Folar de Olhão Sweet Bread Olhão ★ 3.8
  52. 2,402 Feijoada à portuguesa Stew Portugal ★ 3.8
  53. 2,428 Sopa de cação Fish Soup Beja District ★ 3.8
  54. 2,435 Pica Pau Snack Portugal ★ 3.8
  55. 2,473 Queijinhos de amêndoa Dessert Algarve ★ 3.8
  56. 2,504 Pastel de Tentúgal Sweet Pastry Tentúgal ★ 3.8
  57. 2,529 Chouriça doce de Vinhais Sausage Bragança District ★ 3.8
  58. 2,829 Bolinhos de chuva Sweet Pastry Portugal ★ 3.8
  59. 2,836 Dom Rodrigo Dessert Algarve ★ 3.8
  60. 2,850 B Bife à café Veal Dish Portugal ★ 3.8
  61. 2,884 P Pão de rala Sweet Bread Évora ★ 3.8
  62. 2,897 Sopa de tomate alentejana Vegetable Soup Évora District ★ 3.8
  63. 2,912 Broa Corn Bread Portugal ★ 3.8
  64. 2,914 Queijada Sweet Pastry Sintra ★ 3.8
  65. 2,946 Açorda de marisco Bread Soup Portugal ★ 3.8
  66. 2,949 Folar de Valpaços Bread Valpaços ★ 3.8
  67. 2,970 B Bolo de chila Cake Algarve ★ 3.8
  68. 3,004 Feijoada de lulas Stew Portugal ★ 3.8
  69. 3,011 Rojões Stew Portugal ★ 3.8
  70. 3,190 Lulas com ferrado Squid Dish Algarve ★ 3.8
  71. 3,206 A Arroz de lingueirão Rice Dish Algarve ★ 3.8
  72. 3,277 A Amêijoas à marinheira Clam Dish Portugal ★ 3.8
  73. 3,437 Bolinhos de bacalhau Appetizer Portugal ★ 3.8
  74. 3,473 Papo de anjo Dessert Portugal ★ 3.8
  75. 3,478 Pudim de laranja Pudding Algarve ★ 3.8
  76. 3,634 Açorda à Alentejana Bread Soup Beja District ★ 3.7
  77. 3,963 P Pão alentejano Bread Alentejo ★ 3.7
  78. 3,964 B Beijinhos de amêndo Dessert Algarve ★ 3.7
  79. 4,034 Chanfana Stew Coimbra District ★ 3.7
  80. 4,184 Espada com banana Saltwater Fish Dish Madeira ★ 3.7
  81. 4,194 S Salada algarvia Salad Algarve ★ 3.7
  82. 4,246 Açorda Bread Soup Portugal ★ 3.7
  83. 4,277 Baba de camelo Dessert Portugal ★ 3.7
  84. 4,295 Arroz de tamboril Rice Dish Portugal ★ 3.7
  85. 4,389 Cozido de grão Stew Portugal ★ 3.7
  86. 4,410 Broa de Avintes Bread Avintes ★ 3.7
  87. 4,439 Sopa de tomate Vegetable Soup Portugal ★ 3.7
  88. 4,458 L Leitão assado no forno Pork Dish Portugal ★ 3.7
  89. 4,487 F Favas à algarvia Stew Algarve ★ 3.7
  90. 4,573 Sarapatel Stew Portugal ★ 3.7
  91. 4,638 X Xarém Porridge Algarve ★ 3.7
  92. 4,655 Grilled sardines Saltwater Fish Dish Portugal ★ 3.7
  93. 4,702 Francesinha Sandwich Porto ★ 3.7
  94. 4,703 Pampilho Sweet Pastry Santarém District ★ 3.7
  95. 4,822 Jesuítas Sweet Pastry Santo Tirso ★ 3.7
  96. 5,166 Carapaus alimados Saltwater Fish Dish Portugal ★ 3.6
  97. 5,249 Arroz de lampreia Stew Portugal ★ 3.6
  98. 5,250 Sopa de castanhas Soup Portugal ★ 3.6
  99. 5,572 Pastel de Santa Clara Sweet Pastry Coimbra ★ 3.6
  100. 5,723 Portuguese Sweet Bread Sweet Bread Portugal ★ 3.6
  101. 5,731 Caldeirada de enguias Stew Aveiro ★ 3.6
  102. 5,771 Tortas de Guimarães Sweet Pastry Guimarães ★ 3.6
  103. 5,790 Pastel de feijão Tart Torres Vedras ★ 3.6
  104. 5,801 Caldo verde Vegetable Soup Braga District ★ 3.6
  105. 5,881 S Sardinhas doces de Trancoso Dessert Trancoso ★ 3.6
  106. 6,167 Fogaça da Feira Sweet Bread Santa Maria da Feira ★ 3.6
  107. 6,176 Bacalhau à Gomes de Sá Saltwater Fish Dish Porto ★ 3.6
  108. 6,333 Cacholeira branca de Portalegre Sausage Portalegre District ★ 3.5
  109. 6,416 C Conserva de cenouras à Algarvia Appetizer Portugal ★ 3.5
  110. 6,482 Torricado Side Dish Benfica do Ribatejo ★ 3.5
  111. 6,532 Caldeirada Stew Portugal ★ 3.5
  112. 6,600 T Torta de Viana Dessert Viana do Castelo District ★ 3.5
  113. 6,607 Brisas do lis Dessert Leiria ★ 3.5
  114. 6,649 Papas de sarrabulho Stew Braga District ★ 3.5
  115. 6,654 Peixinhos da horta Vegetable Dish Portugal ★ 3.5
  116. 6,759 Açorda de bacalhau Bread Soup Portugal ★ 3.5
  117. 6,776 F Farinha torrada Dessert Sesimbra ★ 3.5
  118. 6,938 Arroz de bacalhau Rice Dish Portugal ★ 3.5
  119. 6,960 B Bolo mimoso Cake Algarve ★ 3.5
  120. 6,978 B Bacalhau à Algarvia Saltwater Fish Dish Algarve ★ 3.5
  121. 7,043 Guardanapos Cake Portugal ★ 3.5
  122. 7,089 Farinheira Sausage Portugal ★ 3.5
  123. 7,201 Arroz de polvo Rice Dish Portugal ★ 3.4
  124. 7,249 Maranho Goat Dish Sertã ★ 3.4
  125. 7,295 Caracóis à Algarvia Stew Algarve ★ 3.4
  126. 7,364 Ensopado de borrego Stew Portugal ★ 3.4
  127. 7,431 V Viúvas Sweet Pastry Braga ★ 3.4
  128. 7,451 Tripas à moda do Porto Stew Porto ★ 3.4
  129. 7,548 Dobrada Offal Dish Portugal ★ 3.4
  130. 7,573 Bolo de arroz Dessert Portugal ★ 3.3
  131. 7,597 Arroz doce Pudding Portugal ★ 3.3
  132. 7,707 T Tíbias de Braga Sweet Pastry Braga ★ 3.3
  133. 7,726 B Bolos de São Gonçalo Sweet Pastry Amarante ★ 3.3
  134. 7,731 Fios de ovos Dessert Portugal ★ 3.3
  135. 7,748 Broas de mel Cookie Madeira ★ 3.3
  136. 7,830 Bacalhau espiritual Casserole Portugal ★ 3.3
  137. 7,989 Canja de galinha Chicken Soup Portugal ★ 3.2
  138. 7,998 Patas de veado Dessert Portugal ★ 3.2
  139. 8,048 Cabidela Poultry Dish Braga District ★ 3.2
  140. 8,085 Sopa Juliana Vegetable Soup Portugal ★ 3.2
  141. 8,104 Aletria Pudding Portugal ★ 3.2
  142. 8,177 Meia-desfeita Saltwater Fish Dish Lisbon ★ 3.2
  143. 8,347 Cozido Stew Portugal ★ 3.1
  144. 8,365 Queijo de figo Dessert Algarve ★ 3.1
  145. 8,369 Filhós Sweet Pastry Portugal ★ 3.1
  146. 8,374 Bacalhau à Zé do Pipo Saltwater Fish Dish Porto ★ 3.1
  147. 8,375 Bacalhau com todos Saltwater Fish Dish Portugal ★ 3.1
  148. 8,478 Bolo de mel Cake Madeira ★ 3.0
  149. 8,567 Cavacas Sweet Pastry Portugal ★ 2.9
  150. 8,700 Cavacas de Margaride Cookie Margaride ★ 2.6
  151. 8,813 Bolo rei Cake Portugal ★ 1.9
  152. 9,393 Arroz de safio Rice Dish Algarve
  153. 9,925 T Tripas aos molhos Offal Dish Vila Real District
  154. 10,567 D Doce Fino Dessert Algarve
Leaf 1 of 5

Gazetteer

A Regional Tour of Portuguese Food

Where Portugal's ranked dishes were born, and what to order there.

Questions, Answered

Portuguese food, frequently asked. Answered from the data.

What is the most popular Portuguese food?
The Pastel de nata runs away with it, the best-ranked Portuguese dish at #35 worldwide and the most-rated by far, a flaky custard tart scorched dark on top. Behind it come Francesinha, Porto's towering meat-and-cheese sandwich under a beer sauce, and the original Pastel de Belém. All 53 Portuguese desserts & sweets →
What food is Portugal known for?
Custard tarts, salt cod, and pork. The Pastel de nata is the sweet icon, but Portugal is deeply a seafood country, from garlicky Amêijoas à Bulhão Pato clams to olive-oil-roasted Polvo à Lagareiro octopus. Bacalhau, salt cod, is said to have a recipe for every day of the year.
What is Portugal's national dish?
Bacalhau, dried salted cod, is the national ingredient, cooked hundreds of ways from Bacalhau com natas to Bacalhau à Brás. For a single plate, Cozido à portuguesa, a big boiled dinner of meats and vegetables, is the Sunday standard. Our top-ranked Portuguese dish is the Pastel de nata.
What is the most famous Portuguese pastry?
The Pastel de nata, without question, a caramelized custard tart in flaky pastry now sold the world over. Its ancestor, the Pastel de Belém, is still made to a secret recipe at the Lisbon bakery that gave it the name. For a filled treat, there is the sugar-dusted Bola de Berlim.
What should I eat in the Algarve?
The Algarve is Portugal's deepest food region on our map, all coast and citrus. Have Frango assado com piri piri, the smoky grilled chili chicken, and Cataplana, a seafood stew named for the copper clam-shaped pan it steams in. Finish with local almond sweets.
What Portuguese dishes do locals love that tourists miss?
Smoky sausages and street fry-ups. Alheira, a Trás-os-Montes sausage of poultry and bread invented by Jews to resemble pork, is a northern treasure, grilled with a runny egg. On the coast, Choco frito serves crisp fried cuttlefish, the Setúbal answer to fish and chips.