Best Bacalhau in Lisbon: Codfish Dishes and Where to Eat Them (2026 Guide)
Bacalhau, Portugal's salted, dried codfish, is the backbone of the national cuisine, with a reported 365 recipes, one for every day of the year.
Nowhere is that more obvious than in Lisbon, where you will find it fried into golden fritters, shredded with potato and egg, baked under a blanket of cream, and served a dozen other ways depending on which tasca you walk into. The food, in general, is rich and varied thanks to Portugal's colonial past and its centuries of spice trade: cinnamon, saffron, and piripiri all found their way into the Portuguese kitchen and onto the codfish plate.
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I lived in Lisbon for three months and never got tired of ordering bacalhau. These days I live in the Braga area of northern Portugal, where salted cod isn't a tourist dish; it's just what's in everyone's pantry, so I keep eating my way through it long after leaving the city, and I come back to update this guide as I go.
Table of Contents
At a Glance: Which Codfish Dish Should You Order?
A quick cheat sheet before you dive in. Full descriptions and specific restaurants for each are below.
| Dish | Texture & Flavor | Where to Find It |
| Pastéis de Bacalhau | Crisp, deep fried fritter | Casa Portuguesa do Pastel de Bacalhau |
| Bacalhau à Brás | Soft, shredded, scrambled with egg | Time Out Market (Miguel Castro e Silva) |
| Bacalhau à Gomes de Sá | Baked, milk stewed, almost custardy | Restaurant D'Bacalhau |
| Bacalhau à Narcisa | Fried, oniony, from Braga | Canto da Atalaia (Lisbon) or Casa do Povo (Braga day trip) |
| Pataniscas de Bacalhau | Batter fried, craggy | Adega do Tagarro |
| Bacalhau com Natas | Baked, creamy, gratin style | Ti Natércia |
| Bacalhau à Lagareiro | Roasted, doused in olive oil | Solar dos Presuntos |
Pastéis de Bacalhau
Pastéis de bacalhau are Portugal's classic codfish fritter: salt cod mashed with potato and egg, shaped by hand into a small torpedo, and deep-fried until the outside turns golden and crisp.
I have to start with my favorite bacalhau: pastéis de bacalhau. You can find them at restaurants, cafes, and even bakeries all over the city. Fresh Portuguese cod, once you've had it this way, makes the dried version sold in the United States taste like a completely different fish. Order a couple with an ice-cold Sagres, and you have the easiest, cheapest snack in Lisbon.
Where to get the best Pastéis de Bacalhau in Lisbon
Casa Portuguesa do Pastel de Bacalhau
Address: Rua Augusta, 106 e 108
Right on Lisbon's main pedestrian street, this shop fries pastéis de bacalhau to order and will even let you customize the filling. It's touristy, but it earns the crowd.
Laurentina, O Rei do Bacalhau
Address: Av. Conde Valbom 71A
The name means “the king of codfish,” and this old-school restaurant has been backing up that claim for decades with some of the most consistent pastéis in the city.
Restaurante Faz Frio
Address: R. Dom Pedro V 96
A tiny, old-fashioned Bairro Alto spot that still feels like it hasn't changed since the 1930s, in the best way.
Pastéis de Bacalhau Recipes
If you want to make this dish at home, check out this recipe from Leites Culinaria.
Bacalhau à Brás
Bacalhau à Brás shreds the cod finely and scrambles it with matchstick fried potatoes and egg, so every bite is soft, salty, and a little crisp at the edges.
One of the most popular versions is Bacalhau à Brás, with onions, chopped potatoes, and eggs, decorated with olives and parsley. It's salty and crunchy at once, and the olives cut through the richness with just enough acidity to keep you going back for more.
Where to get the best Bacalhau à Brás in Lisbon
Miguel Castro e Silva stall inside Time Out Market Lisboa
Address: Mercado da Ribeira; Av. 24 de Julho 49
This stall inside the Mercado da Ribeira food hall is one of the easiest ways to try a chef-driven version without committing to a full sit-down meal.
Other spots:
- A Casa do Bacalhau, Rua do Grilo 54
- O Vicentinho, Rua Voz do Operário 1
- Pastelería Baloico 5, Avenida Ressano García 47-A
Bacalhau à Brás Recipes:
If you want to make this dish at home, check out these recipes:
Bacalhau à Gomes de Sá
Bacalhau à Gomes de Sá bakes shredded cod and thin-sliced potatoes together after stewing them in milk, so they come out of the oven soft and almost custardy, then top with egg, parsley, and olives.
Where to get the best Gomes de Sá in Lisbon
- Chapito a Mesa > Costa do Castelo 7: This one comes with a view over the city that makes the wait for a table worth it.
- Restaurant D'Bacalhau > Rua da Pimenta
- Café Nicola > Praça Dom Pedro IV 24
Gomes de Sá Recipes:
If you want to make this dish at home, check out these recipes:
Bacalhau à Narcisa
Bacalhau à Narcisa fries cod loins in olive oil alongside thin-sliced potatoes and onions, all cooked in the same pan with bay leaf and cloves. It's a dish from Braga, not Lisbon.
Where to get the best Bacalhau à Narcisa in Lisbon
You don't have to leave the city to try it, though. Canto da Atalaia (Rua da Atalaia 13), a fado restaurant tucked into Bairro Alto, serves bacalhau à narcisa alongside its live fado shows, and it's the option I point people to if they only have time in Lisbon. A small, atmospheric fado house where dinner comes with live music. Book ahead, since tables fill up fast once the singing starts.
If you want the original, though, it's worth the detour. The dish was born in Braga, where I live now, and Casa do Povo (Rua Direita 60) in the nearby village of Ferreiros do Dão still makes what many consider the definitive version. It's a genuine day trip from Lisbon, but if you're up north, don't skip it.
After that, visit Braga itself, where the dish originates and where a new restaurant carrying the Narcisa name reopened in 2025, nodding to the original tavern that invented it in the 1930s.
Make it at home: cod loins (soaked ahead of time if you're using salted cod), sliced potatoes, sliced onions, olive oil, bay leaves, whole cloves, paprika, and chopped parsley. Fry the cod in olive oil until golden and set aside, then fry the potato slices in the same oil. Cook sliced onions in what's left of the oil with the bay leaves, cloves, and paprika, then pour the whole mixture back over the cod and potatoes and serve right away.
Bacalhau à Narcisa Recipes:
If you want to make this dish at home, check out this recipe from Ellen Travelling Kitchen.
Pataniscas de Bacalhau
Pataniscas are a looser, batter-fried cousin of the pastel: shredded cod folded into a simple egg-and-flour batter, then fried into a flat, craggy fritter, usually served with rice and a squeeze of lemon.
Adega do Tagarro
Address: Rua da Luz Soriano 21
A proper Bairro Alto tasca that's been serving pataniscas for years, unfussy and inexpensive.
Bacalhau com Natas
Another one of my favorites! Bacalhau com natas: layers of shredded cod, thin-sliced potatoes, and onion under a blanket of cream sauce, then baked until the top turns golden and slightly crisp. It's closer in spirit to a gratin than anything else on this list. We also like to eat it cold.
Ti Natércia
Address: Rua das Escolas Gerais, Alfama
A small, family-run spot in Alfama that regularly gets called out for having one of the best versions of this dish in the city.
Bacalhau à Lagareiro
Bacalhau à lagareiro roasts a thick cod loin whole, then finishes it under a generous pour of olive oil with whole roasted potatoes on the side. Simple, and about as good as codfish gets.
Solar dos Presuntos
Address: Rua Portas de Santo Antão 150
A Lisbon institution near Restauradores that's been serving traditional Portuguese food, including a well-loved lagareiro, for decades.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is codfish (bacalhau)?
Bacalhau is dried, salted codfish, and it's considered one of the defining ingredients of Portuguese cooking, showing up in everything from fritters to baked casseroles.
Is bacalhau really Portugal's national dish?
There's no single official national dish, but bacalhau is the closest thing to it. Portuguese cooks are famous for having a different recipe for nearly every day of the year, with 365 often quoted as the number of ways to prepare it.
Where can you eat Bacalhau à Narcisa in Lisbon?
Canto da Atalaia in Bairro Alto serves it, paired with live fado music. For the original version, it's worth the day trip north to Casa do Povo in Ferreiros do Dão, near Braga, where the dish was invented.
What's the difference between Bacalhau à Brás and Bacalhau à Gomes de Sá?
Both combine shredded cod, potato, egg, and olives, but à Brás is pan-fried and served soft and slightly crisp, while à Gomes de Sá is stewed in milk first, then baked, giving it a softer, more custardy texture.
How many ways are there to cook codfish in Portugal?
The most common answer is 365, one for every day of the year, though nobody claims to have actually counted them all.
Where did Bacalhau à Narcisa originate?
In Braga, in northern Portugal, it was created in the 1930s at a tavern that kept the name of a previous owner, Narcisa, even though the woman who took over the business, Dona Eusébia, developed the recipe.
A Few More to Try
To mention just a few more places where you can enjoy Portuguese-style cod: Tasca da Esquina at Rua Domingos Sequeira 41C, Terreiro do Paço at Praça do Comércio, or Toma Lá Dá Cá at Travessa do Sequeiro 38. Ask the waiter to recommend a Portuguese wine that pairs well with your dish.
Codfish in Lisbon could keep you busy for a week on its own, and I'm still finding new versions to try even after moving away. If you have a favorite spot I haven't listed here, tell me about it in the comments, I'm always adding to this list.
Needless to say, Lisbon has heaps of bars, taverns, and restaurants where you can try as many codfish dishes as you want, or, if you prefer, buy all the ingredients and try to prepare it yourself at home.
How about you? Have you had cod? Have any favorite recipes?
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Author Bio: Andi Fisher
I have been living in Northern Portugal, near Braga, since 2025. I am slowly eating my way, drinking my way, and walking a lot of the Camino Santiago trails and cobblestone streets as I explore this little corner along the Atlantic coast on the Iberian Peninsula. This beautiful country has captured my heart!
Are you in love with Portugal like I am? Check out these posts:
I’ve eaten codfish in Lisbon and I absolutely love it!
@SaraLouise, yummy right? Most of the codfish I have eaten here in the states has been the dried variety which we soak in milk. But when I had it fresh in Portugal it was heavenly!
I’ve never had cod before. That feels weird to say as it’s a readily available fish. But since these dishes don’t look all that difficult and I have a deep abiding love of Portuguese music and know some of the language (at least the Brazilian dialect)..I will definitely give one of these a try. Consider it Pinned to my DELICIOSSO try it board. 😉
@Audrey, it is super easy to make and takes on lots of great flavors, I hope you try it soon!
I recognised the word bacalhau from our visit to Madeira last winter… I saw it, but I never tried it. After seeing your post I wish I would have though, espeially the Bacalhau à Brás – that looks oh so good!