Flavours of Portugal: How to Eat Like a Local

You can hand someone a list of restaurants and they’ll eat well for a week. Or you can teach them how Portugal eats, and they’ll eat well anywhere in the country, even in the tiny village with no English menu.

I’ve lived in Portugal since 2023. I’ve eaten at my partner’s grandmother’s table, learned to debone a grilled dourada the local way, and made every tourist mistake so you don’t have to. This guide is everything I wish someone had told me on my first trip.

Inside the 32-page guide:

• How to spot a real local tasca, and the signs to keep walking

• How to order fresh fish without a surprise €90 bill

• A menu decoder for the words you’ll see on every Portuguese menu

• Phrases for ordering, paying and dietary needs (vegetarian, gluten-free, allergies)

• Region by region: Porto and the North, Lisbon and the Silver Coast, the Alentejo and the Algarve, with my go-to spots in each

• The hidden corners: what to order in Coimbra, Bairrada, the Minho and more

• Petiscos, pastries, coffee orders, drinks and Portuguese wine

• What to eat month by month, and the food festivals worth planning around

• Markets, supermarket picnics, and what to bring home (including what’s allowed through customs)

• My five must-eats and a printable checklist

Over 30 of my own photos, from real tables across Portugal. No stock images.

You get both versions: a web guide for your phone while you’re out and about, and a downloadable PDF.