One of the highlights of our time in Lisbon was the food tour with Oh! My Cod. The tour starts off gently with small bites and a glass of port, and then builds from there. One stop leads to the next, and along the way you are not only introduced to a lot of delicious food and wine, but also to the different neighborhoods you walk through. You get a real sense of how the surroundings, culture, and traditions have shaped what ends up on the table.
My favorite stop was in Alfama, at a small family run restaurant where we had an incredible bacalhau dish. Our guide Marina told us it was their own version, not something regularly on the menu, but prepared for special occasions. It was so good I could barely stop eating. I was thus already close to full after one of the first stops, which, in hindsight, probably wasn’t the best strategy.
The tour does a great job covering the classic Portuguese dishes you need to know, but there are also a few surprises along the way. Lisbon has a long history of outside influence, and throughout the city you will find food from all over the world. Even though some dishes have roots elsewhere, they are often given a Portuguese twist.
The tour is about four hours long, alternating between walking and food stops, and there are plenty of opportunities to ask questions and to chat with the other participants along the way.
Oh! My Cod recommends doing the tour at the beginning of your trip, so you have a solid foundation for exploring Lisbon’s food scene on your own. We had already spent seven days in the city before joining, and while it still worked really well, there were definitely things we learned on the tour that I would have loved to know earlier. So I agree, try to book the tour at the very beginning of your trip.
After the tour, the guide follows up with an email answering any questions you might have had, and we also got a bunch of recommendations for restaurants to try.
Book The Oh! My Cod Original Food & Wine Tour here
Tips if you are considering the Oh! My Cod food tour
Oh My Cod is also really good at accommodating dietary restrictions, so whether you’re vegetarian, pescatarian, on a keto diet, or have specific allergies, they’ll usually be able to adjust the tastings so you’ll still get the full, authentic food tour experience, if you let them know in advance.
Book in advance. Especially during high season, tours fill up quickly. I recommend booking directly through the Oh! My Cod website.
Come hungry, but not starving. The food stops are spread out over the four hour tour, so it is a good idea to have had a small bite beforehand.
Wear good shoes. There is quite a bit of walking, including Lisbon’s hills.
Don’t go all in at the first stop. Make sure you still have an appetite for the rest of the tour.
