Porto and Lisbon restaurants

We weren’t eating at very upscale places, and found food and wine costs to be quite reasonable. We enjoyed A Gina in Lisbon and Tapabento in Porto.

Lisbon-
El Pinoquio- Praça dos Restauradores
Seafood
We ate outside on their terrace. Wonderful.

Another enthusiastic vote for A Gina. It’s moderately priced, with a local theme/flavour. It was a favorite. It was a 5 minute walk from our hotel. We enjoyed eating there twice! Delicious varieties on the menu. Our charming waiter “Frank” welcomed us back & gave us a complimentary after dinner drink. There is outdoor dining as well. Most of our tour group ate there more than once. Enjoy Portugal!
Edited to add: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g189158-d4045832-Reviews-A_Gina-Lisbon_Lisbon_District_Central_Portugal.html

My favourite restaurant in Lisbon was Chapitô à Mesa https://chapito.org/areas-de-actuacao/economia-social/chapito-a-mesa/

It's both a circus school and restaurant. The food is great and the ambience unique. It's in the castle district.

FYI Pinocchio in Lisbon moved to Rua Santa Justa, possibly just temporarily because of pavement repairs at Restauradores. It was on Santa Justa when we were in Lisbon in November 2021. The locations are about five minutes away from each other so they will be easy to check if you are interested.

Pinoquio. Sorry, auto correct that I didn't notice.

In Porto: Cafeteria da Bolsa on Ryan del Belmonte was wonderful. A small (7 tables), family run restaurant with mom cooking in the kitchen. Grilled sardines and cod dishes were tasty and reasonably priced. They are obviously proud of the place and happy to make recommendations!

Wonderful Greek restaurant in Lisbon...

Kefi Bistro

Everything was super fresh and tasty-not gourmet fare, but very good and moderately priced. Wine and cocktails available!

https://www.facebook.com/kefibistro/

Also in Lisbon...

Coelho Rocha

Tapas, everything full of flavor, great service, very nice ambiance...DO NOT MISS THE CHOCOLATE CAKE AND PAVLOVA!!!!!!!

https://foursquare.com/v/coelho-da-rocha/4d3b4aaa979ea143b72d9afc

I'm in Lisbon now and can confirm that Pinoquio Restaurant is back on Praça dos Restauradores. Reservations would be smart as there's been a line anytime I've walked by in the evening.

I'll add a recommendation for Alfama Grill. It's moderately priced. (And inexpensive Sangria.)

I recommend it because they have a nice sized dining terrace from which I could see and hear Fado performers. So it made for a lovely evening with entertainment, with no drink or meal minimums on the terrace. (I don't know about inside.)

I went early (730pm) on a Thursday in October and there were tables available until I left about 9pm. You might need a reservation inside. Often the performers sang in the doorway: indoor and outdoor diners could hear them. Even when the performers were inside, I could hear them outside.

In Lisbon, Zapata is a wonderful local restaurant, typically bypassed by tourists and jam packed every night. The food is basic, traditional, and superb. It's like eating at a big family gathering. The octopus was to die for. Quite possibly the best I've ever had in Europe.

We are back home now. Sincere thanks to all who replied to my questions on various topics related to Spain and Portugal. We spent one month travelling the northern/central areas of these two countries and had an amazing trip! In the next few days I hope to do a post on a few highlights if anyone is interested. Thank you all again.

We had dinner at Pinoquio Restaurant earlier this month. It was the most expensive and least impressive meal of our entire two-week trip. The paella for two is best forgotten.