I've read recommendations for Culinary Backstreets (Lisbon Awakens) and the posts wrote that it was well worth the cost. Have others done this tour recently? Your review? Are there other recommendations? I've never done a food tour internationally and this is my first trip to Portugal. I have no food restrictions. Thank you!
Posted by
SF Bay Area
90 posts
Haven’t done Lisbon Awakens, but did the CB Post-Colonial Feast, and it was terrific. Very informative, we went to places we would not have found on our own, small group, LOTS of food (seriously, about two-thirds of the way through the tour I was full). Guide was great. I would definitely go on another CB tour again.
Posted by
Virginia, USA
6239 posts
I took the Culinary Backstreets tour in 2022. Here is a post I wrote on food board that I participate in:
I’ve taken food tours in other cities and the Culinary Backstreets tour was especially well done. They offer multiple tours in Lisbon and I happened to take the Lisbon Awakens which included some of the very well-known foods you mentioned. Unfortunately, I did not take notes, but I will try to recall from memory some of our stops:
We started in the Estrela Park where we sat at a table. We each had a coffee drink of our choice along with a pastry (kind of a spiced bread). The guide spent time drawing a map showing the various Portuguese colonies and explaining the various ingredients from those colonies that influenced Portuguese cuisine (e.g., sugar from Madeira, spices from Goa, etc.)
We stopped in a nearby church where she talked about some of the pastries made in convents and we sampled a few different types that she had brought along.
We visited the Camp de Ourique market where we stopped at a snack bar for sardines and bifana. She gave us a history of the market and we subsequently stopped at several other places in the market (e.g., fruit, nuts, etc)
We went to a small family run restaurant (a tasca) for our ”first lunch” where we sat down and had a cod dish with potatoes, a fava bean dish, and a dessert Both of the mains were delicious. The family that ran this restaurant was from the north of Portugal and the guide spent a good deal of time talking about some of the regional differences, as well as the types of dishes one might find in a tasca.
We had a ”second lunch” at a private club where we had some Goan cuisine. The guide and proprietors spent time discussing how this community center served the neighborhood, as well as Goa’s influence on the food.
We went to a small neighborhood snack bar for some homemade Ginjinha.
We went to a wine shop and sampled several Portuguese wines and cheeses
We had a pastel de nata at Aloma
I think I’ve probably missed a few things, but I just thought this was the best food tour I have done. The group was small. The guide was exceptionally knowledgeable and I learned a lot about Portuguese history and culture in addition to getting to try some really delicious foods. The tour was done at a very leisurely pace. There was a couple on my tour who had done multiple Culinary Backstreets tours in other cities and they raved about their tours in Athens and Istanbul. This company is definitely on my radar for future food tours.
Posted by
9 posts
Hi! I have never done culinary backstreets but I have booked food tours with Cozymeal both in Lisbon and in Tuscany. We did the Eassential Eats and Sips in Lisbon with Guide Charlie which also included a drink upgrade. We had 7 stops with delicious dishes (I know, it was a good amount :) and we also had alcoholic beverages along the way. You can find it here: