Would you recommend Time Out Market in Lisbon?

We like these kind of markets because it provides a quick alternative to a sit down dinner. Also everyone can eat what they want, no comprising. In fact, we go to the one in Brooklyn often. We’ll probably go to the one in Boston when we’re there in December.
PS, we’ll be in Lisbon next September and it’s on my list for eating.

I liked it a lot. I visited some years ago, when it possibly wasn’t so well know . As a solo traveller, I liked the opportunity to try out some good Portuguese food in an informal setting, which can be awkward if you don’t fancy sitting alone in a restaurant for a full formal meal.

Anyway, given that it’s just at the foot of one of the lovely little funiculars, it’s not like you have to make a special journey. There were loads of locals there when I went, which to me means it’s not a tourist trap.

It's great for lunch, a really fun atmosphere with good food. We went in 2021. Would definitely recommend. Are there a lot of tourists/travelers there? Yes, there are but it does not mean it is not worth your time. It has communal seating and we swapped stories and recs with other travelers and left saying 'that was fun'.

We enjoyed lunch there last month.
I did not think it was a "trap", but it was filled with tourists.
We had a number of days in Lisbon and were not looking specifically for local cuisine.

We enjoyed a curry dish and some bao buns because that's what looked good to us at the time.
The food was good quality, very well prepared at a reasonable price.
We enjoyed a glass of wine from on of the wine bars and the service and price were excellent.
We would have eaten there again if time allowed.
The market was very clean.

I enjoyed eating there. It was during the covid years, so perhaps not as crowded as when it's tourist season. Nice atmosphere. I'm not much for restaurants, so this worked well for us and we each got different dishes and ate in a relaxed setting.

We were there two weeks ago and enjoyed. Besides the food restaurants, they have an excellent wine shop. The inside of the TOM gets crowded so try to find a place on the outside ring, seating is usually easier. We ate at the Liberta Pasta Bar, very fresh.

I would say the Timeout market is touristy, but I wouldn’t call it a ”Tourist Trap.”. To me, a ”tourist trap” is something that is low quality.

I enjoyed stopping there for a quick lunch and seeing the variety of foods on offer. It was jam packed with people, so I took my food outside to eat. To me, it is not a substitute for a restaurant meal but I don’t always want a restaurant meal.

Interesting replies. It’s not a bad place to sample if you’re in Lisbon for the first time like we were last month, but I don’t think for us it’s worth visiting again. I think we prefer to explore other nearby options.

I finally found the video where Tony Galvez discussed Time Out Market. It’s among his list of 20 mistakes when going to Lisbon:
https://youtu.be/t9khWe25Jcw&t=10m14s

I suppose it depends on your expectation. To go and expect a relaxing, intimate dinner? No, absolutely not, it is not a substitute for a sit down restaurant.

Stop for something light, a cocktail or wine, maybe to sample something specific, then it is great especially on a rainy or cool day. It is also popular for a little larger group, everyone can get their own thing, then you sit, talk, get drinks, have fun.

I have the impression food markets of that type (gastro markets?) have a fairly standard progression, over time, from for-the-locals to mostly-tourists. I haven't been to that one, but it sounds sort of like La Boqueria in Barcelona, San Miguel in Madrid and Mercado Victoria in Cordoba, which seemed priced for tourists to me the last time I visited them.

As a frequent solo traveler, I appreciate those markets. I'm not sure they're a novelty or should be touted as a special destination, because they're ubiquitous now. But I like being able to choose from a variety of dishes and have a glass of wine, then get up and leave when I'm done, rather than have a sit down meal at a restaurant. If I'm alone, I just want to eat and move on. So I appreciate that those markets give me good dining options without the time commitment or sometimes awkwardness of being a solo diner in a restaurant.

I am going to Lisbon in February and have watched several of Tony Galvez's videos. I found them very helpful. (He also says the tourist buses in Sintra are a disgraceful ripoff, and you should use Uber or Bolt instead). I suppose to locals, those markets are geared toward tourists and for a more genuine experience, you should dine in a restaurant. But as I stated above, for me, they have their place.

I am somewhat embarrassed to say I did not even know this market existed in Lisbon before I accidentally stumbled upon it during my trip there last month. I rode the trolley and was walking back to the metro when I walked up on it. Because it was unexpected I loved it and explored it and did not find it to be crowed or anything close to a tourist trap. After that I looked and saw it clearly marked and discussed in my RS guidebook but I had just overlooked it. :-)

As a frequent solo traveler, I appreciate those markets. I'm not sure they're a novelty or should be touted as a special destination, because they're ubiquitous now.

That's an interesting view point. I guess what Time Out Market is, is what we now call food halls? I guess they were more of a novelty maybe about 5 or so years ago in the US. Where I live, I can't say it's common but it isn't a totally new idea and we do have a couple in the region. That said, for our local food halls, I've found them overpriced and serving food that generally is rather wanting in value and experience. But, if I were a complete tourist in my town, I really wouldn't have known better and would have been "taken for a ride" ;-) Not saying that's what Time Out Market is though. But, I am saying that not being a local can make some things a little harder to evaluate according to what is available locally.

We were there in April. We enjoy going to these food halls on our family trips because it allows each of us to select things we like versus going to a restaurant and having one person in the family who doesn't find anything appealing to eat. I agree with another poster in that I also think of "tourist trap" as low quality, and we found the quality of the food great here. Yes, I think there is some catering to tourists with a place like this, but I also saw a number of folks on their lunch hour eating there, too, much like our Time Out Market or "Hub Hall" in Boston. It was also very crowded when we went.

On the down side, the Time Out Market is relatively expensive by local standards, and it can be crowded and noisy at times. On the up side, the food quality is good to excellent, there is a wide variety of food choices, the building itself is interesting, and it is located within shouting distance of the Cais do Sodre station (train to Cascais, metro station, and ferry terminal). Sure, there are lots of visitors there, but you will also hear a lot of Portuguese spoken as well. Now days you will encounter large numbers of foreign visitors in all of the historic neighborhoods in central Lisbon, so saying the Time Out Market is "touristy" is not much of a distinction.