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The Best Asian Cuisine in Lisbon

Most people will claim to love Asian food; until you ask them to specify and watch the dawning of the diversity of this cuisine spread across their faces.

Do you love Japanese food? What about Thai food? Ever had Korean barbecue? You know technically the Indian food qualifies as Asian. Don鈥檛 even get me started on Chinese food, which can be broken up eight ways including Cantonese and Sichuan.

by Frank Zhang –

Asian cuisine really is a kingdom of pleasures, and narrowing down the best places in which to eat it in Lisbon would near impossible. There are thousands of Asian eateries throughout the city and the outlying suburbs.

I can simply do my best and recommend a few of my favorites鈥�

Bao-Bao in Lisbon

Bao-Bao is in Chiado鈥檚 theatre and free guided walking tour region, and is a restaurant that will always top my list of favorite Asian eateries in Lisbon.

In my opinion the top 鈥渆ating out鈥� Asian foods are as follows: dim sum (needs to be served fresh), bao buns (for the same reason) and pad thai (plum sauce gets icky once it starts to cool, i.e. in a takeaway).

It just so happens that Bao-Bao specializes in all three of these dishes under one, very well decorated, roof. It is rarely possible to have the dinner trifecta all in one place, and you鈥檝e probably never thought about that until now.

Bao-Bao – by Bao-Bao-

It鈥檚 a beautiful dining experience and in addition to the three above specialties you can also have ramen bowls, Asian salads and other starter dishes. A comprehensive menu with ample options for vegans and vegetarians as well.

Dim sum and bao buns for starters, pad thai as your main 鈥� just trust me.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

OPENING HOURS: Monday to Sunday – 12pm to 11pm

ADDRESS: Largo Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro 30, 1200-369 Lisboa, Portugal

METRO STATION: Baixa-Chiado

Miss Jappa in Lisbon

Miss Jappa sits just above Bairro Alto in the outlying streets. Its a Japanese kitchen with a twist, or so they say.

The menu features a lot of sushi, as well as a lot of dishes that resemble sushi but have clearly been experimented on. Don鈥檛 get me wrong, whatever they are doing it鈥檚 working, and Miss Jappa is booked out almost every day of the week.

Miss Jappa in Lisbon – by Miss Jappa –

My favorite thing at Miss Jappa are their sushi bao. They鈥檝e taken the regular bao idea and incorporated sashimi and other distinctly sushi-based ingredients into it, and it鈥檚 good!

This is fresh and light Asian eating in the heart of Lisbon. A great spot to eat in the heavy summer months. I should mention they also do cocktails!

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

OPENING HOURS: Tuesday to Sunday – 6:30pm to 12am

ADDRESS: Pra莽a do Pr铆ncipe Real 5, 1250-096 Lisboa, Portugal

METRO STATION: Avenida

Illegal Chinese Restaurant in Lisbon

Don鈥檛 let the very poor naming of this restaurant deter you, the Illegal Chinese Restaurant is the Chinese gem of the Alfama .

One can generally judge low-key Chinese eateries on whether or not there is local presence inside the space. The Chinese community living in the Alfama can be seen eating here regularly, and so it gets the local stamp of approval.

by Van Thanh –

To further the authenticity of the place, no one inside the restaurant speaks English or Portuguese. Diners write their orders onto a notepad which is relayed to the kitchen. A great spot if you鈥檙e antisocial.

My experiences at the Illegal Chinese Restaurant have only been positive. Service is always fast, and the food is never too oily (which I encounter far too often with Chinese food, especially the vegetable dishes).

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

OPENING HOURS: Monday to Sunday – 6:30m to 12am

ADDRESS: R. Guia 9 1, 1100-132 Lisboa, Portugal

METRO STATION: Rossio-Lisboa

Azia Asian Restaurant in Lisbon

Back into the center we go for this hidden gem of a Thai-fusion restaurant just underneath Bairro Alto.

Azia Asian Restaurant is tucked away in a quiet road that is completely void of the foot traffic that the neighborhoods directly above and below it hold at all times. It鈥檚 my personal escape when I need a break.

I鈥檓 not going to pretend I鈥檝e eaten anything other than the pad thai when I鈥檝e visited here. It is so good that there has been zero need for me to try anything else.

Azia Asian Restaurant in Lisbon – by Azia Asian Restaurant –

I have, however, dined here with friends and tasted their dishes along the way. I can confirm that everything from the green curry to the Vietnamese rolls are prepared to perfection. I don鈥檛 know of a person who has left Azia unsatisfied with their meal.

Thai-fusion means that the restaurant takes cooking approaches from Malay, Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese and even Japanese parts of Asia. It鈥檚 one of the best and most diverse Asian restaurants in Lisbon, hands down.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

OPENING HOURS: Monday to Sunday – 12pm to 11pm

ADDRESS: Rua de S. Paulo 136, 1200-429 Lisboa, Portugal

METRO STATION: Cais do Sodr茅

Nood in Lisbon

Nood is another Asian fusion restaurant in north Chiado that has picked all the best dishes from throughout the cuisine and put them onto one menu.

The restaurant has the best outdoor seating, under a shaded deck right in the thick of Chiado鈥檚 street life.

Nood – by Nood –

You can expect dishes like ramen, sushi, Thai noodles, stir-fry, dumplings, bao and (strangely) even a grilled salmon main.

Nood is best experienced in a tapas-style dining setting, with two or more diners ordering a range of different plates and sampling from each. It鈥檚 a trip around Asia without ever leaving Lisbon.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

OPENING HOURS: Monday to Sunday – 12pm to 11pm

ADDRESS: R. Trindade 14, 1200-468 Lisboa, Portugal

METRO STATION: Baixa-Chiado