I was more than pleasantly surprised with this establishment. I believe the Villa Baixa Apartments do not lie when they claim to be Lisbon Luxury Apartments. The feel was like staying in someone’s house, but they cleaned out the fridge, had a maid service and added a ton of perks. Usually when I go into a hotel, there isn’t a kitchen or full draw of silver wear. We could have cooked our own meals in this place, of course with the food in Lisbon, it is best to try as many restaurants as possible. Let’s review some of the highlights of the Villa Baixa Apartments: Lisbon Luxury Apartments.

Best thing about the Villa Baixa Apartments: Location

My favorite thing about the Villa Baixa Apartments is where they are located (and where they are not). The apartments are on some of the only flat ground in Lisbon. As opposed to our other hotel, The São Jorge Castle, I didn’t need a Sherpa to get to and from the room.  The flat ground happens to be in one of the better (although slightly touristy) neighborhoods in Lisbon.

The Villa Baixa Apartments are just a few feet away from Santa Justa Lift, and maybe a hundred yards from Rossio Square. There are plenty of restaurants (once again beware of the tourist traps) in the immediate area, which are in a walking distance of less than 5 minutes. These luxurious Lisbon apartments are in a great jumping off point from a lot of the major attractions and give you easy access to mass transit or tour buses. You are also very close to the oh so important Ginja shops, which is good since you may be stumbling home from them by days end. If it is your first time in Lisbon, I would recommend staying in the Baixa neighborhood, the Villa Baixa Apartments are in located in the middle of this area.

Click Here To Read Reviews Of The Villa Baxia Apartments

The Room at the Villa Baixa Apartments

To write ‘room’ is putting it mildly; the living quarters were more like a suite. The place is huge, bigger than many of the apartments where I have lived. There are three rooms and a bathroom (so I guess four rooms). The bedroom is the size of most other establishment’s entire living space. The bed itself was comfortable, as was the rest of the room. You also have a connected kitchen, and a living room. The room was more than big enough, you probably can have someone sleep on the couch if the situation called for it.

The decorations were also nice, with good art work and a Portuguese saying on the wall. To this day I have googled it enough, but its meaning escapes me. The kitchen is stocked with dishes and silverware, as well as glasses and a bunch of kitchen appliances we didn’t use given we weren’t cooking. The apartments do give you the opportunity to cook, which can save you a lot on food if you desire.

Click Here To Read Reviews Of The Villa Baixa Apartments

The view from the room is great, but I didn’t think the window was big enough. Also, there wasn’t a balcony in our room, although some have one. The building provided a daily maid service, but that is about the extent of the amenities. Lastly to touch on the bathroom, it was much larger than the standard bathroom, and more than nice enough. Over all I can say that these can truly call themselves Lisbon luxury apartments, better than most establishment I have visited.

Value of the Villa Baixa Apartments

Great location…check, beautiful spacious room…. check, so this place must cost a fortune. If you read this blog enough you know that I am always looking for a deal. The Villa Baxia Apartments were so inexpensive I thought I was a stealing from them. I think I paid somewhere in the region of $150/night for the hotel…it is worth every penny. Really, I don’t get it, I have seen Motels 6s in Asheville for more than that. These are beautiful Lisbon luxury apartments, in the heart of the city for less than a parking spot in other cities. I know it isn’t JUST that Lisbon is cheaper, because this was my second hotel, the other being $75 more for less room. Once again, as far is value is concerned, the Villa Baxia Apartments gets my stamp of approval.

One Downside to the Villa Baixa Apartments

These are luxury apartments with almost no amenities. There is no bar, no breakfast (although both can be found right outside). No gym, no business center, no pool; really you are buying the room and the room only. There is no room service and if you come late enough, there is not even a front desk.  Let me clarify that, the front desk closes up at 10 PM (If I remember correctly).  Just listen to their instructions on how to get in and always bring your key and you should be fine. If you are the kind of person who needs a mint on your pillow and Champagne service at 1 AM this might not be the spot for you. Everything we needed was less than a five-minute walk away so it was a non-issue for us.

Conclusion of the Villa Baixa: Lisbon Luxury Apartments

The suite was beautiful, with a comfortable living area, kitchen, and bedroom. The location was prime, especially for first time travelers to Lisbon. Yes, you don’t get a lot of the bells and whistles of other establishments, but rest assured, you will be more than fine. What you lose with the lack of a pool and gym, you make up for with a great set of rooms and incredible value. If you would like to learn more about the Villa Baixa: Lisbon Luxury Apartments, click any of the TripAdvisor review links attached.

Click Here To Read Reviews Of The Villa Baixa Apartments

Find the best deal, compare prices, and read what other travelers have to say at TripAdvisor

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Check out the TripAdvisor Reviews for the Villa Baixa – Lisbon Luxury Apartments

Round One Barcelona vs. Lisbon: The Food

I always start with what is closest to my heart, or in this case what is closest to stopping my heart. The food in both countries was outstanding.  In my experience, only Greece can compare with these two in terms of freshness and quality. Having said this, my future still holds a lot of gluttonous adventures so that could change. Dissecting the food, I keep going back and forth between which city I loved more…

The Arguments for Barcelona

Barcelona has the best food market I have visited. La Boqueria was just old school enough to offer fresh seafood and meat handled out in the open, and prepared in front of you. The Time Out market in Lisbon on the other hand was too commercialized for my taste. Besides the tasty Pastel place, nothing really intrigued me.  On the other hand, we were regular visitors to the market in Barcelona.  This place had everything we wanted, with fresh fish, juice, and a great mojito stand.

Barcelona also has tapas, which afforded me the opportunity to stuff my face with as many things as possible. Add to this great sangria, wonderful empanadas, jamon iberico, and of course churros with some of the best chocolate I have ever tasted. It was also in Barcelona that I had one of the best meals of my life at Spoonik, a crazy multi-course (18!) restaurant which surprises you at every course. The fresh seafood, the tapas, the experience, it is easy to see why Barcelona wins this…on the other hand.

The Arguments for Lisbon

First, I will say I had the BEST meal of my life at the restaurant Alma in Lisbon. It was also a multi-course meal, everything was superb and was like eating art. The fresh seafood I received in Lisbon was equally on par with that of Barcelona (I wonder why). Where Barcelona had great razor clams and anchovies, Lisbon was all about the octopus and shrimp. Although to be fair I had a variety of seafood in both areas. Both cities are seafood heavy, although Lisbon was more so in my experience.

To add to the gluttony, Lisbon has Ramiro, another shrimp lover’s paradise. It also had one of the top chocolate cakes you will find, and much beloved cheap pork sandwiches called Bifana.

The cities alcohol is also more unique. First, you have Port, which was flowing from my veins by the time I left. In addition, the Ginjia stands are an awesome way to spend a Euro and 20 minutes at 9:30 in the morning. Ginja is a small shot of cherry liquor, with a cherry at the bottom, that gets you a lot more fd-up the you would think. It is no wonder that my bathroom scale broke upon my return. So, which has the better food Barcelona or Lisbon?

Category 1, Barcelona vs. Lisbon: Food Winner – TIE

Well that is a great way to start…I can’t decide, neither city left me disappointed at meal time. If you want an education on how seafood is done visit either area.

Round Two Barcelona vs. Lisbon: Things to Do

This one is slightly easier for me to decide, although once again both cities were packed with things to do. Barcelona has a lot, you could  probably hit a Gaudi exhibit every day for the entire week. There are a number of exceptional museums in the area, such as the Picasso museum. The Gothic Quarter is also a great place to spend your afternoons walking around, while killing times between meals…

Lisbon just felt like it had a greater amount of attractions than Barcelona. I wasn’t stressed for activities in Barcelona, but I did visit a few multiple times. Lisbon on the other hand felt as if there was more than I could see in the week (plus) that I was there. First you have the Castel Jorge, we stayed in a hotel that shared its walls. It was incredible to walk around and stay within a piece of history, with some of the best views in the city. Take a ride to Belem and visit the Belem tower, Jerónimos Monastery, or one of the many museums in the area.  There is also the option to spend the day getting lost (literally) in the Alfama neighborhood. There were so many beautiful statues and pieces of history scattered throughout the city, it was just a more grandiose experience. If your deciding between Barcelona or Lisbon on activities I give the nod to Lisbon.

Round Two Barcelona vs. Lisbon, Things to do – Lisbon

Round Three Barcelona vs. Lisbon: Environment

Lisbon is a very walkable city, that is assuming you have calves the size of pineapples and train for triathlons. I might be exaggerating a bit, but not by much. The city is extremely hilly, there are stretches of flat sections, but not many, if you walk as much as I do it can wear on you. In addition, getting lost in Alfama can be a bit trying also. The area is beautiful, but the streets are like a maze and can be tricky to navigate. Don’t get me wrong, there are worse things in life than getting lost in Lisbon.

Barcelona on the other hand was flat, which made walking a hell of a lot easier. In some sense, it felt a bit more spread out, but it didn’t bother me. Everything felt like a straight shot, and it seemed much easier to navigate.

Lisbon also felt a bit more touristy than Barcelona as well. Neither were the train wreck that is Rome, but I saw a more significate amount of fanny packs in Lisbon than in Barcelona. It was complete with the millennial homeless people begging for money and performing cheap “entertainment’.

Lastly, there was a slight seedy element in Lisbon at times. Never did I feel unsafe, no matter where I walked (although always be careful). I was approached several times to buy cocaine and other drugs especially in Rossio Square. I was high on shrimp (and Ginja) so I declined. For all these reasons, I give the edge to Barcelona in terms of environment.

Round Three Barcelona or Lisbon, Environment: Barcelona.

Round Four Barcelona vs. Lisbon: Visual Appeal

Barcelona and Lisbon are both beautiful cities. Both have incredible architecture and are unique. Despite the mentioned seediness, I believe Lisbon is more distinct and easier on the eyes. Yes, Barcelona has Gaudi, and the ancient Gothic Quarter. The city is also clean, with beautiful streets.

Lisbon, had me turning my head just a bit more often. The first thing I noticed were the buildings covered with decorative tiles. This added an element to the atmosphere I haven’t experienced in other areas. Maybe it was just the places we visited, but Lisbon felt more classical European than Barcelona. Every time I turned the corner there was a giant statue or enormous square. The streets of Alfama, although annoying at times, were beautiful in a peaceful, rustic way.

As I mentioned Lisbon is hilly, one benefit of hills is that they create great views. You can be chugging up a road, only to discover one of the most spectacular heights in the city, and an extraordinary sunset. As much as I loved the look of Barcelona, in my opinion Lisbon was much more attractive.

Round Four Lisbon vs. Barcelona– Beauty: Lisbon.

Final Round Barcelona vs. Lisbon: Value

According to most of my research Lisbon is 18% cheaper than Barcelona, specifically to food and housing; my experience differed slightly for our meals. For us in terms of food and entertainment I found both locations to be similar. Maybe the average meal in Barcelona was a bit cheaper, but the main driver behind that were the cheap (but good) tapas. Plus, in Lisbon, we gorged on shrimp and octopus every meal so that added to the cost.

CHECK OUT REVIEWS FOR THE MAJESTIC HOTEL & SPA BARCELONA

The real cost difference was in the hotel expense. Each hotel on both trips was outstanding, but the hotels in Lisbon were about half the price. In Lisbon, the Villa Baxia was an apartment like hotel, the size of a suite, but for only $120/night. In Barcelona we stayed in the Hotel Majestic. This property was also beautiful, with an amazing bar and great service.  The hotel can also go for up to $300 a night, which is pricier than most places in Lisbon. All trips differ, you may have a different experience or find a better value.

ONCE AGAIN, THE LINK IS HERE FOR THE VILLA BAIXA IN LISBON

Overall, I felt like Lisbon was more reasonable so I have to give a slight edge to Portugal.

Final Round Winner Barcelona or Lisbon: Lisbon.

Barcelona or Lisbon?

Since you can do simple math you know I lean towards Lisbon if choosing between Barcelona or Lisbon. Let me make it clear, it is really a very slight lean. I loved both cities immensely, they are two of my favorites in the world. The food, the culture, and the people are amazing in each. Some might tell you to go to both Barcelona and Lisbon, again I disagree… Unless you have about two weeks, each city deserves its own trip. There is so much to do and see in both that you really can’t go wrong when deciding between Barcelona or Lisbon. For me the winner was somewhat clear.

Winner Barcelona vs. Lisbon: Lisbon..and really YOU are winning at life to get to either city…

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On top of the pounds of seafood we ate, we drank. Portugal has some unique alcohol and I thought it appropriate to try all of it. Ginja, Port, and amazing wines to name a few. Eating in Lisbon reminded me just how good Europeans have it in terms of food. The food in Portgual, was like other countries in Europe (only better), it was fresh, simple, and inexpensive. Living in America we get caught up in food fads. People line up to pay $20 for a poke bowl or a spool of ramen. I am more interested in eating my food then instagraming it (although I do both). Lisbon, Portgual gave us simple food that was traditional and delicious. A basic octopus will be here a lot longer than the next cronut.  Below are what I felt were the best restaurants in Lisbon.

Eating in Lisbon: Day 1

I was inspired (copied) a lot of ideas on this trip to Lisbon. I am the guy who watches food/travel shows with a pen and paper. On Netflix, the show Somebody Feed Phil had a Lisbon episode that inspired me.  I followed in his footsteps the best I could, to find the best restaurants in Lisbon. Combine that with an older episode of No Reservations and Delicious Destinations and I was forced to go to this first restaurant, given that it was in all three shows.

Cervejaria Ramiro

No list of the best restaurants in Lisbon would be complete without Cervejaria Ramiro. Once the bags were unpacked, we knew we had to make it our first stop. Coincidently, Cervejaria Ramiro was also our second to last stop. There is a mix of locals and tourists, thanks partially to the above shows. Regardless of who the clientele is, the food tastes amazing. I ate things I didn’t know were edible until they were in front of me. Look at the picture below…who discovered there was meat in there, and how did they find out? 

Eating, in no particular order, we gorged on sea barnacles, tiny clams in butter, four different types of shrimp, these weird foods inside shells (again above), and beef. Yes, at the end of the meal there is the optional beef sandwich. Now, you aren’t on TV, if you want the “Prego” you have to ask for it by name.

Overall the shrimp, especially the scarlet and tiger shrimp, were the stars. The garlic shrimp were also amazing and had me eating mounds of the most delicious bread, to soak up the sauce. We left with a full belly and a new realization that we hadn’t really slept in 36 hours. With this information, the only thing to do was find more food.

Find the best deal, compare prices, and read what other travelers have to say at TripAdvisor

I Recommend Staying at the Villa Baixa – Lisbon Luxury Apartments, read the Reviews on this Link

The Time Out Market

After an hour or two of wandering the city we decided to check out the Time Out Market, an overly busy food market in Lisbon. As we walked there my head was spinning with all the food options on the street. I held out for what Time Out had to offer and walked into an elaborate food court. Time Out Market was pretty good, but not the best market I have been to. It was lacking the authenticity (i.e. dirt and smell of freshly slaughtered animals) like the Athens market. It was much more commercialized than I would have expected. Another turnoff were the crowds, twice we attempted to return to the market and gave up looking for a seat, as they were the equivalent to finding a golden ticket.

And yet the food was good there, and it was there, at Manteigaria, where I had my first Pastel de nata (more on that below). After finally sitting down, my wife ran up to get some more shrimp, and octopus… I was so tired I fell asleep at the table; that is when we knew we needed a nap. A nice walk back to the hotel, we set an alarm for exactly one hour later, and hit the bed…When we woke up after 10 hours we realized that a good sleep was just the thing to jar our hunger.

Pastel de Nata

What seems like the national dessert in Portgual, these little egg custard-filled wonders, are found all over Lisbon. All are good, but some really stood out. I already mentioned Manteigaria in the Time Out Market.  When I got there they were warm, which makes all the difference, sprinkle a little powdered sugar and cinnamon on there and you’re all set. Tied for first was Pastelaria Santo Antonio, a little-known place that made excellent ‘pastels,’ with the added bonus of no line. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the famous Pastel de Belem, they were good, but not hot enough for me…

Eating in Lisbon: Day 2 -4

The next few days were a feeding blur, with some duplicate spots. It was here that I found my two favorite ways to start the day. Walking out of the castle, down the curvy roads of Alfama, we hit our first Ginja joint. Ginja, is a small shot of cherry liquor, with the cherry still in it. To say I loved it would be an understatement, I smuggled so much back here, there are posters of me hanging in the post office. Hitting a Ginja joint at 9:30am on a Wednesday morning is a classic start to a day in Lisbon.

The other culinary delicacy I fell in love with is a pork sandwich called a Bifano. I usually went to the same place, Casa Das Bifanas, where the Bifanas are hot and the servers are surly. I am not sure if these were meant for breakfast, but they were great with a Ginjia in the morning. 

Restaurante Leão d’ouro

We liked this restaurant so much we went twice. I think this might have been our first experience with a whole octopus in Lisbon. The food here was excellent albeit, a bit more expensive. On one of our last meals on the first half of the trip we went for the seafood platter. One of two giant platters we enjoyed this trip, this piece of art was delicious…

O Arco

You know those restaurants with 8 tables and a demand for about 50? O Arco was this restaurant, we were disappointed on our first attempt, because you need a reservation at 2Pm on a Tuesday. It is a little family owned shop that gives you seafood with such depth of flavor you would swear that someone’s grandmother is back there stirring the pot. Once again, we ate octopus, but the real stars were the mussels (see below), the sauce had a positively spicy  Portuguese flare (reminiscent of New Orleans…) and the mussels themselves were the size of my palm. O Arco was another place where we went multiple times.

A Licorista O Bacalhoeiro

Right down the street from O Arco was A Licorista O Bacalhoeiro. I mention this because it is highly rated with a line out the door. It was pretty good, but not great. Maybe it was because I deviated from the sea, but it was only OK. It wasn’t one of the best restaurants in Lisbon, but a fairly solid meal nonetheless. When eating in Lisbon you quickly raise your standards, as ‘good’ just doesn’t cut it in a town of fantastic. It is also worth warning that this restaurant plops a lot of food in front of you when you sit (without asking), then will charge you for it if eaten, you’ve been warned…

Kiosk the World’s Best Chocolate Cake

What is worse, being near the best chocolate cake and NOT trying it or only eating it once knowing it will be an experience almost impossible to duplicate.. I knew Lisbon was known for chocolate, so I needed to try it at this small Kiosk. One bite and I was thinking about buying “his” and “hers” towels (until I realized it was cake ..annnd then I remembered I was already married). Lucky for me, my wife doesn’t get jealous over cake (a sandwich is a totally different story); she watched as I devoured it and more than once attempted to lick the plate. For some reason she doesn’t like chocolate, so I didn’t even need to split the dessert #winningatmarriedlife.

These were just a few of the places we hit on our first half of our trip. There were also wine bars, small cafes and some random places that for the most part were great, I just can’t fit them all in this post. Reading my other post you know we took a brief trip to Marrakesh, then find more restaurants in Lisbon..

Eating in Lisbon: Day 4 -10

This is where I really earned my 3rd chin, because the trip got more and more gluttonous as the trip continued. Of course, we visited many of our favorite places from the first leg of our journey. Ramiro had to be hit again and hit hard. I think they had to grab their fishing nets to restock by the time we were done. So as not to make eating in Lisbon too repetitive we added a lot of others to the list. Below are some more of the best restaurants in Lisbon.

Copying Phil to find the Best Restaurants in Lisbon

As I mentioned I am fraud…given I “borrowed” a lot of my ideas from the Netflix show Somebody feed Phil. I doubled down on this formula and found the spots from the immigrants to Lisbon that he visited. First, pizza from La Pizza di Nanna, was perfectly crispy… better than anything I had in Rome. The women laughed when she found out we saw the show, so I am assuming we weren’t the first to make the trip. Unlike Rome the pizza was authentic…

Next, we hit the Wurst – Salsicharia Austríaca, since after pizza a half of pound of sausage is always agreat idea. Here I saw the hardest working man in the food industry, the guy behind the counter never stopped moving. I bet he is cursing Phil’s name. Once again, the show was dead on, if I didn’t know better I would have thought I wandered into Austria.

Finally, in true poser fashion, we had to hit the gelato place, Nannarella.  I would say this gelato was as good as the average I had in Rome, but that would be a lie. Unlike 80% of the gelato in Rome, this was real, and not the phony stuff geared to tourists (warning, if you see extreme/neon colors you should back away slowly). Not to bash Rome too hard, the other 20% of gelato in Rome was amazing…

Alma

I will say with certainty that course for course, this is the best meal I have ever eaten. Sometimes Michelin star winners are more flair than substance, this was not the case with Alma. The food was like exquisite art enveloped in the most magnificent palette of flavors. The weird cod dish that copied the tiles of the streets (with an egg inside), the beef that melted in your mouth, even the small courses from the bread basket (which were much more than bread) everything tasted like it was cooked with a wand.

While the first courses were great, what put this meal over the top was the above chocolate dish.  The dessert the most sublime confection of hazelnut ice cream, chocolate sauce, and a delicious chocolate ball (among other things). There were so many good things happening that I need a cigarette thinking about it..I still do; I think the picture speaks volumes, just remember licking your screen doesn’t do the dish justice.

Mar ao Carmo

We head to our final eating experience in Lisbon. Mar ao Carmo was all seafood, all the time. Given we already went to Ramiro’s again that morning, you would think we would be sick of anything that swims. We weighed this with the knowledge that we were going back to a land locked hell-hole with limited, grossly over priced offerings. Mar ao Carmo was a place we went on multiple occasions for not only the seafood, but also the atmosphere. Located right outside the convent, it was the perfect way to end the trip. One last chance to indulge and we did, with feast pictured above..

Final Thoughts on Eating in Lisbon

There you have it, some, but not all of the spots we tried in our short time in Lisbon. There were many other restaurants, canned food shops, and pastries that we experienced that did not disappoint. We had one unfortunate meal on this trip, which reinforces a valuable lesson: If there is someone trying to pull you into the restaurant it most likely will be terrible. That rule is universal, whether in Africa, Europe, New York or Istanbul. Take this experience out of the mix and every meal was spectacular with visonary nuances and culinary creativity,  Lisbon, Portugal is a place that deserves a ranking among the world’s best food..

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