With his focus on fine Cajun and Creole food, chef Emeril Lagasse is an icon of New Orleans dining — so it’s perhaps little surprise that his favorite food city in the U.S. is New Orleans, where he has plenty of dining tips. But his international favorite isn’t quite so obvious, although it makes sense if you know Lagasse’s background.
According to an interview with Travel + Leisure, Lagasse’s favorite non-U.S. food destination is the Portuguese capital, Lisbon — and he’s more experienced with Portuguese cuisine than you might think. Lagasse’s mother is Portuguese, and his first culinary job was in a Portuguese bakery. While he’s known more for Cajun food, he has published Portuguese recipes over the years, and in 2024, he opened his first Portuguese restaurant, 34, in New Orleans.
While the bayous of New Orleans and the hills and castles of Lisbon might not look alike, Lagasse finds some similarities between the food cultures of the two, noting that in both cities, you’ll find great dining regardless of whether you go fancy or cheap. And there’s no shortage of options for both: Lisbon has 17 Michelin-starred restaurants, serving Portuguese cuisine but also Japanese, Spanish, and French food. For those who don’t want a triple-digit check, you might seek out a tasca. These humble local eateries are neighborhood restaurants focused on serving the working class Portuguese. You can often get a few courses with wine for under €20 ($22), including rustic fare like steak, bean stew, cod cakes, and pork sandwiches.
Lagasse’s Lisbon favorites
In that Travel + Leisure interview, Emeril Lagasse names a few of his favorite spots in Lisbon. At the upper end is two Michelin-starred Alma. Here, chef Henrique Sá Pessoa offers a choice between two tasting menus. One focuses on Portugal’s stunning seafood and could include dishes like baked mullet or a fish, shellfish, and seaweed soup. The other centers around Sá Pessoa’s signature dishes (some of which feature subtle fusions with Asian cuisines), like salted cod or suckling pig confit.
With tasting menus at 190 euros each, Alma is a serious cash splash, but Lagasse’s other recommendations are a bit more accessible. First, he loves a more casual restaurant from chef Henrique Sá Pessoa called Tapisco. Here, he takes a more Spanish route with a vermouth bar, a common type of bar in Barcelona where diners sip vermouth (fortified wine) and snack on tapas, cheese, charcuterie, and small plates. At Tapisco, that means options like Spanish tortilla, octopus salad, or ham croquettes.
Lagasse’s final tip is the most affordable: Taberna da Rua das Flores, a traditional spot sitting somewhere between a tasca and a tavern. It serves homey Portuguese dishes with its menu rotating based on what’s in the markets or getting caught at sea: Cod with chickpeas and sliced, fried beef liver are a couple of classics here. Be warned: With no reservations taken, it’s the kind of place you have to show up early or wait.
