You can’t blame the Portugese for putting their best food up front and center for all to admire and taste. By the second day we found on Tony’s table the little magazine Time Out. It tempted us with their new foodie paradise, Time Out Mercado da Ribeira. Opened for only one year,
the recently renovated Mercado da Ribeira in Lisbon, situated near the Tagus River since 1892, already qualifies as a major food destination.
A 75,000-square-foot food court open wide spaces and food stalls, tempts hungry travelers to sample the city’s best eats in one place and under one roof.
The magazine Time Out Lisboa is largely responsible for the 5-million-euro makeover, which saw both the recovery of original elements like traditional Lioz stone and the installation of more contemporary design touches like hanging Edison bulbs and wooden communal tables with seating for 500 diners.
Three outdoor terraces hold another 250, and on one side of some of the food stations there are counter seating for a more intimate experience nose to nose with the chefs.
Seating at the food stalls makes an intimate and interesting food experience.
Bringing his magazine’s contents to life and highlighting the best of Portugal, is the purpose says Joao Cepeda, editor-in-chief of Time Out Lisboa and the mercado’s managing director.
“You can taste the food of the restaurants with the best reviews, hear music by bands we consider to be the next big things, buy items from the best designers. It will be, we hope, a big and beautiful showcase of the city,” he said.
The problem is deciding which food stall to buy from and how much can you consume in one sitting, especially if your time is limited to one day of visiting.
Fresh and just plated.
Each order is placed and prepared fresh. You are given a buzzer so that when your order is ready you will be buzzed. Watching others with their plates pass by is a temptation in itself.