Thousands of Portuguese immigrants and Portuguese-Americans call New York City their home. Whether you haven’t been back in Portugal for decades or travel every summer, it’s impossible not to miss your home country.

The best cure for homesickness – tasty Portuguese food that takes you back to avó’s (grandma’s) house. Here are our 6 favorite Portuguese restaurants in New York City!

1. O Lavrador

Located in Queens, O Lavrador is one of the best restaurants in New York City, founded in 1981. Although this restaurant serves both Spanish and Portuguese dishes, its main focus is cuisine from Portugal. Its name, O Lavrador, means “the farmer” in Portuguese, which is reflected in the flavors at this spot.

Serving traditional meals such as bifana (pork sandwich), grilled codfish, Pork tenderloins Alentejo style, and bitoque (thin steak), this place will make you feel like you are back home. The restaurant is decorated like a traditional Portuguese tavern, with mosaics and marble arches.

2. Leitao

Leitao is a Portuguese farm-to-table restaurant in lower Manhattan aimed at introducing New Yorkers to an authentic Portuguese menu. Named after a traditional dish enjoyed as a family, the leitao, a suckling pig, this restaurant makes you feel like a part of the family. 

This place is known for serving a delicious francesinha – the most traditional dish from Porto. This dish is a plated sandwich with steak, cheese, and a tomato and beer sauce with bread. You can also find snails here, which is unusual in the US! Leitao also serves craft beers and organic wines. 

3. Cervo’s

Founded in 2017, Cervo’s is located in New York City’s Chinatown and pays homage to Spanish and Portuguese cuisine. Although it is not a 100% traditional Portuguese restaurant, it is inspired by the Iberian Peninsula, and it is clear that Portugal plays a significant role in the curated flavors.

The menu, created by Chef Nick Perkins features fried shrimp, Piri Piri chicken, and delicious Portuguese-style clams! To top it off – Cervo’s has delicious and Instagram-worthy cocktails.

4. Galo Tavern 18

Located in New Hyde Park, Galo Tavern 18 specializes in comfort food combining Portuguese barbecue and American classics. From Portuguese-style seabass and Piri Piri to mac and cheese and cheeseburgers, you will find the dish for you.

Offering high-quality dishes for affordable prices from both countries, this restaurant is a Portuguese American’s dream. Galo Tavern 18 also features a Happy Hour from 3-7 PM, Monday to Friday, where appetizers and cocktails are $7.50.

5. Joey Bats Cafe

Joey Bats Cafe was founded by Joey Batista as a way to bring Portuguese cuisine to New York City. Joey Bats Cafe is located on the Lower East Side, with another location coming soon in the East Village. 

The signature item – the iconic Pastel de Nata, known in the US as the Portuguese custard tart. Along with the traditional pastel de nata from the 1800s, Joey Bats Cafe features passion fruit, dark chocolate, and vegan pastel de nata.

Along with Portuguese custard tards, Joey Bats Cafe features toasted ham and cheese rolls, rissois (fried turnovers), salted cod croquettes, and more. They even sell SuperBock beer!

6. Churrasqueira Bairrada

Founded in 1992 by Manuel Carvalho, Churrasqueira Bairrada is a rodizio restaurant featured in the New York Times. A rodizio is an all-you-can-eat Portuguese meal where meats are carved at the table. Along with meats, guests can feast on a number of sides and even delicious shrimp.

A local favorite with Mineola’s large Portuguese population, the Portuguese desserts are also popular. Churrasqueira Bairrada also regularly hosts events and is a fantastic catering option if you are throwing a party.

Portugal is known for its traditional cuisine, from the iconic bitoque steak to the 1001 ways of cooking codfish. However, in the last decade, it seems Japanese cuisine has been taking Portugal by storm.

In most places in Portugal, sometimes surprisingly in lesser known areas, sushi restaurants have been popping up. However, the Portuguese capital of Lisbon is the most popular place for sushi and Japanese cuisine.

From high-end and even a Michelin star restaurant to affordable but still quality Japanese restaurants, let’s take a look at our 9 best sushi restaurants in greater Lisbon.

1. Kanazawa 

Kanazawa is a special place. The outdoors of the restaurant leaves little to be desired. Discrete and grey, you would never imagine finding a high-end Japanese restaurant inside. This is part of its charm as when you walk in, the doors open to a whole new culinary experience. 

This exclusive restaurant serves Kaiseki meals, a traditional multi-course Japanese dinner that meets fine dining. Kanazawa only features eight seats at a single counter for a unique experience with Chef Paulo Morais.

The restaurant offers different tasting menus, each dish intricately explained by the Chef. From where a product is sourced to why it is served a certain way, the Chef offers a learning experience on Japanese cuisine.

2. Tasca Kome

Taska Kome looks like a traditional Portuguese tavern in Baixa, but the dishes are nothing like one. Opened by Yuko Yamamoto, a Japanese woman that moved to Portugal over a decade ago, Taska Kome is an affordable alternative to the expensive and trendy Japanese restaurants in Lisbon.

Don’t get me wrong – its affordability does not make it less high quality. Serving fresh sushi, sashimi, and delicious miso soup, Tasca Kome is a local favorite.

This is the place to go if you are looking for more traditional sushi produced with seasonal products. You won’t find any Philadelphia or mayo in your sushi! 

From lunch menus at an incredible price to a more romantic dinner out, Tasca Kome is highly adaptable to your mood. 

3. Midori

The only Michelin star restaurant in Portugal, Midori is located in the Penha Longa Resort between Sintra and Cascais. The restaurant blends Portuguese and Japanese cuisine with modern techniques for a true culinary adventure, led by Michelin chef Pedro Almeida.

Midori features various tasting menus developed by Pedro Almeida, after his research trips to Osaka, Kyoto, and Tokyo. From his trips, he learned new cooking techniques and brought back ingredients.

This Japanese fine dining restaurant offers a sophisticated interior with gorgeous views of the Sintra mountains. A hand-painted mural symbolizing the arrival of Portuguese sailors in Japan in 1543 covers the walls.

4. Confraria Lx

A leader in fusion sushi in Portugal, Confraria Lx is known for its fresh local fish. Balancing fusion recipes with traditional sushi, Confraria first started with a small restaurant in Cascais. After its growing popularity, Confraria opened another space in LX Boutique Hotel in the center of Lisbon.

With a modern but eclectic dark blue interior, Confraria is the perfect backdrop for an elegant sushi dinner. From the more Westernized hot Philadelphia rolls to traditional sashimi, Confraria is the restaurant to go to for a different culinary experience.

5. Genoma

Located in Sao Domingos de Rana near Cascais, Genoma is a hidden gem not yet discovered by most Lisbon foodies. The interior is modern and elegant, allowing guests to sit at the counter for a more personalized experience. Despite its luxurious environment and high-quality dishes, Genoma is relatively affordable.

From traditional sushi to fusion style, guests are free to pick whatever tasting menu they wish or order a la carte. Genoma also fuses together both Japanese and Peruvian culture with a range of ceviche dishes created by Chef Wrahiam Rodriguez.

6. Hikidashi

If you are done with fusions and Western adaptations, Hikidashi is the spot for you. This restaurant serves “the purest and most traditional sushi” in an intimate environment with only 22 seats. There are no tables, only one wooden counter where guests can experience the Chef’s process.

Hikidashi is best known for its tuna belly sashimi and miso soup. This restaurant even sells Japanese ingredients such as algae and tempura flour so you can attempt to replicate dishes at home. But good luck, as the dishes at Hikidashi are hard to beat. 

7. SushiCafe Avenida

Located in the heart of Lisbon in the iconic Avenida da Liberdade, SushiCafe Avenida serves high-quality sushi and Japanese cuisine. With a trendy and cosmopolitan environment, SushiCafe features four spaces where guests can enjoy the culinary experience, including an outdoor terrace.

Featuring both an a la carte and a curated tasting menu, SushiCafe is known for its tasty wagyu truffle and sashimi pieces. We recommend trying the tasting menu with a diverse range of dishes for a fuller experience. However, while the a la carte menu is somewhat affordable, the tasting menu is more expensive.        

8. GoJuu

GoJuu aims to honor traditional Japanese cuisine, located in Praca de Espanha in Lisbon, paying tribute to the late Takashi Yoshitake-san, the late owner and master of the Aya restaurants in Lisbon. GoJuu was founded to celebrate the Chef’s life.

However, GoJuu does not aim to replace the Aya restaurant but rather uses the late Chef’s recipes, prepared by those who learned from him. The traditional sushi and Japanese dishes are even served in his porcelain collection.

GoJuu is extremely exclusive from Thursday to Saturday as dinner is only usually reserved for Club GoJuu and Friends members. However, with 24-hour notice, you might be able to get a reservation without being a member if there is availability.

9. Harko’s

While oftentimes we stay away from places that serve both Japanese food and Italian, Harko’s is a one-off to this rule. This restaurant in Sintra is able to do what many attempt to do but fail at without disrespecting any of the two cultures. However, it is clear that the Japanese cuisine at Harko’s has more of a fusion and Western twist.

While the Italian cuisine is high-quality, we recommend heading to Harko’s for the Japanese cuisine. Boasting affordable sushi menus and vegetarian sushi, Harko’s is best known for its delicious uramaki, sashimi, and hot rolls.