Part wine bar, part concept grocery, part exhibition of what Portuguese independent food producers are capable of when someone bothers to stock them. Comida Independente curates small-batch Portuguese products — tinned fish, olive oils, cheeses, wines — and serves them in a space that doubles as a shop. The wine list is entirely Portuguese and weighted toward small producers you will not find elsewhere. The atmosphere splits between daytime browsing and evening drinking.
Location
Bairro Alto & Principe Real, Lisbon
Map
Insider Intel
A glass of wine from whichever region the staff are excited about that week, paired with a board of tinned fish (conservas) from the shop shelves and bread. The conservas selection is extraordinary — sardines, mackerel, tuna in olive oil from producers like Prata do Mar or Jose Gourmet. Ask for a regional flight of wines if you want to compare Douro against Alentejo against Dao.
Late afternoon between 4pm and 7pm when the shop-bar hybrid is at its most relaxed and you can browse the shelves between glasses. The miradouro (viewpoint) of Sao Pedro de Alcantara is directly outside, making this an ideal stop in a Bairro Alto walk.
The dual identity (shop and bar) can confuse first-time visitors — you can buy products to take home, drink wine at the bar, or both simultaneously. Everything for sale is Portuguese and independently produced. The space is bright and airy by day, warmer and more bar-like at night. Located on one of the best streets in Bairro Alto, between the Miradouro de Sao Pedro de Alcantara and the antique shops of Rua Dom Pedro V. Prices are fair and the staff are knowledgeable about every product on the shelf.