Favorite Restaurants in Cascais, Portugal

Last updated August 2025.

While we sometimes refer to restaurants we love in our posts, we don’t do a lot of restaurant lists. Part of the challenge with such posts, is that restaurants come and go, change ownership or chefs and can either improve or deteriorate and you have to be in tune with the local cuisine to keep up with these changes. In fact, outside of passing references to places we ate during our travels we’ve only done a handful of food-focused posts (Denver, Vail, Top Portugal Food Experiences). It should be noted that we only add restaurants to our pages if we had really outstanding experiences there, so while we can’t attest that a place will still be as good as it was when we ate there, it won’t make these posts if it wasn’t really, really good. That said, most of these places have stood the test of time for several years, so we’ll take a chance, go out on a limb and make some recommendations.

What is tough to do in Cascais is to actually select. There are a lot of options. Our favorites tend to be a bit off the beaten path, for the most part (be ready to be underwhelmed by some website links below, but don’t let that put you off!). Check out the menus, as there are recommendations below for all budgets.

1. Entráguas (traditional Portuguese). One of our very favorite restaurants for dinner is Entráguas. It is set out of town, on the way to Casa da Guia or Guincho beach with views of the Atlantic Ocean which is only steps away. The owner is there every night greeting and seating and answers your reservation emails personally. The table service is top notch, with a substantial wine list and the food is delicious. It’s our go-to special occasion spot in town.

2. Maré (seafood, modern Portuguese). Another higher-end option along the seacoast road between Cascais and Guincho Beach is Maré a Cascais restaurant by famous Lisbon restauranteur José Avillez. Avillez operates several restaurants in Lisbon, including Michelin starred Belcanto. Maré is more laid-back than its Lisbon neighbor and offers wonderful views of the coastline and its crashing waves while you dine on delicious Portuguese seafood (try the tuna cones pictured below – yum!).

(A bit farther afield, so it doesn’t really qualify as a “Cascais Restaurant” near Praia Grande, Bar do Fundo is also excellent and on the higher-end side). If you’re staying in the village of Cascais, Maré is a bit out of town, but Ubers and cabs are reasonable around these parts.

3. Malacopa (Mexican). During COVID, a set of streets in the center of Cascais were cordoned off from car traffic and dedicated to outdoor dining. Fortunately, some of the hangovers from COVID weren’t all bad and this one remained. The “Amarelo” (yellow, because the streets were painted yellow) District is a short walk from the center of town and the belle of the ball, in our opinion, is Malacopa. They serve coastal Mexican street tacos with a Portuguese twist.

4. Masala (Indian). When we first arrived in town, we were surprised by the quantity of Indian restaurants here. We’ve only tried one, because it is some of the best Indian food we’ve had anywhere (so why venture elsewhere, right?). Masala is right in the heart of the downtown area between the central square and the beaches and boardwalk. The food comes in little pots with bunsen burners underneath to keep them warm. Pre or post dinner, across the way, you can stop into sister restaurant The Tasting Room wine bar for wine and/or snacks (you won’t need snacks if you’re going to stroll the ten steps across the street for an Indian dinner though).

5. Hífen (sandwiches, salads, bar). Right off the main town square, by the Praia da Ribeira, you’ll find Hifen. I guess I’d call it “modern Portuguese” food. Also great for drinks either in the bar or out on the tables in front in the evenings when the weather cooperates (much of the time). On the weekends, its hopping and for good reason – not just due to its convenient location to the hotels.

6. Kappo (formal Japanese). There are several good Japanese restaurants in town. Confraria is good for sushi and Izakaya is good for multiple tastes and bites, but Izakaya’s big sister restaurant, Kappo, is a great special occasion place serving kaiseki meals that rivaled our experience in Kyoto. If you want a big night out with many great Japanese tastes, this one tops our list.

Kaiseki at Kappo

7. Emma (sandwiches, salads). At the start of the boardwalk towards Estoril, our favorite beachside cafe sits to the left. Emma has great food options for meals all day in the restaurant many of which you can get served to you beachside if you rent a beach chair and umbrella at the Praia da Ribeira de Cascais.

8. Old School Italian at Gastronomia Italiana. Right in the heart of the village, steps from the beaches, it’s a little slice of Italy in the middle of Cascais. Looking for some homemade pasta and red or cream sauce? Don’t let the semi industrial retail store front looking exterior dissuade you. This is your spot.

9. Local Healthy Kitchen (take out or eat in). For take-out, our favorite is Local Healthy Kitchen. Delicious hummus and fantastic fresh tuna or shrimp bowls and delicious chicken teriyaki. Reasonably priced, delivered right to your door and deee-licious. Just a note: many of the spots above you can get delivered as well, via UberEats or Glovo. Local Healthy uses Glovo.

10. Cascais local food market. For fresh fruits, veggies, baked goods, flowers and lots of faster-food type options for a snack or a meal, the Mercado da Vila (full market open on Wednesdays and Saturdays) is an experience not to be missed if you’re in town when it is in session. If you have a kitchen at your disposal, in addition to produce, there is a butcher and loads of fish counters teeming with locally caught fresh fish.

11. Bakeries and Sandwiches. For a pastelaria (pastry bakery) try one of the several Sacolinha locations in town. They have delicious soups and sandwiches in addition to lovely pastries like the pastel de nata. For a bakery cafe, try the Gleba on Avenida 25 de Abril.

12. Pizzeria do Largo (Pizza). For pizza, check out Pizzeria do Largo. Thin thin crust wood-fired pizza, salads and pastas run by a Bangladeshi family. Great for delivery through UberEats or Glovo or for take-out.

13. Beef Market (with great sandwiches). Finally, if you’re Airbnbing it or have access to a grill or you’re craving a good old meat sandwich, check out Hangus beef boutique, just up the road from Gleba.

14. 5entidos. This one is last only because it was closed for several years after the rent in their old location was raised (a space which to this day, three years later as of this edit, is still vacant). 5entidos has returned (web search results may return either their Grandôla location or the old Cascais one, both of which are now closed, but the previous link is the right location)! It was our favorite restaurant hands-down previously, we’ve just returned, and it has not lost a beat. It was a locals’ and visitors’ favorite and we are thrilled that it is back. The new location is actually in Areia so you’ll need to cab, Uber or drive if you’re staying in Cascais proper. We are excited to return it to our rotation with guests.

We’ve got more spots to try, so consider this an evolving edition to which we’ll periodically add and revise as new discoveries are made and things change. I’ve also realized I’m no food blogger as I have nearly no pictures to add to this post, sorry to all you visually-inclined followers. I guess we’ll just have to cycle through and re-visit them all so I can take a few more snaps with the camera phone. Happy eating!

Here is a map of the restaurants listed in this post. Colored pins are those we’ve tried, grey ones are those we have on our list to check out. If you expand the map key you can see the colors which correspond to each restaurant on the map.