Lisbon’s Post-colonial Feast

Our tour with Kika was well worth the cost! She was delightful and informative, and we appreciated learning so much about Portugal's exploration and its role in introducing new ingredients to Europe. The places we visited were well-chosen and allowed us to sample many different foods. Culinary Backstreets' tours always deliver an authentic experience in locally-owned shops and restaurants. We always urge our friends to look for their food tours!

Great tour, food, fun and learned a lot!

Ines is a wonderful storyteller with a deep and abiding love for her city. We loved every minute we were able to spend in her company

If you are interested in wandering off the main streets and learning about Portuguese history as well as being introduced to the variety of foodstuffs, menus, and the current cultures of Lisbon, this tour is for you. Our guide was both personal and professional in a charming and effective combination. This was the second Culinary Backstreets tour we have taken and they were both wonderful in content, atmosphere, and eats. Caution: be prepared to burn off some of the calories you will be consuming on Lisbon's hills. It is not an easy stroll, but well worth it.

The culinary backstreets tour led by Kika was excellent. She is dedicated to her craft, and even took extra time to tailor the tour to our specific non food related interests. This included a detailed history of the famous Azulejos and how the Lisbon earthquake helped shape the modern layout of the city. Further, she drew a whole map showing Portugal’s maritime history and how it shaped Lisbon’s vibrant immigrant driven food scene. We arrived fasting, and left very full. We loved the Vindaloo and Cane Juice + Pastel in particular. I would recommend this to anyone who would appreciate a great combination of the history, cultural context and delectable food.

Excellent experience. The tour was just as much a learning experience as it was a food tasting. Our guide Kika was incredibly knowledgeable of the different cultures and cuisines which made the experience that much better. Would recommend.

My husband and I went and there was one other girl with us! It was a lovely time trying foods from local restaurants, all family-owned. Ines, our tour guide, was very sweet and very knowledgeable! She answered the millions of questions we had, as it was our first time traveling outside of the United States. She was very friendly, and we really enjoyed our time!

Our tour in Lisbon was one of the most memorable days of our 2-week trip. Our guide, Kika, gave us the most immersive and enjoyable walkthrough of Portugal's history, entangled in colonization, trade, and global expansion. It gave us insight and context into how so many communities have enriched Lisbon, as we got to taste the cuisines and meet the people writing those stories. Kika gave us extra facts, tips, recommendations, and even bonus neighborhood stops as we walked, making sure to take us to the shady side of the street during the heat wave. She was a bank of knowledge. Our group of 7 people was the perfect size to feel intimate, create conversation, and get to know each other. Last but certainly not least, the food was excellent, diverse, and unexpected. We recommend you book this tour if you want to learn and get to know the real people and cultures who make Lisbon what it is, not any one dimensional notion from internet recommendations. You'll leave full, inspired, and more educated.

Lara was our guide. I already did a tour with your company, in Barceleona. So happy with that, I decided to do one in Lisbon. Such a big learning curve about food and history of this beautiful country.

I have taken food tours all over the United States and Europe, and what Kika delivered today was much more than a food tour. It was a history lesson, a walking conversation, and a feast disguised as a food tour. Kika is a former teacher, and it shows. Early in the tour she drew a simple map of the world on a sheet of paper and then continued adding notes, arrows, dates, places, and ideas throughout the day. It was a remarkably effective teaching strategy that tied together the complex story of Portugal and its former colonies. By the end of the tour, that piece of paper had become a visual record of everything we had learned. And yes, the food was outstanding. Every stop felt authentic rather than curated for tourists. We tasted Brazilian pastries, Cape Verdean cachupa, Goan specialties, piripiri chicken, and more. The portions were generous enough that I cannot imagine anyone leaving hungry. What impressed me most was that every dish came with a story. Nothing existed in isolation. A pastry led to a conversation about immigration. A bowl of cachupa became a lesson in history and identity. Even the condiments opened the door to discussions of trade, exploration, and cultural exchange. The food was delicious, but the context made it unforgettable. There were only five guests on our tour, which made the experience feel more like spending a day with an exceptionally knowledgeable friend than following a guide with a lollipop. This was our second tour with Culinary Backstreets, having previously taken one in Istanbul, and both experiences were exceptional. The company has a remarkable ability to use food as a window into the history, culture, and identity of a place. If you are looking for a food tour, this tour is excellent. If you are looking for a deeper understanding of Portugal, its history, its people, and the influence of its former colonies—all while eating extraordinarily well—this tour is exceptional.

I went with a friend on a two-week trip through Europe, and this tour was my favorite part of the whole thing. Our guide Kika, gave us so much history and knowledge throughout our tour. It was so personal that there were only the four of us on the tour. She also gave us so many recommendations for the remainder of our trip, and they were all amazing. Worth every penny. Cannot recommend it enough.

A fascinating, delicious and informative tour with a friendly guide. We ate amazing food, and gained a deeper insight into Portuguese history and culture. Highly recommended!

Be prepared for an epicurean if gluttonous food tour through multiple Portuguese-speaking cultures that have made the Arroios neighborhood their home. It will start deceptively small in portions but by the time it ends you will have eaten at least 3 delicious lunches, and expanded two belt slots. Our guide, Gisela, was wonderful, and clearly enjoys her job. I highly recommend the food tours offered by Culinary Backstreets- we previously did Lisbon at the Crossroads, which was also a fantastic experience!

This tour was the highlight of our trip. Our guide, Johnny, was extremely knowledgeable about food and Portuguese history. We went to several authentic restaurants where we sampled food from the various colonial countries. We met the restaurant owners, heard about their country and the connection to Portugal. The food was outstanding! Our guide also pointed out many interesting things in the neighborhoods that we visited. Great tour!!!

Outstanding tour of Lisbon focused on culinary delights in the diverse Portuguese neighborhood of Arroios. Joao/ ‘Johnny’ our guide was enthusiastic and incredibly informed about the culture and culinary history of Portuguese cuisine. Not only did we enjoy food at each stop, we met the owners and entrepreneurs that brought their food and traditions from their native countries. This is a must for foodies, history buffs, and citizens of the world!

We took the post-colonial feast tour with Kika in May, our third food tour with Culinary Backstreets. We love the company’s ethos and focus on lesser-known spots and community stories. This tour was no exception! We learned so much about Portugal’s colonial history and how it shapes Lisbon’s food scene and immigrant communities today. We tried so many unique foods that we never would have found on our own, and got to explore different neighborhoods away from the tourist crowds. Kika is so knowledgeable and passionate - we could have talked with and learned from her all day! She has clearly spent time building relationships with the shop and restaurant owners, and it was a highlight to interact with and hear directly from them, too. She also generously shared dining, sightseeing, and shopping recommendations for the rest of our stay. 10/10 recommend booking this tour - I promise it will be a highlight of your trip to Lisbon!

My wife and I absolutely loved the Culinary Backstreets, Lisbon tour. It was a highlight of our stay in Lisbon. Our tour guide, Kika, was fantastic. A true professional who shared so much with us about Portugal, Lisbon and its food. With this tour, we visited restaurants and ate food we otherwise would not have! In my opinion this tour is a must if you are visiting Lisbon.

This tour with our superb guide Ines was a wonderful way to learn the history of Portugal and the culinary links to the colonies and other countries. Ines explained things in a memorable manner and we enjoyed many wonderful restaurants, food and drink! The best way to spend a day!

My family spent much of a day exploring parts of Lisbon that the locals enjoy. Our guide, Francisca (Kika), began the tour with a lesson on how the spice trade drove Portuguese exploration of the world. Throughout the day Kika would talk about the impact of the spice trade on the foods we were eating and on the culture of Portugal. I came away from the tour with a greater appreciation of Portuguese contributions to the global community. This tour was definitely time well spent. Mark Rutledge Texas, USA

A fabulous introduction to Lisbon. A friendly and knowledgeable guide and lovely group of fellow travellers. My only complaint is that I ate (and drank) too much. The day nonetheless left me wanting to explore more with Culinary Backstreets on my next trip.

We love Culinary Backstreets for their in-depth knowledge of local foods and family run businesses, and this tour was no different. We learned about the foods and cultures of the many former colonies of Portugal and how they have integrated into the Lisbon food scene. Celia is a fantastic guide.

Our tour group of a couple from Los Angeles, two friends from Portland and Seattle in the United States and an Australian via London (5 in all plus our leader) enjoyed each other and the great tour that Joao took us on. We enjoyed glorious and hot weather as we ambled through the culture, history and food that Joao shared with us. Our group was friendly, Joao was engaging and easy to hear (which can be challenging on a tour) and it felt like being at camp for a day. I appreciated the care and sense of connection between our tour leader and the shop and restaurant owners we visited. For me, the tour was at the tail end of a wonderful trip to Portugal and it was really a highlight. I thought it was a great value and congratulate you on recruiting Joao as a tour guide. Obrigadao for a wonderful memory!

We had a post colonial food tour of Lisbon with Culinary Backstreets. It was our third tour with the company and like the others - it was wonderful. Our guide Joao was very knowledgeable and passionate about the history and the foods we were trying. We’ve been to Lisbon several times but relatively new to the international neighborhood we were exploring - it was absolutely fantastic. We now have deeper appreciation for the history and the culture of this fascinating area of Lisbon and Portugal in general. Special highlight was Sabores de Goa - absolutely amazing combination of flavors and incredible history too. I also want to commend Joao on being a wonderful host to a little guest on our tour - he definitely made the experience really fun for adults and kids. Thank you!!

We took a tour in Lisbon of the food from former Portuguese colonies ranging from Brazil to Cape Verde to Goa. Our guides were extraordinarily knowledgeable and provided real depth and breadth of information about the foods and the countries. But the star of the show was the food: cachupa, cheese bread, sugar cane juice, chicken peri-peri, pastel de nata (which is seeming mandatory in Lisbon) and much, much more. The guides chose the right places and obviously had great relationships with our hosts. The tour lasted for hours and we were left wanting more. Highly recommended for any foodies visiting Lisbon.

My husband and I had a remarkably fun, delicious and incredibly educational tour with Francisca. I would highly recommend it to anyone who’d like to learn more about Portuguese cuisine as well as history. We were blown away by Francisca’s passion and knowledge. We have been on three Culinary Backstreets tours and have only positive things to say about the two we have taken in Portugal. The Paris tour, unfortunately, was not up to par.

I really enjoyed the tour with Kika, who shared a lot about the historical contexts, local perspectives and her own charm with our small group. We sampled food at different spots and walked around parts of Lisbon I otherwise probably wouldn't have experienced that in-depth. Taking part as a solo traveller, I felt very comfortable with Kika as our host. The only thing that could still be improved in my opinion is updating the description of the tour (we didn't eat the Cape Verdean stew for example, which is quite prominently featured). All in all, I would definitely recommend this tour! I really appreciate the research and though that went into the conception and will for sure book other culinary backstreets tours in the future.

My family and I had a wonderful experience on our tour with Kika. She was incredibly warm and friendly, disarming all of us from the beginning. It ended up being a tour only for our family of five - my husband and I and our three children age 17,13, and 11. She was incredibly knowledgeable about the history of the expansion and growth of Lisbon. My children were all engaged through the entire tour. We stopped at a number of places we would have NEVER thought to have experienced and enjoyed the new flavors of each. The Brazilian market, Brazilian lunch, Goan lunch and traditional Portuguese lunch followed by gelato. We all learned so much about the rich history, were comfortable with and enjoyed Kika’s company, and enjoyed all of the delicious food. Her recommendations of other local restaurants and places to visit was also appreciated. We would recommend this experience to anyone.

The tour was incredibly informational and delicious! Kika was an amazing guide. Worth every penny.

Kika was an amazing guide! She was knowledgable and friendly. We enjoyed all the food and the history behind it all. We even left with recommendations for local restaurants and stores. We would definitely book with her again.

We had the most amazing family day with Francisca, it was the most amazing food and restaurants - each delicious but so different from each other. A lot of interesting history and new culture's explained so well. Francisca is so lovely and enjoy what she does that we really made a new friend in Lisbon. Such lovely memories that we will cherish forever.

We had an incredible experience on the Lisbon’s Post-Colonial Feast tour, and it ended up being one of the most memorable parts of our trip. Kika did a fantastic job weaving together food, history, and culture in a way that felt thoughtful and deeply engaging rather than touristy. Exploring how Lisbon’s cuisine has been shaped by its post-colonial connections — especially through Brazilian and Goan influences — gave us a completely new perspective on the city and its food scene. Each stop felt intentional and authentic, with flavors and stories we never would have discovered on our own. The pacing was perfect, the walking was enjoyable, and the conversation made the experience feel personal and relaxed. Kika’s passion and knowledge truly shine, and the extra recommendations and photos she shared afterward were such a nice touch. If you’re interested in understanding Lisbon through its food and global influences, this tour is an absolute must.

We loved our food tour with Kika. We learned about the history of Portugal, city of Lisbon and everything we ate was delicious. It was truly a perfect day and it will continue as Kika gave us recs that we can't wait to try. We are big fans of Culinary Backstreet Tours and this tour only confirmed it. Thank you so much.

This is such a well-designed tour, visiting ethnic eateries from many of Portugal’s former colonies, and tied together with the necessary historical context. Our guide was outstanding, fun, and full of energy. I even went back to a couple of the spots in the days following my tour because the food was so good. A fantastic intro to Lisbon and Portugal in general.

We throughly enjoyed our food tour, and found Kika to be a wonderful tour guide. She was punctual, friendly, extremely knowledgeable, and shared much information with us that went beyond just the food on the tour. We learned the context of the food, the history of Portugal and its colonies, and gained knowledge that we could use for the rest of our trip regarding wines and food. Kika was kind enough to share recommendations on everything from Fado, restaurants to try and really helped us get out of the touristy areas! Thank you!

Kika was an excellent guide to the history of portugal and how this has shaped the food and culture of the country. We had a great time and enjoyed some excellent food!

Nothing short of amazing! We had a private tour with Kika our second day in Lisbon covering the colonial and revolutionary past of Portugal and how the people impacted influence the cultures and cuisine you find in Lisbon today. The different dishes from Cape Verde, Brazil, West Africa and Goa were delicious and the servings are plentiful. Kika’s knowledge and passion was on display and it was fascinating to say the least to learn so much about Portugal. I recommend everyone who visits for any amount of time take the tour the first day if possible to learn about what you will be experiencing the rest of your stay in beautiful Lisbon! Thanks again Kika.

We had a great time. This is our third CB tour and I just to say you hire wonderful tour leaders. We look forward to visiting with you in other cities.

We just went on the Lisbon Post-Colonial Feast food tour by Culinary Backstreets. Our guide was Francisca Menano (Kika), who was extremely personable and did a great job laying out Portugal’s long history, highlighting former colonies Brazil, Cape Verde, and Goa. The food and drink choices were excellent. As we enjoyed the food, Kika tied each dish to the culture. She also related the background of the chef/owner and their personal history. Our interaction with the market/restaurant owners made the food experiences all the more meaningful.

After 8 CBStreet tours in 7 cities and 3 continents, this was the best! A combo of history of the colonial ingredients woven into a neighborhood tasting tour by a teacher, historian, cartographer, foodie, and fun lady. Portugal is the only country in Europe to use HOT peppers - Brazil, India, and Indonesian all piped in to spice up the menu, so ... take care with the hot sauce!

We had an amazing day with Kika. She was kind, friendly, and very knowledgable about food, history and the local scene. She did an excellent job of seeing to it that we got a glimpse of local life in Lisbon. She also, in person and by email after, gave us many tips about whwre to eat and how to navigate a holiday in Portugal. It was one of the best days I've spent on any vacation, and I feel that Culinary Crossroads is lucky to have Kika as an employee and enthusiastic ambassador for the beautiful city of Lisboa.

We had a great guide and tour exploring Portuguese cuisine and culture with a focus on the influences the far flung diverse colonies of Portugal have had on food and drink! No touristy restaurants but only locally owned businesses and enjoyed by the locals! Our guide Joao (“Johnny”) was enthusiastic and knowledgeable. Always with a smile! Obvious he loves what he does! Small group so we had plenty of individual attention as well as plenty of food! Big fan of Culinary Backstreets and their detail oriented tour! Nicely curated! Loved it!

The Post Colonial Food Tour in Lisbon is probably the best food tour we’ve ever been on (and we’ve been on a whole lot). We got to experience a more Portuguese-centered tour in Porto, so this tour gave us a chance to experience something else entirely. With delicious foods from Brazil, Cabo Verde, Goa, and more, we got to experience so many amazing flavors. And these restaurants are off the beaten path of the usual tourist stops, so you get to taste a side of Lisbon you may not normally encounter. Not to mention how great our guide, Joao/Johnny was! He is exceptionally friendly, but also the provided such a fascinating perspective on the colonial history of Lisbon. Overall he treated us like family, as did the proprietors of every restaurant we went to. We wholeheartedly recommend this tour, and will always be looking at Culinary Backstreets first for our future food tours!

An amazing experience! Wonderful and diverse selections of food. Our guide, João, was exceptional, personable with an extensive knowledge of the foods we sampled and the histories associated with them.

Our tour guide Ines was the highlight of the tour. She was so rich with knowledge of history, culture, and ethics. She made everything we ate an experience stimulating our minds and our tastebuds. We tried so many foods that we would have never thought to try here in Portugal. A good mix of appetizers, meals, and desserts. We left feeling extremely full and with a lot to talk about for days to come. She helped open our eyes to unique flavors and ideas centering around the local and worldly gastronomy and how Portugal has influenced/been influenced by so many different countries. The tour provided exactly what it promised: a look into the cultures and foods that helped form Portugal’s diverse hybrid cuisine.

Our Culinary Backstreets tour, with Kika, was outstanding! It was a lovely way to be introduced to Lisbon. We visited unique places, ate delicious dishes, and most importantly, gained a richer understanding of Lisbon’s history and culture. I’d recommend this experience to anyone.

Great tour guide with amazing food at every stop! The detailed history at each of the tour stops was also very interesting and welcome :)

Probably the best experience I had on my trip to Lisbon! Inez is wonderful, and all the food was delicious. Highly recommend, and I can’t wait to look at other culinary backstreets tours around the world.

This was an incredible tour. I thought it would be nice, but it exceeded our expectations. The history provided by Kika, our guide, was so helpful to understanding the neighborhoods and food. I would recommend the store in a heartbeat!

Our tour guide, Kika made this food tour a one of a kind experience! She was so knowledgeable about not only the delicious food but also the surrounding architecture, the history of LisbonPortugal and the paths of immigration. We had the opportunity to try foods we never would have thought to & visit different neighborhoods. Kika also went above & beyond by providing us recommendations for the rest of our time in Lisbon and our trip to Porto - and every one was amazing! Highly recommend doing this tour at the beginning of your trip to ground yourself and have great recs for the rest of your stay!