Private Lisbon Market Tour & Portuguese Cooking Class With Paula

We had a truly enjoyable day at the market and cooking with Paula. We learned so much about the culture, various cooking techniques, and we were able to have a glimpse into the life of a kind, hardworking, Portuguese woman.

If you are looking for an authentic and delicious taste of Portugal, look no further. Joining Paula for a local market tour and cooking class was easily one of the best parts of our trip. ​Our experience started at the market, where Paula walked us through the local stalls, showing us fresh seasonal ingredients, fresh seafood, and traditional produce while sharing fascinating insights into local food culture. ​Back in the kitchen, the cooking portion was an absolute blast. Paula is a warm, engaging, and knowledgeable guide who made every step of the process enjoyable and easy to follow. We had so much fun preparing the dishes together and learning authentic techniques that we can’t wait to recreate at home. ​And of course, the best part was eating our delicious meal together! Every dish was incredible, fresh, and packed with traditional flavor. If you want great food, fantastic conversation, and a hands-on cultural experience, do not hesitate to book with Paula. ​Highly recommended!

Paula made our day special with lots of attention to detail and her bubbly personality! Was a really fun day. Thanks Paula!

Paula is such a kind person. She was a wonderful guide through the market and local stores. Paula was very accommodating with any food likes and dislikes. She was very welcoming into her home and taught us how to prepare a traditional Portuguese meal. She was patient and kind as she taught us how to prepare and cook the meal. We highly recommend this experience.

We had great food and great conversation. It was a fun night. Thanks Paula!!

Cooking with Paula is learning from your friend that has been hiding recipes from you. So much to learn from her. We never met this woman, but somehow we connected on so many different subjects and life in general. She has taught us a lot and also smarter ways to do things in the kitchen. She made cooking enjoyable. Less of a task and more of an enjoyment with the family. We brought our son with us and she was so kind that even our 9 month old bonded with her. Thank you so much for everything you have taught us. I can't wait to return home and introduce these new recipes to our friends and family. -Best regards The Hornbeak-Bokos.

Loved our cooking class with Paula! She showed us around her town and the market which was so special! She is lovely and so fun!

Paula is the BEST! Wonderful chef, teacher, and friend! She was very accommodating of my vegetarian diet. She showed us around her village and the market with great care and love. This was so special. My mom and I had a lovely time!

Paula met us promptly and off we went to the market. Back at her home we began the lesson and cooking. She is very "hands on" for us - just advisory. The menu was well planned and the food was excellent, if I do say so myself :) It was just the two of us and Paula - very comfortable. Highly recommend!

I really enjoyed my day with Paula, seeing the streets of Almada (specifically Cacilhas) and spending time cooking local dishes. It was great to learn about the history of the town and its evolution over the years she has lived there. Visiting a local food market, supermarket and butcher was a great way to become familiar with the ingredients for the dishes made and experience the place like a local! The day was filled with good conversation, useful kitchen hacks and flavoursome dishes. I cannot thank Paula enough for her hospitality and look forward to testing the dishes and using the tricks she taught me back home!

Paula was a very good cook with many valuable cooking tips.

Very good experience sinve you you coo to the market and buy all you need. Then Paula teached us how yo prepare clams with garlic, caldeirada de dog fish and the famous torta de nata. Shecis very patient and an excellent teacher. Highly recommend this experience.

Paula’s cooking class is not your typical tourist experience. She welcomed us into her home like family and made everything feel personal from the start, reaching out beforehand to tailor the menu to our preferences. We cooked a gorgeous spread together: a Goan clam dish, a classic Portuguese pork recipe, and a traditional dessert. Along the way, Paula shared personal stories, cultural context, and kitchen secrets that go far beyond any recipe. Her warmth, knowledge, and passion for Portuguese food are truly unmatched. This was one of the best things we did in Lisbon. Book it without hesitation.

Fantastic experience! Paula is a wonderful host and a staple of her community, as evidenced throughout our walk to her apartment where she seemingly knew everyone. She is a very good teacher and the cooking tips she taught us were very useful. The food was delicious, too, and it was awesome to learn more about Goan food and culture. Overall, we had a very memorable and personal experience, and would recommend to anyone looking to have an authentic cooking class

The trip is amazing all the tours and the guys were fantastic. Our travel coordinator did a great job. The food and wine samples and the people we met were all super kind and everything was delicious.

We had a great experience with Paula! She worked with us ahead of time to find dishes within some restrictions and that would please the kids. Everyone enjoying walking around and learning to prep the different foods. We are looking forward to recreating some of the dishes at home. Thank you!

Paula was amazing! She was very knowledgeable and answered our many questions throughout the experience. She took us through the market and explained the differences in the local fish selection and the times of the year they are the best to eat. She even got us some local fruits to try while we were there. After a short walk to her home, we were treated to a lovely lemonade as we prepped the meal. Paula was great at explaining and teaching us how to prepare each dish, offering little tips and tricks along the way. Everything she taught us how to make was phenomenal! We drank a delicious wine she had selected as we ate and got to know each other. After our meal we got coffee at a local cafe and walked around the town. She shows us many excellent view points while explaining tidbits of history of the area. Paula was incredibly engaging and very knowledgeable in a manner of subjects. The experience was everything we wanted and more. I would recommend this experience to everyone!

My husband and I had an amazing cooking experience with Paula - we learned some new cooking prep techniques, made some delicious Goan food, as well as a fabulous dessert. Paula was a wonderful host and teacher. We would definitely recommend a cooking class with Paula to anyone who visits the Lisbon area. This was one of the highlights of our trip to Portugal!

Wonderful local experience with Paula! Paula met us at the ferry and took us to her home where we cooked a delicious Portuguese meal. We love cooking classes when we travel and dinner with Paula was fun, entertaining, educational and delicious! Paula walked us through the local streets on the way back where all the neighborhood people were gathered having a great time together. It was a unique experience that we will fondly remember.

This class was one of the highlights of our time in Lisbon. Paula has streamlined the recipes to make them approachable and reproducible at home without compromising the flavor and authenticity of each dish. Touring the market with Paula was like having a local celebrity as your guide, it seemed like literally everyone knew and liked her. The whole experience was great and we would recommend it!

Absolutely incredible afternoon touring the markets and cooking some beautiful recipes. Paula is very friendly, fun, extremely knowlegable and a great host. The food was amazing. Thank you Paula!!!

Paula was wonderful. Great communication and clear directions to arrive on the ferry where she met us at a nice coffee shop. We went to the local market and then back to her quaint apartment and had the most wonderful afternoon chatting and getting to know her. Yes, the food was delicious, but she was also very generous, sharing her culture and history. It was a lovely snapshot into the Portuguese daily lifestyle, which is Americans frankly we’re quite envious of. They would highly recommend this. Even after our tour, she would continue to communicate with us by WhatsApp when we had questions about Lisbon or needed recommendations.

We really enjoyed our time with Paula. She has a gift for bringing people together. Everyone in her neighborhood stopped to say hello as we walked through Almada. We stopped by the butcher for ingredients and the market too. Paula shared wonderful stories about growing up in Mozambique and Lisbon. Though this experience was transactional, cooking at her house felt more like learning cherished recipes from a family member. Paula was very patient with my two children and they were proud of their contributions to the delicious meal we all shared together. Obrigada Paula!

Paula is a lovely considerate creative and affable lady. She communicated well ensuring we’d find each other after taking the ferry to Almada which was a bonus to my trip to Lisbon! She asked ahead of time the types of dishes I would be interested in helping to make. She not only taught me some traditional Portuguese recipes but along the way helped me improve my cooking skills! Afterwards we had a leisurely lunch of the dishes we worked on together discussing many topics with some tasty local regional wine.

The cooking class with Paula was fantastic! She gave us lots of tips that will definitely make cooking at home easier. The dishes were delicious and easy to recreate! Thank you for Paula's hospitality; we felt right at home! Thank you for the wonderful lunch!

The walk was described as a 10 minute leisurely walk from the ferry to the Market to Paula‘s house. We arrived at the ferry port at 9:45 and did not arrive at Paula‘s house until 1115. We had a small child with us but even so this was not a 10 minute walk. La Paulo was very kind the apartment was cramped and not as clean as I would’ve liked it to be for a private Cooking Class.

We had a wonderful day cooking & chatting with Paula! We will definitely be telling our friends to book with her when they're in Portugal.

Cooking with Paula was a wonderful experience, felt like cooking with a friend. Learnt new cooking method and ideas with fish. Was able to check out local market as well.

Thank you Paula for providing us with a few hours of delicious food and entertainment. We would suggest this experience to anyone!

Wonderful experience! It's not just great food. It's not just the great techniques and tips Paula taught. It's the entire experience. Paula made us feel right at home. We felt so comfortable learning new ways to do things. She is so kind, and the dishes were very tasty. This was definitely our best experience in Lisbon. It really made our trip! Thank you, Paula!

This was great - you need to do this!! Paula met us at the ferry and then we went to the market and stores to pick up our food and then went back to her apartment to cook. She was so good with the kids and made sure we were all included. The food turned out amazing and even my kids ate! Hearing her story was so great and we loved it !

The class was an enjoyable cultural experience. However, the host’s kitchen was cluttered and noticeably unclean, which made it difficult for our group of four to feel comfortable and stay focused on cooking. We’ve taken many cooking classes during our travels and appreciate the charm of small, authentic spaces but they always maintained the basic standard of cleanliness - essential in a cooking class. This one unfortunately fell short in that regard. Despite that, we focused on making the most of the class and learned traditional recipes, especially the dessert, Farófias, which was fun to make.

Our first day in Portugal was spent taking Paula’s class and was a great way to start out our adventure. Paula was there waiting for us and took us through her neighborhood, to the local meat market, and the fresh vegetable market, telling us history and customs along the way. We went back to her apartment to cook and had a sit down lunch with her. We learned a lot, not only about the food, but also about the local people. How many tourists can say they not only tried Pastel de Nata, but learned to make it?! Paula was very welcoming and went above and beyond to help us navigate this awesome country and culture!

A wonderful cooking class! Paula is very down to earth and easy to talk to, whether about food, Lisbon, or her life. She was very organised with contacting me about food preferences and the meetup location, and always very responsive on WhatsApp. Cooking at her place felt cosy and like we were really getting to know a more local experience. The food was delicious as well, and we're definitely going to cook the recipes for years to come!

Had a lovely day with Paulinha at the Almada Municipal Market and then cooking and eating at her home. Wonderful experience.

Paula is a talented teacher who is a skilled cook. She taught us many ways to make food preparation easier and when all was ready to be served, the meal was fantastic. We thoroughly enjoyed our time with her and highly recommend this class to all food lovers.

Paula not only made our Lisbon trip better, but also gave us many tips on cooking traditional dishes and showed us more about the culture. Thank you for spending the day with us. Best greetings from Switzerland.

We thought we had signed up for a cooking class instead we went through an amazing cultural experience. It all started with choosing the menu to actually prepping and mixing the ingredients. This was a hands on class. Throughout the class Pauhla shared anecdotes from the Portuguese culture, and cooking tips that will come in handy in the future. We are grateful that Pauhla open her home to us for this great portugese cooking experience.

Paulinha was a pleasure to meet and have her teach us the beauty of the Portuguese culture; through taste and smell. She was flexible in adapting our menu to our likes and needs communicating before the trip. Upon arrival and meeting Paula; her warmth and hospitality made us feel right at home. Great cooking experience and recipes that are easy to reproduce at home. Definitely recommend!

Cooking with Paula was an absolute joy! She welcomed us into her home with incredible warmth and hospitality. We learned to prepare clams, a hearty seafood stew, and the most delightful dessert, farófias — a dish completely new to us! Paula also shared snippets of her life in Portugal and handy kitchen tips that we’ll carry with us. The dinner was delicious, and overall it was such a special way to connect with Portuguese culture. Highly recommend this experience to anyone visiting Lisbon!

We enjoyed our ferry ride to the other side of the River and a chance to get a different “Lisbon “ experience. Our shopping, cooking and dining experience with Paula was very special. She has a great sense of community and knows everyone in the area. We were so pleased to have the chance to be in someone’s home and share experiences. The food was delicious - we prepared (under her supervision) sukkem clams, chicken curry and cashew halwa. It was a delightful and delicious way to spend the day. Thank you Paula!

WOW... if you are a foodie there is one thing you have to do while in Lisbon, it's take a cooking class with Paula. The class is customized to your tastes and Paula spends the day sharing stories, educating you on history of Portugal, and getting to know you. It's casual and informative at the same time. Paula is the kind of person you meet once and stay connected with your entire life. After the class, we got gelato and she showed me around her town. It was the perfect day and I learned so much about Alfadama as well as Portuguese and Goan cooking styles. I cannot recommend this experience enough! Paula is a star and I can't wait to see what she does next.

Paula was simply amazing, extremely knowledgeable, patient, and great conversationalist. We learnt so much about not just Portuguese cuisine but also Portuguese culture and history. The trip to the market was very fun and Paula was willing to accommodate our requests to try a few unique ingredients which we had never seen before. The cooking session was also very easy to follow and Paula taught us many cooking skills that we could take away. All in all a great experience and would recommend anyone interested in Portuguese culture/cuisine or cooking to sign up!

10/10 recommend, she was so informative about every process and was so patient with us, made us feel at home so quickly. You can definitely tell she has a passion for what she does, she was the sweetest, funniest, kindest person we have met. She makes sure to customize the meals to your preference and is guaranteed to create a yummy meal with you. I couldn’t tell what was more amazing, the cooking or the food shopping, as we shopped for ingredients Paula explained every item she picked out and why she picked that specific ingredient. If you want to experience a true Portuguese dish and culture as me and my partner so badly wanted, we got that and more. 10/10

Paula was a wonderful host! Her communication even before we arrived in Portugal was amazing. Her knowledge and cooking expertise was so appreciated and absolutely delicious (especially dessert)!! It was a fun, personal experience right in her home. Lovely guide who went above and beyond to ensure that we enjoyed ourselves from start to finish! We most certainly did. Definitely a day that we will never forget xo

What a joy to be in our host’s home for a wonderful Goan meal which, under Paulina’s guidance, we prepared. Paulina made it an adventure as she met us at the ferry, had tickets for a tram to the market to buy fresh fish and vegetables, then on to another market so that we could purchase spices. All along the way we smiled as she greeted many friends. The whole experience was one of warmth, friendship and delicious food.

Paula was fabulous!! This was more than just a cooking class. We are seasoned cooks yet we learned so much from Paula. We learned whisking techniques, working with puff pastries and identifying bad clams. Paula was very knowledgeable of the area. Very fun and kind. We really enjoyed our day.

Paula is a very nice person and was a great host. It was nice visiting the local market. The menu was very delicious and for sure we will try to cock it again back at home. I am not sure we will be able to get stingray as an ingredient, though. But we will find a substitute. We also learned some interesting details to improve our cocking in general. So all in all we are very happy with the experience highly recommend Paula as a host.

Our cooking class with Paula was the highlight of our family trip to Portugal! Our family of 5 adults loved walking through the market with Paula, where we saw so many varieties of fresh fish and met the King of Fruit. In the kitchen, Paula does a great of explaining each part of the cooking process, sharing her own tips and cultural insights. Together we cooked clams, fish stew and pastel de nata and had a fun meal eating it all together! Paula was so friendly and fun to be with! I also appreciate that she contacted me before our trip to ask what we wanted to cook, so we could customize the meal.