A trailer on a motorway verge wouldn’t normally feature among recommendations for a meal out in Lisbon, but if you’re in town for a Benfica game, check out the choices on offer on Rua João de Freitas Branco for a taste of football Portuguese-style.
Right beside the Alto dos Moinhos metro station, with trains rattling by below as cars hurtle past, you’ll find a row of food stands stretching to the horizon.
Just a short walk from the Estádio da Luz, this is where fans gather ahead of the game to talk tactics and second-guess team selections. My top picks are O Manelito and Mega Bar, but each stand offers a variety of Portuguese beer – ask for an imperial – and its perfect partner, the classic bifana pork sandwich. We keep it simple: grilled pork in a bun. Nothing fancy, but there’s nothing better in the build-up to a match.
The cured ham and cheese sandwich – sande de presunto com queijo da serra – is another great option. Soft sourdough, serrano ham and a hearty, gooey sheep’s cheese from the Serra da Estrela mountain (mainland Portugal’s highest peak) come together to create the final boss of the classic sandwich.
If it’s a more upmarket, less roadside experience you’re after, try Adega da Tia Matilde (Rua da Beneficência 77), an old-school restaurant with a cult Benfica following – not least since it was known to be Eusébio’s favourite haunt. Should you fancy eating like ‘the King’ himself, then order Eusébio’s own personal choice: the Tia Matilde steak with a side of tiger prawns.
But for the full pre-match experience, you can’t beat Alto dos Moinhos. Benfica fans don’t just come here for the food and drink – this is where the atmosphere starts building up to three hours before kick-off. Arrive early to join the ritual of saluting the Benfica team bus as it passes by on its way to the stadium. Then do as the locals do, and grab a beer and bifana and head to the game.
A trailer on a motorway verge wouldn’t normally feature among recommendations for a meal out in Lisbon, but if you’re in town for a Benfica game, check out the choices on offer on Rua João de Freitas Branco for a taste of football Portuguese-style.
Right beside the Alto dos Moinhos metro station, with trains rattling by below as cars hurtle past, you’ll find a row of food stands stretching to the horizon.
Just a short walk from the Estádio da Luz, this is where fans gather ahead of the game to talk tactics and second-guess team selections. My top picks are O Manelito and Mega Bar, but each stand offers a variety of Portuguese beer – ask for an imperial – and its perfect partner, the classic bifana pork sandwich. We keep it simple: grilled pork in a bun. Nothing fancy, but there’s nothing better in the build-up to a match.
The cured ham and cheese sandwich – sande de presunto com queijo da serra – is another great option. Soft sourdough, serrano ham and a hearty, gooey sheep’s cheese from the Serra da Estrela mountain (mainland Portugal’s highest peak) come together to create the final boss of the classic sandwich.
If it’s a more upmarket, less roadside experience you’re after, try Adega da Tia Matilde (Rua da Beneficência 77), an old-school restaurant with a cult Benfica following – not least since it was known to be Eusébio’s favourite haunt. Should you fancy eating like ‘the King’ himself, then order Eusébio’s own personal choice: the Tia Matilde steak with a side of tiger prawns.
But for the full pre-match experience, you can’t beat Alto dos Moinhos. Benfica fans don’t just come here for the food and drink – this is where the atmosphere starts building up to three hours before kick-off. Arrive early to join the ritual of saluting the Benfica team bus as it passes by on its way to the stadium. Then do as the locals do, and grab a beer and bifana and head to the game.
A trailer on a motorway verge wouldn’t normally feature among recommendations for a meal out in Lisbon, but if you’re in town for a Benfica game, check out the choices on offer on Rua João de Freitas Branco for a taste of football Portuguese-style.
Right beside the Alto dos Moinhos metro station, with trains rattling by below as cars hurtle past, you’ll find a row of food stands stretching to the horizon.
Just a short walk from the Estádio da Luz, this is where fans gather ahead of the game to talk tactics and second-guess team selections. My top picks are O Manelito and Mega Bar, but each stand offers a variety of Portuguese beer – ask for an imperial – and its perfect partner, the classic bifana pork sandwich. We keep it simple: grilled pork in a bun. Nothing fancy, but there’s nothing better in the build-up to a match.
The cured ham and cheese sandwich – sande de presunto com queijo da serra – is another great option. Soft sourdough, serrano ham and a hearty, gooey sheep’s cheese from the Serra da Estrela mountain (mainland Portugal’s highest peak) come together to create the final boss of the classic sandwich.
If it’s a more upmarket, less roadside experience you’re after, try Adega da Tia Matilde (Rua da Beneficência 77), an old-school restaurant with a cult Benfica following – not least since it was known to be Eusébio’s favourite haunt. Should you fancy eating like ‘the King’ himself, then order Eusébio’s own personal choice: the Tia Matilde steak with a side of tiger prawns.
But for the full pre-match experience, you can’t beat Alto dos Moinhos. Benfica fans don’t just come here for the food and drink – this is where the atmosphere starts building up to three hours before kick-off. Arrive early to join the ritual of saluting the Benfica team bus as it passes by on its way to the stadium. Then do as the locals do, and grab a beer and bifana and head to the game.
A trailer on a motorway verge wouldn’t normally feature among recommendations for a meal out in Lisbon, but if you’re in town for a Benfica game, check out the choices on offer on Rua João de Freitas Branco for a taste of football Portuguese-style.
Right beside the Alto dos Moinhos metro station, with trains rattling by below as cars hurtle past, you’ll find a row of food stands stretching to the horizon.
Just a short walk from the Estádio da Luz, this is where fans gather ahead of the game to talk tactics and second-guess team selections. My top picks are O Manelito and Mega Bar, but each stand offers a variety of Portuguese beer – ask for an imperial – and its perfect partner, the classic bifana pork sandwich. We keep it simple: grilled pork in a bun. Nothing fancy, but there’s nothing better in the build-up to a match.
The cured ham and cheese sandwich – sande de presunto com queijo da serra – is another great option. Soft sourdough, serrano ham and a hearty, gooey sheep’s cheese from the Serra da Estrela mountain (mainland Portugal’s highest peak) come together to create the final boss of the classic sandwich.
If it’s a more upmarket, less roadside experience you’re after, try Adega da Tia Matilde (Rua da Beneficência 77), an old-school restaurant with a cult Benfica following – not least since it was known to be Eusébio’s favourite haunt. Should you fancy eating like ‘the King’ himself, then order Eusébio’s own personal choice: the Tia Matilde steak with a side of tiger prawns.
But for the full pre-match experience, you can’t beat Alto dos Moinhos. Benfica fans don’t just come here for the food and drink – this is where the atmosphere starts building up to three hours before kick-off. Arrive early to join the ritual of saluting the Benfica team bus as it passes by on its way to the stadium. Then do as the locals do, and grab a beer and bifana and head to the game.
A trailer on a motorway verge wouldn’t normally feature among recommendations for a meal out in Lisbon, but if you’re in town for a Benfica game, check out the choices on offer on Rua João de Freitas Branco for a taste of football Portuguese-style.
Right beside the Alto dos Moinhos metro station, with trains rattling by below as cars hurtle past, you’ll find a row of food stands stretching to the horizon.
Just a short walk from the Estádio da Luz, this is where fans gather ahead of the game to talk tactics and second-guess team selections. My top picks are O Manelito and Mega Bar, but each stand offers a variety of Portuguese beer – ask for an imperial – and its perfect partner, the classic bifana pork sandwich. We keep it simple: grilled pork in a bun. Nothing fancy, but there’s nothing better in the build-up to a match.
The cured ham and cheese sandwich – sande de presunto com queijo da serra – is another great option. Soft sourdough, serrano ham and a hearty, gooey sheep’s cheese from the Serra da Estrela mountain (mainland Portugal’s highest peak) come together to create the final boss of the classic sandwich.
If it’s a more upmarket, less roadside experience you’re after, try Adega da Tia Matilde (Rua da Beneficência 77), an old-school restaurant with a cult Benfica following – not least since it was known to be Eusébio’s favourite haunt. Should you fancy eating like ‘the King’ himself, then order Eusébio’s own personal choice: the Tia Matilde steak with a side of tiger prawns.
But for the full pre-match experience, you can’t beat Alto dos Moinhos. Benfica fans don’t just come here for the food and drink – this is where the atmosphere starts building up to three hours before kick-off. Arrive early to join the ritual of saluting the Benfica team bus as it passes by on its way to the stadium. Then do as the locals do, and grab a beer and bifana and head to the game.
A trailer on a motorway verge wouldn’t normally feature among recommendations for a meal out in Lisbon, but if you’re in town for a Benfica game, check out the choices on offer on Rua João de Freitas Branco for a taste of football Portuguese-style.
Right beside the Alto dos Moinhos metro station, with trains rattling by below as cars hurtle past, you’ll find a row of food stands stretching to the horizon.
Just a short walk from the Estádio da Luz, this is where fans gather ahead of the game to talk tactics and second-guess team selections. My top picks are O Manelito and Mega Bar, but each stand offers a variety of Portuguese beer – ask for an imperial – and its perfect partner, the classic bifana pork sandwich. We keep it simple: grilled pork in a bun. Nothing fancy, but there’s nothing better in the build-up to a match.
The cured ham and cheese sandwich – sande de presunto com queijo da serra – is another great option. Soft sourdough, serrano ham and a hearty, gooey sheep’s cheese from the Serra da Estrela mountain (mainland Portugal’s highest peak) come together to create the final boss of the classic sandwich.
If it’s a more upmarket, less roadside experience you’re after, try Adega da Tia Matilde (Rua da Beneficência 77), an old-school restaurant with a cult Benfica following – not least since it was known to be Eusébio’s favourite haunt. Should you fancy eating like ‘the King’ himself, then order Eusébio’s own personal choice: the Tia Matilde steak with a side of tiger prawns.
But for the full pre-match experience, you can’t beat Alto dos Moinhos. Benfica fans don’t just come here for the food and drink – this is where the atmosphere starts building up to three hours before kick-off. Arrive early to join the ritual of saluting the Benfica team bus as it passes by on its way to the stadium. Then do as the locals do, and grab a beer and bifana and head to the game.
