You get four meals in Lisbon

Meal one: graze, don't commit

The old Ribeira market hall is half produce market, half curated food court, and the mistake is treating the second half like a restaurant. Sit down with one plate and you have spent a meal on one counter's opinion. Take three small things from three counters instead.

Meal two: the tart argument

Every pastelaria in Portugal sells a custard tart. One shop in Belém sells a pastel de Belém, which is a protected name and a recipe held since 1837. Yes, there is a queue; the pavement queue is takeaway and the room inside moves faster.

Meal three: cross the water

The ferry to the south bank is public transport, costs almost nothing, and lands you on a working waterfront lined with fish restaurants looking back at the entire city. Go at dusk. Eat whatever was landed that morning. Come back in the dark, on the top deck, outside.

Meal four: leave it open

Keep one unbooked. Walk uphill out of Cais do Sodré, past the pink street while it is still quiet, and eat at whichever small room has locals in it and no menu in four languages. This is the meal you will describe when someone asks about the trip.

• —Lunch is the cheap meal here. The same kitchen often costs noticeably less before five.
• —A coffee standing at the counter is cheaper than the same coffee sitting down.
• —Cash still helps in the small pastelarias, even though cards work almost everywhere.