A Mercearia do Pai Júlio — Mercearia in Chiado, Lisbon

A Mercearia do Pai Júlio is an independent mercearia on Rua do Diário de Notícias in Chiado, and the first thing you notice is that the grocery and the eating place are the same room: tins, wines and traditional products on the shelves, tables where you sit down among them.

The order to start with is the sardines, grilled and served hot. The chorizo comes to the table and is cooked in alcohol in front of you, and it is the second thing you should ask for. Sandwiches cover lunch and breakfast, with the tuna one named specifically, and the cured meats and cheese plates are homemade and built for sharing over wine or beer.

Mornings work too: coffee and pastries, and the pastries hold their own against what you find elsewhere in Lisbon. Fado plays in the background, the room is clean and decorated with the products themselves, and the owners and staff are welcoming and will explain the options and adjust a plate to your liking.

Prices sit at local levels, and a few items come to €5–15. The house white is worth ordering and the Portuguese wine selection is worth taking away, as are the tins of fish, which are a quality product to carry home. Come with a friend or alone and try as much as you can.

What you will meet alongside all this is simply that the place is very small, so a table is not guaranteed at the busiest moment. It suits anyone who wants a plate of sardines and a glass of wine between shops rather than a full restaurant meal.