Mercado Do Camões — Supermarket in Chiado, Lisbon

Mercado Do Camões is an independent supermarket on Rua da Misericórdia, in the middle of Chiado, and the first thing you notice is how much is fitted into a small floor. The aisles are narrow and the shelves run high, but the stock is organised so you can find what you came for without circling.

The drinks are where this shop earns a detour. The fridges hold cold beer and wine, and the wine shelf is where the staff come in: ask and someone will talk you through a bottle, in English if you need it. Buzzballz, the pre-mixed drinks, sit here too, and they are not something you stumble on elsewhere in the area. There are unusual spirits as well, and a bottle of Grey Goose has turned up on the shelf.

For the basket rather than the bottle, the fresh strawberries are worth picking up, and the piri-piri has a following among people who cook with it. Instant ramen is stocked in the brands you might actually be looking for, and at a price that does not sting. Snacks and chilled soft drinks round out the quick-shop side of things.

A 1.5L bottle of water at €2.50 and single ice creams sold out of a multi-pack at €2.00 each are the kind of numbers you notice, and the small size of the shop means the variety is not endless. Come for a specific bottle, a punnet of strawberries or a late snack, not for a full weekly shop.

The people behind the counter are the other reason to stop: cheerful, quick, and happy to point you toward a local recommendation along with your wine. It is the sort of place you end up passing three or four times a week once you know it is there.