In Portugal, restaurants open for lunch starting at 12:00 p.m. or 12:30 p.m. but don't usually fill up until around 1:00 p.m. Dinner is most commonly taken at 9:00 p.m. or 9:30 p.m., but restaurants do open as early as 7:00 p.m.
#9 Bedtime
Even small kids go to bed the earliest around 9 PM because Portuguese usually have dinner around 8 PM or later. In Poland, bedtime is around 7–8 PM. People there start work at 8 AM and breakfast is a substantial meal so usually they get up around 6.30 AM.
Standard hours in Portugal
Monday to Friday, typically 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., with a one-hour lunch break, or 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. with a two-hour lunch break.
The most important meal of the day in Portugal is lunch. Portuguese love food and wine, in fact, Portuguese are the major consumers of wine in the world.
Table manners are Continental -- the fork is held in the left hand and the knife in the right while eating.
A typical lunchtime in Portugal is between 12 p.m. and 2 p.m, although some restaurants will keep serving until 3 p.m. Portuguese usually have an hour to grab lunch, so they either bring food from home, or they go out and enjoy a fixed menu at a local restaurant.
Unlike some other countries, tipping in Portugal is not expected. If you receive sub-par service, there is no need to tip. Ask the locals and follow their lead when it comes to tipping situations. By blending into the Portuguese culture you'll be appreciated by service providers and locals alike.
The most popular Portuguese food is bacalhau or dried, salted cod, with more than 365 different ways to prepare it.
Americans typically have dinner between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m.
While the average time people ate dinner was exactly 6:22 p.m., it varies an can be anywhere from 4:30 p.m. to 10:59 p.m. Unlike other countries, the US typically has a very short lunch — making dinner the biggest and longest meal.
In Portugal, the work week is from Monday to Friday, with a daily working time of 8 hours. However, it may be changed by collective agreement in writing, so that it may vary between 38 and 40 hours per week. The working day may be extended until 10 hours during events such as Christmas or Carnival.
On Saturdays, small shops generally open between 9 in the morning and 1 o'clock in the afternoon, and are closed on Sundays. Most restaurants open between 7 and 8 o'clock in the evening, and stay open until past 11 or midnight.
Cozido à Portuguesa
Cozido refers to a classic Portuguese boiled meal. Cozido à portuguesa is a type of cozido made with a plethora of meats (chicken, pork, beef), smoked sausages (chourico, morcela), vegetables (cabbage, beans, potatoes), and other ingredients.
"The siesta is the traditional daily sleep of the Southern region of Alentejo, in Portugal, known as sesta. It was adopted also by the Spanish and, through European influence, by Latin American countries and the Philippines."
The most common items you'll find in a Portuguese breakfast are: bread, sliced cheese, sliced ham, bread, jam, and a milky coffee. Sometimes it's just toast without the ham and cheese, but the common denominators are almost always bread and a milky coffee like a galão or a meia de leite.
The answer is almost always yes, as dinnertime in Portugal happens between 9pm and 10pm on average. This is later than the European average, and only rivalled by Spaniards who usually have dinner between 9:30 and 10:30pm.
The Nordic countries in Europe wrap their dinner up the earliest, with Norway having one of the earliest dinner times—gasp—close to 4.30pm.
Australian families usually have dinner between 6 and 7pm, but I see older people having dinner as early as 5pm and young busy professionals can have dinner as late as 8 or 9pm.
So when exactly should you stop eating at night? Scientists can't agree on a single set time, but the consensus seems to be within three hours before bedtime. So if you go to bed at 11 p.m., don't eat after 8 p.m.
The Portuguese have a soft spot for bread and every meal must have a good slice, either a buttered toast in the morning, to accompany a meal or even as dessert!
Licor Beirão
Simply known as Beirão, this national drink of Portugal is one you don't want to miss! Possibly the most popular Portuguese liqueur on the market, this drink originated in the Beiras region and is an excellent option for those with a sweet tooth.
It's generally safe and healthy to drink the public tap water across Portugal. Get a water filter such as TAPP 2 to improve the taste and reduce the risk of contaminants. Avoid plastic bottled water in Portugal as most plastic doesn't get properly recycled.
Key takeaways on Lisbon's tap water
Yes, you can technically drink the tap water in Lisbon Portugal since it has to pass through a series of stringent quality checks to match EU standards prior to reaching your faucet.
In Portugal, on a regular basis, locals will typically tip taxi drivers and waiters at restaurants (not so much in cafes or bars, although it might happen), regardless if they're at one of the Michelin star restaurants in Lisbon or a family-owned eatery in a village in Alentejo.