I stand on the street corner in Lisbon, waiting. A stranger appears and tells me that he is taking me for lunch. Then another appears and another. Soon there is a group of us, all strangers but all going to lunch. Awkward? Possibly – until little miniature bottles of Moscatelito are pulled out to break the ice and we all say cheers to our new friendships.
I love going to lunch with friends but in a new city such as Lisbon and as a traveller sometimes these friends are ones I haven’t made yet! This is exactly what We Hate Tourism Tours want. Along with one of their expert guides, they introduce you to other travellers whilst having lunch at their favourite place to eat in the famous LX factory in Lisbon.
It’s a nice treat for me, as I had been travelling for nearly three months, living and sleeping in my car. Each day I have made a simple meal on my camping stove. It was about time that I put on some nice clothes, brushed my hair and ate and drank until my belly is full. And the bonus is that I learnt about the history of the LX Factory, a lot about Lisbon and about the culture in Portugal. I was exposed to great food, great chit chat and more importantly, who doesn’t like a tour company that hate tourism tours!
Lunch started with a few jugs of green wine (vinho verde) and red wine on the table and olive bread made in the traditional wood oven and olive oil. We all chose a different dish from the menu to add to the table and some additional ones were ordered because of course, we wanted to try everything. And the best thing, as a long-term strict vegetarian, there were plenty of options for me.
So with a wide range of choices, we opted for the meat and fish dishes of the day, salads and a yummy vegetarian choice for me. The table was piled high with food and we all chatted about every subject under the sun.
We finished off our meal with dessert. We all opted for the chocolate mouse which was out of this world. We were all slightly tipsy at the end but just to make sure, with full bellies, we headed back to the We Hate Tourism Tours Offices for some cherry shots.
So thank you We Hate Tourism Tours for a fantastic afternoon! And for those who are going to ask me where we ate, my lips are sealed.
Things to know about having lunch in Lisbon with We Hate Tourism Tours
1/ Tour name: Lunch in our “Home” by We Hate Tourism Tours
2/ Cost: 37€
3/ Meeting place: The LX Factory which is a place anyone visiting Lisbon should go to. It’s a historical industrial complex with cool shops, great street art and obviously the home of the best tour in Lisbon. It is not far from the city centre, just under the 25th of April bridge. The LX Factory is easy to get to by buses (#712, #713, #714, #727, #742, #751, #756 or #773), Tram (#15 from Cais do Sodre or tram #18), Train ( Get out at Alcantara-Mar on the Cascais Line).
4/ Tour starts at 12.30hrs and takes approx 3 hours.
5/ Group size: No bigger than 8 which means there are enough for you to make new friends but not too big that it gets too loud and busy.
6/ Place we ate: My lips are sealed. Take the tour and find out!
Disclaimer: I was hosted kindly by We Hate Tourism Tours on this yummy lunch with friends but as always my opinions are my own.
Utterly jealous of you for this. That all looks so good and tasty. I went on a food tour in New York, around Greenwich, about 5 years ago. Since then, food tours are a must when I visit somewhere new, specially if it’s a whole different culture.
This is absolutely my kind of tour! Number 1, I love Portuguese food and Vinho Verde in general, so I was already sold on this. The price is so good too, and I particularly love that everything’s local. Really love that it’s in Lisbon too.
This looks like a perfect day! I became hungry seeing the photos of food and have to admit the octopus looks fantastic. Good food is something I really appreciate when I travel
Wow! This is a great concept and surely a wonderful way to meet new friends. Love that they only allow small groups which is very ideal in order to get to know other people more. I will definitely try this whenever I get the chance to be in Lisbon.
Yes, the small groups are great as you can all interact with each other rather than yelling over a table 🙂
Sounds like they have an interesting concept and the dishes look delicious, particularly that octopus – which I guess you didn’t have. I’ve never heard of green wine before and I have to say I’m slightly dubious, particularly if it comes in a jug! Will have to give that a try. So, was this a tour where they took you to a few places or was it just lunch? Sounds like a great way to meet new people when you’re travelling.
They took you to lunch in just one place but this place is their favourite, has a lot of history around it and is quite frankly really really cool! Here you learn so much about Lisbon and make great friends. The people running the tour are so nice and super cool letting you hang out with them at their offices later. To be honest, the green wine is common in Portugal and is very similar to the white wine we would drink. In Portugal, most wine is served by the jug 🙂 Yes you are right, I didn’t have the Octopus but those who did said it was very tasty.
This is a truly unique food tour that I have read about. Never been on one as I don’t count as a foodie but if I do I’ll prefer an experience like this. The vegetarian detail will be useful for many of my Indian friends who stick to indian restaurants even when they go on trips outside the country. The vegetarians shouldnt have to miss local cuisines just because of their choice of diet
This is so true. Sometimes I feel like I am missing out on local food due to restaurants not selling vegetarian options or due to my poor language skills not being able to communicate. I was a little worried at first about going but We Hate Tourism Tours assured me it was no problem for them and they were right. I didn’t feel like I was missing out at all as there was plenty of things for me to eat. I am not a foodie either but this was a great way to fill my belly whilst making new friends and learning about Lisbon and Portuguese life.
I’ve been on food tours before but haven’t seen many like this one. I love the concept and the name (we hate tourism tours). It sounds really interesting.
I’ve been on many food tours all around the world, but this one sounds the closest to getting lunch with friends than any that I’ve been on. Starting off with some drinks is the best way to break the ice and make everyone feel a bit more comfortable with their brand new friends. Meeting fellow travelers and eating good food are two of my favorite things about traveling, and I am dying to visit Portugal and experience this “tour” (hangout?) for myself!
You will love Lisbon Diana and I know that this company is one that you will love. The lunch with friends trip was so great. I felt at ease straight away (most likely the meeting drinks 🙂 ) The guides are all so lovely and friendly. They are ready to give you tips on seeing their city. Perhaps we can finally meet in Lisbon, I can not believe I missed you by just days in Helsinki!