Mercado de Campo de Ourique

Campo de Ourique's market opened in 1934 as a straightforward neighbourhood produce hall, and in 2013 it was reworked on the model that has since spread across Portugal: the fresh stalls kept along the edges - fish, meat, fruit, vegetables, a cheese counter, a florist - with the centre given over to small food operators selling at communal tables. What makes it work better than Lisbon's larger converted market is proportion. The produce side is still used by residents doing actual shopping, the food counters number around a dozen rather than forty, and the tables fill with people from the surrounding streets rather than entirely with visitors. Campo de Ourique itself is a grid neighbourhood on the plateau west of the centre, residential, with the tram 28 terminus at one end and the Prazeres cemetery beyond it, and it is one of the parts of Lisbon that still feels lived in.

Highlights

• The produce side - fish, meat and vegetable stalls still used by residents.
• The food counters - around a dozen operators around communal tables in the centre.
• The 1934 hall - the original neighbourhood market structure.
• The balance - a conversion that kept the shopping as well as the eating.

When to go

Year-round. One to two hours. Mornings for produce; lunch and evening for the counters. Weekends are busy but not overwhelming.

Things to know

Still a converted market with tourist pricing at the food counters. Communal tables fill at peak and seats are hard to find. The produce stalls close earlier than the food ones. Campo de Ourique needs a tram or bus from the centre.

Nearby

The tram 28 terminus is at the neighbourhood's edge; the Prazeres cemetery is beyond.

Key facts