Taquería Paloma

• Bela Vista (Linha Vermelha)
• €€
• Praça David Leandro da Silva 9A, 1950-064

When researching areas of Lisbon before moving here, we encountered the online trend for describing different neighbourhoods using comparable global hipster hotspots. Things like ‘the Kreuzberg of Lisbon’ or ‘the Bushwick of Lisbon’ are admittedly fun but arguably a narrow way of characterising this city. So it was with a slight eye-roll that these two former East London Millennials set off to explore ‘the Hackney of Lisbon’ - Marvila. The comparisons are understandable. Set just off the river, finding breweries, galleries, music venues and coffee shops scattered amongst industrial warehouses does feel like you’ve unearthed something new and exciting (although the Teslas parked outside beautifully-renovated flats indicates that we’re already well late to the Marvila party).

Building on the growing hype of this neighbourhood is 8 Marvila - a warehouse converted into a shiny gallery/food/drink/shopping space. And next door you will find Taquería Paloma. On a sunny day you will undoubtedly be drawn to this gorgeous-looking restaurant by its bright yellow-striped umbrellas. Our recommendation? Grab a table if you can and get stuck in. In keeping with Marvila’s trendy vibes, this place specialises in tacos and spicy margaritas. And oh boy, it does them good. Don’t be put off by the cost of the margaritas - they are worth it.

The Al Pastor (Iberico pork) and Chicharron (pork belly) costras

The veggie combo of tacos is a good place to start if you fancy trying a mix of toppings - the onion salad taco was fresh and crunchy, the hard taco layered with avocado was delicious, and I could have eaten 50 of the bean one. The stars of the show were the costra tacos - grilled cheese is wrapped around the contents, and then put on a classic soft taco. Order the Al Pastor with Iberico pork. Delicious. Everything comes with a couple of little fried potatoes and a tray of six sauces ranging from sweet to spicy, offering something for everyone. The only slight disappointment was the guacamole - but no matter, that just leaves more space to fill up on tacos. 

If you haven’t explored Marvila yet, what are you waiting for? Summer is coming, and Taquería Paloma is the perfect place to enjoy the sunshine with some good food and good drinks.

Don’t forget to order: The Al Pastor Costra (€4.50) - soft taco, grilled cheese, delicious pork.

Two margaritas please - one spicy, one normal, both delicious.