Boca Linda – Authentic Mexican in Santos, Lisbon

Lisbon is in the middle of a massive taco moment, with new Mexican joints, with varying levels of authenticity, sprouting all over town. This is why it makes it so satisfying to dine at Boca Linda, a restaurant in hipster Santos that manages to be true to Mexican traditions, both in the food and in the tasty but potent margaritas.

Owner Alejandro Gonzalez Duran (Alex), who landed in Lisbon through marriage, saw a gap in the city’s Mexican restaurants. He managed to put together a team of 100% Mexican cooks, with his own cousin in charge of the kitchen and their grandmother’s recipes as a basis for the dishes they send out.

While it’s a bustling, sophisticated dining room, it’s clear that street food was a major inspiration for the menu. There’s a good selection of ceviches and correctly sized small tacos with just the right level of smoky spice. But first, they don’t shy away from some of Mexico’s more adventurous dishes, like guacamole with chapulines (grasshoppers—which may as well be popcorn when they’re fried and salted, and apparently also considered an aphrodisiac).

boca linda lisbon — Tacos de cochinita pibil on blue corn tortilla

For the main courses, a standout dish is the pescado bicolor, an impossibly moist, juicy fish with red and green sauces, and pulpo zarandeado, a dish of pan-fried octopus with habanero sauce.

Desserts include treats like dulce de calabaza, a sort of pumpkin custard, and spicy chocolate brownies.

On weekend afternoons, there’s a separate brunch with lighter dishes and traditional fare like huevos a la Mexicana, with scrambled eggs wrapped in tomato, green pepper, and onion.