Tipping and other local etiquettes in Portugal

While Rafael and I enjoyed some delicious meals at our favourite restaurants, I started to think about some of the local etiquette that I now take for granted after being in Portugal for so long. I know some of our foreign friends may have lots more to share so please let us know!

Here are some that comes to mind:

1) Tipping: There is no expectation or obligation to tip in Portugal as in other countries but tipping is a great way to show appreciation for the food or for your server. It is a nice gesture to tip if you are with a large group, if you go to the place often or if you are friendly with the server. Tips are not a main source of income for the servers, as it may be in other countries, so leaving behind a few euros (not random change) is a polite way to finish a gratifying meal.

2) Couvert: The side dishes that usually comes at the beginning of a meal is called couvert in Portugal. They may be as simple as bread, olives, butter, cheeses and even cured meat. The common practice is that they are brought to the table but if you don’t want to have them, you can send them back. It’s typical in North America to have bread with butter before a meal that comes free. This isn’t the case in Portugal, although the price of couvert is usually a few euros depending on what they have. So feel free to send back what you don’t want and keep what you want.

3) Wine and water: Drinks like local wine and bottled sparkling and still water are very affordable. Oftentimes, a glass of wine from a local winery is the same price for a glass of soda that comes from a brand (ie Coke or Pepsi). In terms of bottled water in Portugal, it’s also very affordable. Because of that, it’s typically against etiquette to order water and ask for it to be tap water. Of course, in other cities or countries, bottled water is very expensive and tap water is expected when patrons as for water, but here in Portugal, water is typically no more than a couple of euros, so just tell your server sparkling or still when ordering.

4) Finding seats on your own: We see a lot of foreigners walk into restaurants and seat themselves. Although they may have a good intention to help out or feel that they are making the jobs easier for the servers to seat themselves, this is not something locals really appreciate. Staff may be slower to get to you as they work through their other tables. So always wait for the restaurant to seat you.

5) Asking for the bill: It’s not always obvious as you may have been asking for the bill everywhere but in Portugal, it’s not typical that servers will proactively bring over the bill. The time it takes for you to dine and enjoy is relative so if you find yourself wondering why no one is coming to you for the bill, it’s because you must ask for it.

Let us know what you think have been a cultural surprise when dining out. We would love to hear about it!

Até já,

Mia and Rafael