@fiona: I agree! I honestly can't understand people who can't find a good meal in Lisbon! Haven't they heard of Pastéis de Belém

As you allude to -- like in every other place, a little research goes a long way. Lisbon had, in our experience, great food at excellent prices for Western Europe. We stayed at Sofitel Liberdade for a week and, between our own finds and the suggestions of the concierge desk, never ran out of enjoyable experiences -- culinary or otherwise!