This third-generation family-run store, founded in 1930, is the oldest canned fish shop in Lisbon. It looks like an apothecary inside, with wooden interiors, but their shelves are exclusively devoted to preserving and selling their three canned labels: Tricana, Minor and Prata do Mar. Here shopkeepers hand-wrap the cans in paper and tie the packages with colored twine. Conserveira de Lisboa has two other locations in Lisbon: Mercado da Ribeira and São Bento.

Every major tinned fish manufacturer in Portugal is represented in this walk-in grocery, which opened in 2013. Lining the walls are shelves stacked with rows of sardines, octopus and mussels, packaged in shiny tins that are categorized by company logos. They also sell eel, trout, anchovy and octopus, as well as the famous La Gondola sardines millésimées, which are marinated in olive oil for one year before going to the market — their flavor improves with ageing because of the oil maturation.

What started in 1942 as an eel export business has since blossomed into a tinned fish empire with locations throughout Portugal and multiple in Lisbon. Its Wonka-fied shops are lined floor to ceiling with lithographed striped tins of everything from roasted bacalhao (codfish) to smoked mussels to their signature eels in pickled sauce. The sardines are organized by year; for a distinctly Portuguese gift, pick a can from a friend's birth year and remind them that some things get better with age.

Pans, knives, brooms, ceramics, fabrics, stationery, soaps — and, of course, tinned fish — are among the everyday items that former journalist Catarina Portas has rescued from oblivion and put on sale in her A Vida Portuguesa shops — all made in Portugal. A wide variety of conservas from brands like José Gourmet, Tricana, Minerva or Tenório can be found here.

This tiny shop opened in March 2019 in the family district of Alvalade and it’s the place to go to find conservas of ventresca (white belly tuna from The Azores), mackerel roe, sardines in spicy tomato, mussels in escabeche, and many more from brands like Naval, Cocagne, Minerva or Pescarias do Algarve. Tea, sausages, jams, olive oils and wines are also on sale.

Offering a variety of organic Portuguese wines all made by small producers, Comida Independente is also one of a small and select group of shops to still sell quality sausages and chorizo. Alongside the wines check out the Portuguese charcuterie selection, muxama (tuna ham), butter from Ilha do Pico, and quince marmalade. But, saving the best for last, you can’t leave without picking up some ovas de sardinha, or sardine roe, the so-called “Portuguese caviar.”

Sea views set the scene for this restaurant dedicated to the art of food preservation (not the cabaret dance). On the ceiling, light pendants are made from large cans, while a giant, minimalist chandelier made of recycled tin hangs in the center; the walls, meanwhile, are lined with wooden shelves holding stacks of cannery, glass jars, and oil bottles. The menu is equally laid-back yet elegant. Think olive oil-doused mackerel with sweet potato puree and hazelnuts and a salted cod confit.

This shop-slash-eatery is home to some of the most precious tins in the city. Wild-caught and hand-packed, this line of artisanal tins is decorated with brightly colored, Matisse-like drawings of whatever fish is inside. Owned by a self-described "mermaid"— and descendent of one of the patriarchs of the Portuguese tinning industry— Miss Can also includes a Petiscaria, which serves lunchtime dishes made from its premium fish. Those across the sea can sign up for their "canmunity" subscription.

Located in the fishing neighborhood of Cais do Sodré, this buzzy tackle shop-turned-bar-restaurant is all rods, hooks, nets, and young people spilling onto bustling Pink Street, dining on monkfish liver and sea urchin with a Super Bock (or two). As part of the quintessential Lisbon nightlife route, some credit this bar with starting the global tinned fish trend. Because while its fishy smell and vast tin selection make it nothing but typically Portuguese, Sol e Pesca is also devastatingly hip.