Creatively defying the old standard format of what an “ethnic” restaurant should be, at Jesus é Goês colonial heritage, history, national identity – it’s all fodder for the late-Jesus’s clever, delicious creations. Sure samosas, chapati, and shrimp curry draw a crowd of approving Goan families, but one line on the menu, sugestão do Jesus, is the password for a Goan dining experience like no other, whether that’s whole quail in turmeric sauce or local mushroom and chestnut curry.

Gunpowder has set its sights on conquering the tastebuds of locals through Indian seafood dishes and spices. Harneet Baweja, originally from Calcutta, founded the original Gunpowder in London and, in search of good waves for surfing, brought his shrimp toast, crab bhurji and Goan chili garlic squid to Lisbon. The Konkani fried seabass or the kali mirch grilled turbot – a marinated fish dish with black pepper, turmeric and curry leaves – are some of the best of the seafood heavy menu.

The Portuguese were the first Europeans to settle in Chittagong, present-day Bangladesh, way back in 1528. While never officially colonizing it, Bangladeshi cuisine uses many ingredients introduced by the small European country, like tomatoes, chilies, and chhena, a type of cottage cheese. The famous rasgulla dessert using chhena is made lovingly at Dhaka Restaurante, a 10-table room that for many in Mouraria is an all-day drop-in point for dishes like flawless lamb korma and biryani.

Despite being slightly off the food map, this cozy restaurant is always busy, with locals and Chinese families filling up the tables most nights of the week. It’s probably the best Chinese restaurant in downtown Lisbon. A big reason is because of Mr. Lu’s own proven credentials as a master – in 1997 he was officially named Shandong’s Best Chef and won second in a national TV cooking competition. Get the sweet & sour fish, duck rolls and frog legs with xau xau rice.

In the 1990s Maria, the now-busy owner of this small restaurant in Mouraria, was just a regular customer, an avid fan of the elderly Goan woman who originally ran the place. Nowadays, she is the one manning the stove, applying the secrets painstakingly learned from her husband, a Goan born in Mozambique. Goan cooking is big on seafood and rice, and the prawn curry is a good place for the uninitiated to start. The pork vindaloo is another speciality of the house and a Goan classic.

Lisbon’s secret Chinese restaurants in Mouraria’s side streets are getting more business thanks to the influx of expats craving cheap noodles. Not-so-clandestine anymore, Clandestino suddenly popped up on Maps 5 years ago. Here you’ll find abundant traditional and international Chinese dishes of dumplings, noodles and – our favorite – fried eggplant.

The colorful Martim Moniz bairro is a prime setting for Mercado Oriental, the Asian outpost of the Portuguese supermarket chain, Amanhecer. This pan-Asian temple teems with ramen, dumplings and other Eastern foodstuffs that draw immigrants, chefs and culinary-minded locals. Fittingly, its front-of-house café doubles as a simple hand-pulled noodle bar. At the first-floor food court fragrant stalls invite you to take a tasting tour of Asian street food.

Like all tascas, the atmosphere at Tasca Kome is cozy and friendly. The fact that it serves high-end Japanese food and whisky instead of the traditional meat, fish and beer doesn’t detract from its intimacy. The daily menu includes expertly fused dishes like local mackerel in a Japanese-style ceviche with miso and ginger. We love the green-tea Castella cake. Brought to Japan by Portuguese merchants in the 16th century, this sponge cake is a great example of the countries’ shared history.