Saturday morning, till number 7 at a Continente in the Lisbon suburbs. You are putting your last packet of bolachas (biscuits) on the belt when the cashier looks up: "Contribuinte?" You smile, she waits, and so does the queue. Welcome to your first supermarket in Portugal, where doing the shopping feels a lot like what you know… apart from a handful of details that make all the difference to your receipt and to your patience.
Here is how to find your way around supermarkets in Portugal, how to pay less, and the little habits nobody thinks to explain.
Which supermarket should you choose in Portugal? The main chains
The landscape is dominated by two Portuguese giants, joined by German discounters and a Spanish chain that is gaining ground.
Continente (Sonae group) is the largest network in the country. You will come across it in three formats: Continente hypermarkets on the outskirts, mid-sized Continente Modelo stores, and Continente Bom Dia, handy neighbourhood shops that are a little more expensive. Its strength is the Cartão Continente: every purchase on promotion credits a balance in euros to your card, which you then spend like cash.
Pingo Doce (Jerónimo Martins group) is the other pillar, present even in small towns. People go for its own brand, often very decent, and for its deli and bakery counters, where many Portuguese buy their lunch. Discounts come through the Poupa Mais app.
Lidl is everywhere, with the low prices and layout you probably already know. Its Lidl Plus app gives you coupons every week. Aldi has fewer shops, but plays the same tune.
Mercadona, the Spanish chain, arrived in Portugal in 2019. It first set up in the North and the Centre, and is now expanding south. Its fresh produce aisles and its Hacendado own brand already have loyal fans.
Auchan, formerly Jumbo, runs large hypermarkets on the outskirts and a network of convenience stores. Intermarché is very present in small towns and rural areas. Finally, El Corte Inglés, in Lisbon and Vila Nova de Gaia, has a basement delicatessen where you will find the most specialised imported products.
| Chain | What to go there for | The right reflex |
|---|---|---|
| Continente | Choice, everywhere | Activate the Cartão Continente |
| Pingo Doce | Own brand, deli, bread | The Poupa Mais app |
| Lidl / Aldi | Low prices on the essentials | The Lidl Plus app coupons |
| Mercadona | Fresh produce and own brand | Check whether there is one near you |
| Auchan | Large stores, imported products | Hypermarkets for the big shop |
| El Corte Inglés | Delicatessen, French products | For treats, not for every day |
Is there a cheapest supermarket in Portugal?
The honest answer: it depends on what you put in your trolley. On basics (milk, pasta, tinned food, cleaning products), the discounters Lidl and Aldi are generally ahead. But the gap shrinks fast once you play the promotions game at the two giants.
In Portugal, promotions are not a bonus: they are the system. Every week, Continente and Pingo Doce publish their folhetos (leaflets) with discounts that sometimes reach half price, and the famous "leve 2, pague 1" (buy two, pay for one). Regular shoppers plan their shopping around these catalogues, and it shows on the bill.
Three habits that really change your budget:
- Combine two chains: a discounter for the basics, Continente or Pingo Doce for the week's offers.
- Activate the loyalty cards and apps on your first visit. Without them, you pay full price on items on promotion.
- Choose own brands, often good quality, especially for groceries and dairy products.
Prices move with inflation and from one region to another; for an overview of your monthly budget, see our article on the cost of living in Portugal.
What happens at the till in supermarkets in Portugal?
This is where newcomers give themselves away. Nothing complicated, but better to know before you keep ten people waiting.
**"Contribuinte?"** The cashier is asking whether you want your tax number, the NIF, on the invoice. It is not compulsory, but it is free and useful: each purchase is then recorded in e-fatura, the Finanças system, and some can reduce your income tax once you are resident. Say your number, or show it on your phone. If you do not have one yet, our guide to getting your NIF in Portugal walks you through the process step by step.
Bags cost extra. Regulars bring their own shopping bags, and Portuguese shoppers can spot a newcomer at a glance.
You often weigh fruit and vegetables yourself. In many shops, a self-service scale awaits you in the aisle: you put your tomatoes on it, press the right picture and stick on the label. Arrive at the till without a label and you may be sent back to the aisle, under the amused gaze of the queue.
Take a ticket at the counters. Butcher (talho), fishmonger (peixaria), deli: a dispenser of senhas (numbered tickets) stands next to each. The fish counter, by the way, is often a show in itself: sea bream, sardines, octopus, and dried bacalhau (salt cod) in large slabs, stacked like laundry.
Payment: bank cards work everywhere, and many Portuguese people pay with MB Way, the national payment app. We explain everything in our article on paying in Portugal, with Multibanco and MB Way.
What are supermarket opening hours in Portugal?
Good news if you come from a country where everything closes on Sunday: most supermarkets in Portugal are open seven days a week. Large stores are generally open from 8 or 9 am until 9 or 10 pm; neighbourhood shops have slightly shorter hours.
On public holidays, it varies more: some shops reduce their hours, others close, especially around Christmas and New Year. The safest bet is the chain's app or its listing on an online map, which is usually up to date.
Also worth knowing: supermarkets are allowed to sell alcohol, and the wine aisle alone is worth a visit. Perfectly respectable Portuguese bottles sell there at prices that often surprise newcomers.
What you will find in supermarkets in Portugal… and what you will miss
The good surprises first. Fresh fish, seasonal fruit, wine, olive oil, presunto (cured ham) and chouriço, Portuguese cheeses such as queijo da Serra or small fresh cheeses: all good, plentiful and reasonably priced. The bread is worth it too, from corn broa to the little morning papo-secos (bread rolls).
Then the small gaps, which newcomers from France, Belgium and Switzerland all end up listing:
- Thick crème fraîche is rare. People cook with natas, a liquid cream, and you can find thick cream in the best-stocked large stores.
- French cheeses exist, but the choice is limited and prices are higher than in France.
- Some everyday products (lardons, your favourite brand of wholegrain mustard, the biscuits of your childhood) take some hunting, often at Auchan, Continente or El Corte Inglés.
Most expats end up adopting local equivalents, and bringing back a suitcase of specialities every time they go home.
Grocery shopping in Portugal: supermarket, market or corner shop?
The supermarket is only part of the story. For fruit, vegetables and fish, municipal markets remain unbeatable for freshness and often for price, not to mention the atmosphere. We have a whole article on them: Portugal's markets, where to buy fresh and local.
In between, there is the mercearia, the neighbourhood grocer's, and the padaria, the local bakery. They help out late in the evening, know your first name after three weeks, and are often your best way into neighbourhood life.
Many expats find their rhythm like this: the big shop at the supermarket every ten days, the market on Saturday morning, the corner shop for the rest.
Can you do your grocery shopping online in Portugal?
In the big cities, home delivery works well. Continente and Auchan have their own online grocery websites, and several fast-delivery apps cover Lisbon, Porto and the main cities. Handy in the first weeks, when you have neither a car nor your bearings.
Outside the big urban areas, the offer is thinner and delivery slots rarer. Check that your address is covered before relying on it.
Our advice for your first week
Do not look for the perfect chain straight away. Take a tour of Continente or Pingo Doce to get your bearings, set up your loyalty cards, find the nearest Lidl, and go to the market on Saturday. In three weeks, you will have your habits, your padaria and your wine of the week.
And the day the cashier asks "Contribuinte?", you will have your NIF ready. For the rest of your move, from paperwork to small habits, our article on the everyday codes of life in Portugal is waiting for you.