Supermarkets in Portugal: A Guide to Online & Offline Shopping

If you’re moving to Portugal from the US, Canada, or the UK, grocery shopping is going to feel a little different — in mostly good ways.

Portugal has a lot of supermarkets. Even small Portuguese towns typically have two or three supermarkets within easy walking distance. Larger towns often have four or five different chains, sometimes next to each other.

The tradeoff, especially if you’re living in a city like Lisbon or Porto, is that you’re unlikely to find a large American-style superstore nearby. City-center stores are typically compact — think more like a Trader Joe’s or a small Whole Foods than a Walmart Supercenter.

In fact, the big hypermarket-style stores (similar to a Super Target or a large Kroger) are almost always on the outskirts of towns, often in shopping malls or retail parks. If you don’t have a car, you’ll probably be doing your regular shopping at whatever mid-sized store is closest, and making the occasional trip out to a bigger one for a larger haul.

The good news? Prices across most Portuguese supermarkets are fairly similar, and the overall cost of groceries is lower than in the US or UK. The real game comes from loyalty cards and apps, which are worth getting for every store you visit regularly.

Here’s a rundown of the main chains you’ll encounter.

Continente

Continente is the biggest supermarket chain in Portugal — think of it as roughly the equivalent of Kroger or Tesco in terms of market dominance. You’ll find it everywhere on the mainland, and it also has stores in Madeira and on São Miguel in the Azores.

The large Continente stores are full hypermarkets with groceries, electronics, appliances, books, toys, and homeware — all under one roof. The smaller format stores, called Continente Bom Dia, are more neighborhood-sized and closer to what you’d find in a city center.

Loyalty card: Yes — the Cartão Continente is widely considered one of the best loyalty programs in Portugal. You accumulate points that can be used as cash toward purchases, and you often get access to personalized coupons and promotions. It also links to fuel discounts at Galp gas stations, which is a nice bonus if you drive. Many people load credit onto their Continente card and use it to pay, which also means your receipts go to your email — no more paper.

Online shopping: Yes, through continente.pt (available in Portuguese). Continente delivers to all of mainland Portugal, which makes it a great option if you’re setting up a new home and want to order in bulk without renting a van.

The catch: Continente tends to be on the pricier end among Portuguese supermarkets. Many locals note that it’s often the most expensive option for everyday staples. That said, if you play the loyalty card and coupons game well — especially combined with Galp fuel discounts — it can work out to be very competitive.

Pingo Doce

Pingo Doce is another major chain, with stores throughout mainland Portugal and Madeira. You’ll find it in city centers more reliably than Continente, which makes it a common go-to for everyday shopping.

It’s a solid all-rounder — good fresh produce sections, a reliable bakery, and a reasonable own-brand range. The butcher counter at many locations is popular, and Portuguese shoppers tend to rate it well for meat and fish.

Loyalty card: Yes — the Poupa Mais card. This one is particularly well-loved because of Pingo Doce’s periodic “20+20” promotions, where spending €100 earns you €20 to spend at Pingo Doce plus €20 in fuel vouchers. These promotions come around regularly and are genuinely popular — some shoppers report saving €80–120 per month by stacking the loyalty card with these offers.

Online shopping: Yes, through mercadao.pt (available in Portuguese).

The catch: Opinions on Pingo Doce vary more than you’d expect. Some people swear by it; others find the fruit and vegetable quality inconsistent, and the store layouts can feel cramped and crowded.

Auchan

You might see some Portuguese locals still calling this one Jumbo — that was its name before the French parent company rebranded. Auchan operates both smaller city-center stores and large hypermarkets on town outskirts, which are some of the biggest grocery stores you’ll find in Portugal.

If you’re used to the variety of a large American superstore, the bigger Auchan locations will feel the most familiar. They stock a wide range of international products and specialty foods that are harder to find elsewhere, along with electronics, appliances, and homeware (previously marketed as Jumbo Box).

Loyalty card: Yes — the Auchan app offers discounts and a 10% rebate on purchases of their own-brand products. The express scan feature in the app lets you scan items as you shop and pay without waiting in line, which is a genuinely useful feature.

Online shopping: Yes, through auchan.pt (available in Portuguese).

The catch: Auchan’s own-brand products get mixed reviews — some shoppers love them, others find them underwhelming. Where Auchan really shines is for variety, specialty products, and international foods.

Intermarché

A French chain (the same one you’ll find across Europe) with a solid presence across mainland Portugal. Intermarché stores tend to be well-stocked and have a good reputation for meat — many people specifically head to Intermarché just for the butcher counter.

Some stores also have petrol stations, and a few locations even have camping spots for caravans, which is a very European thing that might surprise you.

Loyalty card: Yes. The 25th of each month is a popular event for cardholders, with accumulated savings available to redeem — worth knowing about.

Online shopping: Yes through intermarche.pt

Lidl

If you’ve lived in the UK or Europe, you already know Lidl. If you’re coming from North America, here’s the quick version: Lidl is a German discount chain that focuses on a limited, mostly own-brand selection at low prices, with a constantly rotating “middle aisle” of themed non-food products (tools, kitchenware, gardening gear, seasonal items).

Lidl consistently comes up as one of the best for quality-to-price ratio. The bread in particular gets a lot of praise, as does the fresh produce, meat, and — surprisingly — the organic own-brand range, which is often cheaper than comparable products anywhere else.

The Lidl Plus app gives you access to rotating digital coupons, including direct discounts on your shop (sometimes €5–10 off a qualifying purchase) and occasional percentage discounts on categories like meat. It’s worth downloading even if you don’t use it aggressively.

The catch: Lidl’s limited selection means you’ll never do all your shopping there. If you want specific brands, you’ll need to go elsewhere.

Online shopping: No.

Loyalty card: No traditional card — the Lidl Plus app serves this function.

Aldi

Aldi and Lidl are often mentioned in the same breath, and the rivalry between fans of each is surprisingly fierce. Aldi is similarly German, similarly discount-focused, and similarly own-brand-heavy. The two stores operate on almost identical models.

Where they differ is subtle: Aldi tends to stock more specialty and international items, and its in-store experience varies more by location. Some Portuguese shoppers report long lines due to a limited number of open checkouts; others note that newer stores have self-checkout options that solve this problem.

Like Lidl, Aldi is a great place for quality basics at low prices, and many locals shop both stores to cover different product categories.

Online shopping: No.

Loyalty card: No.

Mercadona

Mercadona is Spain’s largest supermarket chain and has been expanding into Portugal, currently concentrated in the north of the country. It’s one of the most talked-about supermarkets among Portuguese shoppers, with strong opinions on all sides.

What makes Mercadona distinctive is its almost entirely own-brand focus. Rather than offering 15 versions of pasta sauce, they offer one — their own — and it’s usually good quality. This philosophy divides people. Some shoppers love the simplicity and consistency; others find the lack of brand-name choices limiting.

The shopping experience itself is frequently praised: wide aisles, multiple open checkouts (meaning virtually no waiting), and smaller cart options for smaller shops. The product layout, however, is famously counterintuitive — rice in one corner, pasta in another — and even long-time shoppers admit they still find it confusing.

Price-wise: Mercadona’s reputation for being the cheapest option has faded somewhat. More recent Portuguese community opinions suggest it sits in the middle of the pack or even slightly above average for many products, though it remains competitive for certain categories like cleaning products, hygiene items, and fish.

Online shopping: No.

Loyalty card: No — and this is by design. Mercadona’s philosophy is to offer consistent, straightforward pricing rather than a promotions-and-coupons game. Some shoppers love this; others feel they miss out compared to stores with loyalty programs.

E.Leclerc

E.Leclerc is a French hypermarket chain that’s been in Portugal since 1995. It’s not as ubiquitous as Continente or Pingo Doce — there are around 21 stores in Portugal — but it has a loyal following among shoppers who have one nearby, and it comes up consistently in Portuguese online communities as one of the better options for price and variety.

The stores are large hypermarkets, almost always on town outskirts rather than city centers, so you’ll generally need a car to get there. But for shoppers who make the trip, the payoff is real: E.Leclerc carries a wide variety of products including groceries, clothing, electronics, kitchenware, tools, and pet supplies, and many locations also have petrol stations, car washes, and even self-service laundry facilities — a level of one-stop convenience that rivals the biggest Auchan stores.

Pricing is generally competitive, and the international food section tends to be a highlight with a good variety of French imported products alongside Portuguese staples, which makes it a useful stop if you’re looking for things that are hard to find elsewhere.

Online shopping: Check local store.

Smaller Supermarkets

You’ll also encounter smaller chains like Spar, Minipreço, and Bolama (more common in northern Portugal and the islands). These are great for convenience — they punch above their weight for everyday essentials, and if you’re near a municipal market, you can cover most of your fresh produce and protein needs without needing a big supermarket at all.

Recheio is a wholesale/cash-and-carry chain (similar to Costco or Sam’s Club, but without the membership model for the public) that’s popular with the self-employed and small businesses. If you’re self-employed in Portugal, it’s worth knowing that you can often register for a customer card and access it at lower prices than retail supermarkets — particularly good value for fruit, vegetables, and milk.

Loyalty Cards and Apps: The Real Game

For newcomers from the US, the loyalty card culture in Portugal might feel familiar (think grocery store rewards cards) but it’s taken more seriously here. The main ones worth getting:

• Cartão Continente — great all-around card with cash-back equivalent
• Poupa Mais (Pingo Doce) — excellent if you shop there regularly, especially for the 20+20 fuel+shopping promotions
• Lidl Plus (app) — worth downloading for the rotating discount coupons
• Auchan app — useful for the express scan checkout and own-brand rebates

The honest takeaway from Portuguese shoppers: prices between supermarkets are similar enough that where you shop matters less than how well you use the promotions and coupons available to you.

Don’t Forget the Markets

Portuguese municipal markets (mercados) deserve a special mention, especially for newcomers who might default to supermarkets out of habit.

Fresh markets in Portugal are typically open on weekday mornings and sometimes Saturdays, and they’re often significantly cheaper than supermarkets for fruit, vegetables, fish, and meat — and the quality is frequently better too. They’re also a great way to start feeling at home in a new place. You’ll get to know the vendors, pick up some Portuguese, and leave with better produce than anything shrink-wrapped.

Even if you only have a small Spar or Minipreço nearby, you can eat very well if you have access to a local market.

International Supermarkets

One thing that catches many English-speaking expats off guard: international food selections in standard Portuguese supermarkets are fairly limited. If you’re looking for specific products from home, you’ll likely need a specialist store.

For British expats (particularly in the Algarve, where most UK expats are based): The Food Co. (Overseas Supermarket) is the largest British food retailer in Portugal, stocking products from Iceland and Waitrose, with stores in Guia (Algarve Shopping) and Portimão. There are smaller British shops in Albufeira and Cascais, and online ordering is available through places like British Cornershop.

For Asian ingredients: Larger cities, especially Lisbon around the Martim Moniz area, have Chinese and Asian supermarkets. Ayur in Lisbon stocks products from China, Thailand, Japan, and the Middle East. Outside major cities, online options are your best bet.

For Brazilian products: Given that Brazilians make up the largest non-Portuguese population in Portugal, Brazilian supermarkets are fairly well-represented in Lisbon and Porto — the main one being Mercado Brasil Tropical. Online stores like Sabor Brasil are also an option.

For American expats: This is genuinely the trickiest category. Specific American products (certain cereals, peanut butter varieties, particular snacks, etc.) can be hard to find and expensive when you do. Some expats order via Amazon Spain or Amazon Germany, which delivers to Portugal. El Corte Inglés (the Spanish department store with a location in Lisbon) has one of the more varied international food sections in the country, though it’s on the pricier end.

There are also stores like Lojas Liberty and Flavers.

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